Martin Bayliss
Holyhead School - Birmingham

Martin has been headteacher of Holyhead School in Handsworth, Birmingham since September 2002. He leads a high performing Specialist Business and Enterprise College, Training School and Teacher Learning Academy at the heart of a vibrant and aspirational inner city community. Holyhead is a heavily over-subscribed 11-16 co-educational secondary modern with 1100 students on roll. Post 16 provision was successfully introduced on site from September 2008.

The school gained Foundation Status in April 2006 and Martin has been a FASNA committee member ever since, playing an active role in encouraging more schools to seek the benefits of greater autonomy. Martin gained National Leader in Education status in January 2009.

Helen Hyde - President (Executive Board Member)
Watford Grammar School for Girls - Hertfordshire

I am the Headmistress of Watford Grammar School for Girls. We have Visual Arts and Maths and Computing Specialist Status, We are a national training school for the De Bono thinking tools and have accredited status as a ‘Thinking School’ by Exeter University. I train schools across the country in the use of these thinking tools. I am a Fellow of Holocaust Studies at the Imperial War Museum and take many groups groups to visit Holocaust sites in Eastern Europe. I am on the Hertfordshire Heads Executive and am the chair of the NAHT Foundation and Aided Committee. I have built many new buildings at my present school (Gymnasium, new canteen, Science labs) and will be opening my new Maths Building in September – we are not a BSF school!

Rob McDonough
The West Bridgford School - Nottingham

I am presently the Head Teacher of the West Bridgford School in Nottinghamshire. West Bridgford, as well as being a foundation school, is a high performing 11-18 mixed comprehensive specialising in technology. It has 1450 students on roll with a thriving sixth form of 280. I have previously been the head teacher of a foundation school in Lincolnshire and I am a passionate advocate for greater school autonomy. Amongst my dislikes are Local Authority officials who think they know how to run this school better than me!

Karen Mort (Executive Board Member)

One of my roles is to carry out the duties of the FASNA General Secretary. I service our national membership, associated committees and represent the voice of FASNA in meetings with politicians from all political parties, and with Ministers. Additionally I have developed and delivered training packages for autonomous schools on a commercial basis. On behalf of FASNA I lead the Trust and Foundation Schools Programme in a partnership that delivers this national school improvement initiative on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE). I support schools in changing their character, to ‘Trust’ or Foundation, developing their autonomy.

I was previously a Headteacher of a High Performing 11-18 Foundation School with specialist status in Sport and additional Specialisms in Maths & ICT. I was Chair of the LA Association of Secondary Headteachers and led the school through a Capital Build Project of £8.5 million to create a “Too Cool for School”. My work in developing school buildings to support active and creative approaches to teaching and learning has been used as part of a publication for architects worldwide, “Transformational Education” for which I was responsible for providing some of the editorial.

During my Headship the school moved from strength to strength

• Appointed the lead school for the School Sports Partnership and recognized as one of the top 5% in the country
• The first secondary school nationally to secure ‘Investors in Pupils’
• The top performing none selective school in the LA for ‘A’ Level for six years
• The only none selective school in the Local Authority to secure a place in the Daily Telegraph top 100 for ‘A’ Level performance for two consecutive years
• Achieved the highest 5 A* - C Grades in the history of the school, 53% in 2007 and 64% in 2008 and 72% in 2009.
• Achieved the highest 5 A* - C Grades including Mathematics and English in the history of the school, 39% in 2006, 42% in 2007 and 54% in 2008
• In the top 50 schools nationally for improvement in 5 A* - C Grades including Mathematics and English in 2008 and top 10 in 2009

I have presented at a number of national events, the National Bursars Association National Conference (2008), The Queen Mary University of London event to launch the Tomlinson Report in to 14 – 19 reform (2004), the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust National Conference and the Youth Sport Trust National Conference (2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009). I have presented to the DfE and represent FASNA (the Foundation, Aided Schools and Academies National Association) on numerous consultation groups they convene, Capital Funding, Governance, Admissions and Fair Access Protocols. More recently I was invited to deliver a presentation at a state education conference in Atlanta, Georgia State by ‘inet’ to speak about using networks to raise standards in schools globally.

Paul Strong
William Farr CE School - Lincoln

Head teacher since 1986 of a school judged ‘Outstanding’ three times since 2000. School originally 11 – 16 with 800 pupils. Now 1500+ 11-18, with 300 in sixth form. Consistently in the highest performance nationally for GCSE and A/AS Levels. Three ‘specialisms’ – Science College, RAPP and LEPP. Arts Mark, Sports Mark, Career Mark and National Healthy Schools Award. Recently awarded membership of the Prince's Trust - Institute of Education. Consistently oversubscribed in an environment of rapidly falling rolls.

