Governing Board

RET Governance Arrangements

The governance structure for Ridgeway Education Trust supports the Trust’s vision of providing outstanding all-through education for children and young people from 3 to 19 and is based around these principles:

Recognising the individuality, character and culture of each school
Connecting to the local community
Supporting students through curricula developed for each school, suitable to their needs.

In trusts, the purpose of governance is to provide:

strategic leadership
accountability and assurance
strategic engagement

The RET Board is accountable to the Secretary of State for all schools within the multi-academy trust (MAT) and is responsible for compliance with government and Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) requirements, company law and charity law. Our governance structure allows for delegation of certain decisions to the most appropriate body, as outlined in our Articles of Association and Scheme of Delegation.

All actions of, and decisions taken by, levels of governance within the MAT undertake to further the principles, vision and values of the Trust. Those involved with RET governance must conduct themselves in line with the vision and values of the Trust and in accordance with the seven principles of public life.

Roles and responsibilities

The Academy Trust Handbook sets out the roles and responsibilities of Members, Trustees, the Accounting Officer and the Chief Financial Officer.

In summary:

Trust Members are akin to shareholders and have ultimate control over the direction of the Trust. They ensure the charitable company achieves its objectives, sign off the annual report and accounts and appoint some of the Trustees (Directors).
The Department for Education has a preference for the majority of Members to be independent of the Board of Trustees as they wish to see a significant degree of separation between the members and the Board of Trustees.

Trustees have collective accountability and strategic responsibility for the Trust. They have a focus on ensuring the trust delivers excellent education to pupils while maintaining effective financial management and must ensure compliance with:

the Trust's charitable objectives
regulatory, contractual and statutory requirements
our funding agreement.

The Trust Board also has strategic and statutory responsibility for safeguarding and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) arrangements within and across RET and for keeping our estate safe and well maintained.

The Chair of Trustees is responsible for ensuring the effective functioning of the Board and setting professional standards of governance.

The Accounting Officer is our Chief Executive Officer. Accounting Officer responsibilities include personal responsibility to Parliament, and to the Education and Skills Funding Agency's (ESFA) accounting officer, for the financial resources under the Trust’s control.

The Chief Finance Officer is appointed by the Trust Board and has delegated responsibility for the Trust’s detailed financial procedures.

Further information on academy trust governance be found here.

Details of the four Trust Board Committees and the Trusts Local Governing Body's can be found below.

Ridgeway Education Trust Trustees

Paul allen

Paul Allen

Paul has a first-class degree from Cambridge University and is a Chartered Surveyor and a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers. He is a partner at Bidwells in Oxford and has 26 years’ experience in rural property. He is also involved in managing his family farm in Sutton Courtenay. As Head of Private Estates for Bidwells, Paul is responsible for managing estates in Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire. The role varies from providing a complete management service to offering professional support to the estate office team. Previously the Chair of the Drayton and District Farming Club, Paul is currently their treasurer. A former governor of Sutton Courtenay CofE Primary School, he was also a member of their Resources Committee and Performance & Standards Committee.

Elisabeth anderson

Elisabeth Anderson

Elisabeth Anderson is a Trust Appointed Governor for All Saints CofE Primary School and a Trustee of Ridgeway Education Trust. Elisabeth Anderson has worked in the school sector since 2007 and is committed to helping children access the best education possible. She works at a local independent boarding school as Development Director, and has been a Governor at several schools prior to joining the Board at All Saints in 2021. She lives in South Oxfordshire with her partner and has one adult child.

Rita atkinson

Rita Atkinson (Diocesan Representative)

Rita did her doctorate in experimental physics and prior to retirement in 2019, worked on Safety and Risk Assessment in the Nuclear sector. She is a Diocesan-appointed Governor at Sutton Courtenay CofE Primary School, where she is their SEND Link Governor and Link Governor for Health and Safety. She uses her skills and experience from her professional background as a scientist, as well as her role as a trustee of The Abingdon DAMASCUS Youth Project, to ensure children and young people feel supported within the community and in their learning and development. She was awarded an MBE for voluntary services to young people and to the people of Sutton Courtenay in 2004.

Frances Bartlett - RET Trustee

Frances Bartlett (Diocesan Representative)

Frances is a School Improvement Adviser and strategic lead for governance with Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust. For the last ten years, she has worked as a diocesan adviser, school improvement adviser, and a trustee with a number of multi-academy trusts. Prior to her current role, Frances was Deputy Director for the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education and before this she was headteacher of two Oxfordshire primary schools, both of which achieved Good Ofsted ratings under her leadership. Frances has also worked as an inspector for Ofsted.

Ruth elliot

Ruth Elliot

Ruth is Chief Financial Officer & Director of Corporate Services at United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). Prior to this, she was Finance and Commercial Director at UK Research and Innovation, managing an annual budget of over £7bn. After training as an accountant with Deloitte, she worked at the National Audit Office and held a variety of finance roles in central government organisations. Through these roles she has gained experience of leading and motivating large teams, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of finance services in a number of organisations, as well as implementing new systems and improving financial control.

Prior to becoming Chair of Trustees in 2023, Ruth was a governor and Chair of Didcot Girls' School from 2015 to 2023, and has previously chaired the Audit Committee of the Ridgeway Education Trust. She also chairs the finance and audit committee of a local charity.

Jill judson

Jill Judson

During 37 years of secondary school experience, Jill has worked in a wide range of large and medium sized urban and suburban schools – comprehensive, selective, mixed and single sex, in single and split sites. She was a headteacher for 19 years in two very contrasting schools, each judged outstanding by Ofsted. In both headships she had successful experience of substantial school expansion and reorganisation. She is a former Ofsted inspector and since retirement from headship she has provided school improvement support working with many different schools, particularly supporting them with Ofsted preparation, with leadership and management development and with senior appointments. Until recently, she also worked with ASCL as a headship appointment consultant.

Jill is a governor of two secondary schools in addition to being a Ridgeway Education Trust Trustee and chairing our Didcot Sixth Form Committee. She has also had experience of managing school improvement through membership of three Interim Executive Boards. A former governor of Oxford Brookes University and previously Vice Chair of the Oxford Playhouse Board, Jill is currently a member of the Oxfordshire Charity Mentors group supporting leadership and governance development in small and medium sized charities in the area.

Andrew kaye

Andrew Kaye (Diocesan Representative)

Andrew is a retired atmospheric scientist and long-time resident of Hagbourne/Didcot. Until he retired Andrew worked at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory managing the ISIS and Central Laser Facilities User Office. He has been a school governor for more than twenty years, initially at Hagbourne CofE Primary School and then at St Birinus. Both of his sons attended St Birinus and the Didcot Sixth Form College. Andrew was a Trustee of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre for 10 years and as an adult dyslexic, he is passionate about the quality of education children receive and that it fits their needs and requirements. An active member of Saint Andrew's Hagbourne, Andrew is chair of the Church Council, a member of the choir and a bell ringer. As part of the Lay ministry team, Andrew is a Lay Preacher in the Churn Benefice (Hagbourne, Blewbury, Upton, the Astons and the Mortons). Andrew is the Trust Appointed Safeguarding Lead and a member of the Trust Finance and General Purposes Committee.

Sheila mckenzie trustee

Shelia McKenzie

Shelia is now retired, but previously she worked as the Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Offier at a multi academy trust, operating across the East Midlands, London and Thames Valley. Shelia is a qualified accountant and has worked in the not-for-profit sector at Finance Director level for 25 years. Sheila has previously volunteered as a school governor and is currently a Trustee of the Anne Carpmael Trust which promotes the protection and preservation of flora and fauna in Goring-on-Thames.Shelia is a member of the Trust Audit and Risk Committee and the Didcot Sixth Form Committee.

