Members and DirectorsRelevant documentation on our governance including the disclosure of business interests of our Members and Directors can be found here.
By profession Stephen is a Senior Systems Analyst at a leading UK financial services firm. A core member of the IT teams delivering change and business agility, he collaborates frequently with company directors and management in a number of governance committees to identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), define strategy and analyse performance data.
In his role as a school governor for the Learning First Federation he has supported the senior leadership teams via the ‘Finance, Buildings and Personnel’ committee to deliver best value and excellence in teaching within the Federation.
He has a keen eye for detail and a strong belief in continuous improvement through the promotion of high standards and creating strong foundations for children’s education to be built upon.
Role(s): Member
Date appointed: 1st April 2019
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Lesley was Chair of Governors at Kingsfield First School when it federated with Knypersley First School in 2016. She has since been Link Governor for Science and Computing and served as Chair and Vice Chair on the Curriculum Committee and, for several years, Vice Chair of the Federation.
She trained to teach in schools, but spent 22 years working as a Computing lecturer at Staffordshire University, during which time she developed many skills which are relevant to her role as a Member of the Children First Learning Partnership; questioning, interviewing, social skills, statistical analysis, etc. Having now retired, she is volunteering with Biddulph in Bloom.
Role(s): Member
Date appointed: 1st April 2019
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Sarah is an experienced member of the Learning First Federation governing body who believes that strong effective governance is essential to a school’s success. She has acted as a critical friend to the Headteacher, offering constructive support while confidently questioning and challenging when needed to drive improvement across the schools.
Naturally inquisitive, she brings sound judgement and a clear understanding of safeguarding responsibilites. As the head of a broad business support function covering learning and development, purchasing, projects, office management , facilities , payroll and HR, Sarah offers a strong strategic skill set and a practical , solutions -focused approach to school governance.
Role(s): Chair of Member’s Board
Date appointed: 1st April 2019 reappointed 1st April 2023
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Members
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Jody is currently Area Manager UK & Ireland for an Animal Nutrition and Health company EMENA. He is responsible for all sales and management functions within the UK & Ireland. Within his current and past managerial roles, change management has been key.
Jody has a wide range of experience in conducting SWOT analysis, focused impact evaluation, resource allocation (labour and capital), strategic planning short-medium and long term with the primary element throughout being open, transparent and honest communication.
He has held a wide range of governance roles such as:
Jody has also taken part in the Chair of Governors’ Leadership Development Programme (2014) with National College.
Role(s): Chair of Members Board
Date appointed: 1st April 2019
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Members
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Abigail is an experienced Headteacher, a National Leader of Education and an Ofsted Inspector. Since she became Headteacher in 2005, she has led all of her schools from an Ofsted category of RI to Good, with two of those schools becoming Outstanding (most recent in March 2017 – Knypersley First School).
She has been an Executive Headteacher providing system leadership to many other schools and is currently the Executive Head of Reginald Mitchell Primary and CEO of the Children First Learning Partnership. She has a MSc in School Effectiveness and has recently achieved her National Qualification of Executive Leadership.
Role(s): Chief Executive Officer
Date appointed: 27th March 2023
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Members
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: Daughter works at Reginald Mitchell.
Nicola has been the Chair of The Children First Learning Partnership since 2020. She has effectively supported the Local Advisory boards on the achievement of the outstanding judgement at Knypersley and Oxhey and the good judgement at Kingsfield ,Castlechurch and Reginald Mitchell Schools.
Previously Nicola oversaw the work to amalgamate the governing bodies at Knypersley and Kingsfield Schools to ensure they had a clear vision and to work together as one effective governance team and has also been the chair of the Finance, Buildings and Personnel Committee.
Currently she has effectively chaired meetings, overseeing work to develop the boards skills to enable a high level of both challenge and support to ensure the best outcomes for all children across the trust.
She has analysed budgets to give strategic priorities for all schools and ultimately raise financial effectiveness for all. She has been involved with staff recruitment, Pupil Premium, Safeguarding link role and the Executive Performance Management process.
Nicola has a background in retail managment, including merchandising, customer service and financial procedures. She is currently an adminstration assistant, for a bike renovation company and on a self employed basis, where she has extensive experience in organisational and financial systems and procedures.
Role(s): Chair of Directors Board, Member, Finance Audit Resource and Risk Committee member, Safeguarding Champion
Date appointed: 1st April 2019 – reappointed 2023
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Members
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Wayne is a qualified civil engineer with 30 years’ experience and owner and Director of a civil and structural engineering design consultancy currently employing 30 people.
He has extensive knowledge and experience in business strategy, finance and employment law. Aside from his technical engineering and professional qualifications, Wayne has a Master’s degree in Management and Business.
Role(s): Director and Chair of the Finance Audit Resource and Risk Committee
Date appointed: 27th March 2023
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Members
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: Husband to a member of Oxhey First School teaching staff.
Having been a school governor for the last five years, previously a parent governor within the Learning First federation involving two of the founding schools of the CFLP, moving on to position of Vice Chair (and link Health & Safety Governor) and ultimately Chair of Knypersley First School Local Advisory Board (LAB), Jim is pleased and excited to have been appointed to the CFLP Directors Board.
Jim is keen to continue to ensure all schools within the Trust continue to provide excellent learning journeys to all pupils through robust challenge and leadership to allow each individual child to achieve their full potential. Outside of his school governor role, he currently works as Group Internal Audit Manager for THG (The Hut Group) overseeing the delivery of internal audit plans across all group functions and multiple key risks ranging from Finance through to Health and Safety and all head office and divisional specialities in-between in accordance with the risk register.
