Strong governance ensures that we are held to account by all our stakeholders – representatives of the learners, colleagues and communities served by our academies. You can read more about our approach to governance in our Governance Scheme of Delegation, below.
Our Members, Trustees and local Governors are committed to our mission. We’re thankful that they volunteer their time to oversee our work and help us improve.
Our mission to transform lives is enhanced by a governance team from a diverse range of professional, social and cultural backgrounds. If you’re interested in joining our Trust as a Governor in one of our academies, you can contact our Head of Governance, Emily Elliott, at governance@attrust.org.uk and follow us on facebook at ATT Governors, and check out our LinkedIn Showcase page.
| Name | Date of Appointment | Term of Office | Date Stepped Down | Declarations of Interests |
| Louise Jones | 19 April 2022 | 4 years | - | Chief Finance Officer at Dudley College of Technology since 2021; Chair of the Bobbington Parish Council since 2006; Member of Business and Audit Committee at Dudley Academies Trust since 2022; Trustee at the Black Country Living Museum since 2022 |
| Jessica Heale | 22 December 2023 | 4 years | - | Chair of Trustees at Invictus Education Trust since 2022; employee at Lapley, Stretton and Wheaton Aston Parish Councils 2022, employee at Capita: Entrust Governance Services since 2022; Chair of Governors at South Staffordshire Learning Partnership since 2016; Member at Unity MAT since December 2024. |
| Diane Elleman | 26 April 2024 | 4 years | - | Employee of Brooke Weston Trust since 2022 |
| Tania Craig | 12 June 2024 | 4 years | - | Executive Headteacher of New Horizons Learning Centre since 2010; Treasurer & National Committee Member at Engage in Their Future since 2018, Trustee at Leaf Trust Primary MAT since 2023; National Safeguarding Lead for Welsh Fencing since 2019; Vice President of Chartered College of Teaching since 2023; Council Member and Vice President of CCT at Chartered College of Teaching since November 2023/ |
| Matthew McDonagh | 29 January 2025 | 4 years | - | Senior Quantity Surveyor at Kier Construction Ltd since 2017; Director at MMcD Construction Ltd since 2016 |
| Gurpreet Bhatia DL | 24 August 2020 | 4 years | 13 March 2024 | Executive Member at Sant Nirankari Mission since 2013; Board Member at Centre for Sikh & Panjab Studies since 2018; Trustee at the Commonwealth Sports Foundation since 2021; Trustee at the Legacy West Midlands since 2018 |
| Patricia Mary Beanland OBE | 1 June 2016 | 4 years | 31 May 2024 | Chair of Governors at Moseley Secondary School since 2016 |
| Tracy Campbell | 24 August 2020 | 4 years | 22 August 2024 | None |
| Name | Date of Appointment | Term of Office | Date Stepped Down | Term Expires | Appointed by | Declarations of Interests | Board Meetings Attended 2023-24 | Possible Board Meetings 2023-24 |
| Patricia Mary Beanland OBE | 22 Nov 2020 (previously appointed 22 Nov 2016) Next term agreed from 22 Nov 2024 | 4 years | - | 21 November 2027 | Members | Chair of Governors at Moseley Secondary School since 2016 | 7 | 7 |
| Tom Clark CBE | 1 Nov 2022 (previously appointed 1 Nov 2018) | 4 years | - | 1 Nov 2026 | Members | Member at De Ferrers MAT since September 2024 | 6 | 7 |
| Mark McCourt (Accounting Officer) | 1 April 2025 | - | - | - | Trustees | Owner, Director at Mentis Education Ltd since December 2012 Owner, Director at Frequency Ltd since November 2019 Director at Advantage Schools since April 2018 | - | - |
| Alistair Milne | 18 Aug 2023 (previously appointed 19 Aug 2019) | 4 years | - | 18 Aug 2027 | Members | Director & 90% shareholder at Transformation Through People Ltd (appointment to Trust) since 2018 | 7 | 7 |
| Elaine Bonar SEND Link Trustee | 30 September 2021 | 4 years | - | 30 September 2025 | Members | None | 6 | 7 |
