Our Trustees & Workings of the Board

Background & Experience: currently employed by FTSE national/international business as Senior Counsel, principally HR/employment/industrial relations, and regulatory/compliance lawyer (outsourced and secure services sector): (Feb 2012 -) Law Firm York (including as Partner): (@Aug 2006-Feb 2012); Senior Employment Counsel (food services plc): (Nov 2011-Feb 2012); Trainee Solicitor/Solicitor: 1996 (qualified 1998); experience in HR/Industrial relations/employment law; legal and regulatory frameworks and compliance (including TUPE, data protection issues – currently Data Protection Officer); some previous (professional) work undertaken with academies/academisation, and (external) HR legal advice to schools.

Relevant qualifications: BA (Hons) Law and Combined Studies (1991-1994), (Post-Grad) Diploma in Legal Practice (1995), Advanced Certificate in Employment Law (@1999/2000), Certificate in Health and Safety Law – University of East Anglia (@1999/2000), Graduate of (in-employment) Regional Leadership Programme (Modules inc. Finance, Leadership, Strategy) (2016).

School: currently Chair Monk Fryston Church of England Primary School (governor appointment 2015-, Chair 2016-); ex-officio appointment by Diocese of York (current appointment to MFS likely to end early 2018 on retirement of Parish Vicar); member of Finance and Curriculum committees; Safeguarding Link Governor (current); previously SEND Link Governor.

Tom is a Chartered Accountant and former Finance Director of Northern Powergrid and GNER.
He qualified as an accountant with Coopers & Lybrand in London and subsequently moved to the PwC consulting practice. After various roles with BT Group and BT Global Services, Tom joined Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) in York in 2005, becoming Finance Director in 2006. He was Finance Director of Northern Powergrid between 2009 and 2021.

He is co-owner of the Grimston Park Estate and has served as a Foundation Governor of Kirk Fenton Primary School between 2010 and 2018. He chairs the Board of Governors of Queen Mary’s School at Baldersby Park, near Thirsk, a girls-only day and boarding school that is part of the Woodard Corporation. He also chairs Towton Parish Council.

He and his wife have 4 children, all educated at Saxton Primary School.

Profession:  Clare is Managing Director in her own firm Thornton Jones Solicitors Ltd with offices in Wakefield, Garforth, Ossett and Sherburn.  She also owns Malt Bar & Deli in Sherburn with her husband and With Love Cards & Gifts, also in Sherburn, which she owns jointly with her friend.  In addition, Clare is a director of both We are Sherburn and We are Wakefield which are networking organisations supporting businesses, community groups and the education sector in the local areas.

Governance: Clare began her governance journey at Barkston Ash Primary school, followed by Sherburn High School and then became one of our founding Trustees at STAR.  She was chair of all of these boards at points and has thoroughly enjoyed the over 22 years of governance work these opportunities have bought to her.

Other: Clare has 4 children, all of whom have successfully studied at Sherburn High School with 3 of the 4 having continued their education journeys at the sixth form. She is very much part of the community and was involved in the forming of the STAR MAT from the beginning. She feels passionately that all the young people in our communities deserve the best educational environment in which they can flourish and fulfill their potential.  She is so proud of the work everyone one involved in STAR has done and continues to do to fulfill that aim.

Julie is a Qualified Accountant with over 20 years of experience as a Finance Director both in the public and private sector. Julie worked for Scottish & Newcastle (now Heineken) for many years and in a variety of financial roles which culminated in the creation of a spin off company which she moved to firstly as Finance Director and then Commercial Director.
Julie then embarked on a new role within an entrepreneur led health company in London which involved the financial commissioning and subsequent running of a hospital in Bath and later Reading. Julie returned to the north to her current role as the Finance Director of Salford University which she has held for the last 7 years.

Julie is Chair of the Audit Committee as part of her Non-Executive Director role at Mid Yorks NHS Trust. Prior to joining the MAT as a Trustee, she was a Governor of Riverside Primary school for 2 years. Julie has a keen interest in appropriate governance and risk management.

Julie is married and has a son at Saxton Primary School.

