Respect Collaboration Trust is multi-academy trust (MAT). The board of trustees is the legally accountable body that holds responsibility to the Secretary of State for Education for ensuring the effectiveness of all schools within the trust. Respect Collaboration Trust is governed by it’s articles of association and Master Funding Agreement.
Each September, the Trust Board issues comprehensive guidance outlining the remit of every committee, the role of the executive team, and a detailed schedule of committee meetings and reporting deadlines.
Under the Scheme of Delegation the Trust Board delegates specific responsibilities and powers to its committees and to local governing bodies
Meet our Members
Our Members play a vital role in keeping the Trust strong and focused on what matters most—our children’s education. They act as guardians of governance, making sure the Board of Trustees is doing its job well and that the Trust stays true to its purpose. Members don’t get involved in
the day-to-day running of schools, but they hold important powers, like appointing trustees and reviewing the Trust’s annual accounts. Their oversight helps ensure decisions are made in the best interests of our pupils and community.
Geraldene is an Associate Professor at the University of Derby. Specialising in inclusion and special educational needs and disability (ISEND), Geraldene leads the Inclusion and SEND Research Cluster for the Institute of Education (University of Derby). As part of this role, she is currently leading the Department for Education/nasen funded Action Research and Lesson Study for ISEND project, and recently led Derby’s Opportunity Area SEND Peer Challenge Project. Geraldine also Chair’s the Derby City Local Area SEND Board. Over the past 8 years (2016-2024) Geraldene has worked as the Programme Leader for the National Award for SENCOs (University of Derby) and supervises several doctoral students, including two students who are researching Supported Internships for young adults with an Education Health Care Plan. Prior to working in Higher Education, Geraldene worked as a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), senior leader and school teacher in both special and mainstream settings.
Janet is passionate about inclusion and creating a sense of wellbeing and belonging for all. She has worked in education for over 35 years and is an ardent supporter of ensuring children and young people with a diverse range of needs can access the best possible educational provision leading to successful and aspirational future life choices. She was awarded an OBE in October 2020 for services to education. Janet is currently the CEO of Open Thinking Partnership, a small collaborative Multi
Academy Trust which works in close partnership with other trusts and individual schools. Prior to her current role, Janet was headteacher of 3 different schools and worked for 10 years as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors for Ofsted including as
National Adviser for SEND. In Ofsted, her role as National Advisor for SEND was
focused on raising aspirations and outcomes for this cohort of young people. She was also part of the Ofsted school improvement programme with schools in
categories of concern. Janet was Vice Chair of the Rochford Review 2016. Janet then continued to work with the Department of Education as a member of the expert panel reviewing assessments for pupils working at a pre-subject specific stage. Janey was also a member of the decision-making panel for Bercow: Ten Years On an independent review of the state of provision for children’s speech, language and communication needs SLCN, published in 2018. Janet is a Trustee of a Multi
Academy Trust which has primary and secondary schools. Janet is also a Trustee of Centre for Research in Early Childhood – CREC
Liz started her teaching journey when a very dear friend asked her to teach her
sewing classes as she herself had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She couldn’t teach, but she could sew! It was a baptism of fire into the world of lifelong learning, and she was sewn in from day one!
Liz became seriously ill when she was 14 and left school without achieving any qualifications. It is fair to say that she remained seriously ill for a decade and a half, so the value and impact of lifelong learning is very evident in her life. As an adult Liz has continued to pursue her passion for learning and study, which has transformed her skill set and enriched her life on every level. Liz passionately believes that
lifelong learning is a gift that should be accessible to all. As an educationalist, it is part of her role to seek out innovative and creative ways to reduce barriers towards learning and find solutions to enable lifelong learning to be accessible for all.
Liz has been Principal of ATTFE College since 2016. It is important that as a team we ensure that all learning engaged in has high impact and that learners secure positive and sustained destinations as an outcome. We have a magnificent stakeholder and partnership team who diligently work together to support our communities and together we act as active community champions and volunteers.
In January 2022 Liz was blessed to receive an OBE in the New Years honours for services to education. Naturally this was a great honour, however Liz feels it is very much a team award. In September 2024 Liz was commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant for Nottinghamshire.
