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TRUSTEE BIOPICS
HELEN DICKER
Helen is Chair of Endeavour Learning Trust and of the Local Governing Board for Tarleton Academy. She has a degree in Engineering Science from Durham University and is a Chartered Civil Engineer. She worked as a geotechnical engineer and project manager on various contracts before focusing full time on her four children and voluntary work.
Helen was Chair of Governors at Tarleton Community Primary school for 16 years and became a Governor at Tarleton High School as well in 2010, leading the governing body through the legal and other processes for conversion to Academy and Trust status since then. She has also been a Parish Councillor in Tarleton and at various times Secretary, Treasurer and Safeguarding officer for Tarleton Corinthians Football Club. In all these roles she has successfully led bids for Lottery and other funding leading to £millions of additional investment in community and school facilities. In all her activities, Helen brings a particular focus to leadership and people management issues, including taking responsibility for performance management of Headteachers, recognising these as critical success factor for all the organisations she has worked with. She was awarded an MBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours for services to education.
RICHARD SACHS
Richard Sachs has had a long and successful career in the NHS focused on governance roles since 1996. During this time he has worked in a variety of NHS settings and he is currently the Director of Quality Governance at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust. The transferable skills that he has used in his governor and trustee roles include expertise around Risk Management, Reputational Management, Performance and People Management and Quality Improvement. His governance background in the NHS has equipped him with the ability to ask challenging questions in a non-confrontational way. Over the course of his career he has had management responsibility for large teams of employees and with that, the HR and legal responsibilities which such a role brings.
JENNI SMITTON
For the past 20 years, Jenni has worked in organisations responsible for public funding of education and training. Since 2012, she has worked for the Department for Education with responsibility for financial management, governance and compliance in open academies. She currently manages a national team responsible for University Technical Colleges.
Jenni is Chair of the Trust Resources Committee bringing her extensive skills in financial management and compliance with charity and company law to the Trust.
DUNCAN BALDWIN
Currently deputy director of policy for ASCL, particularly interested in school accountability. His areas of responsibility include curriculum and assessment, performance data, Ofsted and ICT.
Duncan qualified as a mathematics teacher and followed a career as a teacher and school leader to deputy headship. He has worked as a consultant for Capita, focussing on using data for school improvement. He represents ASCL on a number of boards including Quality in Careers and is an expert member of various DfE panels including Information Standards Board, Achieving Excellence Area methodology, Teacher Supply Model and Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS).
STEPHANIE STOKER
Steph’s role as Innovation Advisor for The Business Growth Hub is to support Greater Manchester based businesses to innovate and collaborate. Having worked across the North West and with over 20 years business development, coaching and management experience across all industry sectors she has helped both start-up and established high performing businesses to innovate and grow. She has owned/managed her own businesses, is educated to Masters’ level and is a qualified Executive Leadership Coach.
Currently working with a rolling portfolio of circa 30 companies/clients on a range of projects to include: growth strategies, proof of market/concept through to commercialising new products and services, developing an innovative culture, building and managing teams, intellectual property and R&D Tax credit issues, improving and streamlining systems and processes, new business generation techniques and routes to market.
As a Trustee, Steph brings a wide range of expertise to support the ongoing growth and development of the MAT.
CHRISTINE ADAMS
Christine is Headteacher of Penwortham Middleforth C of E Primary School. This is her second headship following roles in a number of other Lancashire schools. She has a broad range of experience of different types of schools and managing school improvement initiatives. She is also a Governor for a Pupil Referral unit.
Prior to her teaching career Christine worked for 15 years for ICI Acrylics in a number of senior roles in International Sales, Marketing and PR, which gives her an experience of corporate management roles in addition to educational leadership.
DAVID LATHAM
David is the UK Managing Director for a Canadian based company that provide software solutions for a range of businesses. He has broad experience as a Technical Director and also worked in consultancy developing business. His period in consultancy allowed him to work on various projects including some in the Middle East. He has broad experience of business growth and development as well as an understanding of finance and HR systems, commercial sales and marketing.
COLIN FENNY
Colin is a Solicitor and Director at Harrison Drury Solicitors and Head of the Property and Construction Litigation Department with responsibility for managing a team of 7 lawyers across six sites in Lancashire and Cumbria. He has been a Governor at Churchtown Primary School since March 2015. Having initially been elected as a Parent Governor for a four year term, I was co-opted onto the Local Academy Council in June 2019. I have held the position of Vice-Chair of Governors since September 2017. During my term as Governor at Churchtown Primary School I have overseen a successful Ofsted inspection and the conversion of the School to Academy status joining the Endeavour Learning Trust. I joined the Trustee Board for Endeavour Learning Trust in April 2019 following completion of the conversion.
Colin is married with 2 children. They are both now at secondary school in Southport. Born in Newcastle, he is an avid Newcastle United fanbut say that he doesn’t get to watch them now as much as he would like!
GAYNOR BAHAN
Prior to joining the teaching profession, Gaynor worked in engineering, witnessing first-hand how mathematics is the cornerstone of the industry. This sparked her passion for all things STEM! Gaynor describes her role teaching mathematics to children in a variety of secondary schools in St. Helens and Wirral (comprehensive 11-16, all boys 11-18, all girls 11-18) for 15 years as her ‘absolute honour and privilege’. As an Assistant Headteacher and Lead Practitioner, she was able to contribute to developments in whole-school teaching and learning, data and timetabling and was a coach for both new and experienced teachers.
She lectured in Mathematical Statistics to undergraduates at Edge Hill University and more recently, on their PGCE Mathematics programme as Associate Tutor.
Gaynor joined NCETM in June 2018 as Regional Lead for Lancashire and West Yorkshire. There are two key aspects to her role:
- to act as the principal NCETM link to the Maths Hub leadership and management teams in the region, supporting, equipping and enabling them to fulfil their role
- to work with key regional stakeholders, and representatives of national government programmes supporting mathematics and STEM more widely, to develop and support the implementation of a coherent strategy for mathematics school improvement in the region
Gaynor strives to contribute to closing the achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. Her family play an important part in her life – with two young girls she is fiercely passionate that gender should not influence choice!
| Trustees of Endeavour Learning Trust | ||||
| Name | Type | Date of Appointment | End Date | Continuation Date |
| Mr Richard Sachs | Trustee | 15.11.2011 | 6.7.2017 | 13.12.2021 |
| Mrs Jenni Smitton | Trustee | 8.7.2013 | 6.7.2017 | 7.7.2021 |
| Mrs Stephanie Stoker | Trustee | 11.6.2012 | 6.7.2017 | 11.6.2020 |
| Mrs Helen Dicker | Chair of Trustees | 15.11.2011 | 12.10.2017 | 12.10.2021 |
| Mr Duncan Baldwin | Trustee | 6.7.2017 | 5.7.2021 | 5.7.2021 |
| Mrs Gaynor Bahan | Trustee | 12.9.2019 | 11.9.2023 | |
| Mrs Christine Adam | Trustee | 19.4.2018 | 18.4.2022 | |
| Mr David Latham | Trustee | 14.2.2019 | 13.2.2023 | |
| Mr Colin Fenny | Trustee | 25.4.2019 | 24.4.2023 | |
