Trustees
Our Trustees oversee the strategy and direction of the trust and ensure that the professional staff work in the best interests of the charity.
In addition to their scheduled meetings the trustees regularly meet on special projects and to provide advice and guidance to the chief executive, principals and senior staff.
Duties:
To set the vision, values and approve strategic direction
To ensure quality of educational provision across its schools
To challenge and monitor performance
To oversee management of finances and property
To ensure compliance with charity and company law
To ensure operation in accordance with the funding agreement
To approve finance procedures
To approve the Annual Accounts and Reporting
To determine and approve corporate policy (including payscales)
To receive reports from committees
To appoint committee chairs
Reporting:
To Members via AGM and Board performance review.
Produce financial statements and annual report
To Department for Education as required
Term of office: Four years
Governed by: Articles of Association, Academy Trust Handbook, Master & Supplemental Funding Agreements and the Governance Handbook
Quorum: Three or where greater, any one third of the total number of Trustees, who are present at the meeting
Trustee details and Declarations of Interest:
Michael Buchanan
Other roles: Chair of Board of Trustees
Relevant Interests: Family member training at Folkestone Academy (Sep 2022)
Attendance 2024/25: 1/1
Attendance 2023/24: 5/5
Attendance 2022/23: 4/5
Attendance 2021/22: 6/6
Reappointed: 08/07/2023
Appointed: 09/07/2019
Appointed by: Academy Members
Remuneration and expenses to date: £0
Mike is the founder of Positively Leading, a coaching consultancy for leaders. He is an Associate Coach for LSC Education and contributor to the degree programmes of the National College of Education.
Mike was the Executive Director of HMC, the professional Association of Heads of the world’s leading independent schools and has held a variety of school leadership posts. He helped to establish three state-funded schools. He has been a Governor of several leading independent schools, a trustee of a children’s charity, a Reporting Inspector, a National Leader of Education and a qualified Executive Coach, he plays at being a farmer.
Mike’s interests are in school culture and climate, coaching, leadership, inspection, character development and the use of positive psychology in education. He writes periodically for national newspapers including the TES and speaks on all of the above at conferences and more.
gary cottle
Other roles: member of Trust Finance, Audit & Risk Committee
Relevant Interests: None
Attendance 2024/25: 0/1
Attendance 2023/24: 4/5
Attendance 2022/23: 3/5
Attendance 2021/22: 5/6
Reappointed: 01/02/2022
Appointed: 01/02/2018
Appointed by: Academy Members
Remuneration and expenses to date: £0
Gary is a highly experienced international executive leader who brings expertise in property development, financial and risk management.
Gary is the CEO of a market leading software platform that helps understand and optimise building's environment, maintenance, usage and health.
Gary attended the predecessor school to Folkestone Academy and went on to obtain a BSc in Mathematics, MSc in Computational Statistics and PhD.
He has 21 years’ experience in recruiting, training and mentoring graduate and MBA students and has a close involvement with a South West Universities campaign to introduce more students to mathematics courses.
richard hover
Other roles: Co-Chair of Trust Finance, Audit & Risk Committee
Relevant Interests: None
Attendance 2024/25: 1/1
Appointed: 01/09/2024
Appointed by: Academy Members
Remuneration and expenses to date: £0
Richard is a highly experienced governor and Chair having previously served as the Chair of the Inspira Academy board of trustees and as local governor for Chartham Primary School (2014) and St Stephen's Infant School (2018).
Richard completed the NGA Development for Chairs Training Programme and has a clear understanding of strategic leadership of governance.
Richard brings a wealth of skills, enthusiasm and commitment to the board having worked in the Civil Service for over 20 years and has a naturally inquisitive mind. He has a proven track record of motivating people through change, building continuous improvement and coaching newly trained investigators.
prof helen james OBE
Other roles: Vice Chair of Board of Trustees, member of Trust Finance, Audit & Risk Committee
Relevant Interests: Chair of the Education and Skills Board - Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) (01.01.22), member of the Education Committee - Royal Society (2021), member of the Strategic Industry Advisory Board - Engineering Design Growth & Enterprise Hub - Kent and Medway (2018)
Attendance 2024/25: 1/1
Attendance 2023/24: 2/5
Attendance 2022/23: 3/5
Attendance 2021/22: 5/6
Reappointed: 08/07/2023
Appointed: 09/07/2019
Appointed by: Academy Members
Remuneration and expenses to date: £0
Helen is a Professor (Emerita) for Canterbury Christ Church University advising on STEM and the Kent and Medway Engineering Design Growth and Enterprise (EDGE) Hub. She is Chair of the Education and Skills Board and member of the Education Committee, Royal Society. She was Deputy Vice-Chancellor until 2022.
Helen is passionate about holistic and inclusive institutional strategies for leading change, widening participation and student retention and success.
She was awarded an OBE in 2021 for services to Higher Education. In particular, for championing women and diverse students into science and engineering, as well as helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds to access Higher Education.
tracy luke MBE
Other roles: Member of Dover Christ Church Interim Academy Board
Relevant Interests: Member of Folkestone Grammar School for Girls Trust from September 2020, Trustee of the Friends of Folkestone Academy.
