Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust


Members

The Members of the Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust have a limited but distinct role and are essential to the integrity of the governance structure. They are the last line of defense from failures of governance and failure to uphold the Trust’s charitable purpose. Whilst it is the Trustees who are responsible for the core governance functions and conducting the business of the Trust, members have certain key powers afforded to them:

  • Holding the board accountable: ensuring the Trust’s charitable objectives are being met
  • Approving and signing the Memorandum and Articles of Association
  • Determining the name of the Trust
  • Oversight and information: They must stay informed of the trust's performance by receiving reports and audited accounts from the board of trustees. 
  • Appointing and removing trustees
  • Appointing and removing the external auditors
  • Dissolving the Trust

    Our members

    Members (ID 1402)

    Trustees Responsibilities

    Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act 2006, the Trust’s Articles of Association and to any directions given by the Members by special resolution, the business of the Trust is managed by the Trustees who exercise all the powers of the academy trust. The Trustees are responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Trust, as well as holding executive leaders to account for delivering agreed priorities and ensuring the financial probity of the Trust. There are key matters that are reserved for the Trustees:

    • Responsibility for the Trust’s strategy, objectives and values
    • Ensure compliance with charity and company law
    • Approval of new schools joining the Trust
    • Approval of Trust plans, targets, budgets and capital expenditure
    • Determine, alongside the Trust Central Team, the strategic priorities of the MAT
    • Review and challenge progress of the trust against its agreed objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs)
    • Oversight of long-term financial planning, maintenance, risk mitigation, internal controls and compliance with regulations
    • Determine the funding model across the Trust and set the budgets for individual Academies
    • Approval of material acquisitions or disposal of land or buildings
    • Approval of significant changes in accounting policies or practices
    • Determine and review Trust-wide policies
    • Approval of annual accounts
    • Approval of the Scheme of Delegation and Financial Scheme of Delegation
    • The appointment of the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board and approval of the Board’s committee structure and composition, including the appointment of Committee Chairs.
    • Appointment of CEO, CFO and academy headteachers 
    • Ensuring effective safeguarding policies and procedures are in place
    •  Appoint staff at Senior Leadership Level

    The Board of Trustees is responsible for all the Academies in the Trust. It exercises its role by delegating some functions to the Local Governing Body (LGB) of each academy through an agreed Scheme of Delegation. 

    Trustees  

    Trustees (ID 1403)

    • Paul Drew

      Paul Drew

      Paul is the Chief Executive Officer of the Lighthouse Multi-Academy Trust and an experienced system leader with over 20 years’ service in primary education. He has held senior leadership roles at every level, including two substantive Headteacher posts, Executive Headteacher, and multiple Acting Headteacher appointments supporting schools facing significant challenge.

      Paul’s leadership is underpinned by a strong belief that collaboration, transparency, and partnership working are central to sustainable school improvement. He is clear in his vision that education is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for children and that all stakeholders share a collective responsibility to ensure every learner not only achieves, but exceeds their potential.

      An award-winning Headteacher, Paul was recognised as Primary Headteacher of the Year and successfully led Beacon Primary School from a Notice to Improve judgement to Outstanding. He has a proven track record of stabilising schools, strengthening leadership capacity, and securing rapid and sustained improvement through high expectations, strong governance, and the development of high-performing teams.

      Paul was the driving force behind the establishment of the Lighthouse Federation, growing it to become the largest federation in the country. This work enabled significant impact across multiple settings, providing enhanced opportunities for pupils and staff and laying strong foundations for the Trust’s continued growth. As Chief Executive Officer, Paul provides strategic leadership to the Trust, oversees governance and school improvement, and leads collaborative working to ensure consistently high standards and strong outcomes for all pupils.

      In addition to his role as CEO, Paul is a RISE Advisor for the Department for Education, working nationally to support schools and trusts in strengthening leadership, improving standards, and securing sustainable improvement.

    • Pat Hunt

      Pat Hunt

      Pat has over 40 years’ experience in education across all phases, from ages 4–18. She has extensive senior leadership experience in secondary education and headship experience as a primary headteacher. Following her work within a local authority, Pat has developed a wealth of knowledge and expertise in governance within multi-academy trusts, including serving as CEO of a small local MAT.

      Pat was appointed as a National Leader of Governance, undertaking reviews of local governing bodies and multi-academy trusts. She currently runs a school improvement consultancy, with a particular specialism in special educational needs and primary education.

      Pat brings significant experience and insight to the trust and is excited to be part of its future journey. She believes that children served by the trust deserve the best possible opportunities to succeed in school and throughout their lifelong learning. To achieve this, Pat strongly believes that staff wellbeing must sit at the heart of everything the trust does. She would like to see the trust be forward- and outward-thinking, and become the trust of choice for schools both locally and further afield.

    • Michael Christoforou

      Michael Christoforou

      With 30 years of experience in product management and consulting, Michael has a proven track record of driving commercial growth and operational excellence. His career has included senior roles at some of the world’s largest and most well-known technology organisations, where he has led significant revenue growth.

      Michael is currently VP Commercial at a deep-tech scale-up, responsible for driving global commercial activities and growth. As the former VP of EMCC UK—a voluntary role—he oversaw finances, governance, new contracts, and managed the operations team. He has served as a governor at Sunshine Infant and Nursery School for nearly a decade and, for the past two years, as Chair of Governors.

      Michael’s aim is to ensure the trust delivers the best outcomes for its communities and becomes the local choice for parents, children, teachers, and professionals.

    • Natasha Bourne

      Natasha Bourne

      Natasha has over 25 years of experience as a solicitor, specialising in Criminal, Education, and Family Law. She has been part of a governing body for more than 16 years, during which time she has held the roles of SEND link governor, Safeguarding link governor, Vice Chair, and Chair of Governors.

      In addition, Natasha is a parent of three children, one of whom is physically disabled and has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This gives her a strong understanding of the legal frameworks and statutory responsibilities that schools and academies hold in relation to special educational needs, as well as valuable insight into the parental perspective and what families need from schools. She is deeply committed to ensuring that schools are safe, inclusive, and happy places for children to attend.

      Natasha believes that all children should look forward to coming to school and be encouraged to become the best version of themselves. Her legal background has, at times, been an essential source of support to the schools she has served as a governor, and she intends to use this knowledge and experience to support the continued development and success of the Lighthouse Trust.

    • Neil Brown

      Neil Brown

      Neil has over 15 years of experience in primary school governance, having served as a parent governor, co-opted governor, Vice Chair, and most recently as Chair of a local school committee. He also sits on the Lighthouse Federation Board and the Federation Strategy Committee. These roles have given him extensive insight into how primary schools operate and how effective governance supports schools in achieving exceptional standards for pupils and staff.

      Neil is a senior leader within the Civil Service and has spent 21 years at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, where he leads two national enforcement teams focused on improving standards in MOT testing and motorcycle training. He holds a CMI Level 5 qualification in Leadership and Management and is about to begin a master’s degree in Senior Leadership.

      Neil believes that his leadership skills, professional experience, and governance expertise will contribute to the continued growth of the Multi Academy Trust, helping to provide outstanding learning experiences for children across the borough.

    • Helen Mallett

      Helen Mallett

      Helen has over 25 years’ experience in education as a teacher, senior leader, and governor, working with children and their families from age four through post-18. As a teacher, she specialised in early years education, special educational needs, and safeguarding, supporting vulnerable families to ensure access to services and high-quality education.

      As a governor, Helen has supported settings in meeting their statutory obligations and in leveraging the strengths of their staff to enable positive change for the whole school community. This commitment remains at the core of her professional ambition.

      Helen now runs her own successful accredited vocational training school, liaising with commercial clients, individuals, and accrediting bodies to provide training pathways that take candidates from new entrants to industry-qualified professionals. She specialises in working with industry and accrediting bodies to ensure clients gain the qualifications needed to embark on and progress within meaningful careers. She has also collaborated with funding authorities to make training accessible for all.

      Through this work, Helen has combined her passion for education with strong commercial awareness and a focus on value for money. She is committed to helping the Trust ensure that its children recognise and develop their talents and interests, preparing them for an exciting and successful future.

    • Leigh Etheridge

      Leigh Etheridge

      Leigh is now in their 20th year as a Secondary teacher of MFL, specialising in German and Spanish, after graduating from The University of Manchester in 2004 with a First-Class Honours degree. They have held roles as a classroom teacher and Second in Department at Thomas Telford School and are currently Assistant Headteacher, Director of Languages, and Professional Tutor at Walsall Academy, which remains part of the Thomas Telford Multi-Academy Trust.

      Leigh is passionate about Teaching and Learning and is committed to ensuring opportunities for all students to succeed, regardless of socio-economic background or starting point. They have created content for BBC Bitesize GCSE courses, Exampro/Doublestruck, and are a national author and trainer for the AQA. A strong advocate for local children, Leigh is dedicated to providing the very best education available in the area and was a member of the initial Project Steering Group for the Children’s University, which they are delighted to see thriving today.

      In addition, Leigh manages all communications for their school, including the prospectus, social media, and video creation. They are committed to celebrating student achievements and recently accompanied a selection of the school’s ‘Eco Club’ to Merchant Taylor’s Hall in London to present with enthusiasm at the annual Livery Climate Group Action conference.

      Leigh is also a strong proponent of Learning Outside the Classroom, having led many successful trips and visits both overseas and locally, showing students that the world is indeed “Wider than Walsall.” Outside of work, Leigh enjoys music, spending time with family, being outdoors, cooking, baking, entertaining, and travel. They bring to the Trust both extensive expertise in education and a vested interest in championing local children, helping them to achieve their full potential.

    • Duncan Whitehouse

      Duncan Whitehouse

      Duncan has over 20 years’ experience leading governance teams, including 12 years in the education sector. He is currently Head of Governance at a 25-school Catholic Multi-Academy Trust in the East Midlands.

      Duncan delivers training on governance in Multi-Academy Trusts, including to trustees, and until recently was a National Leader of Governance. He has served as a governor for over 20 years, including as Chair of Governors in both the primary and secondary sectors. He has witnessed the impact a great school experience can have on young people—not only in terms of academic achievement but also in building personal resilience, wellbeing, and life chances—which motivates him to continue supporting the sector through this role.

      Duncan recognizes that The Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust has a proven track record of delivering effective school improvement across a range of schools, and he believes the timing is right to further build on those strengths through academisation.

    • Adam Hicken

      Adam Hicken

      Adam has been a governor for over nine years, including at schools in areas of high deprivation. He has served as chair of governors at several schools including being Chair of the Lighthouse Federation.

      Adam is also a Councillor with a lead role in the scrutiny of children’s services. This includes oversight of children in care, safeguarding, SEND, and social care. His role involves working closely with partners to ensure that statutory processes and best practices are delivered, so that children and young people receive the best possible support. Adam believes that everyone can be successful if given the right opportunities in life, and he is particularly committed to ensuring strong early years provision to help children thrive.

     

Structure

Structure of Accountability

Sub groups of Trustees

In order to allow the Board of Trustees to focus on their core functions, some other powers and functions are delegated to committees, the Chief Executive Officer and school Headteachers. To ensure oversight, all delegated actions taken and decisions made are reported back to the Board of trustees. The committees to which the Board of Directors will delegate powers and functions to, as defined in the Scheme of Delegation, are:

Finance and Audit Committee

Pat Hunt, Paul Drew, Neil Brown, Duncan Whitehouse, and Michael Christoforou

RAISE Committee  (Education, Performance and Standards)

Paul Drew, Pat Hunt, Natasha Bourne, Helen Mallet,  Michael Christoforou and Leigh Etheridge

Pay Committee

Pat Hunt, Duncan Whitehouse, and Michael Christoforou

The constitution, membership and proceedings of these committees are determined by the Board of Trustees and clarified through Terms of Reference for each committee. The establishment, Terms of Reference, constitution and membership of all committees will be reviewed at least once every twelve months.

Local Governing Body (LGB)

  • There is a Local Governing Body (LGB) for each  Academy within the Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust. The core responsibility of each Local Governing Body is to:

    • Recommend, monitor and review the School Improvement Plan
    • Recommend targets for performance and hold the school leadership team to account for the delivery of KPIs
    • Ensure that the school budget is on track and money is well spent
    • Recommend, monitor and review the school’s curriculum

    We value the independence of each school, but that does not mean that schools will work in isolation from each other. Quite the contrary; we see ourselves as a family of schools with a strong commitment to each other’s success. We are stronger together and our day to day operation reflects this.

     

    Here are the names of the Chair of Governors for each academy:

    Barcroft Academy

    Co chairs

    Harriett Wardell

    & Rebecca Fuller
    Beacon Academy Sheila Hayward
    Castlefort Academy Peter Farmer
    Field Road Academy Seona Baker
    Lindens Academy Danielle Howell-Smith
    Meadow View Academy Stuart Hughes
    Moorcroft Wood Academy Stuart Hughes
    St James Academy Peter Farmer
    Sunshine Academy Awaiting appointment
 

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