Trustees

Jo-Anne Hoarty, Chair of the Trust

I have been Headteacher of St Paul's Catholic School in Milton Keynes since 2016 and prior to this I was Deputy Head of the school. I have been involved in Catholic education since 1997 and I am an active Inspector for the Diocese of Northampton. I represent Milton Keynes Secondary Headteachers on the Inclusion Board. I am also an active member of Milton Keynes Education Partnership.  St Paul's works in partnership with schools across Milton Keynes to provide School Centered Initial Teacher Training and the Early Career Framework for both primary and secondary teachers. I am the Chair of Stephenson (MK) Trust, which is a Multi-Academy Trust in Milton Keynes which includes an SEMH Special Academy and the Academy for Secondary Alternative Provision locally.

 Jim Parker, Vice-Chair

I have been fortunate to have enjoyed a long career in education.  After starting my career teaching in Doncaster I have worked in a range of schools within the Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire area and have been privileged to have worked with many amazing students and colleagues.  My current role is Deputy CEO of Tove Learning Trust, where I work with 15 schools across Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire and the West Midlands.  The Trust comprises mainstream and alternative provision in both the primary and secondary phase and many of our schools experience challenging circumstances.  Prior to this role, I have been a senior leader in schools in a range of positions including Headteacher/Principal and Executive Principal. 

I have been a Trustee at Stephenson MK Trust since 2021 and am determined to do what I can to support students to overcome the barriers to success that they sometimes face.

 
Michael Manley 

Michael was a successful secondary headteacher for over 20 years, leading his school to Outstanding Ofsted and SIAMS judgements and supporting others through his role as an NLE. He has been very active in progressing education agendas within Milton Keynes, but also across the Catholic Diocese of Northampton. He played a key role in the changing of the age of transfer in Milton Keynes, the establishment of the Milton Keynes Behaviour Partnership, the work of the Excellence Cluster, which subsequently became the Education Improvement Partnership and latterly PEP:mk. He has been instrumental in developing partnership working, e.g. developing the facility to train teachers locally which culminated in the formation of The Tommy Flowers SCITT in Milton Keynes, which has an Outstanding Ofsted rating. He is well regarded by his peers and across the education community and his work spans a variety of schools and organisations; school improvement, leadership development, teaching and learning, assessment, data analysis and actions, and timetabling. He is the secretary of Milton Keynes Secondary Headteachers and recently was the Project Manager for Learning 2050 as part of the MK Futures Programme commissioned by Milton Keynes Council. He is also governor in a Catholic primary school in Milton Keynes. Michael played a part in the establishment of Stephenson (MK) Trust and has been both the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Trust as well as a Governor of Stephenson Academy. 

Christopher Sayles

Christopher has been a Trustee and Governor at Stephenson Academy since 2012. He was instrumental in the initial setup and formation of the Academy Trust. Christopher has served as Vice Chair for a number of terms. He wants the Academy to maintain its high standards of education and build on its success year on year. He sees links with the school pupil council, other schools in the Buckinghamshire area and local businesses in Milton Keynes as key to its success.

Christopher champions the ‘inclusive education’ for all. He has taken a number of Committee Chair roles at Stephenson:  Lead Governor for Mental Health and Wellbeing of pupils and staff, Link Governor for Information Technology, so has a vast knowledge and experience of the school and its community.

Christopher has taken a great number of Governor training courses over the last 19 years. From the Governance Leadership Programme to courses right across the full spectrum of schools leadership: Finance and accounting, Safeguarding Link Governor, PREVENT, Establishing and Growing a Multi Academy Trust, Chairing Skills: Getting it Right. He also holds the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing for Schools and Colleges Certificate. 