Attendance 2024/25: 1/1
Attendance 2023/2: 5/5
Attendance 2022/23: 5/5
Attendance 2021/22: 6/6
Reappointed: 01/09/2022
Appointed: 01/09/2018
Appointed by: Academy Members
Remuneration and expenses to date: £148.20 Travel Expenses (£72.20 Dec 18, £76 Dec 19)
Tracy has 35 years’ experience as a teacher and leader within schools. She has served at all levels within a range of comprehensive, selective and boarding schools. She has been a Head of Department, Head of Year, Assistant Head, Deputy Head, Principal and Executive Principal.
Tracy has been a National Leader of Education and an Ofsted Inspector.
Tracy has experience as an Academy Trust member and governor at an independent school, a Pupil Referral Unit and a number of secondary schools.
dr oluwatoyin (toyin) okitikpi
Other roles: Lead Safeguarding Trustee
Relevant Interests: Spouse is local governor on the Chartham Primary & St Stephen's Infants CCB
Attendance 2024/25: 1/1
Appointed: 01/09/2024
Appointed by: Trustees
Remuneration and expenses to date: £0
Toyin is an experienced trustee and qualified social worker with over 40 years of experience in the field of social care and social welfare as a practitioner and academic.
Toyin is an external PhD examiner for the Tavistock Portman Foundation and University of East London. He has researched, written and co-authored academic publications in practice related areas, including children and families, discrimination, and equality. Toyin has also been a panel member on several committees and tribunals for over 20 years. He currently sits on the Mental Health Review Tribunal; Immigration and Asylum Tribunal; Employment Tribunal and the Ministry of Defence Service Complaint Tribunal. He is involved in a Lord Lieutenant’s project encouraging the active involvement of Primary School Children in life skills groups.
Toyin is also a trustee of the Primary Shakespeare Company.
seamus murphy
Other roles: CEO, Accounting Officer
Ex-officio Trustee by virtue of position of CEO
Relevant Interests: None
Attendance 2024/25: 1/1
Attendance 2023/24: 5/5
Attendance 2022/23: 5/5
Attendance 2021/22: 6/6
Appointed: 23/03/2020
Remuneration for services as Chief Executive and Accounting Officer: within the £120,000 – £130,000 banding for 2023/24.
Expenses Claimed: £0
Seamus is an experienced leader of schools in challenging circumstances. He started his career in London as Head of History before taking up a number of senior leadership roles in challenging schools. He worked as a London Challenge partner in two schools prior to getting his first headship in Kent. He led the school from Special Measures to a Good judgement in 13 months. Seamus was then recruited as an OFSTED inspector to work with schools in challenging circumstances.
After two years, Seamus joined Swale Academies Trust as an Executive Head where he led five secondaries through successful Ofsteds.
Seamus’ areas of expertise include school improvement, raising standards especially for disadvantaged pupils, provision for SEND pupils and leadership development. He is passionate about the arts, music and the sea.
mark taylor
Other roles: member of Trust Finance, Audit & Risk Committee
Relevant Interests: Director – King’s School
Attendance 2024/25: 1/1
Attendance 2023/24: 5/5
Attendance 2022/23: 5/5
Attendance 2021/22: 5/6
Appointed: 07/10/2020
Appointed by: Academy Members
Remuneration and expenses to date: £0
Mark worked in the City before starting his career as a Bursar in 1993. He has been the Bursar at King’s School, Canterbury since 2010.
He joined the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA) Committee in 2007 and was Chair from 2013 – 2016. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society for Encouragement of the Arts (FRSA) in 2008 and is a Governor of Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.
Mark has sat on the Boards of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), Independent Schools Council and the Boarding Schools Association as a Director and is currently an ISI Compliance Inspector.
Mark was elected as Chair of The Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS) in March 2019 and appointed Vice Chair of the Independent Schools Council in December 2020. He is Chair of the East Kent Schools’ Together Partnership Finance Committee.
grahame ward
Other roles: Co-Chair of Trust Finance, Audit & Risk Committee
Relevant Interests: Trustee – South Kent Mind (Jan 2022), Retired member - Kent Pension Board (Jan 23), Co-opted member - Audit Committee, Canterbury Christchurch University (August 2023)
Attendance 2024/25: 1/1
Attendance 2023/24: 4/5
Attendance 2022/23: 5/5
Attendance 2021/22: 1/1
Appointed: 13/07/2022
Appointed by: Academy Members
Remuneration and expenses to date: £0
Grahame retired after 25 years as Director/Senior Manager at Kent County Council. The majority of this time was spent in Education as the Director of Resources where he was responsible for c450 staff.
Grahame managed revenue budgets of over £100M and Capital budgets of £300M. He delivered 3 PFI contracts as well as the Kent Building Schools for the Future programme.
He managed the delivery of the Council's first Investors for People Award covering c7000 staff.
Grahame has vast experience as a governor/Board member.
Minutes and further information can be requested via governance@turnerschools.com
Trustees WHO HAVE LEFT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS:
dean jones
Date of leaving: 31/08/2024
Date of appointment: 19/12/2022
Attendance 2023/24: 3/5
Attendance 2022/23: 2/3
Lynnette Turner
Date of leaving: 19/07/2024
Date of appointment: 01/02/2021
Attendance 2023/24: 2/5
Jessica hynes
Date of leaving: 28/03/2024
Date of appointment: 13/12/2022
Attendance 2023/24: 0/3