Governance

A Multi Academy Trust comprises a number of academy schools that join together in one trust, governed by one group of trustees. The MAT is one legal entity, a charitable company limited by guarantee.
In Triumph Learning Trust there are three levels of Governance:
  1. Members, who agree articles which define the charitable purpose and how the MAT will run, appoint Trustees and remove if necessary, receive the company accounts and annual report and hold the Board of Trustees to account.
  2. A Board of Trustees (Directors) who have ultimate responsibility for running each academy and will deal with the strategic running of the MAT. The Board delegates day-to-day running of each school to a Local Accountability Board (LAB). The level of delegation is clearly stated in our Scheme of Delegation. Accountability always remains with the Board of Trustees.
  3. A Local Accountability Board who have powers delegated by the Board of Trustees to oversee the day to day running of each school
Annual funding is allocated to each school on an individual basis. The MAT is a single employer, sharing procurement and resources across the group.

Listed below are the various boards and bodies that set strategies and scrutinise delivery at Trust and individual school level.

You can learn more about what each part of our governance structure does in our Triumph Learning Trust Governance 2025-2026.  Everyone within our governance structure is required to adhere to our Governance Code of Conduct.

Members of the Trust

David Johnson

David is a founding member of what was Learning Today Leading Tomorrow and has continued as a member for Triumph Learning Trust. During a long career in business, David has delivered new school facilities under a variety of programmes and is an expert in project delivery and contract management, and delivering value for money schemes in the public sector.

David is a father of three children and is passionate about education and is an advocate of increasing parental choice in high-quality education provision.

Stephen Geoffrey Howes

Stephen is an engineer and businessman operating in the technology sector, with a passionate belief that a high quality of education is the foundation on which a fulfilling life is built. Stephen sees diversity of provision and inclusivity in approach as being the twin strands which together will ensure that whatever talents a student has are recognised and nurtured, to allow that individual to succeed in whatever way best suits them.

Having returned from working overseas in 2018, Stephen has been a member since 2020. He is keen to play a role in shaping the development of the Trust.

Adam Scott Brown

Adam has been a member since 2020 and has 20 years’ experience as an Operations Director in large organisations.  His experience includes system migration, budgetary control, decision making, professional responsibility, and accountability.  Adam is therefore well equipped with a variety of business and professional skills and knows the importance of ensuring that successful organisations follow appropriate procedures in delivering a quality service.

Board of Trustees

Gary Brown, Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

Gary has lived in the Rugby area for over 20 years and his two children were educated in the town. Gary believes every child should have the right to a good education.

A qualified chartered accountant with an MBA, he held a number of senior financial positions and directorships in retail and leisure companies before moving into senior governance, corporate operations and GDPR compliance roles in global organisations. Gary is a senior executive and is an expert in risk management, service management and operational transformation.

Gary is Chair of our Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) which gives oversight to the financial, audit and risk aspects of the Trust.

Hayley Shortt, Chair of Standards and Educational Excellence Committee

Hayley is a Headteacher within primary education in Coventry and brings a wealth of education expertise to our board.   Hayley has been a Trustee since 2021, originally sitting on the Triumph Multi Academy Trust board.  She has also been Chair of Governors at Alderman’s Green Primary School since 2021 and support them on their journey to a ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection in 2023.

Hayley is Chair of our Standards and Educational Excellence Committee which gives oversight to school performance at pupil outcomes and the professional growth of school staff.

Ian Chaplin

Ian has over 30 years’ experience in Local Government as a Chartered Surveyor and is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.  He is currently Head of Investment Property Management at Birmingham City Council and brings excellent expertise to our board.

Iain has been Chair of Governors at a Junior School in Nuneaton since 2019 and has been a Trustee of our MAT since 2022, originally sitting on the Triumph Multi Academy Trust board.

Jennifer Marie Beattie

Jennifer is a strategic and credible Senior People Leader with a strong history of delivery within the public funded/third sector, delivering operational effectiveness and cultural change. She is currently leading HR within the education sector and has previously been Chief People Officer at the Royal Air Forces Association.

Jennifer has proven experience supporting operational improvement and effectiveness within regulated environments, specifically in response to CQC and Ofsted inspections, and has been a Trustee since 2023.

Local Accountability Boards

Each school within the Trust has their own Local Accountability Board (LAB) which is our approach to local governance.  Each LAB will have an elected Chair and Vice-Chair, as well as two sub-committees.  The core focusses of each LAB are as follows:

  1. Ensure all pupils within the school receive the very best education
  2. Ensure that all pupils within each school learn in a calm and safe environment

Each LAB has two subcommittees:

  1. Performance and Standards
  2. Personal Development and Welfare

You can find out details of individual school LABs on the relevant school websites. These can be accessed through our school’s page.

You can also read more about their role in our Trust Constitution.

If you are interested in joining our Trust in a governance role across one of our schools then please get in touch through: enquiries@triumphlearning.org

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