GLA Members of the Board

The Gloucestershire Learning Alliance MAT is guided by the individual and collective contribution of the Board of Directors. The work of the Board of Directors is the driving force for the success of the Trust and its member academies, and Directors should feel that the job they do is rewarding and satisfying.

What skills and experience do they bring to the Board?

We always strive to have a Board that has a range of skills and experiences, and in the pen portraits in this section, we have outlined what these are. There are however qualities that we expect all our Directors to have, and these are summarised below:

Commitment to education: Able to demonstrate a commitment to seeking the highest standards in all our schools and thereby improve the lives of children and young people

Strategic Perspective: Able to develop a broad-based view of issues and events and to perceive their long-term impact.

Interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team: Able to work positively with others and debate whilst maintaining a constructive atmosphere.

Communication skills and the ability to influence: Able to express ideas/plans in a clear manner and to listen actively to other views.

Planning and Organisational skills: Able to quickly establish an effective course of action for self and others to achieve goals that can be monitored by realistic performance targets.

Determination and Drive: Able to create the required energy/enthusiasm and commitment necessary to be effective, including attendance at scheduled meetings of the Trust Board (66% minimum) and its Committees.

Experience: Expertise in a field which is of relevance to the oversight of the affairs of the Trust. (Some Directors’ roles may require specific qualifications or a particular skill or experience.)

Understanding of governance: Able to demonstrate a full understanding and appreciation of the principles of governance, including collective responsibility, discharge of fiduciary duties and the seven principles of public life (see section 14).

Equal Opportunities: Commitment to equal opportunities

GLA Members - Pen Portraits

• Ruth Lewis
  Chair of Trustees / Member
  Ruth Lewis

  Ruth became Chair of Governors for the federated governing body of Rowanfield Junior School and Springbank Primary Academy in 2013 one of the two founding GLA schools .

  She was elected Vice Chair of the Trust board in September 2016 and became the Chair in January 2018. Ruth was a Member of Council at Cheltenham College for nine years until 2019 and was Chair of the Welfare and Safeguarding committee.

  Ruth is a qualified teacher with 25 years primary school experience including senior management posts in urban and rural schools. From 2001 to 2010, she was School Workforce Advisor with Gloucestershire County Council working directly with Gloucestershire Schools managers and other key stakeholders to lead, commission, promote and support schools in the provision of an effective training and development programme for the whole school workforce.

  From 2010, Ruth was Lead Commissioner for Early Years and Vulnerable Children at Gloucestershire County Council, leading the commissioning and decommissioning process of services for early years and vulnerable children ensuring value for money was achieved through effective procurement, contract management and specification. In this role, she was the contract manager for 39 childrens centres in Gloucestershire and the Local Authority lead for childrens centre OFSTED inspections.

  Ruth retired from this role in 2017.

• Jo Duffus
  Member
  Jo Duffus

  After retiring as the Chief Operations Officer of the Gloucestershire Learning Alliance Jo Duffus was appointed as a Member of the MAT Board in September 2019.Prior to working in Education, Jo completed 16 years' service as a Royal Air Force Squadron Leader, in the Administrative Specialisation where she gained specific experience in finance, personnel, recruitment and policy development and implementation.

  From November 2013 to August 2019 Jo was the Chief Operations Officer of the Gloucestershire Learning Alliance.  She was an integral member of the Executive Leadership Team with overall responsibility for the Trust's business, finance, procurement, personnel, premises, health and safety management, catering and other support functions.   

  In addition to Jo has experience in successfully bidding to open and set up a new free school, Longford Park Primary Academy and significant experience in the academy conversion process having successfully converted all schools within the Gloucestershire Learning Alliance to academy status.

• Mike Gardener
  Member
  Mike Gardener

  Mike was a founder Member and Director of GLA and its founding Chair of Audit Committee.  In August 2016, he resigned as a Director but remains as a Member of the Company. Mike was appointed as a Governor of Bishops Cleeve Primary School in 2011 and was Vice-Chair of Governors when the school converted to an Academy.

  Mike has worked for many year in financial and insurance services, with particular experience in regulatory advice and risk management. From 1999-2003 he worked as a Senior Manager with KPMG providing financial services regulatory advice to insurers and financial service providers.   

  From 2003-09 he was Senior Manager Group Risk for HBOS with Group responsibilities in the areas of Fair Treatment for Customers, Operational Risk and Data Protection, and from 2009-12 was Senior Manager in the Group Risk function of Lloyds Banking Group, with a particular focus on Operational Risk.

  Since 2012, Mike has been Managing Director of Gardener's Consultancy Ltd specialising in providing advice and interim resource on Risk and Governance arrangements for Insurance and Financial Service firms.  In this role he has been interim Director of Operational Risk and Risk monitoring for a major UK home emergency insurer, and led the co-ordination of the firm's preparations for regulatory inspections with successful outcomes.

  Mike's broad background in financial and insurance services including the formulation and delivery of annual risk monitoring plans has been invaluable to the MAT's financial planning and risk management.

• Ruth Kessell
  Member
  Ruth Kessell

  Ruth has worked as a Governor Trainer for Governor Services at Gloucestershire County Council since 2005, and is responsible for developing, writing and delivering training on all aspects of School Governance to governors at all schools across the county. She also carries out Governance Reviews for the local authority when this has been recommended by Ofsted and for vulnerable schools.

  She is an experienced governor, having been a governor at a Bishop's Cleeve Primary School for 11 years (1999-2010), for seven of which she was Chair of Governors, before being asked to join the governing body at Cleeve School where she was a governor for 5 years (2010 -2015), two years as vice-chair. She has chaired a number of committees, including Standards, Personnel, Premises, Health & Safety, and has taken on individual responsibilities from time to time particularly for SEND, Safeguarding, Literacy, Music and other areas as required. 

  She is currently a co-opted governor at her local First School in Worcestershire. From time to time she has been appointed by the LA onto other governing bodies for short periods (18 months to 2 years) to provide support for schools in difficulty following Ofsted Inspection. Until recently, Ruth was a member of the executive committee for Gloucestershire Governors Association.

  From 1990 -2002 Ruth was a part-time lecturer in English as a Second Language at Gloscat, now Gloucestershire College, and prior to the she taught English language at a school in Hong Kong. Ruth is a qualified teacher with a BA in Linguistics & Education, a PGCE and a post graduate diploma in Human Resource Management. She joined the Trust board  as a trustee in 2015 until 2019 and sat on the standards committee, and was the nominated initial Chair of Governor's for Longford Park Primary Academy. 

GLA Trustees - Pen Portraits

• Ruth Lewis
  Chair of Trustees
  Ruth Lewis

  Ruth became Chair of Governors for the federated governing body of Rowanfield Junior School and Springbank Primary Academy in 2013 one of the two founding GLA schools .

  She was elected Vice Chair of the Trust board in September 2016 and became the Chair in January 2018.

  Ruth was a Member of Council at Cheltenham College for nine years until 2019 and was Chair of the Welfare and Safeguarding committee.

  Ruth is a qualified teacher with 25 years primary school experience including senior management posts in urban and rural schools. From 2001 to 2010, she was School Workforce Advisor with Gloucestershire County Council working directly with Gloucestershire Schools managers and other key stakeholders to lead, commission, promote and support schools in the provision of an effective training and development programme for the whole school workforce.

  From 2010, Ruth was Lead Commissioner for Early Years and Vulnerable Children at Gloucestershire County Council, leading the commissioning and decommissioning process of services for early years and vulnerable children ensuring value for money was achieved through effective procurement, contract management and specification. In this role, she was the contract manager for 39 childrens centres in Gloucestershire and the Local Authority lead for childrens centre OFSTED inspections.

  Ruth retired from this role in 2017.

• Steve Savory
  CEO/Trustee
  Steve Savory

  Steve is the CEO and Accounting Officer of the Gloucestershire Learning Alliance and Executive Headteacher of Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy. During the 2016-17 academic year Steve was one of two part-time Deputy Directors in the DFE supporting the Regional Schools Commissioner for the South West.

  Steve was elected by his peers to the RSC SW Headteacher Board in October 2017. He worked with the DfE as a Lead Education Advisor and was part of the South West development team that produced the DFEs recommended MAT Capacity Improvement Framework. Steve started teaching in 1983 following a brief career in retail management.

