Members and Trustees

 

Keystone Academy Trust – Members

  Elizabeth Nicholson

Elizabeth Nicholson has been associated with Tower Road Academy for over 30 years as governor and more recently as a member of the controlling company. She has enjoyed taking an active role in the life of the school throughout that time, working on several committees as well as chairing the Finance Committee, but her foremost role has been as both a parent and grandparent of Tower Road pupils.

After gaining a degree in law and qualifying as a solicitor, Elizabeth taught law at Boston College to degree level and obtained her cert ED whilst her children were young.  She went back into private practice in the 1980s with a local firm with branches throughout Lincolnshire, eventually becoming Partner in Charge of the Private Client Department.

Elizabeth has a strong history of voluntary work within her local community including Guiding, chairing a Community Theatre, working with a local housing association and setting up and leading for over 10 years an exchange project for secondary school children with schools in Japan. Since retiring she continues to connect with local young people as a member of the Road Hog bus team and through Open the book performances.

As an active member of her community, she believes that it is essential to equip children with the ability and desire to give of their best, engage with their local community and develop their knowledge and experience to be able to make appropriate decisions for themselves and embrace new challenges as they grow up.

  Paul Thompson

Paul was appointed as Director of Education for the Diocese of Lincoln in September 2021. Having been a successful Deputy Director of Education since 2010, Paul has an excellent knowledge of the 141 schools in the diocese. Paul represents the Diocesan Board of Education nationally, working with the Church and the Department for Education as well as working with senior clergy in the Diocese itself. He develops strategy and leads the education team. Paul develops regional school improvement strategies with key educational partners including the Local Authorities and Teaching School Hubs. He supports schools and academies with leadership and governance, recruitment, induction and performance management of head teachers.

Paul’s career in education spans 27 years with the majority of that time in senior leadership positions. He holds the NPQH qualification and has been a successful headteacher for seven years achieving a good OfSTED and Outstanding SIAMS inspection during this time. He uses his wealth of experience to lead the school effectiveness advisers and ensure the school improvement strategies bring about sustained development in schools and academies.

 Carolyn Bailey

Carolyn Bailey is Rector of the Ness Group of Churches which includes St Firmin’s, in Thurlby, St John’s in Baston and St Michael’s in Langtoft. She arrived from the Diocese of Oxford in 2017 where she had trained, been ordained in 2010, and been a self supporting minister in Great Missenden, Bucks. One of her roles as Rectors  has been a foundation governor at Baston C of E Primary and has had an active involvement in Governance and in leading sessions in Godly Play in church for the various year groups as well as having contract with the schools in both Langtoft and Thurlby. She is a Partnership Dean for the Elloes and is involved in facilitating the Diocesan Time to Change Together initiative, she sits on the Diocesan Synod and is Lincoln Diocese Mothers’ Union Chaplain.

Ministry is not Carolyn’s first area as she trained as a nurse in Pilgrim Hospital, Boston on leaving school and after a spell as a nurse in Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service she left to marry and raise her family.

Keystone Academy Trust - Trustees

  Joe Pignatiello

Joe has extensive experience in leadership, change management and the media. Currently the Managing Director of a consultancy firm, he specialises in executive coaching, programme management and is embedded at director-level roles within large organisations.

Previously, he ran a well-known retail group as Managing Director, achieving significant business growth and diversification. Prior to that, in almost 20 years at the BBC, Joe was a senior figure in managing the response to Covid-19 for England. He led major business change projects and held senior editorial roles, driving audience engagement, implementing innovative and creative campaigns and growing audiences. His BBC career also included impactful and successful periods as a journalist and presenter.   

As Chair of Keystone Academy Trust, Joe has overseen educational governance and strategic decision-making since the inception of the MAT, consistently driving the sustainable growth of the trust.  Joe is recognised for his ability to manage complex organisations, drive commercial success, and inspire teams; he believes in the power of volunteering - and the difference it makes in a community - and is passionate about ensuring young people from all backgrounds are given the opportunities, encouragement and support they need to fulfil their potential. 

  Stewart Dorey

Stewart Dorey is Director of Operations for a large independent group of schools in Lincolnshire, where he has responsibility for the buildings, maintenance, grounds and all premises and facilities related requirements, as well as overarching leadership for all support teams.  Stewart believes that his experience of leadership, governance and the day-to-day operational demands of the schools will help contribute positively as a Trustee. 

A great part of Stewart’s job is making a real difference for the children at our schools, and he knows his support, knowledge and experience will aid the Trust in achieving its objectives.  Stewart is keen to give something back to the community and help make a difference to young people as they start their academic journey.

