The Howard Academy Trust is constituted as a multi-academy trust (MAT) and is governed by a Board of Directors, which comprises representatives from the community with areas of business specialism. Its constitution is set out in the Articles of Association, which is shared with individual academies via the Schemes of Delegation.
The Chair of our Board of Directors is Dan McDonald. Owen McColgan, Chief Executive, is a qualified teacher and has led the school through academy conversion from a Foundation School to a Multi-Academy Trust.
The Board delegates certain responsibilities and roles to the Trust Committees, the Local Academy Boards, and their senior leadership teams as outlined in the Scheme of delegation and the individual committee and Local Academy Board terms of reference documents.
Our clear aim is to bring about school improvement via partnership with practical and targeted support in a cooperative framework. School improvement and support are the primary purposes of our relationships with our individual Trust academies.
For further details, including Declaration of Business Interests, visit the Members and Directors sections below. For requests to inspect our Register of People with Significant Control, please contact enquiries@thatrust.org.uk. Please note, a charge may be incurred if a copy is requested.
For more information on our Governance structure member details, please see GIAS online via the link below:
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THAT Committees
Finance, Audit and Resources Committee
Combines the Finance, Personnel & Estates Committee and the Audit, Risk Management and Policy Committee.
Members: Simon Bass (Chair), Dan McDonald, David Giles, Donna Cusack, Arun Prasanth, Marc Hoodless, Peter Sheldrake
Overview
Finance
- Agreeing the annual budget for all academies within the Trust.
- Agreeing the central operations budget and use of Top Slice funds in line with the Top Slice Policy.
- Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of finance-related policies in relation to accounting and investment.
- When appropriate, issuing a Financial Notice to Improve academies within the Trust running at a deficit to partially restrict or fully restrict their powers.
Human Resources
- Monitoring of HR across the Trust, including KPIs for absence.
- Setting and monitoring of Trust-wide policies in relation to pay, performance management, managing sickness and absence, capability of staff, grievances, flexible working, disciplinary, maternity and paternity.
Estates
- Health and Safety Action Plan for the Trust.
- Condition Surveys for Trust Schools.
- Oversight and agreement of the Trust Estate Management Plan and any funding
- Responsible for ensuring that all academies are compliant with statutory requirements.
Audit
- Review reports from the responsible officer and responsible for overseeing any corrective action that may be required.
- Review of the management letter and year-end financial statements.
- Determination of Trust Accounting Policies and Investment Policies.
- Overview of Trust Financial Processes.
- Determine the scope of work for the internal auditors, review any reports and actions.
Risk Management
- Review and assess the levels of risk within the Trust.
- Maintain and update the risk register for the Trust.
- Update the Trust's risk management strategy and business continuity plans when necessary.
Policies
- Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of policies across the Trust.
- Update and review Trust-wide policies depending on their review frequency or changes to statutory guidance.
Academic Standards Committee
Members: David Giles (Chair), Marc Hoodless, Tina Butler, Lorraine Clarke
Overview
The Academic Standards Committee advises the Board of Directors of matters relating to the standards, quality and curriculum at each Trust academy.
The Committee focuses on:
- Data on attainment and achievement for all of the Trust Academies.
- The external reports commissioned by THAT and Academies actions in response to these.
- Overall performance of each of the Academies.
- Leadership standards.
- Governance effectiveness.
- Academies quality improvement and intervention strategies and plans.
- Special Educational Needs (SEN) and inclusion.
- Partnership working.
- Admissions.
- Safeguarding arrangements.
Members and Directors can be contacted by email enquiries@thatrust.org.uk
Directors
Current Directors
Simon Bass (Whistleblowing Link)
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
15/10/2022
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | 6 of 6 meetings |
| Finance, Audit & Resources Committee | 4 of 4 meetings |
Declaration of Business Interests
Essex Wildlife Trust
Crooms Hill Limited (Dormant)
Golding Homes Limited - Non-Executive Director, since May 2023, The Yalding Group Limited, Director, since 2016.
Wormshill Village Hall, Treasurer and Member of Management Committee, Chair of the Poors Land Charity and the Shornden Charity, both for the parish of Wormshill.
Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Association of Corporate Treasurers.
