Governance
The Inspire Learning Partnership is a charitable Trust and we are accountable for:
- The educational outcomes and welfare of all children attending our schools
- The livelihoods of our employees
- The prudent management of tax payers money; and
- The stewardship of public buildings and land
The quality and effectiveness of our governance is pivotal to ensuring all of those resources are used most effectively in delivering learning opportunities for children and best value to the tax payer.
At the heart of governance in a charity like The Inspire Learning Partnership is the non-executive team, made up entirely of volunteers. These individuals bring their experiences, judgement and accept accountability not for personal material benefit but for the greater public good and in particular to improve the life chances of the pupils in our schools. They fully subscribe to the Nolan Principles for Public Life and the Ethical Leadership Framework.
The law places accountability for the educational outcomes and financial diligence of the Trust firmly with the Trustees and the CEO as Accounting Officer. However, a fundamental principle for us is that effective governance is best delivered as close as possible to the point of impact of decisions. For this reason we have developed a governance structure that delegates significant accountability to our Academy Councils. These bodies provide the overview and scrutiny of the management and governance of our academies. In essence they are responsible for Safeguarding, Standards and Stakeholders.
The purpose of these pages on our website is to provide clarity on the structure by which the different elements of governance work together for the benefit of the whole Trust. We have based our model on our experience and the successes and lessons learned by our predecessors. I have no doubt we will have further lessons to learn over the years as we use this model of effective governance in practice. We will review the details of these governance arrangements annually as a family of Governors: Academy Councillors, Trustees and Members.
Governance Structure
More details about duties and responsibility of our governance can found in the Governance Charter
Memorandum and Articles of Association
More details can be found in the Articles of Association document
Scheme of Delegation
More details can be found in the Scheme of Delegation document
Members of the Trust
The Inspire Learning Partnership has “Members” who are best viewed as guardians of the constitution, changing the Articles if necessary and ensuring the charitable object is fulfilled. The Members appoint some of the Trustees and can exercise reserve powers to appoint and remove Trustees. It is, however, anticipated that this power will rarely, if ever, be exercised. The Academy Trust will ordinarily have at least five Members.
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Current Members |
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Name |
Date of Appointment |
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Rob Shaw |
13.12.23 |
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Matthew Treagus |
01.10.2014 |
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Aldred Drummond |
28.09.2016 |
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Dr. Fiona Aubrey-Smith | 18.01.2017 |
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Professor Mark E. Smith | 01.05.2021 |
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Board of Trustees
The corporate management and trustee responsibility for the actions of the company is vested in the “Trustees” of the Academy Trust (together, referred to as "the Trust Board"), who are company directors registered with Companies House.
The Trustees are personally responsible for the actions of the Academy Trust and the Academies and are accountable to the Members, to the Secretary of State for Education and to the wider community for the quality of the education received by all pupils of the Academies and for the expenditure of public money.
The Trustees are required, as trustees and pursuant to the Funding Agreements, to have systems in place through which they can assure themselves of the quality, safety and good practice of the affairs of the Academy Trust.
Executive Team
Executive Team (ID 1279)
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Claire LoweChief Executive Office
Claire Lowe
Current employment where relevant
Claire is the Chief Executive Officer of Inspire Learning Partnership and has been in this role since May 2018.She holds an MA(Ed) and more recently was appointed as a founding fellow to the Chartered College of Teaching, recognition of her total commitment to the profession over the past 25+ years.
Employment History
Claire was the Executive Principal for The Inspire Learning Federation from October 2014 to April 2018. Before this she was the Executive Headteacher of Blackfield Primary and Fawley Infant Federation.She moved to the Federation in September 2008 after holding the Headteacher role at a small village primary school in the New Forest.
Non-Executive Team
Non-Executive Team (ID 1278)
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Robert ShawChair of Trust Board
Robert Shaw
Employment History
Robworked for ExxonMobil for nearly 38 years and has over 20 years' experience in capital projects, finance and budget management before retiring in 2019.He has a degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Business Administration.
School Governance Experience
Robhas been a Trustee of the Inspire Learning Partnership since March 2020 and has served as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, member of the Business and Finance Committee, member of the IEB at St. Monica Primary and Chair of the IEB at Hightown Primary. He brings this experience and his extensive experience of business and finance to the role of Chair. Rob has been the Chair ofTrusteessince December 2023. -
Christopher SeatonVice Chair of Trust Board
Christopher Seaton
Employment History
Chris trained as a lawyer, beginning his career as a general-practice solicitor, before moving to the voluntary sector where he worked in community projects. He helped to establish and lead a social enterprise, Peaceworks, which developed gold-standard peer mediation in schools.
