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29 April 2026

Tag: academies

Sarah Finch, chief executive, Marches Academy Trust

Sarah Finch is used to going beyond the job description in her education career. The chief executive of the Marches Academy Trust, which has 11 schools in Shropshire, remembers being sent door knocking while at Frank F Harrison School in the 1990s to “sell the school to the local community”. The school – now Bloxwich […]

Claire Pannell is taking the law into her trust’s own hands

Claire Pannell reckons she might be the only person in the country with her job title. While many trusts have a director of governance, she can’t find any that also have their own “general counsel” – the joint roles that she fills at Anthem Schools Trust. Maintained schools call on local authority legal departments when […]

From sink to success: how a trust’s leader transformed his schools

Once a humble design technology teacher in Sunderland, Nick Hurn reveals the truth of his schools’ growth and development… Nick Hurn has become somewhat of a rallying voice for leaders with RAAC-affected schools – appearing across the national media demanding his pupils get a better deal. Four of his 47 academies at the Bishop Wilkinson […]