Bridgnorth Endowed School is guided by a Board of Trustees, which determines the policies that govern the management of the school.
The team is made up of teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and members of the community that provide a wealth of experience and expertise across a range of areas.
To get in touch with the Board of Trustees, please contact the School Office on 01746 762103 or email
Board of Trustees
Chair of Trustees
- Mark Freathy
Trustees
- Anne Bamford
- John Follette
- Lee Butler
- Liam Cox
- Tamsin Preece
- Michael Penn
- Kelly Bradburn
- Alan Charles Roger Wilson
- Ian Marshall
- Tanya Mathers
Members
- Keith Bowley
- Mark Freathy
- Sharon Ritchie-Simmons
Accounting Officer
- Michael Penn
Chief Finance Officer
- Susan Underhill
Committees
- Performance & Standards Committee
- Resources Committee
- Community & Communications Committee
Link Trustees
- English* – Mrs Anne Bamford
- Science* – Dr Liam Cox
- Pupil Premium / SEND* – Mrs Anne Bamford
- Mathematics* – TBC
- Safeguarding & Child Protection – Mrs Tamsin Preece
- Health & Safety – TBC
Meetings of the Full Trustee Body in 2023/24
- Wednesday 20th September 2023
- Wednesday 29th November 2023
- Wednesday 6th March 2024
- Wednesday 12th June 2024
Board Roles and Responsibilities
As a single academy, Bridgnorth Endowed School is required to have a Board of Trustees.
Legally, Bridgnorth Endowed School Academy Trust is the employer of staff, the admissions authority, and the lessee of the land and buildings of the school. It holds an annual general meeting and agrees an annual report.
The Trust Board has full delegated powers and its responsibilities include, admissions and appeals, finance and accounting, human resources and estate management.
Much of the detailed business is conducted through a committee structure that is focused on these responsibilities.
Link trustees visit their ‘link’ areas to observe policies and plans being implemented on a day-to-day basis, then feedback to the relevant committees for strategy development.
Trustee Pen Portraits
| Mr Mark Freathy | ||
|
Role(s) • Member and Trustee Committee(s) |
I have six years previous experience as a governor of a local primary school, including five as chair of governors, and became a parent governor at Bridgnorth Endowed School in 2010. I am one of the initial members of the BES Academy Trust and was elected chair of trustees in 2014. At the request of the local authority in 2017, I became a governor at a primary school in Telford that was experiencing difficulties and have supported the new chair of governors. I have 35 years of experience in human resources, have held senior roles in three local authorities, and have spent most of that time working in education departments. I currently work as a senior member of support staff in a secondary school. | |
| Mrs Anne Bamford | ||
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Role(s) Committee(s) |
Having moved to Shropshire in 2006, I became a community governor at Bridgnorth Endowed School in 2007. I was elected vice-chair of governors and subsequently chair of governors in 2009. I was one of the initial members of the BES Academy Trust and I am currently vice-chair of governors. I have had 40 years' experience in primary education as a teacher, a headteacher of two widely different schools, and an education officer responsible for the allocation of SEND resources across a large authority. I am currently retired but remain intensely interested in all aspects of education. | |
| Mr Lee Butler | ||
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Role(s) |
This is my second stint as a staff governor after being one at my previous school, during the transition from a standalone academy to a MAT. I have 20 years of teaching experience and 18 in leadership roles. I have also been a union rep, worked with a local authority on delivering improvement in other schools and worked closely with many different stakeholders. I have been at this school for six years and have seen its transformation from a school considered in urgent need of improvement to a good school on an upwards trajectory. Outside of school, I coach junior football. | |
| Dr Liam Cox | ||
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Role(s) Committee(s) |
I have 25 years' experience in higher education, first as a PhD student at Cambridge, a research fellow at ETH-Zürich and, since 1999, as an academic at the University of Birmingham, where I am currently a reader in biological organic chemistry and deputy head of the School of Chemistry. For the past 15 years, I have also worked with the Society of Chemical Industry, whose aim is to facilitate knowledge exchange and provide networking and learning opportunities for individuals working across the chemical sciences. I have been a community governor of Bridgnorth Endowed School since 2016, where I am link governor for science, as well as a member of the school's Performance and Standards Committee. | |
| Mr John Follette | ||
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Role(s) Committee(s) |
