Our Trustees

 

Hayley Yendell

 

Trustee appointed 18/09/2020

EYFS

 

School Improvement

 

Hayley is currently the Headteacher of a maintained nursery school in Hertfordshire and the co-Headteacher of another nursery school. Prior to embarking on Headship, she spent four years as a teaching and learning Adviser for Herts for Learning (HfL), a provider of school improvement services. In this role she developed a specialist role as lead adviser on the effective use of the Early Years Pupil Premium. She has vast experience of improving educational outcomes for children in the Early years. Hayley has a specific focus within the Early Years and has extensive experience of working with schools in challenging circumstances to improve outcomes.

Claire Kemp

 

Trustee appointed 03/11/2016

Human Resources

Governance

Traveller Support

 

Claire has previously worked in Marketing, taking responsibility for running teams and managing large scale projects. She has had extensive experience with HR and Finance within this role. In her current role within the Local Authority, she ensures access to Education for a vulnerable group; acts as a lead professional for safeguarding; and works in collaboration with the Police, Social Care, Schools and other professionals across the County . Claire has been a Governor for Eleven years and has developed a wide range of expertise in governance in this period. She has been the Chair of Governors at Camps Hill for five years.

Robert Staples

 

CEO

Appointed 03/11/2016

Finance

Premises

 

Robert has been in post as the headteacher of Fairlands since April 2007 and CEO of The Claxton Trust since April 2017. During this time, he has led transformational change, building the school from a two-form entry ‘school causing concern’ to a three-form entry school achieving a ‘good’ at the last inspection in September 2021. He is committed to ensuring all children in Stevenage achieve the best outcomes in relation their starting points, regardless of social or economic barriers. Robert has considerable expertise in relation to school finance, having the role as accounting officer within the trust. He is the vice chair of Hertfordshire’s Primary Heads Forum and has made a significant contribution to collaborative working across the broader family of Hertfordshire schools, working closely with the local authority & county council on a wide range of task and finish groups; working parties and reference groups. He is currently a member of an interim executive board of another local primary school.

Emma Flawn

 

Vice CEO

Appointed 03/11/2016

School Improvement

HR /Personnel

 

With over thirteen years' experience as a headteacher, Emma Flawn serves as Co-CEO of the Claxton Trust, a primary Multi Academy Trust located in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. She holds the position of Chair of the Management Committee for the Nexus Federation, a board member of the Primary Inclusive Multi Academy Trust in Watford, and is a Parent elected Trustee at Presdales Academy in Ware. Being a member of the local DSPL, Chair of the Primary Stevenage Headteachers Consortium and Behaviour steering board, she's passionate about inclusivity for everyone and lends her expertise as a behaviour consultant within local schools. Her current Primary school, is of which she is Headteacher, is a DSPL Behaviour ‘Hub’ in the community. Emma’s past achievements have been as a senior leader in Wandsworth and Merton in Outstanding Primary and Specialist provisions and as a school improvement advisor in Merton. Continuing her love of learning, she has most recently completed her DFE National Professional Qualification Executive Leadership (NPQEL) and Level 5 in Coaching and Mentoring from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Geraldine Louch

 

Trustee

appointed 03/11/2016

School Improvement

 

Geraldine has been involved in education for over fifty years, since she qualified as a teacher in 1970.She has taught in a number of schools, been a deputy headteacher and a headteacher in that time. Later she joined the Hertfordshire Advisory Service, working in Schools Causing Concern. These schools faced a number of challenges and it was a privilege to work alongside staff and governors to resolve the issues they faced. Geraldine has been a trustee of the Claxton Trust since its inception and enjoys working with senior managers and other trustees to ensure the children receive a positive educational experience.

Claire Peacock

Trustee appointed

01/09/2020

Finance

Risk Management

 

Claire is a Senior Risk Manager at Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) with her primary role supporting change in the Community Bank branch network. Claire has worked for LBG since 2003 and has a track record for supporting large scale change including organisational redesign, technology deployments and role evolution. Claire achieved a 1st class honours degree in Business Management and uses this knowledge along with her work experience to support the schools in their strategic decision making. Claire joined the local governing body at Fairlands Primary school in May 2017 and is the Chair of Governors at Fairlands.

Reza Shamtally

Trustee appointed

23/09/2022

Business

Communications

 

Reza is the Managing Director of Strada Care Ltd - a Social Care Provider based in Surrey specialising in Supported Living of Vulnerable Adults including people with Learning Disabilities, Autism, and Mental Health Conditions. He is also director at the property arm of this business with Havenmore Housing which provides housing in the community for this client group, with various properties in Surrey and Sutton. He is working with initiatives within the sector to innovate the sector and improve the wellbeing and prospects for this client group and also build greater recognition of the important role of care and support staff in the sector. He is also collaborating with local colleges to provide opportunities for learning and employment for Health and Social Care students, and also expanding on the existing horticulture course being delivered at one of the sites to include new courses in the future. Reza has a background in social care and also design and marketing to various SMEs in various sectors and a good knowledge of IT solutions for SMEs. As a parent, Reza is keen to give back to the community and use his business knowledge to improve outcomes for all children. There is also common ground between the worlds of social care and education, and he hopes to share knowledge and ideas accordingly.

Sal Mustafa

Trustee appointed

08/12/2023

Finance

Compliance

 

Sall is a HM Government accredited risk management professional and holds a certificate in enterprise risk management from the Institute of Risk Management from 2018/19. He graduated from the University of Bradford Department for Peace Studies with a 2:1 BA Hons degree in International Relations & Security Studies in 2008. He currently works for HMRC within the Solicitors Office & Legal Services Department, and is also responsible for the embedding and evaluation of the departments internal control framework covering line of defence two and three assurance, risk management, counter-internal fraud, corruption and bribery, process management, control management, corporate governance and security and information management. He is also responsible for the department complying with Cabinet Office’s Functional Standards, covering HR, Internal Audit, Finance, IT and Project Management to name a few. Sal has a significant role across Whitehall and Government providing advice and expertise on business continuity and crisis management at Bronze Command level. Prior to joining the Civil Service in November 2016 as the Risk & Assurance Manager for the Crown Prosecution Service, Sal worked in the Financial Services Industry in varying roles covering business and process transformation, operational and credit risk, regulatory compliance on mortgages, credit cards, data protection and complaints, corporate governance at Board/Executive level and quality assurance and continuous improvement across different banks, asset management companies and private equity firms spanning eight years. He has been part of the local governing body for Fairlands Primary School since May 2020.

 

Trustees whose term has ended in the past 12 months:

Gordon Rumsey - Term ended on 08/09/2023