| Mark Gill Safeguarding Link Trustee | 6 January 2022 | 4 years | - | 6 January 2026 | Members | Director at Analysis, Research and Communications Ltd (since 2011) and Libertatum Ltd (since 2013), Co-founder and Director a\t Woodnewton Associates Ltd (2006-2014) Executive Director at Magna Carta Trust (since 2020) Member at World Association for Public Opinion Research (since 2005) | 7 | 7 |
| Louise Jones | 28 March 2022 | 4 years | - | 28 March 2026 | Co-opted by Board | Chief Finance Officer at Dudley College of Technology since 2021; Chair of the Bobbington Parish Council since 2006; Member of Business & Audit Committee at Dudley Academies Trust since 2022; Trustee at the Black Country Living Museum since 2022 | 4 | 7 |
| Gavin Hawkins Cyber Security Link Trustee | 25 September 2023 | 4 years | 24 September 2027 | Co-opted by Board | Chair of Trustees at Elston Hall Learning Trust since 2019 Trustee of NAACE – The Education Technology Association since 2019 Co-opted Governor at Long Knowle Primary School since 2017 Member at SHINE Academies Trust since 2021 Member at Ignite Learning Partnership since 2018 CEO of Squirrel Learning Limited since May 2018 Director and Shareholder of Engagedu CIC since 2021 Director and Shareholder of Online Behaviours Limited since 2020 | 5 | 6 | |
| Geoff Stokes | 9 January 2024 | 4 years | 9 January 2028 | Co-opted by Board | Volunteer at Age UK (since 2021) Sharon Taylor, (complimentary Therapist), owner of own business (since 2006) Rachel Stokes, (daughter), Pastoral Manager at Woodlands School (since 2017) Umpire for Atherstone Hockey Club who play at TQEA (since 2018) Director of Corporate Governance at NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (since October 2024) | 4 | 4 | |
| Steve Cooke | 23 April 2025 | 4 Years | - | 22 April 2029 | Members | Director of Estates, Facilities & Business Services at National Highways since 2022 | ||
| Roland Gray | 16 May 2025 | 4 Years | - | 15 May 2029 | Members | Partner at Browne Jacobson LLP since 2021, Chair of Governors at Northampton School for Girls since 2019, Trustee at University of Northampton since 2023, Employers Board Member at Nottingham Trent University Law School since 2020. | ||
| Joanne Dawson | 24 July 2023 | 4 Years | 17 October 2024 | 17 October 2024 | Members | Chief Financial Officer at Ormiston Academies Trust since 2019; Chair of Trustees at St Albans Academy Trust since 2014; Chair of Governors at ARK St Albans Academy since 2013. | 4 | 7 |
| Committee | Position | Name |
| Audit and Risk Committee | Chair | Mark Gill |
| Member | Alistair Milne, Geoff Stokes | |
| Finance and Resources Committee | Chair | Louise Jones |
| Member | Alistair Milne, Gavin Hawkins | |
| Standards and Outcomes Committee | Chair | Patricia Beanland |
| Member | Tom Clark, Elaine Bonar, Gavin Hawkins, Mark Gill | |
| Remunerations Committee | Chair | Patricia Beanland |
| Member | Patricia Beanland, Mark Gill, Louise Jones, Alistair Milne | |
| Remunerations Committee (appeals) | Chair | The Chair is elected by the committee when it convenes |
| Member | Tom Clark & one other Trustee not involved in the Remunerations Committee |
| Name | Meeting 1 | Meeting 2 | Meeting 3 | |
| 21-Sep-2023 | 29-Feb-2024 | 26-Jun-2024 | % Attended | |
| Alistair Milne | Attended | Attended | Attended | 100% |
| Geoff Stokes | - | Attended | Attended | 100% |
| Mark Gill | Attended | Attended | Attended | 100% |
| Tom Clark CBE | Attended | - | - | 100% |
| Name | Meeting 1 | Meeting 2 | Meeting 3 | |
| 28-Nov-2023 | 21-Mar-2024 | 20-Jun-2024 | % Attended | |
| Alistair Milne | Attended | Attended | Attended | 100% |
| Joanne Dawson | Attended | Missed | Attended | 67% |
| Louise Jones | Attended | Attended | Attended | 100% |
| Name | Meeting 1 | Meeting 2 | Meeting 3 | |
| 13-Dec-2023 | 6-Mar-2024 | 16-Jul-2024 | % Attended | |
| Elaine Bonar | Apologies | Attended | Attended | 67% |
| Gavin Hawkins | Attended | Attended | Attended | 100% |
| Pat Beanland | Attended | Attended | Attended | 100% |
| Tom Clark CBE | Attended | Attended | Apologies | 67% |
Please visit academy websites for details of governor attendance and more information about the work of our Local Governing Bodies.
