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Governance
Our committed governance community sits at the heart of our Trust Partnership.
As a multi-academy trust, Northern Star Academies Trust (NSAT) is a charitable company limited by guarantee, currently with 15 academies in its family of schools. These are situated across North and West Yorkshire and serve diverse and vibrant communities.
Layers of Governance
The Trust has established three key layers of governance:
Members
Members are the guardians of the governance of our Trust. They need to be assured that effective governance practice is taking place. To do so, they keep in touch with the work of the Board of Trustees by meeting at least twice per year (including the Trust’s AGM). Our Members receive the Trust’s annual report and accounts, an annual governance report, and they are able to appoint and remove Trustees.
|
Craig Goold |
Member |
|---|---|
|
Richard Millington |
Member |
|
Christine Schofield |
Member |
|
David Whitfield |
Member |
Former Members
The following Members have stood down from their positions in the last 12 months:
|
Name |
Role |
Term of Office |
Resignation date |
Meeting attendance 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Trustees
As NSAT is a charitable company, the Board of Trustees are regarded as directors in company law, and Trustees in charity law. Reflecting the charitable objects at the core of the Trust’s work, members of NSAT’s Board are referred to as our Trustees. They meet as a minimum six times per year.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for three core strategic governance functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Holding the CEO and executive to account for the educational performance of school and for the performance management of staff
- Overseeing the financial performance of each school and the Trust overall, and making sure that the Trust’s money is well spent
| Trustee | Role | Meeting attendance |
|---|---|---|
| Helen Murphy | Trustee | 9/9 |
| Mark Chambers | Trustee (Chair of People and Culture Committee) | 3/9 |
| Prof. Leigh Hoath | Trustee (Vice Board Chair and Chair of Education and Standards Committee) | 6/9 |
| Stuart Luffman | Trustee | 0/0 |
| Jenn Plews | Trust Leader | 7/9 |
| Louise Terzza | Trustee | 7/9 |
| Jake Unsworth | Trustee | 2/9 |
| Neal Walker | Trustee | 7/9 |
| Ericka Williams | Trustee | 0/0 |
Former Trustees
The following Trustees have stood down from their positions in the last 12 months:
| Name | Role | Term of Office | Resignation date | Meeting attendance 24-25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Richards | Trustee | 01/05/2024 - 30/04/2028 | 07/05/2025 | 1/7 |
| Rob Allan | Trustee | 30/06/2023 - 29/06/2027 | 30/09/2024 | 0/1 |
| Jo Heron | Trustee | 26/09/2024 - 25/09/2028 | 22/9/2025 | 8/9 |
| Ash Rahman | Trustee | 21/01/2025 - 20/01/2029 | 14/11/25 | 5/6 |
Craven Community Hub Partnership
| Name | Appointed As | Term of Office | Meeting attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Atack | Community Member & Chair | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Steve Wroe | Community Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Judthi Spauls | Community Member | 15/6/2026-14/6/2030 | 1/1 |
| Karen Roden | Community Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Stacey Reffin | Greatwood Parent Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Lou Almond | SGHS Parent Member | 9/7/26 – 8/7/2030 | 1/1 |
| Mark Whittaker | Greatwood Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Martha Featherstone | SGHS Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
Keighley Community Hub Partnership
| Name | Appointed As | Term of Office | Meeting attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Potter | Community Member & Chair | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Mulikat Alli | Community Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Charlotte Jarvis | Community Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Shakil Sajawal | Community Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Kathryn Ford | Community Member | 9/7/2026 - 8/7/2030 | 0/1 |
| Zahra Begum | Victoria Parent Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Masuma Choudry | Holycroft Parent Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Abbas Iqbal | Eastwood Parent Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Jackie Renton | Victoria Head of School | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Hannah Hurd | Holycroft Head of School | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Suzanne Carter | Eastwood Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Sarah Gharbi | Denholme Head of School | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Tom Finch | Parkwood Head of School | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Jane Dark | Executive Headteacher - Denholme & Victoria Schools | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Geoff Morrison | Executive Headteacher - Holycroft & Parkwood Schools | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
Former Members
The following Members have stood down from their positions in the last 12 months:
| Name | Role | Term of Office | Resignation date | Meeting attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikki Robson | Denholme Parent Member | 13/4/2026 – 12/4/2030 | 4/7/2026 | 1/1 |
City Community Hub Partnership
| Name | Appointed As | Term of Office | Meeting attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracy Isherwood | Community Member & Chair | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Anita Griffith | Meadow Bank Parent Member | 30/4/2026 - 29/4/2030 | 0/1 |
| Paul Booth | Byron Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Richard Grogan | Lapage Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Chantel Horsbrough | Meadow Bank Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
Former Members
The following Members have stood down from their positions in the last 12 months:
| Name | Role | Term of Office | Resignation date | Meeting attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gill Blamires | Community Member | 19/3/2026 – 18/3/2026 | 7/7/2026 | 0/1 |
Harrogate Community Hub Partnership
| Name | Appointed As | Term of Office | Meeting attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxine Watkinson | Starbeck Parent Member & Chair | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Steve Parker | Community Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
| Sasha Bune | New Park Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Garry de Castro Morland | Starbeck Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Sukhraj Gill | HHS Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| James Hughes | Hookstone Chase Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Rob Mold​ | Willow Tree Headteacher | 19/3/2026 - ongoing | 1/1 |
| Angela Rollinson | Community Member | 19/3/2026 - 18/3/2030 | 1/1 |
To make sure that everyone in our governance community acts with integrity and in the best interests of the Trust at all times, all Members, Trustees and Governors are asked to declare any relevant business or personal interests annually, and at the start of each meeting. You can view the Register of Interests for both our Members and Trustees by clicking on the links below. Registers of Interest of school governors can be found on the respective school websites.