Our board of nine Trustees fulfil the roles of Company Directors, Charity Trustees and Governing Board. They oversee all schools in the Trust and their main responsibilities are to:

• Set the strategic direction of the Trust
• Hold senior school and Trust leadership to account
• Oversee the Trust’s financial performance.
   

View the Trust Board's record of attendance for 2024-25 and for  2023-24 

View the Trust Board's register of interests

Below please find details of our Trustees, their key skills and experience, and their current terms of office.

Brian Ledbetter (Chair of Trustees)

Senior professional in global financial and business development.

Key experience: Senior partner at McKinsey and Company, a global management consultancy firm, since 1999. Leads financial service practice and is also a leader in Business Technology. Works with large global financial institutions (FTSE 100 companies) to improve their performance. Formerly European product manager at a US software company.

Key expertise: Financial services; risk management; business development; operations; technology.

School governance: Governor/trustee since 2010; Chair of finance and audit committee; Member of the Trust since April 2017; Chair of trust board since October 2020.
Current Trustee term of office: April 2025 to April 2029.

Simon Bailey

Business leader, consultant and brand specialist.

Key experience: Currently a partner in the Caffeine Partnership. Simon has successfully led several businesses turn-arounds and managed the global re-branding of high profile international companies. He is a regular speaker and press contributor in his specialist area.
Key expertise: Branding, marketing, business leadership
School governance:  Trustee of Quality First Education Trust since January 2018.
Current Trustee term of office: March 2022 to February 2026.

Martin Greenslade

Key experience: Martin served in the police for 31 years, ultimately becoming a Borough Commander. During his time in the police service, Martin worked in a wide range of areas, including IT intelligence development, critical incident management, community cohesion projects, media strategies and criminal justice reform.  More recently, Martin has worked in a voluntary capacity for the Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA).

Key expertise: risk management, system development, partnership development

School governance: Outside the Q1E Trust, Martin has served for several years as a governor in a primary school in Surrey where he has chaired the resources committee, been part of the headteacher appraisal panel and acted as lead governor for risk and data protection.

Geoff Morris

Education recruitment professional.

Key experience: Geoff has worked within the education sector for over 12 years, supporting recruitment to schools. In recent years Geoff has facilitated appointments of senior staff from Deputy Headteachers to Trust CEOs. He also has experience as an estate agent.
Key expertise: Recruitment, staffing, property.
School governance: Governor/local governor at The Alton Primary School since 2015. Trustee of Quality First Education Trust since 1st November 2017.
Current trustee term of office: July 2024 to July 2028

Karen Parkinson

Experienced primary and SEN teacher.

Key experience: Teaching experience from 2002 to 2014 in primary and special schools in London boroughs, both state maintained and independent. Gained experience of leading assessment, science and design & technology. Karen has also trained as a Makaton signer and story massage therapist, volunteers with charities supporting children’s mental health and outdoor learning. She runs a private tuition business specialising in SEND and is currently training to become a Dyscalculia specialist.
Key expertise: Primary and special education, SEND.¨
School governance: Governor at Churchfields Primary since 2016. Trustee since 2017.
Current trustee term of office: December 2024 to December 2028.

Helen Powell

Social policy research professional.

Key experience: Currently Research Director at Ipsos MORI, where she leads the delivery of social and criminal justice research, aimed at informing policy and practice. Helen has experience of delivering research for government departments, local authorities, civil society organisations and criminal justice agencies.
Key expertise: Research and evaluation, policy, project management, business development.
School governance:  Trustee of Quality First Education Trust since January 2022.
Current Trustee term of office: January 2022 to January 2026.

Fergal Spencer

Business and finance professional.

Key experience: Fergal is a Partner at Ernst & Young EYUK LLP, a leading global professional services company. For the last ten years Fergal has been shaping and delivering strategic change programmes in financial services institutions, helping clients to structurally change and improve their businesses. He is originally from Northern Ireland and lived and worked across Europe and South America before settling in London. Fergal has some years’ experience as Chair of the PTA at Belleville Primary School.
Key expertise:  Change management, business, finance, parent/carer liaison.
School governance:  Trustee of the Quality First Education Trust in January 2018.
Current Trustee term of office: July 2024 to July 2028