2007 Teaching Awards Finalist – ‘Head teacher of the Year’. I remain passionate about total school autonomy and look forward to direct funding from Central Government and the demise of the power and influence of Local Authorities. After 41 years I still get up every morning and cannot wait to get to school! Richard Barnard Richard Barnard has been Chair Of Governors of Robinswood Primary school for over 20 years. He has been an OFSTED inspector for over 13 years and has inspected over 500 schools. Previously he held senior management positions with local authorities and voluntary organisations specialising in finance and administration. He is interested particularly in Primary Education and Leadership, Diversity and Community issues. He has led Robinswood to be a successful Foundation school and recently to become a single open Trust School. His wider interest and experience in education has led to his election to his local CYPSP Executive Committee, Admissions Forum and Schools Forum. He is a consultant for SSAT, The Youth Sports Trust and FASNA in supporting Trust and Foundation schools.

Joan Binder - Vice President (Executive Board Member)
The Plume School - Essex

I am Vice Chairman of FASNA and Chairman of governors of a large 11-18 Performing Arts comprehensive in Essex which has been self governing since the early 1990s. My professional background is teaching (English, Geography and Home Economics – no offers thank you) and I have experience of being a governor in all phases including a special school. In 2007 I won the DfE Governor of the year award for the Eastern Region. I am an elected member of the Essex Schools’ Forum and also sit on their Standards Fund scrutiny group.

I have been continuously involved at national level since 1994 on a whole range of consultation and strategy groups through predecessor associations of FASNA and I now focus on employer, admissions and governance issues. I am the FASNA representative on NEOST (National Employers Association for School Teachers), SSSNB (School Support Staff Negotiating body) and a number of other groups. My key concerns in everything I do for FASNA are to promote school improvement through school autonomy and support school leadership and governors in making the most of the Foundation school opportunities to deliver a high quality relevant educational experience to their pupils.

Looking to the future, I am heading a team of other FASNA members to participate in the employer activities to bring their practitioner experience to the table and provide for a sustainable succession of participation.

My work for FASNA also involves writing materials for and presenting at our seminars.

Tom Clark - Executive Chairman (Executive Board Member)
Greenwood Dale School - Nottingham

Tom is Executive Chairman of the Foundation, Aided Schools and Academies National Association and has been a long-standing member of FASNA’s National Committee.

FASNA is a partner in delivering the Trust and Foundation School Programme (TFSP) for the DfE and Tom is on the Consortium Programme Board.

Tom is an Associate Director of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust leading on workforce- remodelling working with Professor Alma Harris at The Institute of Education.

He co-authored and led training programmes for middle and senior school leaders in England, Hong Kong and Australia.

Tom has organised conferences and training programmes in the USA and provided performance management training in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur where he has been an Ofsted inspector.

Tom was formerly Principal and Chief Executive of George Spencer Foundation School and Technology College in Nottingham which was a ‘Training School’; a TDA ‘Designated Recommending Body’; and a school in the ‘Leading Edge’ programme. George Spencer School received three consecutive ‘outstanding’ Ofsted reports.

He has published booklets on ‘study leave’, ‘benchmarking and financial planning’, and ‘workforce reform’ for the TDA, DfE and SSAT.

He is a Trustee of the West Bromwich Albion Football Club Community Programme and was made a CBE in 2003.

Brian Rigby
Ashton-on-Mersey School - Cheshire

Brian has been chairman of Governors at Ashton-on-Mersey School, Sale since 1991. In 2006 he was instrumental in the formation of the West Trafford Learning Partnership when the school federated with Broadoak School, Partington. He is a former Member of the Grant Maintained School Association management committee and has been a member of FASNA since its conception. Brian was awarded the MBE for services to education in Trafford in 2005. In 2009 he was appointed by the National College as a Governor Champion for Greater Manchester and is a Member of an Interim Executive Board which was appointed to take a secondary school out of special measures.

Geoff Taylor
Toll Barr Business & Enterprise College - Lincolnshire

Geoff Taylor was a teacher for thirty three years, twelve of them as a Deputy Head of one of the largest comprehensive schools in the country. He is a director of GTA Associates Ltd, an education and healthcare consultancy. His work has included teacher training, threshold assessment of teachers and support and advice to governors in their assessment of the performance of headteachers. Currently he acts as clerk and consultant to the governors of Tollbar Business Enterprise and Humanities College in North East Lincolnshire and as a member of the executive committee of FASNA, he has been involved in supporting schools seeking foundation status.

