Leading the way...
Welcome

Wellsway Multi Academy Trust is a partnership of schools which span the Bristol - Keynsham - Bath area that are now working together to provide a high quality educational experience for all students in their care.

Vision + Values

Vision + Values

Core Purpose

Wellsway Multi Academy Trust’s purpose is to ensure that each academy within the trust achieves outstanding outcomes and high standards in all aspects of its work, so that children and young people receive a first class education that enables them to realise their potential and leave school as confident, caring and well-rounded individuals.

We will achieve this through excellent teaching that challenges and inspires and through providing enrichment opportunities that support each child’s development. We want children and young people to enjoy school and to have positive experiences they will remember for the rest of their lives.

We will build a strong and cohesive identity for our trust whilst recognising that each academy within the Trust has its own unique characteristics. Through collaboration and joint working, we will ensure that all our academies share in, and benefit from, each other’s strengths

Values –

Professionalism:

The Trust requires each academy to expect and uphold the highest professional standards in all aspects of its work.
Education:

The Trust’s primary purpose is education and priority will be given to allocating resources into the classroom and learning activities.
Inclusion:

The Trust places inclusion at the heart of all its provision and seeks to develop a range of inclusive services to support learners with specific needs.
Economic:

Gaining value for money is central to the Trust’s operation and directors actively seek opportunities to develop joint educational provision and shared services across schools.
Strategic:

The directors seek to develop a multi academy trust of optimum size, with economies of scale that create the capacity for the Trust to provide excellent support to all its schools, whilst retaining its local nature.
Geographic:

Schools within the trust will be located within a reasonable driving distance of the hub school, Wellsway, so that school-to-school support is possible.
Moral:

Wellsway Multi Academy Trust has been established to support education within the wider local area.

  
Leadership Team

Leadership Team

The Executive Leadership Team has corporate responsibility for the overall formulation and implementation of strategies and policies approved by the Board of Trustees. It comprises of the Chief Executive Officer, Director of Primary, Strategic Business Director and the Principals/Headteachers from each academy.

Andrea Arlidge – Chief Executive Officer

With 15 year’s headship experience at two schools, having joined Wellsway School in 2005 from St Katherine’s School in Pill. Has significant experience of school improvement and raising achievement.  Chair and founding member of the Keynsham Area Family of Schools, a partnership between nine primary and secondary schools. Director of the Bath Education Trust, Trustee of the local County Sports Partnership (WESPORT) and a governor at Bristol Grammar School.

Dr Matthew Cottrell – Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Director of Primary, Executive Headteacher at St John’s Church of England Primary

With twenty years of experience of both teaching and senior leadership roles in the early years and primary phases. A PhD graduate in the field of education leadership and management, he has conducted nationally and internationally recognised education research and has presented papers at leading academic and education conferences, both at home and abroad. As a National Leader of Education he has worked alongside colleagues as their schools journeyed out of special measures and from Ofsted judgements of requires improvement, to judgements of good and outstanding. Matthew is also currently working in school inspection.

Tim Howes – Strategic Business Director

Joined the Trust in August 2014 following a twenty year career in the Hospitality industry. Formerly General Manager at Accor Hotels for 10 years and previously at Disney and Marriott Hotels. Significant experience in financial strategy, estates management, human resources and marketing.

Tim Howes leads the Trust’s Business Services Team, responsible for delivering shared services to all academies.

Governance

Governance

The Governance structure at Wellsway Multi Academy Trust is best illustrated by the following diagram:

WMAT Trust Board

The Board of Trustees – the Board is responsible for setting high standards and levels of student achievement and for monitoring performance and ensuring accountability.   It is tasked with driving continuous improvement through regular review planning and evaluation activities.  It also manages  corporate communication and stakeholder engagement.   Once strategies have been agreed, the Board delegates most operational activity to the Executive Leadership Team.

There are three Trust standing committees which have duties to support the Board of Trustees in these responsibilities, to focus on the delivery of the vision against the Trust’s standards and engage with stakeholders internally and externally to ensure that their needs are being met, as follows:

Finance & Resources Committee:

The committee’s core functions cover all financial services and other resources including human resources and facilities. It has a critical role in overseeing budget formulation, monitoring, and treasury management. Its financial functions extend into value for money and procurement. It also covers all matters relating to human resources including staff related performance management/review, disciplinary, under-performance and capability issues, continuing professional development, attendance, welfare and quality of work-life. It also has a wider brief covering asset management, facilities management, lettings, information technology, and health and safety.

Audit & Risk Committee:

This committee has a number of core functions that include internal controls, external and internal audit, fraud, and risk management. The committee also receives and considers in detail the statutory accounts for the Trust and recommends them to the Board of Trustees for approval prior to presentation to Trust Members at the AGM. It also recommends the appointment of the external auditors to the Board of Trustees for subsequent approval by the Trust Members at the AGM.

Remuneration & Selection Committee:

This committee’s role is to oversee all matters relating to the contracts, terms and conditions, and remuneration of the Executive Leadership Team and the rest of the staff team. It also has a wider brief in relation to governance and deals with all matters relating to recruitment and selection of trustees, governors and other committee members; skills audits and succession planning; training and development. The committee also deals with the review of performance of all trustees, governors and other committee members.

The Board has also established committees known as ‘local governing bodies’ for each academy within the Trust.  Their role is to oversee all matters relating to students’ learning and well­being. The core functions of a local governing body covers all factors which relate to, and underpin, good teaching and learning. It has a critical role in monitoring the progress and impact of personalised learning interventions to ensure high standards and student outcomes in line with the Trust’s vision and strategy. 

