Nicola Harper - Chair of Trustees 
(2023)

Audit and Finance Committee 

I am a CIMA qualified Government Finance professional, currently working in Central Government leading corporate services business intelligence, business change and transformation. I have 15 years' experience across four Government Departments; working within justice, international trade, education and the Cabinet Office. This experience means I am focused on delivering value for money through critical challenge, ensuring the right outcomes for society and the successful delivery of public services.  I joined in 2019 as a Trustee and am passionate about supporting the Trust to ensure effective governance to deliver maximum value for everyone within the school communities.

Billy Jackson

Pay Committee

Education recruitment specialist with 17 years of experience assisting schools across London and surrounding boroughs with their staffing needs.

From Trainee Consultant at Protocol Education, to Associate Director at Tempest Resourcing in December 2020. During that time placing more than over 2000 education professionals into schools across London.

In January 2021 i became the Founder and Director of Create Education Limited – An education Recruitment business set up to work in partnership with schools across London and surrounding boroughs – Assisting with staffing needs and offering specialised recruitment advice. 

Create Education are proud members of Apsco and have gained Apsco Plus status earning 99.5% on their first audit. This means their compliance requirements are of the highest level whilst ensuring that they have safeguarding policies that are not only in line with KCSIE but ones that exceed those requirements.

All members of staff are safer recruitment trained with the business being a Member of The recent government CCS framework, as well as being approved employers for both the Ark and Harris Federations.

Brenda McHugh

Pay Committee

Brenda is a Consultant Psychotherapist and Family Mediator at NHS and worked in the North London Family Therapy Practice, supporting schools and delivering training in developing Family Group Therapy to increase the chances of sustainable change for children through the engagement of parents / carers in the process.

Brenda McHugh worked with her colleague, Neil Dawson, from the Anna Freud Centre to establish a unique and ground breaking free school - The Pears Family School was founded and is sponsored by the Anna Freud Centre,
The Pears Family School, co-located with the Anna Freud Centre, is a school for children who have been excluded from mainstream education, and successfully returns children to the most appropriate full time education.

The Pears Family School puts families at the heart of all its work. Parents, carers and pupils learn together. Parents and carers receive training and guidance to support their own learning and that of their children. The Pears Family School has continued its ground-breaking work during coronavirus where looking after vulnerable children and their families has been crucial.

Dave Lancaster

Pay Committee (Chair)

Having left school at sixteen to become an Apprentice Electrical Engineer, I found inspiration and a love of learning at work and day release at college. I achieved A Level Human Biology and an HNC in Electrical engineering whilst an apprentice. This gave me the confidence to follow my dream of being a PE teacher.

I now have thirty-three years’ experience within Education. The last ten as Headteacher/Executive Headteacher/Trust Leader. I have a clear track record of strategically and sustainably improving people, students and ultimately schools. I build teams with a clear vision and culture, this creates to sustainable improvement.

I am now retired and work for my company, Garibaldi Education. I offer Leadership support for Trusts/schools, executive leadership coaching and mentoring and on the ground capacity. Recently I have gained experience in system leadership working alongside a newly appointed CEO, recruitment and strategic growth support for Trusts and Free School bid writing. I also coach several senior leaders, voluntarily, as I commence my Level 7 Coaching course with the ILM this summer.

Daniel Selman

Audit and Finance Committee 

I spent 15 years working as a Civil Servant in the Ministry of Defence, largely in the area of Data Protection and Cyber Security - with two roles of particular significance, firstly as Chief of Staff to the MOD's Chief Information Officer and subsequently leading a project with Defence Suppliers to improve the protection of information in the supply chain.  Both roles involved regular interaction with senior officials both from government and industry, briefing programme boards and regular presentations at conferences, seminars and other events.

Since making the move into the private sector in 2016 I have gained experience of working in a more commercial environment, and whilst I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of doing so, I also miss the sense of contributing directly to wider society.

I see this opportunity as allowing me to bridge these two worlds and bring to bear the experiences I have gained from each to help make a small but real difference to the children you are educating.

Ms Jo. Southby - Chief Executive Officer, Illuminate Minds Trust

Audit and Finance Committee 

I am a true advocate of the transformational power of education.  Having spent my career promoting an aspirational approach to learning and achievement, I believe strongly in a holistic curriculum offer as a vehicle to widen horizons for all pupils, supporting them in becoming the best versions of themselves whatever their backgrounds or starting points.

I have spent almost thirty years working in education with the vast majority spent in specialist school and alternative provision.  I have worked across the sector leading pupil referral units, SEMH / ASD schools for both primary and secondary pupils and also within secure settings for some of the most challenging and vulnerable learners, many of whom have significant undiagnosed and unmet needs.  For the last six years I have worked in multi-academy trusts, firstly as Executive Director of Education, Standards and Safeguarding and, most recently, as CEO of Illuminate Minds Trust.  I remain committed to ensuring the educational offer and entitlement for all children and young people is exciting, engaging and of the highest standards, always focusing on preparing pupils for the next stage in their lives and igniting the spark of curiosity to support them as lifelong learners. 

I have significant experience of governance through my “day jobs” but also through participation in Trusts’ and maintained schools’ governance.  Outside of my own working environments, I have also been Chair of Governors for a special free school in challenging circumstances as well as Finance Governor for a maintained school and Trustee in two multi-academy trusts.   As CEO of Illuminate Minds Trust, I have reviewed and re-developed the governance model to comply with the Academies Handbook.  In my previous trust, I was responsible for developing a governance reporting structure which formalised the communication and information sharing between boards in line with the Scheme of Delegation.