I first became a community governor at Bridgnorth Endowed School in early 2019 and now chair the Resources Committee. I'm a qualified AAT accountant and have worked in Local Government finance for over 31 years, covering children and adult social care services together with aspects of education. I spent four years as financial manager at Wolverhampton Civic Hall. I was honorary treasurer at Bridgnorth Rugby Club for over five years, I played for the club and I'm also a qualified mini and junior coach. I attended Bridgnorth Endowed School, and my daughter and son also attended the school. I was educated in Bridgnorth from primary school up to adult education at the former Bridgnorth College of Further Education. Being local to Bridgnorth, I recognise the importance the school has in the local community as I often interact with ex-pupils or parents of current pupils and get this feedback. | |
| Mrs Kelly Bradburn | ||
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Role(s) |
I was elected as parent governor in December 2020. I have two children at Bridgnorth Endowed school, currently in years 7 and 9. I worked in the airline industry for seventeen years, eight of those were in a leadership role. I am a positive people person with strong communication skills. Since leaving the airline industry, I have been working as an administration officer in both private and state education settings. I have a keen interest in children’s mental health and how experiences within school can have a positive/negative impact on our children. | |
| Mr Ian Marshall | ||
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Role(s) |
I am a Deputy Headteacher in a large Secondary Academy with 23 Years of educational knowledge. I have successfully led my Academy through many OFSTED inspections, with the most recent being only last term. I have the inside knowledge of how schools work and can be improved. I am also a coach for Northgate Swimming Club, where I give my time freely and for the benefit of the children locally, including pupils at the Endowed. I have a vested interest in the community, a desire to see everyone succeed; and will support the school’s drive for excellence and inclusion. | |
| Mrs Tanya Mathers | ||
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Role(s) |
I have been the School Business Manager at Highley Primary School for the last 8 years and currently sit on the school's Governing Board as an Associate Governor. I was also a Parent Governor at St John's School and was the chair of the Finance Committee. I am also a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and the Senior Mental Health Lead for staff. Prior to working in education, I worked in the banking industry as a Project Manager, working on schemes such as Faster Payments and Fraud Detection. | |
| Mrs Tamsin Preece | ||
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Role(s) Committee(s) |
I became a staff governor towards the end of 2018 and, having ceased working as a lunchtime supervisor, am now an associate governor. My connection with the school has been significant with a support staff role for 5 years, as a parent and also a member of BES Friends. I also attended the school as a teenager. Previous work experience includes retail store management, safety officer for the transport division of a cement company and procurement in a multi-national company. I like to play an active role within the wider Bridgnorth Community – I’m one of the Together At Christmas team, a volunteer for Bridgnorth Medical Practice, a director of the LoveBridgnorth CIC and a member of the LoveBridgnorth team promoting Bridgnorth online. | |
Bridgnorth Endowed School Trustee Board Membership
Bridgnorth Endowed School Trustee Board Membership
| Name / Trustee Type |
Term of Office |
Committee Memberships/Roles |
|
| Mark Freathy Trustee and Member Appointed by Members |
4 Years: 10/05/2021 to 10/05/2025 |
Trustee, Chair of Trustees, Chair of Performance & Standards Committee, Member of Resources Committee |
|
| Keith Bowley Member Appointed by Members |
4 Years: 18/06/2015 to 18/06/2023 |
Member | |
| Sharon Ritchie-Simmons Member Appointed by Members |
4 Years: 18/01/2020 to 18/01/2024 |
Member | |
| Anne Bamford Trustee Appointed by Members |
4 Years: 15/06/2014 to 16/06/2026 |
Trustee, Member of Performance & Standards Committee and Resources Committee | |
| Liam Cox Trustee Appointed by Members |
4 Years: 20/01/2020 to 20/01/2024 |
Trustee, Member of Performance & Standards Committee | |
| Lee Butler Trustee Appointed by Members |
5 Years: 01/09/2018 to 01/12/2023 |
Trustee, Member of Community & Communications Committee | |
| John Follette Trustee Appointed by Members |
4 Years: 01/12/2022 to 01/12/2026 |
Trustee, Member of Resources Committee | |
| Michael Penn (ex-officio) Trustee Appointed by Members |
4 Years: 01/09/2022 to 01/09/2026 |
Trustee | |
| Kelly Bradburn Parent Trustee Elected by Parents |
4 Years: 18/01/2021 to 18/01/2025 |
Parent Trustee | |
| Ian Marshall Parent Trustee Elected by Parents |
4 Years: 23/03/2023 to 23/03/2027 |
Parent Trustee | |
| Tanya Mathers Parent Trustee Co-opted |
4 Years: 23/03/2023 to 23/03/2027 |
Parent Trustee | |
| Tamsin Preece Community Trustee Appointed by Board of Trustees |
4 Years: 14/10/2020 to 14/10/2024 |
Community Trustee | |
| Roger Wilson Community Trustee Appointed by Board of Trustees |
4 Years: 29/09/2022 to 29/09/2026 |
Community Trustee | |
| Andrew Leather Community Trustee |
Steped down 31/08/2023 |
||
| Mark Gibbons Parent Trustee |
Stepped down 01/01/2023 |
Interested in becoming a trustee at Bridgnorth Endowed School?
Please contact the Chair of Trustees, Mr Mark Freathy, by email at
For more details about the role of a trustee, please click here
