Governance
Uffculme Academy Trust is governed by Members and Directors. Each must declare any pecuniary interests they have in relation to the work of the Trust and in relation to the business on each meeting’s agenda. A register of interests is maintained and is accessible to the public. Each year Members and Directors must agree to our Code of Conduct, which encompasses the Nolan Principles of public life. Members and Directors are required to make an annual declaration of their eligibility to be part of the Trust and a safeguarding declaration.
Members
Members oversee the work of the Trust and are responsible for overarching decisions, such as changing the Trust’s Articles of Association, and the appointment of Directors and Governors. Our Members subscribed to the formation of the Trust and meet the obligations set out in our Articles of Association.
Members may hold Directors and the Board to account, and in this way ensure that the Trust is working to best effect. In our Trust some Members are also Directors and participate in Board meetings, enabling them to keep in close touch with our work and contribute knowledge and expertise to the Board’s work.
Directors
Between nine and eleven Directors are appointed by our Members to take responsibility for the strategic direction of the Trust, working in the way that a Board oversees a company or charity.
Directors responsibilities are set out in our Terms of Reference and include:
to determine the vision for the Trust and ensure that its achievement underpins all strategic planning and decision making
to develop, review and take ownership of the Trust’s strategic and financial plan and monitor its implementation
to ensure that all schools / academies within the Trust attain high standards and demonstrate at least good progress against national indicators
ensuring the Trust maintains its vision and values and delivers the outcomes which it has defined for pupils and the Trust.
Our Directors include the Trust’s Chief Executive Officer.
The Trust's Director of Finance and Resources is not a Director of the Trust but informs Trust meetings as required.
Information on each Member and Director is given below and in our Annual Report, which also sets out for each person their term of office and, for the year in question, their attendance record at our meetings.
Local Governing Committees
Each School has their own Local Governing Committee – their overall purpose is to;
to ensure all students within the academy have access to a high quality education provision in line with the shared vision.
to monitor the implementation of the development/improvement plan of individual academies within the Trust, ensuring that it is delivering against agreed strategic and local objectives; moving the academies and the Trust as a whole towards achieving and sustaining a regulatory judgement of outstanding in all areas.
to ensure that the academic and wellbeing needs of students are being met effectively through the design and delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum which, through use of personalised, developmental support, helps to maximise each student’s success and enjoyment.
Registers of Business Interests are held here - Governance Documents — Uffculme Academy Trust (uffculmetrust.org)
Julia Adamson
Julia is the Vice Chair and Director of the Trust, and also Chairs the Resources and Risk Committee. She has over 20 years education experience, including as a Primary teacher and a subject leader. She has a track record of successfully managing education technology programmes and was involved in the establishing of Barefoot Computing across the UK and is now the Managing Director of Education and Public Benefit at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and responsible for Computing at School, the network for computing teachers.
Julia is particularly interested in inclusion, and from her own experience understands how technology can impact positively on progress for all children, particularly those with additional needs.
Julia has three children and has served as a parent governor at various schools for many years.
Sue Brewer
Sue is both a Director and a Member of the Trust. She is Headteacher of a Primary School in Somerset and has worked within education for many years across different phases. Prior to her current Headship, Sue was Headteacher of a Primary School in Devon for 10 years. Sue was a member of the governing body of Uffculme School for 12 years before becoming a director/trustee of UAT, and has been a school governor in other schools previously; her involvement with school governing bodies has spanned the last 25 years.
Sue has represented Headteachers both in Devon and Somerset on a variety of Local Authority Boards.
Max Graesser
Max is a Director and Chairs the UAT Board of Directors. Max worked for 30 years at ITV. Starting as a programme maker in news and documentaries, he went on to manage the production business for Granada TV before being appointed Managing Director, Operations for ITV News Group in 2004, and Operations Director for ITV plc in 2006.
On leaving ITV in 2009 he was appointed a trustee of the ITV Pension Scheme and in January 2013 was elected Chair of Trustees. He was subsequently appointed independent Chair of Trustees for three schemes within the Babcock International Group.
He is currently also the Chair of Trustees for the UK Schemes of Ricoh Europe.
Helen Harris
Helen joined the Trust as a Director in November 2022, having relocated to the South West.
Helen was previously employed as a Director of Finance and Operations in Cheshire schools until her retirement in February 2022.
Helen has 28 years of experience working in the education sector covering two schools in the primary sector for 18 years and latterly 10 years at a large secondary school and now brings this expertise to the Board and the Risk and Resources Committee.
Lorraine Heath OBE
Lorraine is the Trust's Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Trust. She became Headteacher of Uffculme School in 2008. Prior to this she worked in a number of secondary schools in Somerset. Lorraine started her career at Ladymead in Taunton (now The Taunton Academy) before moving to Huish Episcopi, then taking up the post of Head of English at Court Fields. Following a year working as an English consultant for the National Strategies, Lorraine returned to Ladymead as Assistant Head and subsequently Deputy, from where she moved to Uffculme School.
