Members and Trustees

 Our Members are responsible for setting the vision and direction of the Trust and for appointing the Trustees.

 Members

 

 

 

• Barry Harwood
  Mr
  Barry Harwood

  Barry Harwood is currently Initial Teacher Education Partnership Manager at the University of Winchester. His is the academic lead for the school experience that students training to be teachers have to have. He also teaches science and professional practice, and has a particular interest in learning beyond the classroom and reflective practice. Prior to working in teacher education he spent 24 years working in primary education including 7 years as a deputy headteacher and 9 years as a headteacher. He has also acted as an advisory headteacher and consultant headteacher. He started his working life in personnel research and development with IBM and then moved to industrial engineering with Johnson and Johnson Ltd, before training as a teacher. Barry has also trained as an Ofsted inspector. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the College of Teachers, Member of the Management Institute and a holder of the National Professional Qualification for Headship. He has a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Education and is currently studying for his Doctor of Education.

  Barry is a Chair of Governors at a Secondary Academy, Vice Chair of Governors of a Primary Academy School (both graded Good by Ofsted) and is Vice Chair of Governors at an Infant School graded Outstanding by Ofsted.

• John Brackstone
  Mr
  John Brackstone

  John is the Director of Faculty Operations for the Faculty of Education at the University of Winchester. As a part of this he looks after budgets and spend, provides strategic level innovative management for activities across the Faculty, and engages with internal and external stakeholder.

  In addition to his management background John has undertaken a wide variety of research in the areas of health, tourism, travel, events and economic modelling.

  John has been involved with the development of the University of Winchester Academy Trust from its earliest days, and is proud to continue to be a part of it.

• Angus Paddison
  Dr
  Angus Paddison

  Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Winchester

 

 

 Trustees

 The Trustees make up the Board of the Trust and are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Academy Trust. The Trustees meet regularly to make decisions on how the Academy Trust is run.

 

 

 

• Marnie Seymour
  Dr
  Marnie Seymour

  Marnie was appointed Chair of the Trust Board in December 2024 having previously been part of the Curriculum and Standards Committee for a number of years. She is Co-Director of the Institute of Education. The Institute of Education is home to over 1000 full-time students and 500 part-time students who are involved with a range of courses from within the Institute's portfolio. Marnie is jointly responsible for the strategic and operational direction of the Initial teacher education (ITE) programmes in the department; post-graduate courses and CPD; as well as research and knowledge exchange. She is the subject lead for Primary Foreign Languages (PFL) across all of our Primary ITE provision. She is also the Academic Lead for Quality through Leadership (QTL), the lead provider for the National Professional Qualifications for Executive Leadership, Headship, Senior and Middle Leadership across the south of the region.

  Marnie actively works to form collaborative partnerships with colleagues from other HEIs, local schools, Hampshire Local Authority and other professional bodies in order to explore ways in which the University can support school-based research e.g. through formal accreditation and through CPD. She has a successful track record for attracting funding to provide CPD for teachers.

  Prior to working in higher education, Marnie worked as a Headteacher in two junior schools in Hampshire. She is also the Chair of Governors for a large Infant School in the New Forest.

  Marnie's research interests lie principally in the field of sociolinguistics. She is particularly interested in early foreign language teaching and learning and exploring the influence of social contexts and policy on the beliefs and practices of teachers. She is active within her discipline, is a member of a number of national professional associations for language learning and teaching and has co-convened and contributed to conferences focusing on early foreign language learning.

• Judith Rutherford
  Judith Rutherford

  Judith is a governance expert who, after a successful career in audit and risk management, now works with schools and their governing bodies to improve outcomes for children.

  Judith is passionate that strong and effective governance is key to ensuring children get the very best from their time in education and has a track record of supporting governing bodies to achieve this.

  Judith is also Chair of Governors for another school, a National Leader of Governance, Consultant for the National Governors Association and has been appointed as an External Educational Expert by the Department for Education. She is a Chartered Accountant and holds a BSc in Management Science from the University of Warwick.

  Member of A & R Committee

• Bill Lucas
  Professor
  Bill Lucas

  Chair of Curriculum & Standards

  Professor Bill Lucas is Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning (CRL) and Professor of Learning at the University of Winchester. Bill founded CRL with Guy Claxton in 2008. In addition to his work with CRL, Bill is a member of the Health Foundation Improvement Science Development Group, an International Adviser for GEMS Education, Trustee of The English Project, and Chairman of TLO Ltd (publisher of Building Learning Power). He is also, with Philip Pullman, a Patron of the Pegasus Theatre in Oxford.

  Bill is known internationally as a speaker on the subjects of learning, change, creativity, and leadership. He travels extensively to present keynotes, most recently in Sydney, Philadelphia, Helskinki, Qatar, Melbourne, Auckland, Belfast, and Dubai. He is a prolific writer, and has authored and co-authored over forty books. With Guy Claxton he is the creator of one of the biggest teacher researcher groups in the world: the Expansive Education Network.

• Jonathan Prest
  Jonathan Prest

  Chair of Finance & Resources

  I trained at Oxford University's Department of Education, did my teaching practice in a local 11-18 comprehensive school and decided sixth form  teaching was what I wanted to specialise in. I started with English teaching, took a post in pastoral work at Brockenhurst for 5 years, and then had leadership roles including 3 years as Principal at Richard Taunton, before taking over at Barton Peveril in 2008. Barton Peveril has grown in popularity from 2,200 students when I started to 4,000 today. I have loved working with young people, but also with my colleagues in the  secondary and primary sector, from whom I learn something every time I meet them,  especially in terms of pedagogy. I have had experience of governance in a University, colleges, charities and a national membership organisation. My beliefs about education could be summarised by concepts such as: opportunity; equality; excellence; kindness; good health; happiness.

• Claire Lorrain
  Claire Lorrain

  Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

  Claire is appointed as a co-opted Trustee and works as Head of Governance and Compliance at Marlowe Compliance Services. Previously working for the University of Winchester Claire has 18 years of experience working in the Higher Education Sector and played an integral role in the University achieving Global recognition of 'Excellent Customer Experience' (2019). She is passionate about education and enjoys working in an environment where children and students can flourish.

  Outside of work, Claire is busy with her 5-year-old daughter, who is horse mad, and in her spare time, she enjoys swimming and cooking.

• Malcolm Willis
  Mr
  Malcolm Willis

  Malcolm recently retired as Director of Human Resources at the University of Winchester. He brings his extensive senior level experience in the higher education sector to this role with the Finance and Resources Committee.

  ,

• Cathy Gower
  Dr
  Cathy Gower

  Cathy is the Dean of the Faculty of Education and the Arts at Winchester University and brings a wealth of experience to the Trust board. She currently sits on the Curriculum and Standards Committee.

• Jonathan de Sausmarez
  Mr
  Jonathan de Sausmarez

• Lauren Trumble
  Lauren Trumble

• Dave Mason
  Dave Mason

  David Mason joined the Academy Trust Board in 2024 and is a member of the Financial and Resource Committee, with a focus on Estates and Health & Safety matters.

  Currently employed as an Assistant Director with Strategic Estates for UK Parliament, he is responsible for the delivery of a capital programme of works within the Palace of Westminster and on the Parliamentary Estate. In his previous role as Head of Projects and Estate Management at the University of Winchester he was responsible for the Projects, Fire Safety and Grounds Maintenance Teams as well as providing oversight to several key property strategy, health, safety and compliance concerns.

  David is a member of the Association for Project Management and holds an MSc in Building Surveying from the University College of Estate Management, where he is also an Associate Fellow.

• Emma Breckenridge
  Emma Breckenridge

  Emma joined the Trust in March 2025 and is a member of the Curriculum and Standards Committee. With nearly two decades of experience in education, Emma is a respected school improvement expert and primary education leader. Over the course of an accomplished career, she has held significant leadership roles within the primary sector, consistently driving rapid and sustained improvement in school performance.

  A serving lead Ofsted Inspector and lead Challenge Partners reviewer, Emma brings deep insight into school evaluation and accountability frameworks. Her national work supporting schools has earned a strong reputation for delivering high-impact, evidence-based improvement strategies tailored to diverse educational contexts.

  In addition to school improvement consultancy, Emma is an experienced facilitator for the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL). Her contribution to professional development also includes playing a key role in the design and delivery of the Early Career Framework (ECF) for a lead provider, helping to shape the support structures for new teachers and their mentors across the country.

  Emma has extensive experience in Initial Teacher Training (ITT), working as a tutor and quality assurer across a range of ITT programmes both nationally and internationally. Their work spans the state and independent sectors, ensuring rigorous, high-quality training experiences that prepare teachers for successful careers in the classroom.

  As a mother of two young children, Emma spends much of her time outside of work with her two young children. Outside of her professional commitments and family life, she enjoys running and spending time with friends.

• Nicola Pearce
  Nicola Pearce

  Nicola was appointed to the Trust in July 2025 and brings experience from the legal sector to her role on the Audit and Risk committee. Having completed her undergraduate degree at the University of London Institute in Paris and postgraduate legal studies at the University of Law in London, Nicola was called to the bar in 2010 and completed pupillage at Guildford Chambers in 2012. Nicola has built a successful practice in family law dealing with cases involving domestic abuse and the breakdown in family relationships, including the arrangements for children and finances following divorce. Nicola is Head of Pupillage and Deputy Head of Chambers and is ranked as a Leading Junior in the Legal 500. Outside of work, Nicola is kept busy by her two children and their many activities.

• Paul Sowden
  Professor
  Paul Sowden

  Paul was appointed to the Trust in September 2026.

 

 Historic Member and Trustee Resignations can be found below:

 

• Member and Trustee Resignations 2023 2026

 

 Local Academy Committees

Details of membership, interests and attendance at each LAC, can be found on the Governance pages of each school website.