David Giles (Director)
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
15/10/2022
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | 6 of 6 meetings |
| Finance, Audit & Resources Committee | 4 of 4 meetings |
| Academic Standards Committee | 2 of 2 meetings |
Declaration of Business Interests
Deanwood Primary School: Chair of Governors since 1985
Barclays Bank: Retired employee from 1964 to 2003
Waterfront UTC: Chair of Governors since April 2018
Trustee: Deanwood School PTA
Owen McColgan (CEO/Accounting Officer)
Member Appointed
(Ex-Officio by Virtue of Office)
01/01/2020
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | 6 of 6 meetings |
Declaration of Business Interests
Director Medway Academy of Performing Arts
Medway Academy of Performing Arts hire facilities at Waterfront UTC and The Howard School
Governor at Featherby Infant and Junior School
Chair of Governors at St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School
Ofsted Inspector
Dan McDonald
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
15/10/2022
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | 5 of 6 meetings |
| Finance, Audit & Resources Committee | 3 of 4 meetings |
Declaration of Business Interests
Medway Council: Elected Councillor
Trustee – Relate Medway & North Kent, Medway Volunteer Centre
CEO of Medway Citizens Advice
Donna Cusack (Safeguarding Link)
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
28/06/2022
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | 5 of 6 meetings |
| Finance, Audit & Resources Committee | 4 of 4 meetings |
Declaration of Business Interests
HR Director at The Kings School Canterbury
Director - Maritime Children's Foundation (Charity)
Lorraine Clarke
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
06/03/2025
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | N/A |
| Academic Standards Committee | N/A |
Declaration of Business Interests
Employment at Ark School
Tina Butler
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
06/03/2025
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | N/A |
| Academic Standards Committee | N/A |
Declaration of Business Interests
Full-time Director of Forty4 Consulting Ltd
Member of Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS)
(Professional Body - no control)
Marc Hoodless
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
06/03/2025
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | N/A |
| Academic Standards Committee | N/A |
| Finance, Audit & Resources Committee | N/A |
Declaration of Business Interests
Independent HR Consultant and Member and Director of ICMAT
Director Evolvent since January 2021 & ICMAT since 2018
Trustee - Inspiring Change Multi Academy Trust
Fellow of Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development
ICMAT acquisition by THAT
Arun Prasanth
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
09/03/2025
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | N/A |
| Academic Standards Committee | N/A |
Declaration of Business Interests
Senior Director, Hexaware Technologies
Peter Sheldrake
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
22/03/2025
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | N/A |
| Academic Standards Committee | N/A |
Declaration of Business Interests
Self-Employed – Director Socios Solutions Ltd
Directors resigned in the last 12 months
Caron Johnson
Resigned
31/08/2024
Member Appointed
(Term of Office 4 Years)
15/10/2022
Responsibility
|
Attendance 2023/24
|
| Trust Board | 5 of 6 meetings |
| Academic Standards Committee | 2 of 2 meetings |
Declaration of Business Interests
Director and Executive Head: The Inspiring Change Multi Academy Trust
Governor: The Inspiring Change Trust
Rental of the Miers Court building between Trusts
Members
Current Members
Alan Norman
Appointed
3rd May 2017
Attendance
1 of 1 meeting
Declaration of Business Interest
Retired
Non
Alan Reed
Appointed
7th January 2019
Attendance
1 of 1 meeting
Declaration of Business Interest
Registered Chartered Engineer (CEng), Engineering Council
Fellow, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE)
Dr Chinwedu Ude
Appointed
30th June 2022
Attendance
0 of 1 meeting
Declaration of Business Interest
Paediatric Consultant: Darent Valley Hospital Dartford (09/06/22)
Director at: Dr Ude Paediatric Practice (09/06/22)
Director at: Hub and Haven Interior Design Ltd (09/06/22)
Ben Gallafant
Appointed
26th May 2023
Attendance
1 of 1 meeting
Declaration of Business Interest
Member: Solicitors Regulation Authority
Commercial Property Solicitor: Whitehead Monckton
Susan Mason
Appointed
8th May 2024
Attendance
N/A
Declaration of Business Interest
Headteacher: Brompton Westbrook Primary School
Members resigned in the last 12 months
None
Members and Directors can be contacted by email at enquiries@thatrust.org.uk