Trustees
The trustees are also our company directors. The board of trustees manages the business of the academy trust and should focus strongly on the three core functions of governance:
- ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
- overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.
Our trustees ensure compliance with the trust’s charitable objects and with company and charity law, and adherence to the trust’s funding agreement with the Secretary of State.
We are developing our Trust Board to include up to 11 Trustees covering the wide range of skills and expertise that we require.
We work with Academy Ambassadors to source new Trustees to increase the number of Trustees and also work with our academies to encourage individuals with the right skills and expertise to become Trustees.
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The Trustees of our Trust are:
Karen Burns – Chief Executive Officer
Date of Appointment: January 2018
Term of Office: Ongoing
Appointed by: Members of Victorious Academies Trust
Governance Roles in Other Educational Institutions: Member, The Fallibroome Trust
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Andy Hodgkinson – Chair of Trustees
Date of Appointment: March 2019
Term of Office: 4 years
Appointed by: Members of Victorious Academies Trust
Governance Roles in Other Educational Institutions: Chair of Members Board. The Learning for Life Partnership Trust and Director, Holy Family Catholic MAT
Andy has extensive expertise in public and private sector contexts from executive headteacher to university fellow supporting multi-agency, local government, primary, secondary and adult learning phases. He supports school system leadership research, and is responsible for design and delivery of Education Leadership programmes.
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David Spruce – Trustee
Date of Appointment: November 2021
Term of Office: 4 years
Appointed by: Members of Victorious Academies Trust
Governance Roles in Other Educational Institutions:
David has worked in education for the last fourteen years across three different local authorities. He has worked as a senior leader for the past eight years and is an experienced Headteacher.
He has experience of successful school improvement having led two schools from requires improvement to good. He trained as an executive leader and previously served as a governor in two schools.
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Michael Booker – Trustee
Date of Appointment: December 2021
Term of Office: 4 years
Appointed by: Members of Victorious Academies Trust
Governance Roles in Other Educational Institutions:
Michael has 44 years’ experience in education having held leadership roles in schools, local authorities, and the private sector. He has extensive governance experience having served as a governor in both the primary (12 years) and the secondary (10 years) sectors holding a range of positions including Chair of Governors.
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Victoria Hewitt-Lee – Trustee
Date of Appointment: January 2018
Term of Office: 4 years
Appointed by: Members of Victorious Academies Trust
Governance Roles in Other Educational Institutions: Ex-Officio Governor at St John’s CE School, Dukinfield
During her 33 years as a practitioner, Vicki has worked across the whole primary education sector. Her passion was ignited by her interest in Early Years Education and the awe and wonder that can bring to the whole school. Vicki’s brand of education is driven by providing a shared vision with a mission to succeed. As Vice Chair of Tameside Primary consortium for four years, she liaised with the LA for better outcomes for schools. Currently, she supports Headteachers who are new to the role for Chester Diocese and is Chair of Tameside and Stockport Diocesan Committee.
As a Tameside girl, being a Trustee has enabled Vicki to continue to be devoted to delivering the best outcomes to the children of Tameside and beyond.
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Dean McDonagh – Trustee
Date of Appointment: January 2018
Term of Office: 4 years
Appointed by: Members of Victorious Academies Trust
Governance Roles in Other Educational Institutions: Governor at Dane Bank Primary School, Reddish
Dean is a specialist in education data, particularly around educational attainment and achievement. He is currently the Education Data Lead for Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council having held a number of data related roles for Tameside since leaving university in 2010. Dean is an experienced trainer, having delivered training on education data to headteachers, senior leaders and Ofsted inspectors. He also has lots of experience of school governing boards, having been a school governor at both primary and secondary schools.
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George Nicola – Trustee
Date of Appointment: July 2020
Term of Office: 4 years
Appointed by: Members of Victorious Academies Trust
Governance Roles in Other Educational Institutions: None
George brings strong financial skills to the Board. He is founder of a specialist financial advisory business in addition to invigilating at Tameside College, Manchester University and Manchester Metropolitan University. As an invigilator, he recognised the need for greater structure and more formal processes and from this encouraged the creation and assisted with the development of a training manual for invigilators.
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Gary Buxton – Trustee
Date of Appointment: July 2021
Term of Office: 4 years
Appointed by: Members of Victorious Academies Trust
Governance Roles in Other Educational Institutions: Non- Executive Director and Trustee at The University of Manchester
Gary has 20 years’ experience of both operations and senior leadership roles across the voluntary, public and commercial sector organisations. He has experience of growing both new and established organisations and developing senior leaders and technical experts to deliver market leading performance. He works with CEOs, Directors and people managers, often in organisations that are experiencing significant growth or change across the service or leaders who are delivering complex government-based contracts/services.
Gary was awarded an MBE in 2014 for Services to the Young People of England in recognition of his pro-bono and charity work.