AcademyTrustees
The new Articles of Association for Harlands Educational Trust, dated March 2022, state that the Academy Trust shall have the following Trustees:
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up to 12 Trustees appointed under Article 50 (these are general trustees, and will include persons who are able to bring expertise in areas such as legal, finance or premises matters); they are appointed by the Members
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a minimum of 2 parent Trustees, appointed or elected by the parent body
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the headteacher (ex officio)
i.e. a maximum of 15 in total.
Trustees are normally appointed for a four-year term, though Associate Trustees may be appointed for one year at a time.
In addition, the Trustees can appoint Associate Trustees, usually to fulfil a specific remit, who do not count within the maximum 15 trustees as designated above.
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Board of Trustees – Academic Year 2026/27
Name
Type of Trustee
Term of Office
Mr Russel Goodrum
Trustee and Chair
Dr Jennie Doyle
Trustee and Vice Chair
Mrs Charlotte Blake
Parent Trustee
Mr Dave Brooks
Trustee
Mr Frank Gainsbury
Trustee
Mrs Debra Hollingum
Trustee
Mrs Bethaney Larkman
Trustee
Mrs Kim Lower
Trustee
Mr David Nisbet
Trustee
Mr Mark Pawson
Trustee
Mrs Laura Pollard
Parent Trustee
Mr Chris Robbins
Trustee
Mrs Toni Watson
Trustee
Mr David McKeown-Webster
Ex Officio, Headteacher
Mr Alex Buckley
Co-opted Trustee (SIC)
Mr Derek Gwynne
Co-opted Trustee (Finance)
Mr Carl Phillips
Co-opted Trustee (Finance)
Mr Andy Colgate
Staff Voice
Mrs Karen Michael
Governance Professional
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Board of Trustees - Academic Year 2025/26 (updated April 2026)
Name
Type of Trustee
Term of Office
Mr Michael Swiggs
Trustee & Chair
Re-appointed 21.09.2021 to 20.09.2025, reappointed for further term to 20.0.2029
Mrs Charlotte Blake
Parent Trustee
01.03.2024 to 29.02.2028
Mr Dave Brooks
Trustee
06.01.2025 to 05.01.2019
Dr Jennie Doyle
Trustee
06.01.2025 to 05.01.2029
Mr Frank Gainsbury
Trustee
Re-appointed 20.10.2020 to 19.20.2024
Mr Russell Goodrum
Trustee (Vice Chair from 01.09.25)
20.11.23 to 19.11.2027
Mrs Debra Hollingum
Trustee
11.09.23 to 10.09.2027
Mrs Bethaney Larkman
Trustee
14.04.26 to 13.04.2030
Mrs Kim Lower
Trustee
10.11.25 to 09.11.2029
Mr David Nisbet
Trustee
28.03.2019 to 27.03.2023, re-appointed for a further 4-year term to 27.03.2027
Mr Mark Pawson
Trustee
11.09.23 to 10.09.2027
Mrs Laura Pollard
Parent Trustee
08.12.25 to 07.12.2029
Mr Chris Robbins
Trustee
11.09.23 to 10.09.2027
Mrs Toni Watson
Trustee
14.04.26 to 13.04.2030
Mr David McKeown-Webster
Ex Officio, Headteacher - from 01.01.2020
Mr Alex Buckley
Co-opted Trustee (SIC)
Appointed 14.04.26 to serve until 21.07.2027
Mr Derek Gwynne
Co-opted Trustee (Finance)
Initial appointment 14.07.2020 to 13.07.2021, then re-appointed each year, to 14/07/2026
Mr Carl Phillips
Co-opted Trustee (Finance)
Appointed 10.11.25 for a one year term to support on finance
Mr Andy Colgate
Staff Voice
Non voting
Mrs Karen Michael
Governance Professional
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Changes to the Board of Trustees
The following changes in trustees have taken place in the last two academic years (latest change first):
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Mr Alex Buckley appointed as Co-opted Trustee (SIC) from 14 April 2026
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Mrs Bethaney Larkman and Mrs Toni Watson appointed as Trustees by the Members from 14 April 2026
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Mrs Laura Pollard elected as Parent Trustee (by the parent body) from 6 December 2025
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Mrs Abi Dudley and Mr Will Durham both resigned as Trustees at the end of their term of office on 6 December 2025
