Expertise: School Improvement and Governance

Over 50 years’ experience including headteacher at an outstanding secondary school in Bracknell Forest; former National Leader in Education; former Lead Inspector-Adviser on School Leadership in Hampshire; Kathy has been a registered Ofsted Inspector and held regional and national positions in education. 

Formerly also the Accounting Officer of an Academy Trust; for the last six years a member of the Church of England General & Diocesan Synods; and currently a member of Bishop’s Council.  She is currently a trustee in a number of other organisations. In 2021, Kathy was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her services to education; and the Order of St Frideswide in 2021 by the Diocese for services to both the church and education. 

Sharon is an experienced CEO and school leader, who firmly believes that every child and young person should be given the very best education and start in life.

Sharon was previously CEO of Embrace MAT in Leicestershire, and has a deep knowledge of ODST schools from her time leading the ODST school improvement service from 2017-2021. She also has school leadership experience in both large city and small rural schools.

Sharon is passionate about inclusivity and establishing a culture and ethos which actively promotes learning for all, allowing every child to develop and achieve their full potential.

Expertise: Education and Governance

Previously Head of Bishop Ramsey School and later Principal of Berkhamsted School, Priscilla was elected as the first female Chair of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC), and now serves on a number of state and independent school governing bodies.

A Woodard trustee, she is a published author with a particular interest in church schools and religious education; she chaired the Church of England Report The Church School of the Future and the Dioceses Commission and was the first Chair of Governors of Wren Academy in the London Diocese. Priscilla is now Chair of Whitelands College, the Anglican college of the University of Roehampton. 

Tricia has extensive experience of education across all sectors, including twelve years of headship and acting headship in three primary schools in Oxfordshire and ten years as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors. After leaving Ofsted in 2011, she worked for the National College on their licensed leadership development provision. In December 2012, she became Director of Education for the Diocese of Ely and Chief Executive of the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust. Between 2015-2017 she worked as a consultant education adviser for the DfE in the East of England region, with a particular focus on Norfolk Church primary schools and academies.

Between 2016 and 2023, Tricia was a trustee of the Woodard Corporation and Chair of the Woodard Academies Trust Board. Between 2017 and 2025, she was the Independent Chair of the Fenland and East Cambridgeshire Opportunity Area and Priority Area Partnership Boards. Currently, she is Chair of the Church Schools of Cambridge Trust. In 2023, she was awarded the OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to education and social mobility.

Expertise: Education

Paul has been headteacher at the independent Bloxham School since 2013. He has previously taught at Lancaster Royal Grammar, Oundle and Carr Hill High, and was a Deputy Head and Director of Curriculum at Gordonstoun.  

In addition to his responsibilities at Bloxham School, Paul has served as an ISI inspector since 2013 and has been elected onto the governing board of Beachborough School.  He has also been Head of Woodard Schools Headmaster’s Association and represents the Midlands and West England on the Schools Universities Committee.  He has led curricular and pastoral change in a number of settings and acted as a consultant to a number of schools.

Expertise: Education

Jo was Principal RE Adviser and former Assistant Director of ODBE and until 2019 was a member of the national team training SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools) inspectors and a member of the SIAMS Quality Assurance team for the CEEO (Church of England Education Office).  Prior to that, she spent eight years as Adviser for RE in Berkshire’s education team after a variety of posts of responsibility in a number of secondary schools in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Berkshire. 

Expertise: HR Management and Governance

Joanna works in recruitment in the third sector, focused on senior executive, board and chair appointments; and formerly was in senior leadership at Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) – a publisher within the charitable sector.  She has experience as a National Leader of Governance, and as Chair of Governors of Kidmore End Primary School; previously an elected member of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education and sits on the board of two other charities. 

Expertise: Finance

Chris is a financial analyst working for a bank in London and brings significant financial, reporting and risk management experience to the Board. He has been a school governor since 2013 and has also been Chair of the LGB at The Hendreds school, one of the first schools to join ODST.

He is also Honorary Treasurer of The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the UK’s oldest building conservation charity. Particular areas of interest for him in his role as Trustee of ODST are tackling educational inequality and attacking poverty of opportunity and poverty of ambition. 

Expertise: Education, Governance, Finance

As Diocesan Secretary of Oxford diocese, Mark has responsibility for all the staff teams that support and enable work across all the Anglican parishes in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Bucks.  He works closely with the Bishop of Oxford and oversees the implementation of the diocesan vision.

Between 2007 and 2019 he was University Secretary at the University of Bath.  Mark previously worked for the national Church institutions, latterly as Head of Financial Policy with responsibility for the Church’s national budget and clergy payroll.

Expertise: Education, Governance, Property, Finance

Gordon is Deputy Director of Education at the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE), and works closely with ODST in this role as well as in his Trustee role.

At ODBE he currently oversees capital projects (including new schools), school organisation issues, land & legal matters, finance matters, school admissions and appeals.  Previously a chair of governors of a single school academy trust and other governor experience as a member of academy trusts and as a trustee.  Has worked with Oxfordshire schools since 1985. 

Sue has 15 years’ experience of secondary school teaching and 25 years’ experience of parish ministry. She brings experience of governance in the primary and secondary sector alongside involvement in the governance of the Church of England at national and Diocesan levels.

In retirement, Sue is taking up a number of voluntary posts including Chair of the Oxford Diocese Link with Kimberley and Kuruman, Co-Chair of Youth Challenge Oxfordshire and as a Governor of Cranford House School. She continues to support the work of the Oxford Diocese and her local parish church.

Jane is Associate Archdeacon of Dorchester and works across much of the county of Oxfordshire, supporting the people, parishes and communities. As a vicar for 27 years she has been regularly involved with church and community primary schools, and has been involved in governance at diocesan level having previously served on Bishop’s Council and as Clergy Chair of Diocesan Synod.

Academy trusts are set up as charitable companies, with Trust Members, who ensure effective governance of the trust by the board of trustees.

• Oxford Diocesan Board of Education
• Alison Jestico
• Kathy Winrow
• Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford