Meet the Directors
Chair of the Directors: Martin Nicholas.
I am a retired GP who worked in Cheltenham and a former pupil of Cold Aston School. I still live in the village and am passionate about giving children a good start in life through effective education. Services in the North Cotswolds can be sparse so the role of our schools in family support is becoming more and more important. My wife and I keep a flock of rare breed Cotswold sheep on the remnant of the family farm, which is managed in a regenerative and nature friendly way. I am still active in GP education but in time off I enjoy outdoor activities and keeping my rural skills going.
Jo Bowen-Jones (SEND Director)
I am a busy Mum of two, one child at the St James' site and one child at CCS in Chipping Campden. My husband is an arable farmer so home life is hectic at times! I have worked in a variety of roles in the past, gaining experience in people management, budgeting, financial planning, print procurement in the digital and litho sectors, project management for a multi-national company and most recently, a career change into the Early Years sector, where I worked at a local playgroup for a number of years.
I feel very strongly about safeguarding for all children and staff, and for every child to have equal and fair opportunities to enable them to develop and progress to the best of their abilities, with all of the support that they need to achieve this.
The opportunity that we have to work with all of the schools within NCSF MAT to develop and grow all children to their full potential is fantastic and I am looking forward to working with everyone involved to achieve great things for our schools.
Mark John (Vice Chair and Chair of Finance Committee).
I have two children Amelia who is in year 11 at Cotswold School and Dan who is in year 6 at Swell.
I am passionate about ensuring we give our children the very best opportunities both in School through academic achievement and outside of school through trips, residential camps, outside learning and sport.
I am excited to be working with an Academy Trust and all of the opportunities that will bring to us all.
Clare Saunders.(Chair of the Education Committee and Pupil Premium Director)
I live in Cold Aston and my four children all started their education at Cold Aston Primary School. I am a former secondary school English teacher and now work for an education trust. I chair the Education Committee.
Jan Sibthorpe. (Safeguarding Director)
I live in Cold Aston. I firmly believe that every child should have the opportunity of a rounded education that nurtures and encourages them to achieve their full potential.
Since 2013 I have volunteered with the NSPCC Schools Service ‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ programme. The safeguarding of children is something I feel very passionate about, so I am delighted to join NCSF MAT where every child is given the opportunity to develop and flourish academically in an environment where their welfare and well being is paramount.
I am looking forward to working with everyone across NCSF MAT in providing every pupil with the best possible primary school experience; one which recognises and supports each child as an individual and prepares them to embark on the next stage of their education with confidence and enthusiasm.
Jackie Buckland (CEO and Accounting Officer)
I am absolutely delighted to be Acting CEO for the NCSF MAT. I have a wide range of leadership experience including Headship and working as School Improvement Lead for a large Multi-Academy Trust. I have a proven track record of improving the quality of teaching and learning, both in my own and others' schools.
I have a passion for wellbeing, both for pupils and staff - I worked for the Healthy School Team in Gloucestershire, have led on Wellbeing for another Trust and have always made it a key priority in any of my roles. I firmly believe that to truly put children at the heart of all we do, we also need to put all our staff at the heart of everything we do as leaders.
I am very much a "can do" person, with an enthusiastic, energetic, hands-on approach; I really enjoy supporting leaders to ensure that the culture of their schools through relationships, high expectation and quality provision result in measurable positive outcomes for all pupils. I also support early career leadership through being a facilitator and coach for ECTs and NPQLT.
On a personal note, I enjoy spending time with my family and travelling - especially to my parents' home in France.
Melanie Huttunen (Chair of Audit & Risk Committee)
I grew up in Norfolk where I attended a village primary school of around 60 pupils - our schools bring back strong memories of that!
I studied French at Manchester University and then started my career as a teacher of English as a foreign language in Finland. Our customers were business people so I had a wide experience of different areas of commerce and production.
Having moved back to the UK, I moved into working for De La Rue and have been there since. I have held a variety of roles, all linked to sales, but have had responsibility for training too. My work now takes me to Asia - I love Sri Lanka! I spent many years in school governance at both primary and secondary level when my boys were growing up. I am new to the Cotswolds relatively speaking, having arrived in 2020.