Stewart is experienced in leading and developing Estates Masterplans for multifunctional and diverse estates, incorporating the wider local community needs within the strategic plans, whilst maintaining an overall view of not just what is needed now, but how it will still support the business in the medium to longer term.

Stewart contributes a specific and detailed understanding of developing, nurturing and delivering teams and projects to bring safe and effective, business-centred results Stewart embraces notable use of a range of key methodologies.

  Geoff Palmer

Geoff Palmer is a retired primary school headteacher with 17 years' experience in a small Lincolnshire school. Prior to that he taught for 20 years in medium and large primary schools in Barnsley and Wisbech.  Whilst he was headteacher, the school more than doubled in size and always had successful Ofsted inspections. Test results usually put the school as one of the higher achievers in the local area but he also put great emphasis on children's all round development, providing a great deal of enrichment and extra-curricular activities.

He was, for a time, a consultant headteacher, supporting other schools and he still works as an external consultant for one school, providing support for the performance management of the headteacher.

He has been a school governor for 26 years, 17 as a headteacher and 9 at Long Sutton. He has been chair of the staffing and finance committee for 7 years, working with the business manager to ensure the school is well run financially. His particular interests as a governor, apart from ensuring that expenditure doesn't exceed income, are in staff welfare and in developing the whole child.

Outside education, he has been Long Sutton Church Treasurer for 10 years and is involved in many aspects of church life, particularly in raising money, putting together bids and developing and maintaining the building as well as ensuring stability in the budget.

He is a trustee of a small local educational and charitable trust (£20k per annum) which helps young people and the elderly.

Otherwise, he is the main carer for his elderly father, enabling him to still live in his own house, and provides care for his grandchildren.  He enjoys running where it is flat and hiking where it is hilly!

  Ian Crowson

Ian is an Electrical Engineering Manager and Senior Leader for CDD Automation Solutions Ltd delivering control systems mainly in the food and drink industry.

With financial accountability for large project budgets, he is responsible for leading teams of multidisciplined engineers, managing production in an electrical workshop and developing customised and complex solutions to automate food production processes, whilst ensuring compliance with all customer and external regulatory standards.

With the backing of the board, Ian is responsible for developing and implementing strategic change initiatives within the business. Since opening a new workshop production facility, his focus is on reducing costs and increasing efficiency on the electrical side of the business. This is being achieved through employee development and the implementation of modern design and production practices. The success of the initiative is measured through increased profitability and employee engagement as Ian recognises the importance and challenge of embedding such change in the underlying culture of the business.

Living in Lincolnshire with three young children, Ian understands the instrumental role schools play in a child's development, shaping their personality and equipping them with the skills they need for the future. Sharing his industry experience Ian wants to support ensuring best outcomes for all children.

 Alex Barrett

Alex holds the position of Head of IT and Data at a large local Independent school, where he is also a member of the Senior Leadership team. With 17 years of experience in the IT industry across various roles and sectors, Alex has developed a wealth of expertise. As the Head of IT and Data, he oversees the strategic direction and management of the IT Services department. This includes responsibilities such as IT support, data compliance, network infrastructure, cybersecurity, IT equipment acquisition, and educational technology.

Alex is a strong believer in the use of technology in education, how it can significantly enhance the learning experience, making it an essential skillset for students in this digital age.

Additionally, he is passionate about giving back to the community and ensuring that every child has access to a quality education, providing them with equal opportunities to thrive. 

 Elaine Crane

Elaine is the Director of Education at Soke Education Trust (SET), which consists of 6 primary schools based in and around Peterborough. In a career spanning 30 years, she has extensive experience in the education sector, in primary, middle and secondary schools and in a variety of leadership roles. Most recently, Elaine was Deputy Head Teacher and then Interim Head Teacher at Alderman Jacobs School, a 3-form entry primary school in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, where her passion for school improvement as the route to empowering children to lead successful lives, drove school progress for 10 years.

Elaine has an MA in education, her work focusing on organisational support for CPD, curriculum development and policy creation in relation to government ideology: she continues her link with academia through work with Anglia Ruskin University’s Close-to-Research team. In addition to her role within SET, Elaine works as an Implementation Advocate for the East Fenland and Cambridgeshire Evidence Network, a group funded by the Education Endowment Fund, which advises schools in the area about Implementation Planning for school improvement. Elaine’s work in education focuses on developing distributed leadership, enabling teachers’ engagement with research and improving pupil outcomes through collaborative policy development in the areas of teaching and learning, curriculum and assessment.