Cheryl’s current role is Reader in Organizational Psychology in the Work and Organisation research group within Loughborough Business School, Loughborough University, and Director of Alumni Engagement and Lifelong Learning. Recently, Cheryl became a member of university Senate and has held numerous leadership and advisory roles in her 32 years at Loughborough. One of those was as a university Teaching Quality Assessor, and of special relevance to Cheryl was her time as Director of Executive Education. Working with this industry has always been a passion of Cheryl’s and she has extensive experience with corporate clients as well as university students – having designed and delivered management, leadership and team development programmes for the public and private sector, numerous keynote lectures and two TEDx talks. As an Occupational Psychologist by training, Cheryl is passionate about ‘giving psychology away’ to those who can benefit most from its theories and models – including her own – Reflective Goal Setting.
Cheryl’s research interests and publications include topics such as management of occupational stress, developing resilience, management of change, the use of diary methods in research and as a means of coping, and the development and use of her Reflective Goal Setting framework for personal development and the transfer of learning.
Cheryl’s out of work life is filled to the brim with time spent with her two adult daughters, small granddaughter, two dogs, friends and creating magic in her garden. Cheryl is learning Spanish and loves to cook and craft.
Meet our Trustees
Our Trustees are the guiding force behind the Trust. They set the vision for our schools, make big-picture decisions, and ensure everything we do puts children’s education first. Trustees check that public funds are spent wisely, that we meet all legal requirements, and that our schools deliver the best possible outcomes for pupils. While they don’t run the day-to-day operations, their leadership shapes the future of our Trust and helps every child thrive.
Sandra worked at a national level as a National Leader of Governance for over ten years. Part of this role, and one she continues to carry out, is the External Review of boards to judge effectiveness and support development. In addition, Sandra has sat on several Interim Executive Boards following the removal of the previous board. The aim being to secure strong governance.
Sandra is currently self-employed as an educational consultant and works extensively in governance and school leadership. Sandra’s background is in secondary education, where she had extensive leadership experience.
Sandra is committed to provide the best educational experience for all pupils and as such is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching (FCCT) who strive to provide the best life chances possible for children, hence her work with school leaders and governors who have an overwhelming remit to secure this for them
Deborah is a Professor of Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion at the University of Derby and her area of expertise is inclusive education. Deborah is widely published in this area, and her specialist work has focussed on teacher education for inclusion, and policy development. Deborah has directed research on behalf of governments and government departments. For example, in Ireland, she led an investigation into the implementation and impact of Ireland’s early education policy for inclusion, and this research has led to policy change and greater investment in support for children with disabilities in pre-schools.
Deborah is an executive board member for the British Journal of Learning Disabilities, with leadership responsibility for education and employment.
Prior to her current role, Deborah has been a teacher educator, a primary teacher and a special needs co-ordinator working in schools in London and Nottingham
Kieran is a seasoned commercial leader with over 15 years of experience holding senior roles within organisations serving the education sector.
His expertise encompasses a broad technical and market understanding of school support services, curriculum delivery, online education and assessment, and management information systems. In addition to his professional roles, Kieran has served in previous governance positions and as a charitable trustee.
Throughout his career, Kieran has established strong connections across the education sector, including primary and secondary schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, central government, and global industry stakeholders.
Originally from Hertfordshire and now firmly rooted in Derby, Kieran pursued studies in Electronic Engineering, and Business Psychology and Management at The University of Derby. This academic foundation sparked his interest in the practical application of technology. He is passionate about technology that seamlessly integrates and addresses real-world problems. He further enhanced his expertise with postgraduate studies in Senior Leadership and Business Administration, which resulted in his being made a Fellow of The Chartered Management Institute in 2024.
Wayne Norrie FCCT, is a qualified teacher with 23 years of senior leadership experience in the education sector holding roles such as Headship, Senior LA Officer, Department of Education (DfE) Consultant and Senior His Majesty’s Inspector for Ofsted.
Wayne was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Greenwood Academies Trust (GAT) in 2016, the 11th largest multi-academy trust in the Country. GAT
currently has 37 academies in the East Midlands and East of England: 25 Primaries, 9 Secondaries, and 3 Special all located in areas with the highest levels of social deprivation in the country with many academies in the Trust having more than 50% of children eligible for Free School Meals.
Shortly after Wayne’s appointment in 2016, a significant number of GAT academies were placed in Special Measures and were deemed to be Requiring Improvement during an Ofsted inspection of GAT. In addition, a high proportion of academies were in a deficit budgetary position and Trust reserves were in rapid decline.
Tim Croft is a qualified teacher with 18 years of senior leadership experience in the education sector holding roles such as Assistant Head, Deputy Head, Headteacher, Executive Head, Regional Director and Ofsted Inspector. Tim also holds the NPQH and NPQEL.
