Trust Members and Trustees

Member & Trustee

Chair of the Trust Board

John North led three West Yorkshire primary schools as Headteacher for 26 years, becoming a National Leader of Education and leading two schools as Executive Head. He worked as a Primary Education Consultant following Headship, working in a number of schools on school improvement issues, also leading training for staff and governors.  As National Consultant for the Trust and Foundation School Partnership, he led seminars across the country for schools interested in becoming foundation schools and took groups of schools through the process to become foundation schools within trusts. His background and experience led to his appointment as Chair of the Interim Executive Board at a West Yorkshire primary school which was in special measures.  Holding this position and his work developing governor training courses led him to be appointed as a Facilitator for the National College’s Chair of Governor Training Programme.  With his wide range of experience in primary education, he is very pleased to be able to help in the development of the Inspire Partnership Multi-Academy Trust.

Member

Mark has fifteen years corporate experience with Abbey National and RBS Group with roles in Analysis, Capacity Planning, Quality Control and Customer Service Management.  Seven years experience running his own small business in Ossett Town Centre, within four years as founder and previously director of Building Ossett Better Community Interest Company. Mark is also a peak performance coach with qualifications in NLP and Hypnotherapy.

Member

Jo is a certified chartered accountant with over twenty years experience in accountancy practice. She works with a varied portfolio of clients on a daily basis.

Trustee

Tracy is an education consultant specialising in all aspects of school and academy business management and finance. Tracy has previously held positions as Finance Director of a Multi Academy Trust, Assistant Principal in a secondary school as well as School Business Director and School Business Manager. She has significant experience in the academy sector and in her current role, advises multi academy trusts and schools on effective financial management and control and efficiencies as well as undertaking due diligence exercises. Tracy also advises on recruitment panels for Multi Academy Trust Finance and Business Directors as well as supporting academies and trusts on their recruitment campaigns.

Trustee

Clare is a Civil Servant with a career spanning 37 years across a number of senior roles working for central Government. She is passionate about transforming public services, delivering excellent customer service and value for money.

With a strong track record in performance delivery and the modernisation of a number of large national organisations across the public sector, she has influenced government strategy and policy and translated it into successful operational service delivery across a broad range of functions.

She has a wealth of experience and skills drawn from a varied career across a number of public service roles, including operational delivery, communications, financial and commercial skills, HR, strategy and policy, and programme management.

Clare is keen to help support the growth and development of Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust and ensure that children attending schools within the Trust achieve their full potential.

Trustee

Stuart is a Local Business man and owns his own Company. He was a Governor at Gawthorpe Community Academy for over 13 years, 8 of those as Chair. Stuart is passionate about ensuring that schools and academies serve their own individual communities.  He is determined to work in his role as a trust member to ensure academies within INSPIRE Partnership MAT achieve the highest standards in order to ensure children are given the best life chances.  He sees his role as challenging the leadership team of the Trust.

Trustee

Mark has had over 40 years’ experience in the accountancy profession, including 3 years as a practise manager for a firm of solicitors.  He has dealt with both large and small organisations in his role as auditor, and has experience of many specialised areas including latterly academies where he has been involved in standalone academies and multi- academy trusts.  Although Mark has retired his previous employer still calls him in to utilise his expertise.  Mark has been employed in a private capacity to carry out the role of internal auditor for a standalone academy.

He was Chair of Governors to Clifton Infants prior to its merger with St Peters where he was Vice Chair and later became Chair. During this period he was also a Governor of Cathedral Academy for a number of years.

Mark is looking forward to using his knowledge in the Inspire Trust.

Trustee

Charlie has over five years' experience in professional services with PwC after qualifying as a chartered accountant with KPMG. He has a wide range of experience advising corporates and privately-owned business on all aspects of strategy, mergers and acquisitions and financing.

Trustee

Paul currently works for West Yorkshire Fire Service and has done so for 28 years serving at various fire stations throughout the country.  He feels that the valuable various skills he has acquired through his work are utilised in his role as a governor and Trustee of the Multi Academy Trust.

Paul is an experience Governor having previously been a Governor at Half Acres Primary Academy.

Trustee

Carolyn had over 24 years experience in various aspects of banking, including managerial roles, project managing the launch of the bank’s international branch in Scotland and ensuring compliance of cash management and investment products within the corporate divisions.  She has had a life long interest in music and has been qualified as a piano and woodwind instrument teacher since 1999 covering all ages from 6-76!  Carolyn is looking forward to bringing her wide range of skills into her role within the Academy and aims to use these to ensure all the children get the best education possible as every child matters.

Trustee

Barry Qualified at St. Johns College, York as a teacher in 1963.

Barry taught in primary school in Guernsey C.I. and in both secondary and comprehensive schools in the West Riding and Wakefield MDC.

He was head of Physical Education in Crigglestone and Crofton High School where he was commissioned by HMI to make a film for the Schools Council on the teaching of P.E.

Barry joined the Wakefield MDC Advisory Team in 1980.  In 1990 he became liaison officer for Health and Safety across the Metropolitan District and was responsible for the training of Headteachers and School Governors in developing health and safety management in schools.

Trustee

Ann is a retired headteacher who had 35 years in the teaching profession. Her school was a Beacon School and was also a school of excellence.

In retirement she has had various voluntary roles working with vulnerable young people.

Ann also has a variety of roles within the church family, including working with very young children.

She is looking forward to working with a new group of colleagues.