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Horsham Learning Alliance

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Members

 Denise Herrington

Denise Herrington

Key Skills & Experience

Law (Corporate), Community, Governance (Primary)

Biography

Denise is a retired solicitor and notary public. She trained and worked in London before moving to a regional law practice for 20 years, and then she set up her own legal practice GBH Law Limited, with two colleagues. Denise's area of expertise was corporate law. GBH Law is now a successful commercial law practice. In her spare time, she volunteers at St Mary’s Church in Horsham. Denise is married to Richard, Professor of Economic Geology at the Natural History Museum and has two adult children.

 

 

Graham Lawrence

Graham Lawrence

Key Skills & Experience

Governance Consultancy, Leadership, Public Sector, Charities, Strategy, Legal, Mergers, Governance (Post-16, Charity Trustee)

Biography

Graham has worked as a Chartered Secretary/Governance Professional for over 18 years, initially working as a Company Secretary in the charity sector, social housing and the NHS but for the last 10 years as a consultant advising and training boards and chairs on governance and leadership. Graham has also advised on strategy development, risk, and compliance and has used this experience in his role as a Governor at Collyer’s, including as Chair of the Estates Committee for three years and as Chair of the Governing Body since September 2022. Graham has a good knowledge of the governance structure for a MAT – a company limited by guarantee – and extensive experience of working with chairs and boards in newly-formed, merged and enlarged organisations so understands the executive and non-executive leadership which is required for success in these circumstances. He also has significant experience of regulatory compliance and managing relationships with regulators and other stakeholder organisations. Graham enjoys leading people individually and collectively to achieve a set of agreed objectives and deliver a strategy and is keen to have the opportunity to continue this in the MAT when it is formed, to work for the benefit of students in Horsham.

 

 

Doctor John Weeds

Dr John Weeds

Key Skills & Experience 

Education, Leadership, School Inspection, Partnerships, Academy Conversion, Governance (Academy Trustee)

Biography

John is currently an education consultant specialising in school inspection for Ofsted (primarily Section 5 secondary) and curriculum review for partner schools within the Challenge Partners UK organisations. He is also a Non-Exec Director/Trustee of the Woodard Academies Trust. Previously and until 2020, John was Headteacher at Cranbrook School in Kent, a state boarding school (11-18) which was mixed gender and selective. It was also an Academy converter, changing its range during his headship from Y9 to Y7 entry and expanding to c.850 NoR, inc. 240 boarders. John’s key responsibilities were the development and maintenance of vision, strategy and local partnerships. He also led on the QA of boarding and the quality of education prior to inspection. From 2006-2012 he was Headteacher at Reading School in Berkshire, also a state boarding school (11-18), which was boys only, selective and an academy converter. John’s key responsibilities were strategic taking the school to an Outstanding inspection judgment, preparing the school for academy conversion and securing funding for a major building project. In his earlier career he was appointed Assistant then Deputy Headteacher at Slough Grammar School (now known as Upton Court Grammar) after teaching classics in three independent schools at Hampton, Bolton and Bedford. He undertook a series of roles in those schools including rugby coach, Boarding Tutor, Head of House and Head of Department.

 

 

Karl Banister

Karl Banister

Key Skills & Experience

Legal, Leadership, Public Sector, Governance (Primary and Post-16)

Biography

Karl brings wide experience of Government having worked at the CPS, SFO, Ministry of Justice and Department for Culture Media and Sport among others. During that time, he has worked with the most senior officials and politicians and now leads a casework operation of over 300 staff as well as leading his own investigations as Deputy Ombudsman. Karl knows what it takes to lead and motivate a values driven organisation having been a member of the Executive Team at PHSO for six years. He has been a Governor for much of the time he has lived in Horsham at Collyer’s and prior to that at a local primary school. Karl sits on the Audit & Risk Committee as Deputy Chair. When he took on the role as Governor it was to put something back into the community and build on his past experience as Trustee of an Almshouses Charity in Walthamstow. Karl is known for his strategic support and challenge and is confident he could play an important role as a Member.

 

 

Reverend Lisa Barnett

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rev’d Lisa Barnett

Key Skills & Experience

Community Leader, Diocese, Partnerships, Education, Governance (Primary and Post-16)

Biography

Revd Canon Lisa Barnett was ordained in 2007 and has served in churches across Sussex. She became Team Rector of Horsham in February 2020, a role which includes serving as Governor of St Mary’s Primary School and Collyer’s. Lisa’s first career was as a primary school music teacher, and she continues to enjoy the chance to be involved in educational communities. Lisa is delighted to have been invited to serve as a Member of the proposed new MAT for Horsham and looks forward to playing her part in supporting flexible, nurturing and thoughtful education for young people in the area. Lisa is married to Stephen, a charity leadership consultant, and they have three school aged children.