Trustees

Marie Burnham is the Independent Lay Chair (Part Time) for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Joint Committee, which is made up of the 11 clinical commissioning groups and is part of the area’s Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.

Marie brings with her over 20 years of leadership experience ‎from health services, charitable sector, private and public including NHS executive and non-executive roles she also has a national reputation for performance and governance management both in the public and private sector. Specialising in turning around failing organisations and delivering real measurable change.

More recent roles include National Chair for NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence), where she held responsibility for safe staffing and a part-time role until 2015 as Chief Accountable Officer for the Well Women’s Centre in Wakefield.

Before taking early retirement 2 years ago Marie was a Chief Executive for many years in the Acute Hospital Sector; over that period, she also participated in a National Enquiry with the nuclear industry, examining body parts and was head hunted to lead on Swine Flu out of Manchester, and a number of meetings in London supporting COBRA.

Marie has also been a member on the University of Lancashire research committee as well as a member of Cumbria University Board.

Awaiting bio

Claire Clayton, a proven finance leader with over a decade of experience in retail and business transformation, is seeking to leverage her extensive background towards enhancing educational governance. With her professional foundation built at Ernst & Young and subsequent roles in international FMCG and a leading UK supermarket, Claire has developed a deep expertise in financial control, risk management, and strategic project leadership. Her notable contributions include steering complex pricing strategies during significant economic shifts like Brexit and implementing comprehensive technological upgrades, directly impacting organisational efficiency and growth.

Claire’s leadership extends beyond professional settings; she is a dedicated mentor and team builder, known for enhancing team performance and fostering collaborative environments. Outside of work, Claire is an avid skier and hiker, balancing her career with a passion for the outdoors and family life with her two young daughters.

Driven by a commitment to education as a fundamental societal pillar, Claire is motivated to join the board of trustees to apply her skills in a meaningful way, especially as her daughter approaches school age. She is enthusiastic about contributing to the educational success of children in her community, aiming to support and potentially elevate the learning experiences of young people in and around Colne.

Louise Cowan is currently Deputy Head at Westholme Senior school, a co-educational 4 – 18 independent school in Blackburn.  Having worked in a variety of educational settings (international, state and independent), Louise has over 20 years’ experience leading on delivering and ensuring excellent academic and pastoral provision.  As an English teacher, examiner and former Head of Faculty, she has a particular interest in the power of language and literacy to ensure successful outcomes for all students, as well as the transformative ability of literature to enable everyone to live and experience the lives of others.   She is currently completing her NPQH qualification and is looking forward to working with schools in the trust to ensure students achieve their potential and find their passion.

With nearly 20 years of senior leadership experience in the education sector, in her current context at a state secondary school, Emma has led on school improvement, SEND, leadership of CPD, policy development, event management and strategic building development with associated fundraising. With a background in major gift fundraising at the NSPCC and The British Red Cross, she has significant experience in bid writing. She has substantial experience with respect to harnessing parental, alumni and community engagement and support, for example, raising £1.3 million for a capital project.

Emma has sound knowledge of charity legislation and reporting mechanisms and is currently joint Regional Vice President of Institute of Development Professionals in Education for the North-West. Emma is a Parent Governor at Blacko Primary School.

Andrew is a solicitor and Partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP, one of the largest major UK law firms. Andrew has worked there since 1995, and has been a Partner since 2003. In that time Andrew has worked on many corporate and commercial transactions, recently specialising in arrangements between the public and private sectors. His clients include central government bodies such as the Ministry of Defence, local government bodies, NHS Trusts, and companies of all types who contract with them (including Serco, Capita and Carillion). His projects include public sector outsourcings and services contracts, projects to deliver social and economic infrastructure (such as schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, and street lighting), and joint ventures and partnerships of all types. In particular, Andrew was heavily involved in the government’s “Building Schools for the Future” programme, leading his firm’s advice on the Hull and Tameside Schemes, and acting for several consortia in the private sector bidding such schemes nationwide.

Andrew has a longstanding connection with Laneshaw Bridge Primary School. He was a parent governor there for around 8 years as his three children progressed through the school.

He is very keen on the promotion of sport for children. For 5 years he managed a junior football team at Barrowford Celtic FC, and he remains a serving committee member and junior coach at Nelson Cricket Club, which he is very passionate about!

Awaiting bio

Awaiting bio

Jessica Sheldrick is the Head of Rishworth School, an Independent 3-19 school that sits on the boarder between Yorkshire and Lancashire. Jessica joined Rishworth as a newly qualified teacher in 2002 and has been a part of the school ever since. Over the 22 years she has continued to enhance and develop her skill set, ultimately taking on the lead of the school in September 2024.

Jessica sits as a teacher panellist for the Teaching Regulation Agency, a role she has been dedicated to as a volunteer for since 2022.

Jessica brings to her role as a Trustee significant experience in implementing whole school initiatives to improve the quality of education, pastoral care and SEND provision for students. She is committed to supporting the wellbeing of staff and students alike. In joining the board Jessica hopes to offer her support staff development and collaboration to ensure the Trust embraces each of the communities it represents.

Jessica is passionate about ensuring that young people have the best possible outcomes, through opportunities within formal lessons as well as outside of the classroom. Over the years Jessica has lead outdoor education, with the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Bronze, Silver and Gold; introducing climbing, paddlesports and karate to the school as well as taking students overseas on expeditions such as those to Nepal and India.