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

• John Lomas

• Sue Gill
• Caroline Oxley

Our Directors

• Sue Gill
• Ian McGrath
• Stephanie Capon
• Nick Gill
• Eddie Austin
• John Lomas
• Lorraine Flynn
• Paul Nolan - Resigned 09/11/2020

• Shirley Jones - Resigned 02/12/2020

• David Rowntree - Resigned 31/12/2021

Our Executive Management Team

• Chief Executive Officer – Paul Eckley
• Chief Financial Officer – Lisa Hughes
• HR & Operations Manager – Lisa-Marie McGrath
• IT Manager - 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 – Andrew Taylor (Executive Headteacher)
• Longford Park School - Zoe Fernandez (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 - Lucy Pindar-Booth

Manor Academy AAC Chair - Fran Crumpton (also serves as AAC and Board liaison)

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 these areas:

• CEO 
• CFO and Finance
• HR
• Estates
• ICT

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.

Our Education Principles

Although the curriculum and teaching styles vary to meet the individual needs of each learner, all of The Sovereign Trust schools follow the same guiding principles:

• Our curriculum is designed to ensure a breadth and balance of learning takes place
• All staff have high expectations of pupils’ abilities
• Our parents & carers are integral partners in education
• All pupils require a personalised education plan
• Lesson plans are developed to suit pupils’ learning ability, their age, and the session’s content
• Teaching styles vary to meet pupils’ preferred way of learning (incl. play, structured sessions, practical tasks)
• Therapy programmes are integrated into our classrooms
• Careful monitoring of achievement encourages pupils to achieve their personal best

Trust Board

Resigned Directors

Exec Team

Manor Academy

Pictor Academy

Longford Park School

New Park Academy