  He has been a Headteacher with a sustained track record of school improvement for more than twenty years. Following three years as a part-time Ofsted Inspector, Steve found that he preferred working with schools on School Improvement. As both a Local and National Leader of Education he has supported a number of schools out of special measures; this included several years of Executive Headship. He has worked with vulnerable schools since 2007 supporting system leadership in Gloucestershire and neighbouring authorities.

  Steve has also been an NPQH tutor, assessor and trainer and now develops and delivers leadership training for the GLA. Steve was Chair of the Gloucestershire Primary Heads Association for 10 years until and served on the GCC strategic development group.

  He was vice-chair of the School Forum from inception in 2003 to 2013, and now represents Primary Academies on the School Forum. During 2003/4 he designed Gloucestershires Needs Led Funding formula for primary and secondary schools

• Stuart Allan
  Trustee
  Stuart Allan

  Stuart was appointed to the MAT Board in September 2019, bringing additional industry experience into the Trust.

  Stuart has 30 years experience in Human Resource Management. Stuart started his career at the former British Steel plc, went on to Polaroid and then spent twenty years at TE Connectivity, a US owned Fortune 500 corporation manufacturing electrical/electronic components for automotive, telecoms, consumer electronics, aerospace, defence and Energy markets, rising to the position of Global VP of HR for the Network Solutions Segment. He is currently a self-employed HR consultant and workplace investigator.

  Stuart has experience of talent management, culture change, employee relations and corporate governance in an environment passionate about innovation and continuous improvement.

  Stuart has trained as an executive coach and is a volunteer assessor with Citizens Advice. A father of three children, he is keen to contribute to an organisation focused on giving young people the best possible start in life.

• Damon Ballinger
  Trustee
  Damon Ballinger

  Damon was appointed as Chair of Governors at Bishop's Cleeve Primary Academy (BCPA) in September 2014 and is fully engaged in working with the governing body to support the leadership team in the continuous improvement of the school.

  Damon served in the Royal Air Force for over twenty years as an Aircraft Avionics Engineer and senior leader and is currently a Training Manager for a large multi-national aviation company, responsible for a global team that designs, develops and delivers technical product training to customers world-wide.

  When serving in the R.A.F., he was deployed on numerous operational tours around the globe, developing expertise in operational management and leadership. He completed a tour at the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering, mentoring and delivering training to the future aircraft technicians of the RAF.

  Damon is trained and experienced in change acceleration process, project management and continuous improvement, and experienced at controlling high-value budgets and delivering projects on-time and to cost.

• Robert Bromberg
  Trustee
  Robert Bromberg

  For over 40 years I have gained experience of teaching, leadership and school improvement at a range of rural, urban primary and middle schools in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Swindon. I was seconded to work for a Local Authority for two years in an Advisory role. This included working with a wide range of professionals within Primary, Secondary and Special schools and local colleges to produce implementation plans, training packages and recruit appropriately trained staff. In addition to my role as LA Adviser, I provided a wide range of advice, training and support for schools.  As a result of this work I was asked to take a school out of Special Measures and turned it around within fourteen months. This required rigorous analysis of data, combined with a determined approach to school improvement.

  I served as a Governor at most of the schools I worked in over more than 25 years. I had the opportunity to work on the Finance, Standards and Premises committees at all of these schools and developed the policies and practices for Local Management in Schools on behalf on the Governing Body when it was first introduced. As a result, I developed a course in strategic Financial Management for Headteachers that was delivered with the Head of Audit. The BBC also featured this work and made it into a national training course.

  I have worked for the last seven years in School Improvement for the charity Achievement for All  as a school coach. Working for AfA has given me a range of experiences in school improvement where much of my work has been in working with headteachers to improve leadership, the curriculum, parental engagement and standards at all levels. I am a qualified External Adviser to Governing Bodies and still work in assisting them to assess the performance of Headteachers

• Dermot McNiffe
  Trustee/Chair of Standards Committee
  Dermot McNiffe

  Dermot McNiffe is the Principal of All Saints Academy in Cheltenham. Dermot qualified as a Design Technology Teacher in 1996 following twelve years in major industry working as a patternmaker and model maker for Austin Rover, Hydraulics Research and British Aerospace. In 1999, he joined Wellacre Technology College in Trafford, Manchester where he progressed to be the sole Deputy Headteacher, responsible for curriculum, teaching, learning and achievement.