Peter Beaven
Norton Hill School - Somerset

Headteacher of this 11-18 comprehensive since 1994. 1500 on roll with 250 in VI Form. OFSTED judged the school “Outstanding” in all categories in 2007. Norton Hill has specialism in Maths & ICT ; Languages; is a Training School, a Leading Edge School, a centre for G&T and a Foundation School.

I am a National Leader in Education and have supported schools in Special Measures and National Challenge.

Norton Hill is now in a hard Federation with Somervale School and I will be Head of both schools (not an Executive Head!).

I have been involved in promoting workforce reform and have done some work on this for the SSAT.

Patricia Sowter (Executive Board Member)
Cuckoo Hall Primary School - London

I am the Headteacher of a very large and successful primary school in an area with high levels of disadvantage. We achieved our second outstanding Ofsted inspection report in May 2009. Cuckoo Hall became a Foundation school in February 2008 and went on to acquire Trust status. My background is leading and managing inner-city schools with a clear focus on school improvement and raising standards. I believe that being a Foundation/Trust school enables pupils to benefit from the school using increased autonomy to explore additional opportunities and thereby widening aspirations beyond the school itself. I will be seeking to become a Primary School Academy under the Secretary of State’s new educational proposals.

Richard Barnard

Richard Barnard has been Chair Of Governors of a Robinswood Primary school for over 20 years.He has been an OFSTED inspector for over 14 years and has inspected over 500 schools. Previously he held senior management positions with local authorities and voluntary organisations specialising in finance and administration. He is interested particularly in Primary Education and Leadership, Diversity and Community issues. He has led Robinswood to be a successful Foundation school and recently to become a single open Trust School. He is Chairman of The Robinswood Trust and in this capacity is supporting a Parents Group in establishing a new primary School.His wider interest and experience in education has led to his election to his local CYPSP Executive Committee, Admissions Forum and Schools Forum.He is consultant for the Specialist Schools and Acadamies Trust, The Youth Sports Trust and Foundation and Aided Schools National Association (FASNA) in supporting Trust and Foundation schools. He is a Primary Governor representative on the FASNA executive.

Debbie Clinton
Nunthorpe School, Middlesbrough

I have been Headteacher of Nunthorpe School in Middlesbrough since September 2003. I had previously been Vice Principal of Coopers Technology College (also a Foundation school) in Bromley, South London. I am currently the Chair of our local PRU Management Committee and represent local secondary headteachers on our Childrens’ Trust Executive Board.

We are an 11-18 Specialist school holding a dual specialism in Science and Business Enterprise (we were the first in England to become so in September 2006!).

We are regularly over-subscribed – especially in our Sixth Form which we opened in September 2008. Our current roll is 1533 and we are more than full!

We became a Foundation school in April 2006 and I have been an active FASNA member since September 2005.

I am very excited indeed to be joining the FASNA committee; I believe that school autonomy is the only way to really ensure sustainable school improvement and I look forward, very much, to furthering our vision as members.

George Phipson

George Phipson became General Secretary of the Foundation, Aided Schools and Academies National Association (FASNA) after a teaching career in the London area that included sixteen years as headteacher of a large comprehensive school. He has been at the centre of national developments on the funding of schools for many years and currently he is on the DfE School Funding Implementation Group whose work has included the introduction of the Dedicated Schools Grant and multi-year budgets and is now focused on the Formula Review, Early Years and 14+ funding. Prior to that he served on the DfE Education Funding Strategy Group whose report led to the new Schools Formula Spending Share methodology which has been the basis of “Spend Plus” and is currently under review. He also served on the DfE School Framework Consultative Group dealing with the introduction of Fair Funding. Through FASNA he is constantly pushing for greater autonomy for schools and greater direct funding. The fast-track route to Foundation status and the opportunities afforded by Trust status both move schools in that direction and he is a board member of the consortium supporting schools moving to Foundation and Trust status. He is particularly interested in the work of Schools Forums and their influence on local funding decisions. He acts as funding consultant to the NAHT which includes a major research project providing an annual comparative analysis of LEA funding of schools. Previously he was a Board member of the Funding Agency for Schools and received the CBE for his contribution to education in this field. He and his family particularly enjoy going to the mountains to walk in summer and ski in winter.

David Wright

David has been a school governor for over fifteen years and was elected Chair of Governors of Worle School in October 2008. Born in Weston super Mare David has run a number of successful businesses mainly in the hospitality sector. He is a former President of the sectors trade association and an area representative on the West Country Tourist Board. In addition to being Chair of Governors he is also the local representative on the North Somerset Governor Forum and a trustee of the WWtrust a charitable trust committed to educational research. When not at work his hobbies are reading, flying and vintage motorbikes. He is a graduate of the University of Reading.