School Governance Experience
In 2012, whilst Chair of Governors, Chris helped guide Edward Bryant School’s conversion to academy status. The experience led to the formation of Schoolsworks, a primary-based school trust, and in 2014 Chris became its full-time CEO. Schoolsworks manages eight schools from Selsey to Worthing in West Sussex and between 2013 and 2020 enjoyed 10 consecutive ‘good’ Ofsted judgements. It also has a free school in pre-opening.
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Lyndon ClarkTrustee
Lyndon Clark
Current employment where relevant
Has worked for ExxonMobil for almost 36 years and during that time has been employed as a technician, with the last 25 years in procurement, providing guidance to ExxonMobil’s Business Service Centre staff located in Prague.
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply.School Governance Experience
Lyndon has been involved with the Inspire Learning Partnership from its inception and he brings to the academy trust a background and experience in industry.He has been a governor for many years and played a key role as both Blackfield Primary School and Fawley Infant School developed, supporting Blackfield change from a County maintained school to a Grant Maintained school and later a Foundation School. He also played a very active role when the two schools federated.
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Alex ScottTrustee
Alex Scott
Alexis currently the Principal and Chief Executive of Itchen College, a 110-year-old sixth form college on the East of Southampton. He previously held senior leadership roles at Brockenhurst College and Barton Peveril College and has over 30 years of experience in post-16 education.
Alexbrings a wealth of knowledge regarding Teaching and Learning to the trust.
‘I was happy to become a trustee for the Inspire Learning Partnership and increase my knowledge of the primary sector given the fundamental importance of this stage of education. My role also allows us to explore how we can work together across phases for mutual benefit, as well as helping the communities the College and the Inspire Learning Partnership serve’.
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Dr James AdamsTrustee
Dr James Adams
James is currently the Headteacher at Kings’ School Winchester, a large and highly successful secondary school. He is a teacher of Geography and has over 15 years of experience in education in Dorset, Poole, Somerset and Hampshire.
James has a PhD in engineering surveying for cliff management and is also a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching.
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Louise JohnsonTrustee
Louise Johnson
Louise is an experienced school and system leader, having worked for 3 years as a Director of Education within the Executive team of a Surrey-based Multi-Academy Trust, preceded by 15 years as a successful primary school leader and teacher, and 15 years working for a large, multinational company in the private sector. She brings considerable expertise in primary education, school improvement and educational leadership, and was designated as a National Leader of Education by the DfE in 2022.
‘I hope to utilise my experience and skills to support the Trust in its vision to relentlessly pursue excellence for its schools and feel strongly that a Trust's leadership should be ethical, inspirational, and ambitious, with the focus always on children, first and foremost. It is clear to me that the values of Inspire Learning Partnership resonate with these beliefs and philosophy about education, and I share the ambition and determination to improve the future life chances of its children.’
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Dr Ronda Gowland-PrydeTrustee
Dr Ronda Gowland-Pryde
Past Trustees (in the past 12 months)
Name | Date of Appointment | Term Of Office | Appointed by | Date of Resignation |
Tina Daniel | 01.09.2021 | 3 Years | Members | 31.08.2024 |
Samantha Roberts | 01.09.2021 | 3 Years | Members | 31.08.2024 |
Mark Fry | 31.03.2023 | 1 year and 8 months | Members | 30.11.2024 |
Local Academy Councils
The role of a Local Councillor within a Multi-Academy Trust is an important one.
In developing our governance arrangements, the Trust Board has sought to ensure that the responsibility to govern is vested in those closest to the impact of decision making and that such responsibility matches the capacity of those assuming responsibility.
The Trust Board establishes Local Academy Councils for the Academies, for the most part made up of individuals drawn from the Academy’s community, both as elected and appointed members.
The Local Councillors are accountable to the Trust Board (who in turn are accountable to the Department for Education) as well as to the communities they serve.
