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Members & Trustees

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Mr Simon Wright

Chair of Trust

Simon joined the Trust as a Advisory Body member for The Shade Primary School and became a Trustee in December 2015. He went on to chair the Infrastructure Committee, before becoming the Chair of the Trust in September 2021.

Simon has spent his working career in the rail industry, undertaking various customer facing and line management roles. He is currently Director of Core Operations for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the interests of the UK’s passenger train and freight operating companies, as well as delivering supporting IT services into the wider rail industry.

During his time at the Rail Delivery Group, Simon has worked in a number of different roles which have involved overseeing governance, risk management and ensuring compliance with schemes and regulations.

Mr David Snashall

Vice Chair of the Trust

David joined the Trust in 2015 having recently moved to the area.

Now semi-retired, he worked as a Headteacher for 13 years moving two failing schools to the Ofsted rating of 'good'. Since leaving full-time teaching, he has worked for the Association of School and College Leaders, leading the team who provide front-line telephone support to its members and supporting school leaders who have employment issues.

David leads courses and provides consultancy on employment and education law.

Reverend Eleanor Whalley

Mr Andrew Baughan

Andrew joined the Trust as a parent Advisory Body member for The Shade Primary School in October 2016. 

Andrew is a senior IT professional, with experience working in both the private sector and Higher Education roles.  Andrew currently works as the IT Director for Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, where he is accountable for all IT strategy and operational activities. 

Andrew is immersed in the College IT Management Group within the collegiate university, providing support and leadership in IT governance. 

Andrew is the treasurer and jointly leads the annual College IT Conference for the IT staff of the constituent colleges in the Cambridge and Oxford universities.

Mrs Kate Barnes

Appointed member of Soham Village College Advisory Body. Link Advisory Body Member for Child Protection and Safeguarding & Attendance.

Mrs Anne Bevan

Trustee for SEND

Anne has been involved in education for over forty years.

She began her teaching career in 1977 as a PE teacher at Soham Village College, where she worked until 1986. After having her family she returned to teaching and also decided that she wished to change age groups and took up a post at The Weatheralls Primary School. This was initially as a class teacher, latterly as Deputy Head Teacher from which she retired in 2016.

Later that year she became a member of The Weatheralls Primary Advisory Body. Her specialisms are in Key Stage 2, assessment and data analysis.

Mr Matt Cooper

Mr William Hornby

Will Hornby is an Assessment Standards Manager for the exam board OCR, looking after a portfolio of Mathematics and Classical Greek qualifications. 

In the past he has worked as a private tutor with students from key stage 3 to undergraduate, as a Senior Assessor for OCR and Cambridge International, as an Associate Lecturer in Mathematics at the Open University and as a professional choral singer.

Mrs Lorraine Lofting

Lorraine has a strong interest and background in strategic leadership in children’s services in the public sector drawing on significant experience in operational delivery change management, partnership working and service improvement.

Lorraine is a qualified social worker with a specialism in the leadership and management of early help services and associated processes and systems to help to reduce demand on specialist services.

Latterly, Lorraine has applied her knowledge and experience to the transformation of adult social care in the community of Soham by applying the Dutch buurtzorg principles to the setting up of a small self managed team.

She has a coaching qualification and enjoys using coaching techniques in developing system leaders.

Mrs Kirsty Lofts

Miss Kathy Notley

Trustee for Safeguarding, Trustee for Whistleblowing

Mr Peter Sargeant

Peter spent 8 years as a Governor of St Andrew’s School in Soham, following which he joined the Soham Village College Advisory Body in 2018 and has since joined the Trust’s School Performance Committee.

Having grown up in Birmingham he moved to Soham 23 years ago, throughout this time he has worked for G’s.  He has held various positions across the G’s UK and Spanish businesses and is now the Chief Operating Officer for G’s Growers with responsibilities for farming, harvesting, sales and factory operations within the East Anglia region.

Peter has three children, two of whom will attend Soham Village College from September 2020.

Mr David Snashall

Vice Chair of the Trust

David joined the Trust in 2015 having recently moved to the area.

Now semi-retired, he worked as a Headteacher for 13 years moving two failing schools to the Ofsted rating of ‘good’.

Since leaving full-time teaching, he has worked for the Association of School and College Leaders, leading the team who provide front-line telephone support to its members and supporting school leaders who have employment issues.

David leads courses and provides consultancy on employment and education law.

Reverend Michael G Banyard

MA B.Phil. ADV DIP ED. CERT ED. STM

Retired Rector of the Three Rivers Group of parishes.

Taught as a secondary teacher of Religious Education and Head of Humanities Faculty at the City of Ely College, (1969 – 1984) then was Deputy Headteacher of MOD secondary schools in Cyprus, (1985 – 1991) and Hong Kong (1991 – 1996), before a final year in Germany and then early retirement in 1997.

He spent four years as Lay Pastoral Assistant at St John’s Anglican/Episcopal Cathedral in Hong Kong, before two years at Westcott House, Cambridge (2001 – 2003).

Ordination in 2003/2004 led to a curacy in South East Cambs, and then Incumbency as Rector of the Three Rivers Group of parishes since 2007.

He has served as a Parish Councillor, was an OFSTED Inspector, and is currently Governor of two church primary schools; he serves as Vice Chair of the Ely Diocesan Board of Education, and maintains his interest in education and schools and the interaction of the mission of the church and its schools in his rural circumstance.

Mrs Gillian Greet

BVSc, MRCVS, DVR

Gillian is a qualified veterinary surgeon from the University of Bristol. She specialised in diagnostic imaging and worked in general practice before working as a consultant in MRI at the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket.

She currently works as an Advisor at the Citizen Advice Bureau.

Gillian has been a governor of a number of boards including Moulton and Kennett primary schools.

Ms Nicola Close

Chief Executive of the Association of Directors of Public Health (UK) which is a Charity and registered Company

Nicola’s education was in Mathematics, Philosophy and Public Health and she has worked as a teacher and in IT. She has worked as a Public Health Manager for more than 20 years firstly in the NHS and since 2007 as Chief Executive of the Association of Directors of Public Health (UK) which is a charity and registered company. Nicola has an instinctive grasp of good governance as one who has worked both as a chair of a governing body and Trust for many years, but also as a senior executive who works as CEO with her own Trust Board.

Nicola is highly strategic and uncompromising in her high expectation for governance and for schools.  She has a special interest in SEND.  She will tackle challenges and hold governors, as well as headteachers, to account. 

Ms Rachel James

Governance Professional

Members

Reverend Eleanor Whalley

Mr David Snashall

Vice Chair of the Trust

Reverend Michael G Banyard

MA B.Phil. ADV DIP ED. CERT ED. STM

Mrs Gillian Greet

BVSc, MRCVS, DVR

Ms Nicola Close

Trustees

Mr Simon Wright

Chair of Trust

Mr David Snashall

Vice Chair of the Trust

Mr Andrew Baughan

Mrs Kate Barnes

Mrs Anne Bevan

Trustee for SEND

Mr Matt Cooper

Mr William Hornby

Mrs Lorraine Lofting

Mrs Kirsty Lofts

Miss Kathy Notley

Trustee for Safeguarding, Trustee for Whistleblowing

Mr Peter Sargeant

Ms Rachel James

Governance Professional