Roles and responsibilities

The Board of Trustees (BoT) are the decision-making body of the Trust, accountable and responsible for all its schools. The trustees have three core functions: 

 1. Ensuring clarity of the vision, ethos and strategic direction 

 2. Holding the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the schools and its pupils and the       effective and efficient performance management of staff 

 3. Overseeing the financial performance of the schools and making sure that money is well spent. 

The BoT has two committees;   Finance and Risk Committee (FRC) and Standards Committee (SC).

About

Daniel Login
Chair of Trustees

Dan was initially a governor at Brandles School from 2018 before joining the Trust in 2020. At the London School of Economics, he manages the careers operations functions and leads projects to develop and improve student experience and engagement, in addition to a role looking after student wellbeing in accommodation. He has previous higher education governance experience and is currently a trustee for the students’ union at the University of Bedfordshire. Dan is particularly passionate about widening participation and access, having been the first in his family to attend university.

Dave Wickham

Vice Chair of Trustees and Chair of Finance and Risk Committee

Dave is currently Director of IT and Security for Parser and has worked in technology for over 19 years across financial services, software development, media and outsourcing. He also has experience in risk management, corporate governance, shareholder and stakeholder engagement, performance monitoring, information security, GDPR and audits. Dave is a father of two primary school age children and therefore education is of the upmost importance to him.

Ruth Ashmore

Chair of Standards Committee and Safeguarding Link

Ruth has spent her career in the NHS, initially as a nurse supporting children and young people, and for the last 20 years in senior leadership positions at both regional and national level developing strategic services and policy. She is currently the Regional Director of Commissioning for the East of England. She is particularly passionate about supporting children and young people to start well and to get the best from their education.

Debra Scholes
Trustee

Debra is currently Director of ISS Consultancy which provides a range of support for special schools. She is a senior educational leadership professional with over 25 years of experience ranging from design management in industry through to a wide variety of educational roles, including Executive Headteacher and Principal. She is widely experienced in both SEN and mainstream environments from primary, through secondary and up to adult FE. Outside of work, Debra enjoys drawing, painting and illustration.

Laura Brewer
Parent

With over 20 years experience in marketing across several private sector companies, Laura specialises in customer experience, business intelligence and research. Her personal journey as a parent to a Larwood School student gives Laura unique insights into the school's positive impact on families.

Gemma Tanner 
Parent

Gemma has a background in accounting, spending 8 years as a bookkeeper in a disabled adaptations firm. She has family members with SEN which drives her passion for ensuring they get the same opportunities as everyone else. Gemma's passion led her to become a parent trustee when her son joined Larwood school. 

Linda Lewis
Trustee

Linda has recently retired from Middlesex University having worked within the Library and Student Support service for almost 30 years.  Her experience is in administration, organisation, financial and staff management.  Having started as a part-time Administration Assistant her final role was Head of Planning and Organisation.

Chelsea Atkins
Trustee

Chelsea has worked in education for over 30 years, holding a wide range of roles across different phases. For the past 15 years, she has served as a Headteacher, first at a local school in Stevenage and now leading a Junior School in Letchworth. 

Throughout her leadership, Chelsea has consistently driven school improvement, securing stronger OFSTED outcomes and raising end of Key Stage 2 results in every school she has led. She has a deep passion for inclusion and is particularly committed to supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Alongside her focus on teaching and learning, Chelsea champions sustainability, staff wellbeing, and lifelong learning, ensuring that both pupils and staff thrive in positive, inclusive environments. Her wealth of experience and proven record of school improvement bring significant expertise to her role as Trustee.