Members and Trustees
Our Members and Trustees support the Trust by combining a wealth of experience from a range of sectors to ensure that we are compliant, accountable and responsible and always acting in the best interests of our students.
Relevant documentation on our governance including the disclosure of business interests of our Members and Trustees can be found here.
Members
Our Trust Members are “guardians of the governance of the Trust” (National Governance Association). They are tasked with assessing if the Board of Trustees is performing well and ensuring that our charitable objectives are being fulfilled.
Our Members are:
Canon John Naylor, Chair of Members
John is currently Chairman of the Lichfield DBF, a position he has held since 2012. John was an experienced senior leader having held a variety of Chairman, Chief Executive and Managing Director positions within private industry. John is heavily involved in choirs and choral music.
The Venerable Dr David Lee, Chair of Trustees
Five years a secondary teacher; 11 years a lecturer in Biblical Studies and Theology at degree level; 12 years a secondary school governor, and 12 years a member of Diocesan Board of Education; David is ordained and retired as Archdeacon of Bradford in 2016. David Chaired and led the team during the starting phase of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, a CofE Diocesan MAT in Yorkshire. David has been the Chair of the Three Spires Trust Board since its incorporation in January 2021.
The Revd Preb Michael Metcalf
Michael read Mathematics then Theology at Cambridge. Curate, Christ Church, Downend, Bristol. PGCE: taught in Birmingham secondary schools. Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies and RE at West Midlands HE College, Walsall. OU Tutor for 17 years on ‘The Religious Quest’. Lichfield Diocesan Director of Education 1983-94. Parish priest in Stafford and Area Dean prior to retirement. Currently Chair, Lichfield Diocesan Board of Education. Treasurer since 1993 of the National Association of SACREs, and Chair of Staffordshire SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on RE).
Rt Revd Matthew Parker, Bishop of Stafford
Matthew Parker was born in Manchester but grew up in Staines. He studied English at Manchester University and, whilst there, was accepted for ordination in the Church of England. In 2013 Matthew became Archdeacon of Stoke-upon-Trent and in 2021 was consecrated as the new Bishop of Stafford. Matthew has a lifelong interest in education – he has been a school chaplain and served on a number of governing bodies.
The Diocese of Lichfield Educational Trust Ltd, Corporate Member
The Diocese of Lichfield Education Trust is a company limited by guarantee and a charity registered with the Charities Commission. The purposes of the company is to be the Diocesan Corporate Member of each Church of England Academy in the Diocese. DLET will use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that statutory inspections take place as required by the Education Act. DLET will also support improvement and transformation of standards and will require accountability of the members of each Church of England Academy in respect both of ethos and standards.
Trustees
Within the vision and strategic direction established by the Members, our Trustees are responsible for the running of Three Spires Trust, although much of their work is delegated to committees, individual link champions and the Executive Leadership Group. Trustees are both directors of the company and therefore must ensure TST complies with company law and trustees of the charity and must ensure compliance with charity law.
Our Trustees are:
The Venerable Dr David Lee, Chair of Trustees (also a Member)
Five years a secondary teacher; 11 years a lecturer in Biblical Studies and Theology at degree level; 12 years a secondary school governor, and 12 years a member of Diocesan Board of Education; David is ordained and retired as Archdeacon of Bradford in 2016. David Chaired and led the team during the starting phase of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, a CofE Diocesan MAT in Yorkshire. David has been the Chair of the Three Spires Trust Board since its incorporation in January 2021.
Alexandra Covey
Alex is an experienced HR & OD director with expertise in developing high performing cultures and delivery of transformational people change. Currently OD Director at GSK Consumer Healthcare, she has also held senior HR/OD roles with the RAC, HomeServe, MolsonCoors and the NHS as well as running her own consultancy business. A chartered Occupational Psychologist, Alex has lived and worked in Staffordshire for the last 15 years.
Revd. Roger Farnworth
Roger studied Civil Engineering at Manchester University in the late 1970s and early 1980s and worked as a Highway and Bridge Engineer for 16 years in local government in Greater Manchester.
In 1997, he retrained as a priest and served in this capacity in Manchester Diocese until he retired at the end of 2021. As Team Rector of Ashton-under-Lyne, Roger was, among other things, Chair of a number of different boards of trustees in the third sector including the local CVS. He was Chair of Faiths United Tameside (the interfaith forum for the Borough) and a foundation governor for the 5 church primary schools within his parish.
He is currently also a trustee for Rukungiri Orphan Partnership, a charity which supports, through child-sponsorship, the work of a primary school and vocational centre in the South West of Uganda.
Sukhbir Farar
Sukhbir started his teaching career as a mathematics teacher in 1989. Over the last 34 years, he has held many management positions including Head of Year, Head of Maths and 22 years on the Senior Leadership Team.
Sukhbir is currently the Executive Principal of an Academy Trust. He is a serving Ofsted inspector and is also an Education Consultant for The Birmingham Education Partnership (BEP).
Ben Halstead
Ben has worked in finance-based roles since leaving school and qualified as a chartered accountant in 2008. Ben is currently a Senior Manager within a local practice where business and staff development are a key part of his role.
In 2014 Ben was appointed as a Parent Governor at his daughter’s primary school. He was transferred to a foundation Governor in 2015 and became the Chair of Finance in 2018.
Jonathan Lawson
Jonathan completed a Combined Honours degree in English and American Studies at the University of Birmingham in 1997 and went on to qualify as a Chartered Accountant in 2000 having trained with a big-four accountancy firm based in Stoke-on-Trent. Whilst there he specialised in audit, including not-for-profit organisations and grant claims, as well as SME businesses and pension scheme and served as Financial Director.
Jonathan has held numerous voluntary positions since 2009, including a school governor at both primary and secondary level, and has been the chair of finance at committee level since 2019. Jonathan chairs the Three Spires Trust Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.
Julie Pilmore, Vice Chair of Trustees
Julie is Headteacher of Christ Church Primary School in Lichfield, a large two-form entry school with 420 pupils. Julie has worked on embedding Christian distinctiveness and strong Christian values across the school.
Christ Church was judged as Outstanding in the last SIAMS inspection. Julie also works with St Chad’s Primary MAT, supporting one of their academies.
Helen Robertson
Helen is Headteacher of a Church of England primary school, having previously undertaken a range of leadership roles in a diverse range of schools across Birmingham. Her current school has been judged both Outstanding and Excellent under the SIAMS inspection framework. Previous roles have also included being a School Improvement Partner in Staffordshire and working on the first national guidance for RE with teachers from across England.
Helen is a trustee on the Diocese of Lichfield Board of Education Committee and has a wealth of experience as a school governor, having chaired an IEB, been vice chair of governors in a Single Academy Trust and more recently chair of governors for a local governing body.