| Academy | Position | Name |
| Beck Row Primary & Great Heath Primary Cluster | Chair | Steve Shore |
| Vice Chair | Jane Seaney | |
| Bristnall Hall & Pool Hayes Academy Cluster | Chair | Vacant |
| Vice Chair | Ricky Byrnes | |
| Caldmore Primary & North Walsall Primary Cluster | Chair | Rachel Paskin |
| Vice Chair | Tarra Simmons | |
| Iceni Primary Academy | Chair | Alex Smith |
| Vice Chair | Marie Reidie | |
| Iceni Secondary & The Nicholas Hamond Cluster | Chair | Simon Connor |
| Vice Chair | Jacob Morton | |
| Jubilee Academy Mossley & Phoenix Academy Cluster | Chair | Matt Spence |
| Vice Chair | Sophia Kapcia | |
| Kingsmoor & Ravens Academy Cluster | Chair | Patricia Beanland |
| Vice Chair | Vacant | |
| Mildenhall College Academy | Chair | Steve Shore |
| Vice Chair | Helen Self | |
| Star Academy Sandyford & Sun Academy Bradwell Cluster | Chair | Iain MacDonald |
| Vice Chair | Chris Routledge | |
| Sutton Academy | Chair | Pete Edwards |
| Vice Chair | Glen Roberts | |
| The Dukeries Academy | Chair | David McLuckie |
| Vice Chair | Vacant | |
| The Hathaway Academy | Chair | Vacant |
| Vice Chair | Lisa McGregor | |
| The Queen Elizabeth Academy | Chair | Ann Webb |
| Vice Chair | Craig Bird | |
| Westbourne Academy | Chair | Paul Arch |
| Vice Chair | Vacant | |
| ATT Further Education | Chair | Martin Rigley OBE |
| Vice Chair | Shaun Pollard |
Mark McCourt (CEO) since April 2025
Academies need a diverse, passionate range of individuals to build a strong governance structure that supports their improvement. We rely on the support of enthusiastic volunteers in our local communities to contribute to our academies’ improvement.
Joining a local governing body is a simple but effective way to support your community and make a difference in your local area. If you’re interested in education, you may find it particularly interesting and rewarding to serve as a school governor.
Our Local Governing Bodies, known as LGBs, are localised committees in each of our academies that form the base of our governance structure. These LGBs are made up of volunteers from the academy’s local area, who meet regularly to review the school’s progress.
Our LGBs are the local branches of our governance structure. They are made up of Staff, Parent and Community Governors.
One Staff Governor is elected by academy colleagues to serve on the board, which helps to represent the interest and viewpoints of colleagues in meetings. At least two Governors will be parents of children who are currently attending the academy. The rest of the board is made up of Community Governors, who we aim to recruit from a a broad range of professional backgrounds. Their range of experience helps the board to provide effective oversight of all the varied aspects of running a school.
Our local governors are accountable to ATT’s Trustees. LGB Chairs feed back to the Board of Trustees about their academy’s performance and progress. The Trustees are accountable to the Members, who provide the highest level of non-executive oversight in our Trust.
The role of a Local Governing Body (LGB) is to oversee the work that academy leadership undertake to improve the school. Individual Governors usually take on a specific area of focus, such as safeguarding or special educational needs, and work closely with the relevant school leader to learn more about the academy’s strategies to ensure success in that aspect. They report their findings back to the rest of the LGB, who ask challenging questions of leaders to establish and develop areas for improvement.