James thurgood

James Thurgood

James is Director of Legal and Chief of Staff at Elliptic, a VC- backed technology business specialising in blockchain compliance. James is a solicitor whose diverse legal career prior to Elliptic has included being Head of Legal at Metro Bank PLC, legal counsel at Care UK and commercial litigator in a private practice at Shakespeare Martineau LLP. James brings a wealth of legal and HR knowledge to the Trust Board and Finance and General Purposes Committee.

Stephen white

Stephen White (Vice Chair)

Stephen spent his career in a variety of management and leadership roles in the civil nuclear industry. He worked at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in a wide range of roles, becoming Director for Strategy and Authority Secretary. From 2003 to 2005 he was responsible for restructuring the Atomic Energy Authority following the adoption of a new national strategy for nuclear decommissioning. He became chairman of two site decommissioning companies and helped set up a nuclear services business which was sold to Babcock International, with whom he finished his career as Director of Nuclear Decommissioning. He was awarded the OBE in 2009 for services to the nuclear industry. Stephen chairs the Trust Finance & General Purposes Committee which scrutinises the finances of schools within the Trust and oversees the provision of key premises, IT and health and safety matters. The Committee has overseen substantial change and savings programmes in support functions.

He is a Trustee of the Blewbury Players which supports young people in the arts.

Ridgeway Education Trust Members

Trust Members	Appointed
Ian Barnes	June 2012
Christopher Campbell	June 2024
Sara Green (Oxford Diocese appointed)	December 2023
Marcus Gover	June 2012
Oxford Diocese (represented by Gordon Joyner)	April 2019
Historic (left in the last year)	Appointment Dates
Stephen White	September 2015 to January 2024
Phillip Davies	June 2012 to May 2024

Ridgeway Education Trust Trustees

Trustees	Appointment Type	Appointment Dates	Committees
Elisabeth Anderson	Trustee-appointed	05/12/2023 - 04/12/2027	Finance & General Purposes
Paul Allen	Member-appointed	06/12/2022 - 05/12/2026	Finance & General Purposes
Rita Atkinson	Diocesan-appointed	01/04/2023 – 31/03/2027	Audit & Risk
Frances Bartlett	Diocesan-appointed	26/09/2023 - 25/09/2027
Ruth Elliot (Chair)	Trustee-appointed	06/12/2022 - 05/12/2026	Finance & General Purposes
Jill Judson	Member-appointed	11/06/2024 - 10/06/2028	Audit & Risk, Chair of Didcot Sixth Form Committee
Andrew Kaye	Diocesan-appointed	01/04/2023 – 31/03/2027	Finance & General Purposes, Safeguarding Link Trustee
Shelia McKenzie	Member-appointed	04/09/2024 - 03/09/2028	Audit & Risk, Didcot Sixth Form Committee
James Thurgood	Trustee-appointed	21/05/2024 - 20/05/2028	Finance & General Purposes
Stephen White (Vice Chair)	Trustee-appointed	01/07/2021 - 30/06/2025	Finance & General Purposes (Chair)
Historic (left in the last year)	Appointment Type	Appointment Dates	Committees
Chris Campbell	Trust-appointed	12/06/2020 – 11/06/2024	Finance & General Purposes

Ridgeway Education Trust Committee Details

The Board has four committees:

Committee	Chair	Overview
Audit & Risk	Adam Graves (member of the All Saints Local Governing Body)	Maintains oversight of the Trust's financial, governance, risk management and internal control systems.
Finance & General Purposes	Stephen White	Monitors the budgets for each school and the central team, reviews premises, infrastructure, health and safety, IT and staffing matters.
Sixth Form	Jill Judson	Agrees the strategy and oversees the operation and performance of Didcot Sixth Form.
Pay Committee	Stephen White	To review pay decisions and to ensure that Trust-wide processes are in place for dealing with pay-related appeals.

Local Governing Bodies of Ridgeway Education Trust

In multi-academy trusts, the Board of Trustees is legally accountable for the decisions made in all its schools. The Board can delegate decisions to committees, and some of these are the Local Governing Bodies of each school.