Furness Education Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee for the benefit of education. It is an independent legal entity and must adhere the funding agreement agreed with the Secretary of State. As per the funding agreement, Furness Education Trust is governed by a board comprising the Trustees of the Academy Trust. Alongside this, Furness Education Trust has three Members, akin to shareholders, who represent the sponsor body, BAE Systems Marine Limited.
Our Trust Board is chaired by Mrs Jackie Arnold. Her contact address is: BAE Systems, Bridge Road, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA14 1AF
The Furness Education Trust governance structure is set out below:
Members
The Members of an Academy Trust have a different status from the Trustees. The Trust Members are akin to shareholders in a company setting and are the representatives of the Sponsor Body. They are the subscribers to the Trust’s Memorandum and any other person(s) permitted to become Members under the Articles of Association.
Members, like shareholders, have limited powers regarding the day-to-day operation of the Trust but they are responsible for holding the Trustees to account.
They meet formally once per year, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), where they appoint the External Auditors for the forthcoming year and receive the Trust Annual Report and Accounts. Members can call additional formal meetings (Extraordinary General Meetings or EGMs) at any time in accordance with the Articles of Association, although EGMs tend to be rare in occurrence.
Our Members are:
Steve Timms | Managing Director BAE Systems Submarines |
Janet Garner | Future Workforce Director BAE Systems Submarines |
Richard Hamer | HR Director, Education & Skills BAE Systems Group |
Trustees
The Trustees are appointed by the Trust’s Members and/or Sponsor. They are akin to Directors in a company setting. They are responsible, under the Trust’s Articles of Association, for controlling its management and administration and for ensuring that the Trust remains solvent, well run and delivers the Trust’s charitable outcomes.
As Trustees of a charity, the Trustees must comply with the statutory duties of directors under the Companies Act and the duties of charity trustees conferred by Charity Commission regulations.
The Trust Board’s key responsibilities are:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Holding the Chief Executive Officer and Headteacher(s) to account for the educational performance of the Trust and its students, and the performance management of staff; and
- Overseeing the financial performance of the Trust and making sure its money is well spent.
Our Trustees are:
Jackie Arnold | Chair Member Appointed Trustee |
Steve McKinnell | Vice Chair Member Appointed Trustee |
Phil Athersmith | Member Appointed Trustee |
Gary Booton | Member Appointed Trustee |
Mark Duncan | Member Appointed Trustee |
Hilary Ellam | Member Appointed Trustee |
Janet Garner | Member Appointed Trustee |
Connor Pearce | Member Appointed Trustee |
VACANT | Member Appointed Trustee |
Karen Hadley | Co-opted Trustee |
Jayne Moorby | Co-opted Trustee |
Joe Warner | Co-opter Trustee |
Mike Toyn | Co-opted Trustee |
VACANT | Co-opted Trustee |
VACANT | Co-opted Trustee |
Committees
The Trust constitutes a number of committees, each of which is responsible for a different aspect of governance. The committees are:
- Quality of Education & Standards Committee
- Remuneration, Search & Governance Committee
- Finance, Audit & Risk Committee
Each individual Academy also has a Local Academy Committee. The focus of these committees is the delivery of education and services at Academy level.
The Academy Trust ensures that it engages with each Local Academy committee and that relevant matters relating to the functioning of each Academy are brought to the attention of the Trustees.
Governance documents which must be made available on request as stated in the Academy Trust Handbook may be viewed at the Trust’s registered office / school. Please contact the Furness Education Trust Clerk to request to view these (clerk@furnesseducationtrust.co.uk).
Furness Education Trust Structure
The document below details the structure and membership of all Furness Education Trust boards and committees: Furness Education Trust Structure
Details of the Trustees, Members and Governors Business and Pecuniary interests for the academic year 2025-2026: Furness Education Trust Interests 2025-2026
Details of the Trustees and Members meeting attendance for the academic year 2024-2025: Trustee and Members attendance 2024-2025
Details of the Local Academy Committee meeting attendance for the academic year 2024-2025: LAC Attendance 2024-2025
Diversity data for the Furness Education Trust Board (as of March 2025): Furness Education Trust Board Diversity Data