Academy Council Structure
Academy Council Structure for Governing a Single School | |||
Type of Member | Number | Term of Office | How they are elected |
CEO | 1 | Indefinite | Ex-officio |
Principal of relevant Academy | 1 | Indefinite | Ex-officio |
Co-opted Councillor (including Chair and Vice-Chair) | Up to 4 | 4 years |
By The Inspire Learning Partnership Board of Trustees resolution. The Board will take into account any representations made by the Academy Council when considering the re-election of the co-opted Councillor. |
Teaching staff Academy Councillor | 1 | 2 years | Teacher election – secret ballot to be organised by the relevant Academy |
Support staff Academy Councillor | 1 | 2 years | Support staff election – secret ballot to be organised by the relevant Academy |
Parent Academy Councillor | 2 | 4 years | Parent election – secret ballot to be organised by the relevant Academy |
Clerk to the Academy Council | 1 | Indefinite | To be appointed by the Central Team recruitment processes |
Academy Council Structure for Governing Multiple Schools | |||
CEO | 1 | Indefinite | Ex-officio |
Executive Principal/Principals and their chosen representatives | Up to the number of schools represented | Indefinite | Ex-officio |
Co-opted Councillor (including Chair and Vice Chair) | Up to 4 | 4 years |
By The Inspire Learning Partnership Board of Trustees resolution. The Board will take into account any representations made by the Academy Council when considering the re-election of the co-opted Councillor. |
Teaching staff Academy Councillor | Up to 2 | 2 years | Teacher election – secret ballot to be organised by the relevant Academy |
Support staff Academy Councillor | Up to 2 | 2 years | Support staff election – secret ballot to be organised by the relevant Academy |
Parent Academy Councillor | Up to 4 | 4 years | Parent election – secret ballot to be organised by the relevant Academy |
Clerk to the Academy Council | 1 | Indefinite | To be appointed by the Central Team recruitment processes |
Academy Councils within the Trust
Blackfield and Fawley Academy Council
Kanes Hill and St Monica Academy Council
Hightown Interim Executive Board
If you are interested in becoming an Academy Councillor, click here to download an application form and return it to the respective school.
Register of Interests
register of business pecuniary interests.pdf
Funding Agreements
- ILP Master Funding Agreement
- Blackfield Primary School Deed of Variation of Supplemental Funding Agreement April 2023
- Blackfield Primary School Supplemental Funding Agreement July 2014
- Fawley Infant School Supplemental Funding Agreement July 2014
- Hightown Primary School Deed of Variation of Supplemental Funding Agreement April 2024
- Hightown Primary School Supplemental Funding Agreement Jan 2018
- Kanes Hill Supplemental Funding Agreement Jan 2018
- St Monica Primary School - Supplemental Funding Agreement
Annual Reports and Financial Statements
- Employees with benefits exceeding 100K
- Inspire Learning Partnership Financial Statement and Annual Report 2017-2018
- Inspire Learning Partnership Financial Statement and Annual Report 2018-2019
- Inspire Learning Partnership Financial Statement and Annual Report 2019-2020
- Inspire Learning Partnership Financial Statement and Annual Report 2020 2021
- Inspire Learning Partnership Financial Statement and Annual Report 2021 2022
- Inspire Learning Partnership Financial Statement and Annual Report 2022-2023
- Inspire Learning Partnership Financial Statement and annual Report 2023 - 2024
Gender Pay Gap Report
Dates of Board and Committee Meetings 2024 - 2025
Full Board
Meeting 1: Thursday 5 September 2024
Meeting 2: Monday 14 October 2024
Meeting 3: Monday 9 December 2024
Meeting 4: Monday 3 February 2025
Meeting 5: Monday 31 March 2025
Meeting 6: Monday 19 May 2025
Meeting 7: Monday 14 July 2025
Audit & Risk Committee
Meeting 1: Monday 18 November 2024
Meeting 2: Monday 24 February 2025
Meeting 3: Monday 23 June 2025
Business & Finance Committee
Meeting 1: Tuesday 12 November 2024
Meeting 2: Tuesday 28 January 2025
Meeting 3: Tuesday 11 March 2025
Meeting 4: Tuesday 17 June 2025
Education Performance and Standards Committee
Meeting 1: Friday 20 September 2024
Meeting 2: Friday 17 January 2025
Meeting 3: Thursday 1 May 2025
Meeting 4: Friday 11 July 2025
People and Culture Committee
Meeting 1: Monday 11 November 2024
Meeting 2: Monday 10 March 2025
Meeting 3: Monday 9 June 2025
Attendance Records
- 2022 - 2023 Board of Trustees - Attendance at Meetings - 2022-23
- Attendance at Committee Meetings 2022 - 2023