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Mr Carl Phillips appointed as Co-opted Trustee (Finance) from 10 November 2025
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Mrs Yasmin Shepherd resigned as Parent Trustee from 23 October 2025
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Mrs Kimberley Lower appointed by the Members with effect from 9 October 2025
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Ms Rocky Datoo resigned as Associate Trustee at the end of her term of office on 21 October 2025
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Mr Michael Swiggs re-appointed by the Members with effect from 20 September 2025, this appointment made early to enable Mr Swiggs to remain as Chair for academic year 25/26
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Mrs Jennie Doyle and Mr Dave Brooks appointed as Trustees by the Members with effect from 6 January 2025
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Mrs Vicki Gilsenan resigned as a Trustee from 19 December 2024
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Mrs Charlotte Blake and Mrs Yasmin Shepherd appointed as Parent Trustees from 01 March 2024
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Mrs Georgina Prew resigned as a Trustee from 22 February 2024
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Mr Dominic Sadler resigned as a Trustee from 29 January 2024
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Mr Russell Goodrum was appointed as a Trustee by the Members with effect from 20 November 2023
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Mrs Lucy Hales resigned as a Trustee from 20 October 2023
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Mr James Holland resigned as a Trustee from 17 September 2023
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Mrs Debra Hollingum, Mr Mark Pawson and Mr Chris Robbins were appointed as Trustees by the Members with effect from 11 September 2023.
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Other Academy Officials
Other officials of the trust are:
Accounting Officer
Mr David McKeown-Webster
Company Secretary and Governance Professional
Mrs Karen Michael
Principal Finance Officer
Ms Kate Binchy
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Board Documents
Register of Business Interests
Click below to see the latest Register of Business Interests for Members, Trustees and other Academy Officials.
Register of Business Interests December 2025
Minutes of Trustee Board Meetings
The minutes of meetings for the last year can be accessed here. Please note that minutes can only be published once they have been approved by the next meeting of the Board, so there will be around a three-month delay.
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Structure of the Board Committees
Committee
Trustees
School Staff Members
Resources
Russell Goodrum (Chair)
Dave Brooks
Frank Gainsbury
Debra Hollingum
David Nisbet
Chris Robbins
David McKeown-Webster
Sally Nixey
Kate Binchy
Karen Michael (Clerk)
School Improvement
Jennie Doyle (Chair)
Charlotte Blake
Alex Buckley (Co-opted)
Bethaney Larkman
Kimberley Lower
Laura Pollard
Toni Watson
David McKeown-Webster
Sally Nixey (Deputy Head)
Fleur Honey (KS1 Lead)
Jenny Newbery (Asst Head)
Andy Colgate (KS2 Lead)
Olivia Kerse (Inclusion)
Karen Michael (Clerk)
Audit & Risk
David Nisbet (Chair)
Dave Brooks
Russell Goodrum
Derek Gwynne (Co-opted)
Bethaney Larkman
Mark Pawson
Carl Phillips (Co-opted)
Chris Robbins
Toni Watson
David McKeown-Webster
Kate Binchy (Finance Manager)
Headteacher Performance/Pay Review
Michael Swiggs (Chair)
Jennie Doyle
Russell Goodrum
Mark Pawson
Other "occasional" committees eg for complaints, appeals etc
Membership drawn from all trustees as appropriate, ensuring no conflict of interest
Link Trustees for specific areas
Safeguarding Trustee
Chris Robbins
Health & Safety
Dave Brooks
SEN
Jennie Doyle
Phonics
Equality/Diversity/Inclusion
Charlotte Blake
Premises
Frank Gainsbury