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 4 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.

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 (also known as the Academies Financial 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 (Directors) are responsible for the three core functions of governance:

Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Hold the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff;
Oversee and ensure effective financial performance.

The Chair of Trustees is responsible for ensuring the effective functioning of the Board and setting professional standards of governance. The Board has four committees: Audit & Risk; Finance & General Purposes; Sixth Form; and Pay.

The Accounting Officer is our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Headteacher. 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 structures and roles can be found here.

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.

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 also currently Chair of Governors, Link Governor for Health and Safety, Wellbeing and for Whole-school Key Priority Improvement Themes. 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 has experience working with a number of multi academy trusts as an adviser, trustee and member and has supported school leaders, governors and communities across all areas of school improvement.

Frances has been a Headteacher in two schools and has also worked as an Ofsted Inspector.

Christopher campbell

Christopher Campbell

Chris’s expertise lies in business leadership and strategy, IT Management, HR and B2B contracting.

Line managing professional services staff and with significant budgetary responsibility, Chris is also a Data Protection Officer with full knowledge of GDPR and is an experienced Governor of primary schools and a secondary school.

Ruth elliot

Ruth Elliot (Chair)

Ruth is Finance and Commercial Director at UK Research and Innovation, managing an annual budget of just 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 Didcot Girls’ School/Ridgeway Education Trust. 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 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.

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
Philip Davies	June 2012
Marcus Gover	June 2012
Stephen White	September 2015
Oxford Diocese (represented by Gordon Joyner)	April 2019
Historic (left in the last year)	Appointment Dates
Not applicable

Ridgeway Education Trust Trustees

Trustees	Appointment Type	Appointment Dates	Committees
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 (interim Chair)
Frances Bartlett	Diocesan-appointed	26/09/2023 - 25/09/2027	Finance & General Purposes
Christopher Campbell	Trustee-appointed	12/06/2020 – 11/06/2024	Finance & General Purposes
Ruth Elliot (Chair)	Trustee-appointed	06/12/2022 - 05/12/2026	Finance & General Purposes
Jill Judson	Member-appointed	12/06/2020 – 11/06/2024	Audit & Risk
Andrew Kaye	Diocesan-appointed	01/04/2023 – 31/03/2027	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
Andrew Harrison	Trustee appointed	30/10/19 - 13/07/22
Marcus Gover	Academy Director	31/10/2019 – 08/03/2023	Chair
Paul Shaughnessy	Diocesan-appointed	01/04/2023 – 24/05/2023

Local Governing Bodies

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.