  His passion for school improvement focused on designing a new curriculum and raising standards in teaching and learning; this helped to secure yearly improvements, which culminated in an Outstanding Ofsted inspection in May 2007. The school was then awarded High Performing Specialist Schools Status, which enabled the school to secure a capital bid to build a successful 300 place co-educational sixth form. In 2008

  Dermot joined The Academy of St Francis of Assisi in Liverpool. His impact over five years secured year on year improvement putting the Academy in the top 10 percent of schools nationally for outstanding continuous improvement in raising standards in GCSE English and Mathematics. His Academy was the only school re-inspected in Liverpool to improve its Ofsted rating from satisfactory to good with outstanding features in 2012.

  In recognition of this sustained improvement the Department for Education approved an expansion of the Academy to open a new 6^th Form in 2013. Since starting as Principal at All Saints Academy in 2014, the Academy has improved from Requiring Improvement to Good where his leadership was judged as outstanding by Ofsted. Dermot is passionately committed to raising standards and improving the quality of education for his Academy and the local community it serves.

• Fiona Morris
  Trustee
  Fiona Morris

  A passionate and people focused Human Resources Leader, change champion and qualified Accountant (ACMA), with strong business acumen, Fiona has extensive experience in international Blue Chip FMCG companies including Cargill, Kraft (now Mondelez) and Motorola. She is an inspirational leader and highly pragmatic and analytical in her approach. 

  Fiona is a trusted strategic partner and coach having worked with numerous MDs, boards and leadership teams across all functions in business during her career. She particularly enjoys working on change projects which deliver improved leadership, talent or business performance whether these beorganisational or cultural. She has a passion for developing talent and creating the environment to enable people to be at their best. 

  She enjoys working with managers and leaders to build strategic workforce plans that ensure capabilities and successors are in place for future business continuity anddevelopment.

  Fiona has also worked a number of mergers and acquisitions including the activities involved  in due diligence through to business integration, most notably the Kraft acquisition of Cadbury.

  Fiona is excited to be joining the GLA as a Board Trustee and is looking forward to utilising her knowledge and experience to support the continued growth of the Trust as well as to learn about the education sector

• Helen Morris
  Trustee
  Helen Morris

  Helen joined the Trust board in January 2020. She trained as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young in London. Soon after qualifying she moved into industry and gained financial accounting, treasury and tax experience with a number of listed companies. In 1994 she joined Kraft Foods in Cheltenham where she remained until 2012.

  During this time she held several positions including Head of Tax, Payroll and Pensions and most recently Associate Director Pensions. She brings many years of finance and governance experience, having been a Trustee Director and Secretary to the Trustees of the Kraft Foods Pension Scheme, and is currently a Trustee, member of the Presidents Group and Chair of the Investment Committee of a large charitable organisation and Chair of Governors at a school in Cheltenham

• Jonathan Wilson
  Trustee
  Jonathan Wilson

  Jon started out working in customer services for the NatWest bank, where he was involved heavily in their shift from paper based systems to, what was then, the more modern computer systems.

  During this time he also worked towards his early qualifications in banking and finance and this promoted him to reconsider his decision to leave his studies at the end of secondary school.

  Having decided on a change of direction for his career, he left work and studied full time at UMIST gaining a degree in Computation, before moving straight into the civil service to pursue a career in Project Management. This has seen him manage a number of multi million pound projects across a wide range of disciplines from software development to building construction and international relations. Within this, he has worked extensively with foreign partners gaining a good understanding of working across both physical and cultural divides.

  Alongside his work he has also become a full member both the Association for Project Management and the Institute for Engineering and Technology, the latter awarding him the status of Chartered Engineer. During his career he has also taken time aside to complete an LLB with Nottingham Law School to compliment his other qualifications. Away from work, Jon is a father of a young son who attends Springbank Primary Academy and has been a member of the local governing body for the past year. Coming from a family of teachers, he has a keen interest in all aspects of education but particularly in how pupils with special needs are catered for and how education can be inclusive for all.