Edward (Ed) brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to the Trust. His position as Director of Learning for the Diocese of Bath and Wells allows him to provide Trustees with relevant and up-to-date advice relating to Diocesan policies and procedures. 

Ed has worked in education for 28 years.  He has worked extensively in Primary schools in Somerset from being a newly qualified teacher through to headship. In the past 19 years, Ed has held three headships; for a rural Community School of 60 pupils, a Church of England VC Primary of 230 children and most recently at Bishop Henderson, a school of 429 children near the centre of Taunton.

Ed has a strong commitment to the education of children and young people in the context of the Christian Distinctiveness that Church of England schools offer.  He has led a school to an outstanding grading in the Church School inspection process.

A practising Christian, Ed has represented church schools on Somerset’s Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) and been a member of the Diocesan Board of Education for three years.

Ruth has 25 years of experience of working in education, including: teaching in mainstream schools; leading a unit for fixed term excluded pupils; working as a Local Authority advisor; and leading the Local Authority’s Social Emotional Mental Health Support Team. Ruth currently works within the Department for Education, where she gained considerable experience whilst working in the Regional School Commissioner’s office (now Regions Group) before transferring to the Education, Skills and Funding Agency (ESFA), where I lead on the commissioning of School Resource Management Advisers across 34 Local Authorities.

Ruth has been a member of the Bath and Wells Diocesan Board of Education for four years, a role she has fully embraced and where, as part of the governance of the diocese, she takes an active role in promoting high quality education across the diocese.   Ruth has also been an LA Maintained school governor for five years, and in her third year as Chair of Governors. 

And finally… walking is a huge passion of Ruth's, be it an afternoon stroll around her village or a South West Coast Path trek, which links well with her motorhome weekends and both enable her to secure an unsuspecting family member to join her and partake in the experience.  And… when not walking and enjoying our beautiful world, she might be spotted clambering to her seat in Bristol’s stadium, 20 year season ticket in hand, to cheer with great enthusiasm, for Bristol Rugby.

Alison has enjoyed a varied career in music and education.  Within education, her leadership roles have included both academies and maintained schools, headships of church secondary and primary schools, and also the role of CEO across five schools.  This has driven her passion for all-through education.  She is an innovator, specialises in transformational leadership, successfully leading a number of change management projects within her schools.  Alison has also worked in an advisory capacity for both the Local Authority and the Diocese of Bath and Wells.  She is currently a SIAMS Inspector for the Church of England and sits on the National Council of the RNLI.

Previously, for eight years, Alison was both a Director of PiXL (raising attainment in secondary and primary schools) and a member of the Board of Education in the Diocese of Durham. She has also served as Chair of Governors in her local village primary school.

Alison is a mezzo soprano specialising in choral direction. She is married with two daughters and has three grandsons.

Vacancy