In 2013 Lorraine was elected onto the regional Headteacher Board where she worked with Outstanding South West Heads and Sir David Carter when he was RSC on the Academies programme for the region.
Lorraine is a governor on the Local Governing Board of The Taunton Academy. As a National Leader in Education Lorraine regularly works with Headteachers across the region, providing advice and support for schools as required.
In 2019 Lorraine was awarded the OBE for services to education.
Dr Paula Holbrook
Paula is a Director of the UAT.
Paula lectures Leadership in Practice on the Open University MBA (Leadership Practice) and is practice tutor for the Senior Leader Award. Paula is a practicing Business Manager and accredited School Resource Management Adviser (SRMA) with a broad business background. Paula achieved a PhD in Business and Management with Plymouth University, whilst working as a director in social housing -her thesis explored the social impact of housing policy.
Outside of work, Paula is a long-serving volunteer and trustee of Dartmoor Rescue Group. She is working towards assessment as an Operational Mountain Rescue Search Dog Team with trainee search dog Amber.
Faith Jarrett
Faith is a Member of the UAT.
Faith has worked as a teacher in secondary education for the last 39 years; thirteen as Head of The King's School in Ottery St Mary, Devon. The King's was graded outstanding by Ofsted at its last two inspections. Since September 2016 she has worked as an education consultant working on school improvement with over twenty secondary schools primarily across Devon, Dorset, Somerset and North Somerset. She has been a governor in a PRU and in a special school and until recently carried out bespoke governor training on behalf of Babcock LDP.
Jill Larcombe
Jill is a Director of the Trust, and through the Teaching School College South West she is a Local Leader of Governance.
After 27 years as a dairy and sheep farmer Jill made a career change and moved into local council administration. She is now a self-employed bookkeeper, parish council clerk and clerks within two maintained school federations.
Jill has been a school governor for 21 years, 19 of which have been at Uffculme. In her capacity as a member of the board of Devon Association of Governance she is a secondary academy governor representative on the Devon Education Forum and a represents governors on the Devon Children & Families Education Advisory Group.
Christina Mabin
Christina is an Education Adviser with the Diocese of Exeter and has particular responsibilities in governance, school admissions, school organisation and academies. Prior to joining the Diocese Christina was a primary school teacher but has also worked as an archaeologist and served in the army.
The Trust is delighted that Christina has joined as a Director as she has a wealth of experience - Christina has been a governor for over 20 years in maintained schools, local governor, director and a member of MATs and an IEB. Christina represents the Diocese on Devon Local Authority Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee, Schools Organisation, Capital and Admissions Group and Devon Association of Governance. Christina also works nationally with the Diocesan Governance Group and Diocesan Admissions Group..
Moira Marder
Moira is a Member of the Trust. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust, a thirteen school Trust responsible for providing collaborate and inclusive education for over 3,000 children aged 2-16 across the Greater Exeter area.
Prior to this, Moira was a teacher in London for 14 years, joining St James School, Exeter in 2007 as a Deputy Headteacher, later becoming Headteacher.
Moira has a relentless passion for school improvement and is a National Leader of Education.
Dan Morrow
Dan is a Member of the UAT and is the Trust Leader and CEO of Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust.
Dan moved into education motivated by a desire to give back. His appointments to date have enabled him to make a difference in a huge variety of schooling and civic contexts. Following his own experience of being a free school meals pupil and the first in his family to go to university, gaining a place at Oxford University reading History, Dan is a strong believer in breaking down barriers and providing opportunities for pupils to fulfill their ambitions and achieve their potential. Equally, he is dedicated to delivering a positive and sustained impact for the local communities we serve.
Jenny Sutton
Jenny Sutton is a Director of the Trust. She is employed as the Regional Principal of the National Institue of Teaching, South and West. Prior to that Jenny was the South West Director for ‘Teach First’ - after launching the charity in the region in 2013 she then built the team and the profile of ‘Teach First’ across the South West with schools, universities and businesses.
Jenny worked as an English Teacher, Head of Performing and Expressive Arts and Assistant Head for Curriculum at Highbury Grove School, Islington, for six years. During this time, Highbury Grove School went from an Ofsted rating of Requires Improvement to one of Outstanding. Jenny successfully completed the Future Leaders Programme, a transformative leadership development programme for senior leaders with the potential to become headteachers of schools in challenging contexts within three years. Jenny went on to spend two years working as an education consultant in post-16 and data for ‘Learning Plus UK’, before joining the senior leadership team of The City Academy, Hackney.
As a passionate advocator of the Arts (Exeter University Drama graduate) and of a broad and balanced curriculum, Jenny is delighted to be a Director of Uffculme Academy Trust board at an exciting time in the Trust’s development.
