Trustees
Our trustees and members are a dedicated and experienced group of educationalists, local business people and community representatives who are passionate about helping the Trust go from strength to strength.
Children First Academy Trust Board
To contact the Chair of the Board, please e-mail admin@childrenfirsttrust.co.uk
Information about meeting attendance can be found here and a register of business interests is available here.
A list of committees with membership can be found here.
Trustees
Jenny Tosh - Chair of Trust Board and Chair of Education and Standards Committee
Jenny is a retired education professional who has worked in education for over 40 years. Initially a teacher in all phases of education and across mainstream and special settings, Jenny became a School Improvement Officer, trained as an Ofsted inspector and qualified as a secondary and primary SIP. Before she became Head of Schools for Enfield, Jenny worked with the DfE to develop and accredit the role of special school SIP.
Neil Yeomans - Vice Chair of Trust Board and Chair of Resources, Risk and Audit Committee
Neil has over 30 years experience of working in large professional services organisations in a variety of different roles and in a number of different countries; for the last 20 years operating at partner level. He is a qualified accountant. From 2000 -2015 he was an equity partner in Deloitte and from 2015-17 was a non-equity partner within that company. His roles over the years have included; part of the leadership team of the Regional Audit Delivery Centres, part of the leadership team for Global Audit Innovation, Managing Director, Deloitte and Touche Public Sector Internal Audit Ltd. Neil came to the Trust through Academy Ambassadors.
Winnie Greer
Winnie has lived in Edmonton all her life. She is an educationalist having worked in education since 1988. She is currently a Specialist Leader in Education at St Thomas More secondary School, and Associate Inspector for Westminster Diocese for section 48 inspections. Originally a science teacher at Edmonton County School she joined St Thomas More Catholic School; holding a number of positions from teacher, Senior Teacher, Deputy Headteacher and Director of Sixth Form.
Tony Gilling
Tony has very recently retired from over 30 years leading and managing in the HR field, most recently for Enfield Council as Assistant Director for Human Resources, and has established an extensive knowledge base of HR models, practice and employment legislation. He has implemented numerous initiatives and changes to terms and conditions, including new pay structures, restructuring the top three tiers of the Council, the centralisation of the Council’s Support Services and insourcing and outsourcing TUPE transfers. He has an MA in Human Resource Management.
Rosemary Stanley-Mckenzie
Rosemary currently works for the British Medical Council with responsibility for negotiations with management to ensure doctors’ terms and conditions are maintained and/or improved. Rosemary is also involved in the management of disciplinaries and grievances and ensuring there is an understanding of individual rights. Rosemary is a governor at Suffolks Primary school. She was also Chair of Governors at Enfield Grammar School when it received Academy status and is therefore now a trustee of that school.
Gary Christofi
Gary currently is a Senior Manager working in the banking sector. He has twenty plus years’ experience in banking and sales and has always held senior positions. Not only has Gary got excellent financial skills and experience, he has experience in business transformation and change management. Gary has also been a governor of Wilbury School for ten years where he has had responsibility for financial matters including budget setting.
Claire Wormsley
Claire is the CEO of The Media House, a training and consultancy company for the events industry, and the Global Conference Network which runs large scale events. She has extensive contacts and networks in the conference industry and is involved in multiple ways in furthering its development and success. She has been involved in promoting the industry to universities and bringing top graduates into the sector as well as supporting women in events. Claire has experience on a number of boards including exhibition and technology companies and is a trustee of two charities, NextMeal and Flynnes Barn.
Michael Christodoulides
Michael grew up in north London and has over 15 years of experience working in the Financial Services Sector and is a qualified accountant. As well as Internal Audit experience of various processes, risks and controls in the Banking sector, Michael was recently able to take part in ‘The Schools Challenge’ and the ‘Aspiring Professionals Programme’ mentoring young adults as they progress through their education.
Eveleen Riordan
Eveleen has been in education leadership for many years (since 2008) in various roles in an LA, the last of which was the Assistant Director for Schools and Learning where her remit included, among other things; safeguarding, schools finance and HR, education welfare, early years, children missing education, alternative provision, exclusions and inclusion, health and safety, elective home education, SEND, capital finance, school admission and school place planning.
Eveleen also spent four years as Chair of Governors of a maintained primary school. In her role as Assistant Director, she also had experience of opening a school.
Members
Ivor Olley
Ivor is a Chartered Management Accountant who is semi-retired but remains a Director of several UK based companies. He is a very experienced Managing and Financial Director who now specialises in property ownership and management. He has been a governor since 1987 and was Chair of Governors at Fleecefield School for approximately fifteen years until 2007 and remains an Associate Governor. Ivor has served on numerous GB committees and was Chair of the Enfield Schools Forum (from its inception in 2003) for four years.
Kate Turnpenney MBE
Kate is now retired but was previously the CEO of Children First Academy Trust. Having worked in a number of Enfield schools for over 28 years as teacher, literacy consultant and deputy headteacher, she became the Headteacher of Wilbury Primary School for several years, before taking on the role of CEO of the Trust at its creation, in April 2019.
Kate was instrumental in the formation of Children First, working with the five founding Edmonton schools to create a Trust built on working together to improve the education provision for all children. For this, she was awarded the MBE in June 2023.
As the former CEO, she understands the vision and values of the Trust and is keen to support it as it moves forward and develops. She is currently happy enjoying having more time to travel, do voluntary work and to just relax.
Elpida Theophanous
Elpida currently works as an ESOL/EFL teacher having taught in a private language school and she is now working at Barnet Southgate College delivering ESOL classes to adult learners. Prior to this, she worked as a School Business Manager in a north London primary school and was part of the SLT. She has also,in the past, been a school’s auditor in Enfield for 7 years. During this time, she reviewed individual schools’ risk management, governance and internal control processes. She was a Governor at Fleecefield Primary School for 12 years and was Chair for 8 years.
Jenny Tosh
Jenny is a retired education professional who has worked in education for over 40 years. Initially a teacher in all phases of education and across mainstream and special settings, Jenny became a School Improvement Officer, trained as an Ofsted inspector and qualified as a secondary and primary SIP. Before she became Head of Schools for Enfield, Jenny worked with the DfE to develop and accredit the role of special school SIP.
Mel Bignold
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