Our Team

Our team approach, led by our Board of Directors, combines the best educational and therapeutic practices with a strong belief in involving families in supporting their children to develop independence, confidence and love of learning.

Each has areas of expertise and experience, which can be found in the Meet the Team section of the About Us Menu.

Our Boards of Members & Directors

The governance structure at the Sovereign Trust starts with a Board of Members, the 'custodians' of the Trust. The Board of Directors (sometimes referred to as Trustees) make decisions about the 'business side' of the Trust; the Academy Advisory Committees at each academy focus upon the day-to-day provision for the children making decisions, for example, about curriculum, standards and teaching and learning. The people on the Boards and Committees have been selected for their extensive skills and experience in specific areas and for representing parents.

It is the Board's role to ensure that the collective eye of all our schools is firmly focused on the vision of providing outstanding education for all our pupils and to hold the schools accountable for delivering this vision.

Our Senior Leadership of the Trust

Our senior leadership team comprises our CEO, Directors and Heads.

Our Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

The CEO of The Sovereign Trust is Paul Eckley, and he plays a leading role in supporting the Board of Directors by directing strategy and creating and shaping the development of the Trust.

Paul has been in education for over 30 years as a teacher, assistant headteacher, deputy head and headteacher. The majority of that time has been spent in Special Education in Bury and Trafford.

Company Secretary

The Company Secretary of The Sovereign Trust is Mark Johnson, an experienced commercial solicitor and company secretary working with clients to manage risk, assure compliance and protect their legal position.

Our Members

• Deborah Rogers - Commenced 01/01/2024

• Eddie Austin - Commenced 01/01/2024
• John Lomas - Commenced 01/06/2021
• Sally Cheshire - Commenced 05/07/2024
• Lorraine Flynn - Commenced 29/06/2024

• Chi Boakye - Resigned 31/12/2023
• Sue Gill - Resigned 31/12/2023
• Caroline Oxley - Resigned 24/05-2023
• Jean Spruce - Resigned 31/08/2022
• Rick Waddon - Resigned 01/09/2022

Our Directors

• Ian McGrath
• Stephanie Capon
• Nick Gill
• Eddie Austin
• John Lomas
• Neil Moseley
• Sue Gill - Resigned 18/07/2023
• Lorraine Flynn- Resigned 31/12/2022

Our Executive Management Team

• Chief Executive Officer – Paul Eckley
• Chief Financial Officer – Lisa Hughes
• HR & Operations Manager – Lisa-Marie McGrath
• Chief Information Officer - Ian Green 
• Finance Controller - Amber Ibrahim

Our Heads

The role of the Heads of schools and Headteachers is to be responsible for the day-to-day operational running of the schools and to be the first point of contact for pupils, staff and parents.

• Manor Academy – Pam Symonds (Head of School)
• New Park Academy – Almut Bever-Warren (Executive Headteacher)
• Pictor Academy – Joanna Williams (Head of School)
• Longford Park School - Sara Waite (Head of School)

Academy Advisory Committees

Each school's AAC performs the role of a sub-committee of the Board of Directors.

They do not have the legal powers or accountability maintained school Governing Bodies have, but their roles are similar.

The AAC's:

• Hold the Head/Head of Schools to account
• Look after the interests of the children in the school
• Understand the standards in the school and report to directors
• Make sure the school is keeping the children safe
• Understand the school community and its needs
• Help the school appoint staff
• They are responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of each of our schools and for overseeing the individual schools' development in areas such as curriculum, pupil progress and standards.

Longford Park School AAC Chair - Jonothan Ridge

Manor Academy AAC Chair - John Warburton

New Park Academy AAC Chair - Yvonne Luckin

Pictor Academy AAC Chair - Paula Higginson

Executive Team

Our Executive Team consists of Trust-wide staff who provide support in the areas of Estates, Finance, Human Resources, Operations, Information Technology and Leadership.

Our Staff

We are very proud of our professional staff. Everyone, from teachers, assistants, therapists, and administrative and support staff to pastoral carers, is dedicated to the development of the children and young people they educate and care for.

Scheme of Delegation

The scheme of delegation is set out in the Scheme of Delegation of Financial Powers Policy and is published in our Policies page in the Trust Wide section.

Terms of Office

Terms of office are set out in the tables below

Trust Board and Members

(Names, meeting attendance and register of business & non pecuniary interests)

Exec Team

(Names, meeting attendance and register of business & non pecuniary interests)

Manor Academy

(Names, meeting attendance and register of business & non pecuniary interests)

Pictor Academy

(Names, meeting attendance and register of business & non pecuniary interests)

Longford Park School

(Names, meeting attendance and register of business & non pecuniary interests)

New Park Academy

(Names, meeting attendance and register of business & non pecuniary interests)