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Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust

 

 

Trustees and Members

We have 4 Members of the Trust, they are collectively responsibly for ensuring the Trust is meeting its charitable objectives. The Members meet 3 times per year to consider the accounts and any governance arrangements.

Our Trust Board is constituted of 12 Trustees (in addition to the CEO) who collectively are responsible for the strategic direction of the Trust. The Board is the employer and accountable body to ensure regulatory and statutory compliance for the whole Trust.  The personal biographies of our Trustees and Members are included in the gallery below. 

The Board delegates some of its duties to committees of Trustees: Ethos Culture and Admissions, Finance and Resources and Scrutiny, Risk and Audit Committee. Trustees delegate further responsibilities to school governors (Local Governing Committees) under our Scheme of Delegation. Governors are responsible for the strategic oversight of the management and performance of their school. You can find out more about the various committees and the Trust's Scheme of Delegation here. You will find details of school governors on the individual school websites.

Trustees

  • Nikki Edwards
    CEO

    Nikki Edwards

    Nikki began working as the CEO for the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust in 2020, responsible for more than 30 schools grouped as four hubs, and working alongside three local authorities and our Diocesan colleagues for Bath and Wells in the South West region. Her previous role was for an outer London borough as the Statutory Director of children's social care, also adults social services, housing and public health. She, therefore, is a great believer in the whole child and working from a family orientated point of view. She has also worked as a Managing Inspector and as a Leadership Improvement Partner for the DfE. She is a qualified teacher with nearly 30 years' experience.

  • Nigel Daniel
    Chair

    Nigel Daniel

    Nigel recently retired from National Westminster Bank where he was a Relationship Director for large clients and has experience of setting up Multi Academy trusts. Nigel spent 15 years with the NATO ACE Mobile Force & was an Executive Member for RAHS. Nigel has acted as a non executive Director and treasurer for other management companies.

  • Julian Thompson
    Trustee

    Julian Thompson

    Julian has been a primary head in inner city Sheffield and Bath and NE Somerset He left headship to become primary school improvement adviser with B&NES. He has been Regional Director for the National College in the south west and Programme Leader for the Leadership Pathways programme (now NPQSL) He has also worked as an Ofsted and SIAMs inspector. He is currently an independent consultant with schools, diocese, headteachers and governors. Julian lives in South Somerset. As well as spending time with his family he enjoys music, travel and the theatre.

  • Dr Alexander Priest
    Trustee

    Dr Alexander Priest

    Having started as a Cancer Research Chemist at Oxford University and Chief Executive of an educational charity in the City of London, Alexander recently left a career in law to become Chief Executive of Mind (the mental health charity) in South Somerset. He serves as Chairman of Wessex Scouts and is an adoptive parent at a Bath and Wells Academy school.

  • Oliver Cofler
    Trustee

    Oliver Cofler

    Oliver is an engineer by training, and has worked in industry during all of his career. He has extensive experience of governance and performance, and is keen to use his experience to support education.

  • Gill Minns
    Trustee

    Gill Minns

    Gill has lived in Somerset for the past 25 years, and her children all attended local schools. They were taught by some inspirational teachers who lay the foundations for a lifetime love of learning. A Human Resource specialist with over 10 years board level experience gained by working for two Animal Charities based in the South West. Gill now uses this experience as a freelance Consultant to support leadership teams in a wide variety of organisations on the development and implementation of people strategy and business plans and works with managers to find solutions to complex people management issues.

  • Charles Thomas
    Trustee

    Charles Thomas

    Charles works as a freelance consultant, specialising in large-scale programme management and strategic business transformation. Widely regarded as an expert in capacity management, having worked with many of the world's best known organisations to develop capabilities that improve performance by configuring resources and operations in different ways. Having lived and worked across 52 countries (and counting..) Charles remains based with his family in rural Oxfordshire, where he provides foster care for vulnerable children and indulges an amateur triathlon hobby.

  • Pam Cosh
    Trustee

    Pam Cosh

    Pam Cosh retired recently as Principal of ICAN's Meath School in Surrey. She has worked with SEND learners for the last 25 years, specialising in teaching children with Speech and Language difficulties. She has a passion for coaching teachers and improving the quality of education. Pam is married to an Anglican priest and is fully involved in church life.

  • Peter Taylor
    Trustee

    Peter Taylor

    Peter is a Chartered Management Accountant with over 30 years' experience of working within the industrial & retail sectors & latterly working with leading independent schools and charities. Before semi-retiring, he was Chief Operating Officer at the oldest independent girls' school in the country Redmaids' High School based in Bristol. He is a Freeman of the City of London & is married with two grown up sons.

  • John Swainston
    Trustee

    John Swainston

    John retired from the Diocese of Bristol in February 2019, where he had been the Diocesan Director of Education and the CEO of the Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust. Prior to that John had been a teacher and the Headteacher of three schools. Between 2001 and 2012, John held various posts in educational leadership, most notably as a Senior Adviser in the DfE and as Assistant Director of Children's Services in Cumbria County Council through the implementation of Every Child Matters. Joining the Board of BWMAT is John's first voluntary role since retiring. At a personal level he is married to Lynne. Jointly they have six married children and nine grandchildren …. and still counting!

  • Paula Shore
    Trustee

    Paula Shore

    Paula is a Standards and Effectiveness Partner (STEP) for primary schools and has responsibility for EYFS and Early Careers Teachers. Having 27 years of experience in schools, including studying and teaching periods overseas, she has a global perspective of education and leadership models. Paula has lived in Bath since 1987. Before her role as a STEP, she has worked successfully as a primary headteacher in Nottingham, Devon and London and as a children's centre manager, headteacher and executive headteacher across a range of diverse settings in Bristol

  • Becky Edwards
    Trustee

    Becky Edwards

    Becky is a chartered management accountant with a specialism in education. She has worked in the field of post-16 further education since 1999 and held the role of finance director at Strode College and City of Bristol College. She is currently a member of the national Further Education Commissioner's team, working as an FE adviser with a specialism in finance. She is particularly motivated by providing strong organisational frameworks to support the availability of good education, training and associated life opportunities. She has lived in Somerset for most of her life and has two adult children.

  • Dom Wells
    Trustee

    Dom Wells

    Being born and living in Weston-super-Mare, and having spent most of my career working in Bristol and Bath, he has a great fondness for the area. He is a Chartered Surveyor and an experienced construction professional who is a former Board Director of Stride Treglown Architects. He has over thirty five years of project management expertise and is a strong believer in giving young people every opportunity possible and that is why he is delighted to accept this opportunity to be a Trustee of the Bath and West Multi Academy Trust. Dom and his wife have three children, all of whom have attained degrees.

  • Derek Smart
    LGC Chair Observer (on Board of Trustees)

    Derek Smart

    Derek is currently Chair of Governors at St James School in Taunton and attends to observe and participate in Trust Board meetings to provide LGC insight into discussions.

  • Louise Leach
    LGC Chair Observer (on Board of Trustees)

    Louise Leach

    Louise is currently Chair of Governors at St Andrews Church School in Bath and attends to observe and participate in Trust Board meetings to provide LGC insight into discussions.

Members

Our Locations

34Schools
1260Staff
7469Pupils