Previously Jim worked for auditors Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) primarily within the post 16 education section whereby auditing colleges, universities and private training providers on their funding received for apprenticeships, 16-19 learning, adult education budgets and also adult learner loans.
Jim has also worked at the HSBC Group as Retail Bank Manager across several high street branches in the surrounding areas as well as moving onto Business Risk Manager on secondment to M&S Bank creating a monitoring and control framework and testing plan in line with identified risks within their risk register. Having moved to Stoke-on-Trent from his home town of Leicester in 2002, and subsequently marrying his wife Leanne, he considers himself to now be a local, despite always continuing to support his beloved football team, Leicester City.
Jim is dad to both Harrison and Darcie who are at various stages of their learning journey and have experienced schools with the CFLP and very much love their learning and experiences provided to date.
Role(s): Director and Trust Health and Safety Champion
Date appointed: 1st September 2023
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Directors
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Chris and his wife live in Biddulph Town with their 11-year-old daughter. He joined his wife here, when they met and married, a little over a decade ago. His career has spanned diverse industries across multiple continents, ranging from telecoms and education to hospitality and security. Chris has delivered many successful projects and managed sizable teams of 50 to 100 people.
Chris currently works as a senior manager in a telecom technology company. His spare time is spent supporting local initiatives and sports clubs. He trains in martial arts and yoga as well as fulfilling his role as ‘The Taxi of Dad’.
Role(s): Director and Finance Audit Resource and Risk Committee member
Date appointed: 20th May 2022
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Sarah was a Governor within the Learning First Federation, leading on the medium-term strategic direction of the schools. Sarah prepared the Three-Year Strategy, following consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and in line with relevant legislation.
Within her position at Biddulph Town Council, Sarah is the Responsible Financial Officer and accountable for human resources, strategic direction and compliance issues across a wide range of areas, including Health and Safety, fire evacuation and building management.
Sarah is well-suited to being a member of the Finance Audit and Resource Committee as part of her Director role. Sarah is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and Principal Member of the Society of Local Council Clerks, with professional qualifications in both Housing and Local Council administration.
Sarah has a BA Hons Degree in Politics and Modern History and a Masters Degree in International Politics.
Role(s): Vice Chair of the Directors Board and Finance Audit Resource and Risk Committee member
Date appointed: 27th March 2023
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Members
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: Worked closely with previous Learning First Federation Governors for a number of years, but no personal relationships. Children attend Knypersley First School necessitating good parent relationships with class teachers.
Lyndsey has over 15 years’ experience in Human Resources and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD). She has a Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel and Management and a BA Hons in Business Studies.
Lyndsey has extensive partnering experience, working with leaders at all levels and enjoys stimulating a different way of thinking when presented with problems and opportunities which in turn create more widened solutions and possibilities. She has also held roles on a National multisite scale and more local specialist level.
Lyndsey is really looking forward to bringing this experience into her new role.
Role(s): Director
Date appointed: 1st January 2023
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Members
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Benetia has extensive experience in schools, from class teacher to senior leader, and more recently as a School Improvement Advisor. She has worked alongside governors in her previous role as Headteacher, and then more widely in her role within a local authority.
She has also been a member of an Interim Executive Board. Benetia relishes the opportunity to utilise this experience working as part of the team of Directors at the Children First Learning Partnership.
Role(s): Director and Trust Curriculum Champion
Date appointed: 27th March 2023
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership Members
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Steve has been the Headteacher at Churnet View Middle School for almost nine years. In 2022 he was the Interim Executive Headteacher of this same school as well as Leek High School. He has a degree in Applied Biology (BSc Hons) and became a qualified teacher after achieving his PGCE and gaining QTS in 2008.
To enhance his strategic understanding and leadership within education, Steve has previously completed the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers and is currently completing the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leaders. Having been a teacher for almost 15 years, with the majority of those being in leadership positions, and completing two secondments supporting schools with their development priorities, post Ofsted, Steve has a deep understanding of the education system and amassed a wide range of leadership capabilities.
Steve was the Chair of the Primary District Inclusion Partnership for the Staffordshire Moorlands for four years. This role enabled him and his team to facilitate support for schools and their children across a wide range of inclusion and behavioural matters. As a previous Advocate for Students at Kiplings, the residential part of Horton Lodge Special School, Steve represented children and their special educational needs, raised questions and concerns on their behalf and provided them with a student-centred perspective. Steve understands how transformative an excellent education is and will help the Children First Learning Partnership Trust to continue to realise its vision and fulfil its potential.
Role(s): Director
Date appointed: 23rd January 2024
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
Mike was previously a governor within the trust before joining the board of Directors. He has wide ranging experience having spent most of his career in eCommerce, with specific focus on commercial negotiation, margin delivery, software scope and delivery and infrastructure migrations and upgrades. He has extensive experience in P&L management, budget controls and cost control and management.
Currently Mike is managing the digital transformation of a Healthcare business which gives him a rounded knowledge of IT infrastructure, software solutions, Cyber Security, coupled with a strong belief in continuous improvement. He operates at board level, identifying and managing KPIs, manages performance and defines strategy.
Outside of work, Mike has a keen interest in sport, most notably football and boxing and is a football coach in the community.
Role(s): Director
Date appointed: 10/02/2025
Appointed by: Children First Learning Partnership
Term of office: 4 years
Relationships between other governors or school staff: None
