Centre Team & Trustees

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Leadership at DCAT

We value leadership that fits every school. No two schools are the same. They serve different communities, face different opportunities and challenges, and are at different stages of their journey. That’s why we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to school improvement.

Every Headteacher is supported by a network of experienced leaders, including Executive Headteachers, Executive Directors, Heads of School, Senior Leaders of Education, Excellence Leads and our Centre Team. Together, they provide the right support, challenge and expertise at the right time.

Whether it’s sharing outstanding practice, developing leadership, strengthening teaching and learning or responding to a specific challenge, our Excellence Offer is designed around the needs of each individual school.

Centre Directors

Mark Talbot

Chief Executive Officer

Claire Martin O’Donoghue

Director of Education

Hayley Edmondson

Director of Finance

Jo Saunders

Director of Operations & Governance

School Based Directors

Lisa Hardy

Executive Director

Victoria Stevens

Executive Director

Heads of Service

Dominique Ivil

Head of Safeguarding

Marc Mulhern

Head of IT & Digital Innovation

DCAT Governance

Strong governance helps great schools flourish.

At DCAT, governance is about providing the right balance of support, challenge and accountability so that every child receives the very best education.

Wherever possible, each of our schools is supported by a Local Governing Body, bringing together people with local knowledge, skills and experience to serve their school and community. Where additional capacity or support is needed, we may establish a Transition Board to provide focused governance and help strengthen leadership until a Local Governing Body is in place.

Trustees, Local Governors and school leaders work together, each with a clear role, ensuring decisions are made in the best interests of children and that every school is supported to flourish.

Trustees

Rev Dr Jack Dunn

Chair of Trust Board

Angela Hamill

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Philip Hepburn

Chair of Risk and Audit Committee

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Lesley Hurst

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Tim Manly

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Mat Phipps

Chair of People Committee

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Amanda Roberts

SEND Trustee

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James Stanbridge

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Nick Taunt

Chair of Education Strategy and Standards Committee

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Nick Wilkinson

Safeguarding Trustee

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Nicolas Wykeman

Chair of Finance and Resources Committee

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Associate Members

Keith Pailthorpe

Associate member of the Education Strategy and Standards Committee

Jenny Barnard-Langston

Chair of LGB Chairs’ Hub as an associate member of the Trust Board

Register of interests: Trustees

Members

Philip Bowden

Diocese of Chichester Education Trust Authorised Representative

Rev Dr Jack Dunn

Chair of Trust Board

John Preston

Appointed by Diocese of Chichester Education Trust

Rt Rev Will Hazlewood

Representative of Bishop of Chichester

Register of interests: Members

Our Performance

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Schools
Angela Hamill

Angela is the Headteacher of an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ two-form entry primary school in Bexhill.

Philip Hepburn

Phil is a retired Senior Manager with 30+ years experience in Operations and Facilities management of business and properties services for an international blue chip fmcg company and then latterly in a private health care. He has led and developed teams of in-house and contract staff to deliver a wide range of support services. He has been responsible for project managing building refurbishments and delivering new plant and infrastructure services.

Lesley Hurst

Lesley Hurst took on the role of the Diocesan Director of Education for the Diocese of Chichester, following eight years as one of the Assistant Directors of Education overseeing details in the diocese engagement with academisation as well as other projects.

She has spent much of her working life involved with education, including working with apprentices in the childcare sector and with a charity promoting STEM careers across London schools.

In her free time, she sings in a number of choirs; and Lesley’s other great passion is running. As well as taking part in various marathons during the year, she is often found negotiating the many routes across the Sussex Downs whenever she gets the chance.

Tim Manly

Tim is the CEO of Hurstpierpoint College, an ISI ‘Excellent’ independent all-through school in West Sussex.

Mat Phipps

Mat is part-time parish priest of Hastings Old Town (St Clement’s and All Saints). He has previously worked as a solicitor, HGV driver, and bishop’s chaplain, and spent 7 years in Spain as a missionary and ecumenist. In his spare time, he is a researcher in Spanish and Latin American philosophical theology, and enjoys motorcycling and target archery.

Amanda Roberts

Having grown up in Chichester, singing in the choir of a local church, Mandy went to university to read music. From there she trained to teach children with Special Education Needs, spending the last 10 years of her working life as an headteacher of a exceptional special school in Cheltenham where she endeavoured to give every child the opportunity to achieve their full potential, whatever their strengthens and vulnerabilities.

James Stanbridge
Fortune 100 Technical Leader, Consultant & Coach

With 20+ years of experience in hiring some of the most successful diverse and inclusive teams in multiple countries, developing and hiring back returnees to the workplace. The ‘Go To IT Guy’ having led engineering, technical and operational teams across Asia & Europe, for 14 yrs as General Manager with Microsoft’s cloud business and a further 2 years as Vice President of Cloud Infrastructure with Oracle, James runs his consulting and coaching business from his office in Tangmere James has served on the Tangmere Parish Council since 2016, is the Election Agent for the Chichester and Bognor Green Party and coordinates the Tangmere Community Speedwatch team.

Nick Taunt

Nick’s career spanned 38 years of secondary comprehensive school education, the last role in 2000-2018 as Headteacher of Bishop Luffa Church of England School in Chichester. Involved  in supporting Christian educational work at Canterbury Christ Church University 2015-2024.  Having joined DCAT in 2018, he relishes supporting as well as challenging the Trust in tackling the tough test of living up to the Vision that ‘Every child achieve their God-given potential’.

Elsewhere, Nick is a Samaritans volunteer, and keen on walking, playing chamber music (violin), carving things and enjoying his eight grandchildren.

Nick Wilkinson

Nick Wilkinson is the Kent County Council (KCC) Assistant Director Contest and Serious Organised Crime. He has extensive experience in criminal justice, counter terrorism and partnership working. He was the chair of the Kent Criminal Justice Board (KCJB) from 2013 to 2016 and has chaired Kent and Medway Channel Panel since 2015. He also chairs Kent and Medway Safeguarding Childrens  and Adults Joint Exploitation group. He is the chair of the Kent Resilience Forum Delivery Board. He is a member of the National Counter Terrorism Advisory Group, Special Interest Group on Countering Extremism and National Far Right Working Group. He also chairs the national Local Government Association Forum on anti-asylum hatred. He retired as an Assistant Chief Constable with Sussex Police in 2012.

He was a nationally accredited gold commander for firearms, major incidents and CBRNE incidents.  In July 2000 he was in charge of the search for Sarah Payne and has delivered national training on responding to missing children. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and chair of governors at a large outstanding East Sussex primary school.

Nicolas Wykeman
Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

Nicolas has spent the last 15 years in senior management positions on listed pharmaceutical business including as CFO and Board Member. He is a chartered accountant. He is trustee of a charity giving voice to those in the criminal justice system and is involved in a homeless charity. Nicolas is passionate about ensuring all children have a good education.