Christopher has held a number of other governor positions with two other schools in Milton Keynes. He has been a Foundation Governor at St. Paul’s Catholic School from 2006 to 2019. His tenure at St. Paul’s has seen him involved in and Chair various sub-committees. He served as Vice Chair for a number of terms of the Governing Board.  He has held a number of Link Governor positions over the 13 years at St. Paul’s, from Safeguarding, Lead Governor for Mental Health and Wellbeing of pupils and staff at St. Paul’s. 

Christopher is now retired; by profession he was a seasoned senior IT Professional with extensive experience in his field. He consulted in Programme and Project Management, Service Delivery and Client Management for major ‘Blue Chip’ Organisations around the globe, working out of New York, Houston, Oslo, Helsinki, Geneva and Bern to name but a few. With most of his time spent in Information Technology arena, he holds a keen interest in use of Information Technology in the school setting. 

Kevin Scott

I enjoyed nearly 30 years in secondary teaching with two successful periods of headship. I worked entirely in inner city schools and challenging environments. It was enormously fulfilling. I then became a leadership consultant and began to work for Serco in their education division which at that time ran several LEAs, the Ofsted Inspection Service and many leadership contracts throughout the UK. By a series of accidents and good fortune I became a Contract Director and have led, amongst many other things, the national initiative to write, develop and deliver leadership and management training for school business managers, one of the National College's most successful developments.  

I retired from full time work in 2016. Since then, apart from supporting Stephenson Trust, my main activity is athletics coaching with children and young people from 6 to 16 years old. 

Donna Christy

I have had the privilege of serving as the Headteacher of Langland Community School in Netherfield, Milton Keynes, since 2018, after previously holding the role of Deputy Head. Langland became part of the Northampton Primary Academy Trust (NPAT) in 2022, joining a network of 14 primary schools, including those with specialist units.

With a long and fulfilling career in education in Milton Keynes, I have taught and held senior leadership positions in various primary schools across the area.

As someone raised and educated in Milton Keynes, I am deeply committed to fostering both the education and personal growth of young people in our community, with a particular focus on supporting our most vulnerable learners.

Debbie Gockelen

My career in secondary education in Milton Keynes has spanned over 35 years; taking on a range of roles including being a member of senior leadership teams. I believe that nurturing personal development is an essential function of a school, working alongside parents and the wider community.  I have worked to improve the employability and cultural capital of students by engaging and working in partnership with international, national and local companies, cultural organisations and community groups.  Milton Keynes is a vibrant and diverse city: I am keen to ensure that all young people can embrace the opportunities it offers and can find fulfilling roles in the wider world.  Most recently, I lead a Safeguarding Team to support vulnerable young people within a secondary school and to ensure they accessed the provision they needed.

 Sam Gyamfi

Sam is an HR Leader with strong business acumen and has over two decades of professional Human Resources experience. He has worked across various sectors such as global logistics and live entertainment, the legal sector, the charity sector, the not-for-profit sector (membership and regulatory organisations), and public sector organisations. As HR Director, EMEA & APAC, Sam provides counsel and support to his stakeholders to help them shape and achieve their strategic and operational objectives while mitigating risk and embedding a robust organisational culture and employee experience. 

Sam transcends conventional management practices to generate immediate and long-term results and transforms traditional HR departments into value-adding business partners contributing to bottom-line organisational success. He is passionate about building strategies and initiatives to solve business and people challenges. Sam has demonstrated success in working across businesses at all levels, developing trust, credibility, and effective partnerships with business leaders.

Sam’s mantra is - to create an ecosystem where every individual feels valued, heard and empowered to unleash their full potential.

Sam holds a BA in Business Studies (Majoring in HRM) at London Metropolitan University and an MSc in Human Resources Management from the Birkbeck, University of London. When Sam isn’t working solving people challenges and partnering with business leaders, he embraces the beauty of family life, while also actively engaging with his passion and hobby as a session drummer for a jazz fusion band.

Trust Board Attendance 2024-2025

trustees 2024 25 attendance for website.pdf

 Declarations on Interest 2025-2026

trust board declarations of interest 2025 26.pdf