The Board of Trustees (Directors)

 Kate Reynolds - Trust Chair and member of the Remuneration and Selection Committee (Trustee since 12th December 2014)

 

Dean of the School of Education at Bath Spa University since January 2014, leading the team of professors, research and lecturing staff to deliver high quality research and programmes to education professionals, particularly teachers. Formerly Chief Executive at Learning Plus UK, a not for profit company supporting education leaders and prior to that, Director of Education and Children’s Services at Mouchel.
Andrea ArlidgeAndrea Arlidge – Chief Executive Officer  (Trustee since 1st April 2014)

With 15 year’s headship experience at two schools, having joined Wellsway in 2005 from St Katherine’s in Pill. Has significant experience of school improvementand raising achievement. Chair and founding member of the Keynsham Area Family of Schools, a partnership between nine primary and secondary schools. Director of the Bath Education Trust, Trustee of the local County Sports Partnership (WESPORT) and a governor at Bristol Grammar School.
Connor RyanConor Ryan - Governor at Wellsway School and member of the Remuneration & Selection Committee. (Trustee since 1st April 2014)

An educational policy specialist and writer, currently working for the Sutton Trust as Director of Research and Communications. He is also a National Foundation for Educational Research trustee. Previously worked extensively for other national education organisations. He was David Blunkett’s special adviser while he was Secretary of State for Education and he worked in 10 Downing Street as Tony Blair’s Special Adviser on Education.
Marlene MorleyMarlene Morley CBE - Chair of Governors at Bath Studio School and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee (Trustee since 1st July 2014)

Marlene brings to the role her wide experience at the MOD where she led major projects specialising in people and organisational change.  She was award the CBE in 2010 and retired from the MOD in 2012.  Marlene has also worked for several years to enhance the skills of young people in the West of England, most recently on the skills group of the Local Enterprice Partnership.  Marlene is currently Chair of the working group that designed and is delivering the Employablity Chartermark, aimed at improving the work readiness of young people leaving school.
Chris TroutChris Trout - Chair of Governors at IKB Academy and member of the Finance & Resources Committee. (Trustee since 12th December 2014)

Governor at Wellsway School from 1998 – 2012, Chair of Governors from 2004. Earlier in his career an engineer with the MOD, more latterly gained considerable experience as project manager for major defence equipment projects. Retired from the MOD as a Senior Civil Servant and joined BMT Defence Services in 2007 in a senior management role.
 Graham Shaw - Co-opted Governor at St.John's and member of the Audit and Risk Committee (Trustee since 1st September 2015)

Graham was a partner in a national law firm TLT Solicitors, specialising in employment and professional conduct law before retiring in 2015. Before studying law, he was a teacher, latterly as Head of Faculty and Head of Resources in a Northamptonshire comprehensive school. He holds an Advanced Diploma in Education Management and was formerly a parent governor at his daughter's school in Northampton.

 
Steve Glavin - Member of Audit & Risk Committee (Trustee since 21st March 2017)

A father of three and Keynsham resident. An economics graduate with 25 years’ experience in mutual and ethical banking and personal finance services, he is now a freelance trainer and coach, specialising in change management, sales and service training and enterprise development.
Neil SimpsonNeil Simpson - Member of the Finance & Resources Committee (Trustee since 1st April 2014)

Consultant Paediatrician and Medical Director, Sirona Care & Health. Medical director and Consultant Paediatrician at Sirona Care & Health, an independent non-profit distributing organisation providing publicly-funded health and social care services. Works part-time as a consultant paediatrician and part-time as Medical director of Sirona, a member of the board with particular responsibilities as Responsible Officer and for quality and safety of service.
Malcolm BroadMalcolm Broad MBE - Chair of Governors at St John’s C of E Primary School (Trustee since 1st September 2015 and Chair of the Trust Finance & Resources Committee). Chair of Wellsway Multi Academy Trading Company.

A retiree from HSBC after 45 years with that company which included spells as a director of the Midland Bank Pension Trust Ltd and chair of the HSBC Managers’ Job Evaluation Committee. He holds various community roles including a co-founder and trustee of ABLAZE charity; treasurer of Keynsham Baptist Church; treasurer of Bristol Baptist College; trustee of Bristol Zoological Society and  also a governor at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Bristol.
Susan RobbinsSusan Robbins – Chair of Governors at Wellsway School and Chair of the Remuneration & Selection Committee

A teacher for 16 years, left the profession in 1990 to become Education Officer in local government, including a posting as Head of Education Planning and Lifelong Learning for Gloucestershire County Council. An Independent Education Consultant since 2007 with 6 local authorities, with specialisms including school organisation, admission and transport.
 Tim Spratt - Member of Audit & Risk Committee (Trustee since 21st March 2017)

For some 25 years, Tim worked in financial and corporate PR, spanning three leading consultancies and in the last, Financial Dynamics (FD. Now FTI), was COO of the London division (at its height employing some 220 people) and an equity partner. Following a MBO and subsequent sale of FD, Tim became a senior consultant at KIngstree in 2012, focusing on presentation coaching within the Financial and Corporate sectors. Tim now works freelance.  Outside of his commercial work Tim is a magistrate on the Somerset bench. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
Contact Us Contact Us
Executive Leadership Team Executive Leadership Team
Contact Us Contact Us
Join The Trust Join The Trust