Richard is an experienced Land Director with a proven track record in driving successful land acquisitions and developments within the Yorkshire region.

With over two decades of experience in the land and property industry, he has a deep understanding of the local market and regulatory landscape. His expertise include: land sourcing, negotiation, due diligence, planning and project management. Richard has worked within local Government where he project managing large scale regeneration programmes and drafting affordable housing strategies.

Beyond his professional achievements, he is committed to giving back to the community: He has served as Chair of South Milford Parish Council, been a Governor at South Milford Primary School, including chairing the Finance, Premises, and Staffing Committee.

As a Trustee of The STAR Multi Academy Trust he sits on the Finance & Resources sub-committee and has been Chair of Appleton Roebuck Primary school.

His passion for sustainable development is fuelled by a desire to contribute to the growth and prosperity of the region, both professionally and through community involvement. He is a CITB qualified Construction Ambassador and has delivered a number of STEM projects aimed at different age groups in schools across Yorkshire.

Peter is a recently retired businessman whose working life has been in manufacturing industry. He graduated with a 2.i in Managerial and Administrative Studies from Aston University and rose from being a Supervisor on the production lines at the Ford Motor Company in 1981 to become Chief Executive Officer of Moores Furniture Group between 2005 and 2010, via both Purchasing and Manufacturing Directorships. The turnover at that time was £60 Million with 1200 employees and Peter had to ensure that the company complied with all European standards as well as financial and legal obligations. Since then, Peter has been a self-employed consultant, delivering inspirational leadership training to business leaders (usually CEO/ Owner level) with a company called 2 Inspire and has spent the last four years changing the culture of a company in Jarrow, near Newcastle upon Tyne from an authoritarian ‘Command and Control’ organisation to an inclusive, team based, and empowered one.

Peter is a qualified Pensions Trustee having studied for and gained the Pensions Management Institute Award in Pensions Trusteeship – Level 3. This consisted of a residential course and examinations in three modules: 1. Legal Aspects of Trusts and Trusteeships, 2. Financial/ Investment Aspects of Trusts and Trusteeships, 3. Trust Management, including Rules, Responsibilities etc.  He is married with two children who were both educated at Harrogate and Leeds before going on to Sheffield and Leeds Carnegie universities and becoming a dentist and teacher respectively.

After 25 years in teaching including 11 in Senior Leadership as SENCO, Safeguarding Lead and Pastoral Deputy Headteacher at Fulford School, Dan started working at City of York Council in September 2019 in the newly formed School Inclusion Advisor role. Working across Exclusion, Attendance, Mental Health, Alternative Provision, Elective Home Education, SEN and Safeguarding the role involves interfacing with all of the education providers in the city. From September 2021, he has also been Deputy Headteacher of the Virtual School and from July 2024, the Interim Head of SEND Services in the city. Dan has served for ten years on Danesgate Community Management Committee in York.

Dan has lived, with his wife, in Tadcaster since 1995 in three different areas of the town. He has a keen interest in travel and the outdoors, and can often be found walking or cycling in the local area of the STAT Mat schools. Dan is very committed to the local area and the success of the young people who live in it.

Dave studied Geology at the University of Hull before completing his PGCE at the University of Bath. All his professional career was spent in education starting as a Science teacher in September 1986 before spending 24 years in various School Leadership roles including Headship in two schools.

His final role was that of Chief Executive Officer of The Consortium Academy Trust (TCAT) in the East Riding of Yorkshire, a position held from the inception of the MAT in September 2017 until his retirement in September 2021. During his time in post, TCAT expanded from being a trust of 3 schools to one of 6 secondaries and 3 primaries.

Prior to taking up this post, Dave was Headteacher of Wolfreton School in the East Riding  for 11 years. During this time the school was awarded funding from the DfE to build a new state of the art 11 to 18 school, catering for over 1200 students. As Headteacher, Dave was asked to operate as an Executive Headteacher in two East Riding secondary schools. He was also Chair of the Headteacher Group in the  East Riding.

Dave and his wife live locally and enjoy walking in the wonderful locations Yorkshire has to offer.