Governors (ID 1117)

• Joe Parkes
  Chair of Trustees
  Joe Parkes

  Joe joined in 2024 and was recently appointed Chair of the Trust Board; he is a member of the Finance and Audit Committee and Link Trustee to Ryecroft C.E Middle School.

  Joe brings extensive experience in HR, Operations and Business Transformation having worked in executive leadership roles for several organisations in the Transport, Supply Chain and Engineering sectors across both the UK and Europe. In his current role as a subject matter expert in business design, he supports the provision of recommendations to the Secretary of State for Transport, influencing department policy and future operations so is skilled in communication, strategy design and people planning. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

  With young children who attend one of the trusts first schools, Joe is passionate about ensuring all our children receive the best education and experience possible, whilst continuing to grow the trusts potential, financial stability and standing in the community.

• Colin Haswell
  Vice Chair of the Trust Board and Finance and Audit Committee
  Colin Haswell

  Colin is Vice Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, leads on human resources and wellbeing and is Link Trustee for Picknalls First School.

  He is a highly experienced HR Leader, having worked at a senior level in internationally focused roles in the BMW Group, Rolls-Royce Plc and, most recently, with Ball Corporation. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

  Colin's experience of the education sector has been gained as a parent of children who have worked their way through the state education system. This is combined with a strong understanding of what businesses need educationally from prospective employees, having led teams responsible for hiring and training apprentices and graduates.

  He expects to see the Trust become nationally recognised as one of the top providers of education across all age levels by demonstrating a sustainable track record of maximising the potential of individual students' skills and abilities.

  In the next five years, Colin envisages the Trust will grow and broaden its geographical footprint whilst still retaining its core identity, focus on strong student outcomes and sustainable financial stability. Its schools will consistently show improved performance levels through realising the benefits of working together within a highly effective and efficient MAT.

• Sue Dale
  Inclusion Trustee
  Sue Dale

  Sue brings a wealth of educational experience that is deeply rooted in working towards identifying strategies that enable students to make the best progress possible. She brings expertise from her role as the District Education Manager for School Improvement at Staffordshire LEA, where she spearheaded initiatives aimed at enhancing educational standards across the district.

  Her expertise also extends to workforce development, secondary leadership, and management, where she served as a trusted consultant for Staffordshire LEA, contributing invaluable insights and guidance.

  Sue has also played a pivotal role as a consultant for the KS3 & KS4 National Strategy, focusing on behaviour and attendance, ensuring a conducive learning environment for all students.

  In light of current national trends revealing heightened hurdles in students' personal, emotional, social, and educational growth, Sue recognises the imperative for schools to adapt and devise methodologies for pinpointing needs and implementing effective improvement plans. She emphasises the critical importance of gauging the efficacy of such measures across the entire school, specific cohorts, and individual students as a pivotal step towards informed future actions.

  With her wealth of experience and dedication to educational excellence, Sue continues to make a lasting impact in the field of education within Uttoxeter Learning Trust.

• Stuart Harper
  Safeguarding Trustee
  Stuart Harper

  Stuart is the Link Trustee for Oldfields Hall Middle School and supports the health and safety strategy across the trust.

  He is a business leader with a history of creating innovative solutions and actioning successful change management in the engineering field.

  As a Chartered Engineer, Stuart is skilled in strategic professional development, new product introduction, operational excellence and commercial management through periods of growth and decline. A skilled communicator, he is able to steer policy through credible expertise and stakeholder management.

  Stuart has a passion for science and engineering education. He has worked closely with a wide range of educational organisations to launch national STEM programmes for primary and secondary schools.

  He has a particular expertise in engineering graduate employability skills and degree apprenticeships.

  He is keen to see the trust continue to grow sustainably and continue to bring more value to its member schools and see them thrive.

• Adam Farrington-Horsfall
  Trustee
  Adam Farrington-Horsfall

  Pen Portrait to follow

• Chris Wood
  Trustee
  Chris Wood

  Chris’s varied work background has centred around peoples’ health and well-being, a focus which he maintains to this day.

  He has held corporate board positions with global pharmaceutical and medical device companies and has led business teams throughout Asia Pacific and Eastern and Western Europe in helping to acquire, merge and coalesce companies and cultures into a common framework. In addition he has experience in delivering heath care to his local community through Chair of Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and latterly Vice Chair of Burton Community Trust an all-inclusive third party provider of health and well-being for those in need in East Staffordshire.

  As a qualified coach Chris continues his passion for the pursuance of helping others to better find themselves as well as find solutions to how to best move forward. He continues to believe in personal, professional and organisational continuous improvement, and hopes that he can help students, families and staff to have as good a learning experience as is possible, while the Trust continues to grow whilst ensure standards are always upheld.

Members (ID 1424)

• Reverand Simon Davis
  Member
  Reverand Simon Davis

  Pen portrait pending

• Helen Robertson
  Member
  Helen Robertson

  Pen portrait to follow

• Sid Slater
  Member
  Sid Slater

  Sid joined Innovate2Educate Partnership at its inception and following a number of years as the Chair of the Trust Board, in 2025 took the decision to step down from Chair and remains on the Trust board as a member.
  
  Previously he was a governor and vice chair of a local authority school. He is also a National Leader of Governance (NLG) delivering external reviews and support for other schools and academy trusts on behalf of the National Governance.
  
  Sid brings a wide range of experience and leadership in the education and business sectors to his role as chair, having held three secondary head teacher posts and worked in senior roles in local authorities. He also directed national industry and education partnerships at the University of Warwick.
  
  He has worked as a senior education adviser at the Department for Education, including having regional responsibility, as a school improvement consultant, 14-19 adviser and free school education adviser. He remains a Departmental external expert.
  
  Sid has also worked in the business sector as director of a multinational cost and programme management consultancy company. He is currently a director of a small company.
  
  Sid is committed to the success and well-being of our young people in the Trust and offering high quality education for all.
  
  He is very proud of our young people and what they achieve as they move through our three-tier system, from nursery school to post-16 provision at our high school. He sees that our Trust works in partnership with parents and communities for the benefit of the students who represent the future of our country.
  
  Sid aims to support the Trust to welcome other like-minded, schools into our family and continue to improve and develop our high-quality education.

• David Smith
  Member
  David Smith

  Pen portrait to follow

• Diocese of Lichfield Educational Trust
  Member
  Diocese of Lichfield Educational Trust

  The Diocese of Lichfield Educational Trust is the Diocesan Corporate Member of Innovate2Educate Partnership. It ensures the Church of England schools in the Trust maintain and develop their religious ethos, which is to be both distinctively Christian and inclusive of all. It views education as enabling the flourishing of all pupils and staff to develop their God given potential.

  The Diocese of Lichfield Educational Trust is represented at Members meetings by an officer of the Lichfield Diocesan Board of Education.