Tim was appointed as the Executive Headteacher/Regional Director at the Redhill Academy Trust (RHAT) in 2018. RHAT currently has 16 academies in the East Midlands with 10 Secondaries and 6 Primaries all located in areas with the high levels of social deprivation with a number of academies in the Trust having above the National average of children eligible for Free School Meals. Tim is also currently leading on a new Post 16 Free School in Derbyshire that was awarded during Wave 15 of the Free School programme.
Of the 5 schools that Tim is responsible for, 3 of those came into the Trust as Sponsored Academies and rated Inadequate by Ofsted. All 5 schools are now rated Good with significantly improved outcomes and budgetary positions. They are also now schools of choice serving their local communities and are regularly oversubscribed.
Mark Simmonds is a qualified accountant with 15 years of senior leadership experience as Finance Director and Chief Operating Officer across various sectors including Retail, Wholesale and Education.
Mark currently works for RM Technology, is a leading supplier of technology and services to the education sector, supporting schools, teachers and pupils across the globe from pre-school to higher education, where he initially joined as Finance Director in 2021, before taking his current role of Chief Operating Officer in 2022. RM Technology is the supplier of Schools ICT, Broadband and Hardware to over 6,000 schools in the UK, and its IT Services promotes continual improvement across technology, skills and security.
Part of Mark’s role has been to oversee the development of RM Technology’s 3-year plan, and then collaboratively working across all functions to ensure the delivery of the plan.
Nicola Barnes is a qualified accountant with 20 years of senior leadership experience in finance roles across the aerospace manufacturing sector, currently as the UK Head of Finance for the ITP Group, and previously serving as the Group Financial Controller for the Doncaster’s Group, and several operational and finance leadership roles within Rolls-Royce plc. Across all of her finance experience, Nicola has demonstrated commitment to the rigorous application and improvement of financial controls, risk management and robust governance.
In addition to her extensive finance experience, Nicola has a PGCE in Mathematics from Nottingham University and has supported youth voluntary organisations for much of the last 20 years including the RAF Air Cadets, and as Head Coach of Dove Valley swimming club.
Chris is currently CEO of Autograph Care Group, operator of an expanding group of residential care homes for the elderly, having originally been appointed to the role of Finance Director in March 2019.
Chris is an experienced multi-site leisure, retail and hospitality manager and Board member. His previous senior roles include Financial Controller at Center Parcs and Finance Director at Pontins, Megabowl, Crown Sports plc, LA Fitness, Derby House Ltd Kinpurnie Estate and Wright Leisure (t/a Xercise4less).
Chris is a resident in Derbyshire, but Yorkshire born and bred. Chris is a keen follower of all sports and is a former rugby player and currently an active cricketer and golfer. Chris is actively involved in the coaching and administration of local rugby and cricket clubs. Chris is married with two children in their late twenties.
Gillian is the Director of Safeguarding for Greenwood Academies Trust, a member of the Executive Leadership Team responsible for quality assurance and strategic leadership of safeguarding across 37 academies.
Prior to her current role Gillian has worked as a Youth Offending Team Officer, as DSL for 9 years in a large secondary academy and a Safeguarding in Education
Co-Ordinator for the Local Authority. These roles have enabled her to build strong relationships across a number of authorities, Multi Academy Trusts and other key agencies. These include partnerships across the eight Local Authority Regions that GAT academies sit within.
Gillian is also a member of the National Association of Safeguarding Advisers and Confederation of School Trusts.
Gillian is currently undertaking post graduate studies in Leadership in Education and enjoys educational and safeguarding research across a broad range of areas.
Chris is a retired headteacher, inspector and Early Years consultant with over fifty years’ experience in education. She has worked as a school improvement partner in the UK and around the world in places such as Beijing, Accra, Europe and America. Her inspection experience includes OFSTED inspections, Council of International Schools and British Schools Overseas as well as being part of a team inspecting schools for the first time in the Cayman Islands.
Chris has a particular interest in curriculum having worked in an international school with the PYP, an inquiry -based curriculum and visiting the municipal preschools of Reggio Emilia in Italy many times. Alongside this her work with Sightlines Initiative she has been part of developing an approach which focuses on creative and reflective practice and children’s connection to the world around them.
A believer in lifelong education, over the years Chris has completed different qualifications in education including a Masters Degree in Education Management and a Doctorate in Early Education. As an avid gardener her ambition is now to complete an RHS horticulture certificate.
If you are interested in becoming a Trustee or Member, please contact Sharon Barker [email protected]
Governance Structure & Terms of Reference – click to drop down a menu for the following documents all hyperlinked:
