"Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many." ^{1 Corinthians 12:14}

Each person (or team member) has a unique and vital role; collaboration and diversity of roles make the whole stronger.

Our Central Team works together to ensure Trust-wide success.  Their expertise is crucial to ensuring smooth operations across all our schools.

 

 

 

 

Taffy 

Trust Well-being Ambassador

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

^{1 Peter 5:2–3}

Our Executive Leadership Team demonstrates exceptional effectiveness through its cohesive and strategic collaboration across all five schools. By aligning leadership practices, sharing expertise, and fostering a unified vision, the team ensures consistency in educational quality and pupil experience. Their collective decision-making and proactive leadership drive innovation, support staff development, and ensure that resources are optimally used to meet the diverse needs of our pupils. This cross-school collaboration strengthens our capacity to deliver high standards of teaching and learning, creating enriching and inclusive environments where every pupil can thrive.

 

 

 

The Governance of the Trust is made up of three levels:

Members

Andrew Barton 

Andrew is the Chair of the Trust Board and therefore, he automatically joins the Members' Board.

Dean Moran 

Current Head Teacher of St Thomas of Canterbury CofE Primary School, Dean is in his second headship.  He has lead two schools to consistently achieve good, working with other schools in school improvement.  Dean is also trained in peer review.

Reverend Darren Barlow

Darren was ordained in 1998 after training at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. Prior to then he worked for a national training charity as a Training Consultant providing in-house consultancy in leadership, team working and communication skills. He has served in the Parish of Rayleigh, the Billericay & Little Burstead Team Ministry as the vicar of St John’s Outwood Common and St Mary’s Little Burstead and as Team Rector of the Grays Thurrock Ministry.  In 2011, he was also appointed as Area Dean of Thurrock, a post that he continued to hold until his move to the Parish of Shenfield in January 2024. In 2015 Darren was made a Canon of Chelmsford Cathedral and continues to serve as a member of the College of Canons. 

Darren has previously been a Governor at six different South Essex schools and corporation member at a sixth form college.

Linda Wiskin

As a committed Christian, I have been a member of St Marys Woodford for over 30 years. I have been involved with music; singing in the choir and training choristers, as well as having a role in Junior Church. I led the Mission committee, running events. I was Church Warden during Covid and an interregnum with responsibility for representing the parish in the appointment of the new rector in 2020.  I am currently Parish Safeguarding Officer, a member of the PCC and elected to the Redbridge Deanery Synod.

The Chelmsford Diocese Educational Trust  (acting corporately by hand of one of its directors)

 

Trustees

 

Andrew Barton

Trustee (Finance Specialist) and Chair of Mid Essex Anglican Academy Trust

​Date of Appointment: ​March 2015 

​Term of Office: ​4 years to 21/04/2027

​Appointed by: ​Members

Relevant business and pecuniary interests: PCC Member/Trustee for St Mary's Parish Church, Shenfield

Born in Chelmsford, I attended KEGS going on to study Metallurgy at Imperial College, London. During my early business life, wishing to broaden my outlook and opportunities, I studied for my accounting qualification. The combination of science and business disciplines enabled me to follow a career managing businesses in Nigeria and South Africa, America, New Zealand, Australia and Britain. Since coming to live in Shenfield in 2000, I have been an active member of St Mary's Church and for several years a member of the PCC. This involvement led to my appointment as a PCC Foundation school governor in 2011.

 

 

David Bryant

​Trustee (Resources Specialist)

Date of Appointment: September 2021 (third term)
 

​Term of Office: ​4 years (fourth term) to 04/09/2029

Appointed by: ​Members

Relevant business and pecuniary interests: Wife works in the MEAAT central office team

I was invited to be a PCC-appointed governor in 2013 at St Mary’s where both my sons attended, my youngest leaving in 2019 to attend St Martins and the eldest now at Nottingham University. I moved to the Trust board in 2018 and currently focus on premises matters. For most of my career I have worked in IT, specialising in the financial services sector and I hold a senior position at DXC Technology, a global IT services provider. I enjoy fishing, walking, badminton and football.

 

 

David Churchill

Trustee (Education Specialist)

​Date of Appointment: ​May 2020 (for third term)

​Term of Office: ​4 years (fourth term) to 31/03/2028

​Appointed by: Members

Relevant business and pecuniary interests: Director of The Kemnal Academy Trust (TKAT), Governor at Shenfield High School (from November 2019), Chair of Governors at Maldon Primary School (from December 2021) Wife Gill works for Ofsted.

With my wife Gill and son Oliver, we moved from South-East London to Essex in Summer 2011. Oliver enjoyed a fantastic seven years at St Mary's. I work for The Kemnal Academies Trust. TKAT looks after over 40 primary and secondary schools, and by learner numbers is one of the largest trusts nationally. I used to work for the Department of Education on a range of priorities (academies, school leadership, school funding). Before that, I was a languages teacher in schools in the UK and abroad.

 

Stephanie Hedley-Barnes

Trustee (Education Specialist)

Date of Appointment: Dec 2018

Term of Office: 4 years to 04/12/2026

Appointed by: Members

Relevant business and pecuniary interests: Assistant Head Teacher at St Clere's (part of the Osborne Trust). My husband is an elected Basildon District Councillor. Father is Anthony Headley, elected to Essex County Council.

 I became involved with Mountnessing C of E Primary School when our daughters attended the school over 10 years ago. After serving as Chair of Governors, I am now focused on supporting the MEAAT as a Trustee. I have a range of experience in education, local authorities and nationally with charities that work with families and children.

I am now an Assistant Head focused on behaviour and I have also managed curriculum and a multitude of school improvements across my time in education. Over the last 20 years I have been an elected District Councillor and managed committees, delivered national projects. I have also worked with families of children with life-limiting conditions and a range of special educational needs. Specialised in areas of deprivation. Managed Lottery Funded Projects and advised Local Authorities nationally on Government Policy, including at the House of Commons and to release DfE Policy nationally.

 

Likhon Muhammad

Trustee 

Date of Appointment: 26/02/2025

Term of Office: 4 years to 25/02/2029

Appointed by: Members

Relevant business and pecuniary interests: Director of Secondary Improvement at King's Group Academies

I am the Director of Secondary Improvement at King's Group Academies and have worked across three different multi-academy trusts. As a Headteacher of a variety of challenging secondary schools, I have focused on improving outcomes and have received acknowledgement from Ofsted for positively impacting the culture of a large inner London School.

I am a serving Ofsted Inspector and have experience of working as a leader of the central team of a successful MAT. Before joining KGA, I coached and mentored Headteachers and senior leaders across their secondary schools. I have also served as a school governor. Outside of education, I have taken on roles in the social impact sector, including serving as a non-executive director for a social value organisation.

I have co-chaired longitudinal research on social mobility, conducted by the Employers Social Mobility Alliance and am a member of the Worshipful Company of Educators and am a Freeman of the City of London.

I am married to Sara, and have two daughters. In rare moments away from