Governance

Saddleworth School is part of the Cranmer Education Trust. The Trust Board has decided to appoint an Interim Executive Board (IEB) at governance level to support and challenge school leadership. This will take effect from Monday, 16^th March and will last for probably 18 months. An IEB is put in place when a school needs to make rapid improvement. An IEB is entirely appointed by the Trust Board, meets more frequently and reports directly to the Trust Board.

Mrs Patsy Kane, OBE, will chair the IEB.

Mrs Kane has 30 years’ senior leadership experience, including as Headteacher of Whalley Range High School and Executive Headteacher and CEO of the Education and Leadership Trust in Manchester. She has been a trustee for the Co-Op Academies Group and of The Diana Award, before joining the Board of Trustees at The Cranmer Education Trust. She knows Oldham well having worked part-time for the DfE for 2 years in the borough. Her commitment to young people and a holistic, values-based education is clearly reflected in the chapter she contributed to “Schools for Human Flourishing” (published in 2016) on “Values Matters: Case Study for Human Flourishing”.

The Trust Board thanks the outgoing Local Governing Committee for all their support of the school in the past and for making the important decision to take the school into a trust to secure the best for everyone and the best from everyone.

The Saddleworth Local Committee Members:

Mrs Patsy Kane, OBE

Chair of the Local Governing Committee

Mrs Kane has 30 years’ senior leadership experience, including as Headteacher of Whalley Range High School and Executive Headteacher and CEO of the Education and Leadership Trust in Manchester

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She has been a trustee for the Co-Op Academies Group and of The Diana Award, before joining the Board of Trustees at The Cranmer Education Trust.

She knows Oldham well, having worked part-time for the DfE for 2 years in the borough. Her commitment to young people and a holistic, values based education is clearly reflected in the chapter she contributed to “Schools for Human Flourishing” (published in 2016) on “Values Matters: Case Study for Human Flourishing”.

Lizzie Anoliefo

Holds a Master’s Degree in Education, Gender and International Development from University College London (2022). Has worked for the Department for Education for 8 years. Experienced in supporting and challenging Multi-Academy Trusts particularly with driving up standards and developing school improvement strategies, central team and trust growth, ensuring governance compliance and effectiveness, as well as setting up new Multi-Academy-Trusts to dissolving them where the need arises.

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Experienced in leading DfE programmes such as the Priority Education Investment Areas, Free School Programme overseeing the delivery of new schools and most recently working on supporting delivery partners to deliver the government’s opportunity mission for ensuring all children have the Best Start in Life and are able to achieve and thrive.

 Previous work experience includes working with the Foreign Commonwealth Office (on UK immigration) in Nigeria, and as an employability coach in The Department for Works and Pension. Lizzie also holds a BA (hons) degree in Advertising and Marketing from Lancaster University (2012).

Outside work, Lizzie is a school governor at her local secondary school and is active in her local church community. She is passionate about increasing the life chances of young people in the community with a keen focus on girl’s education and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

John Rosedale

John is a retired member of the Anglican Clergy and has a deep commitment to community involvement and the wellbeing of young people in school.

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Prior to ordination John served as a Telecommunications Engineer, for 21 years, in the Royal Air Force followed by employment in Derbyshire Social Services working with Adults with Learning Disabilities. He trained for ordination in the Church of England and moved to Saddleworth in 2010 as the Saddleworth Team Vicar. In 2022, on retirement, he and his wife moved from the vicarage in Delph to Diggle.

Over the years John has been a governor in 4 primary schools, recently serving for 1 year as the chairperson at Mayfield Primary School, and has been a Trustee on the Cranmer Education Trust Board for 7 years. John has continued to be a volunteer in the school supporting children in mathematics.

Committed to his local community John is a member of the ‘Diggle Gardeners’ caring for a number of flower beds in his village and works alongside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal as a volunteer with the Canal and River Trust.

A member of the St Thomas Church, Delph, John is the Chair of the Saddleworth Street Pastors which seeks to keep people safe during the late evenings at weekends in Uppermill, he is the treasurer of the interdenominational Churches Together in Saddleworth group and is an active member of the Royal British Legion Annual Poppy Appeal.

John is motivated by a strong sense of service and responsibility and is keen to see our Trust  succeed in supporting our schools in the development and prosperity of our young people.

Andrew Holland

Andrew Holland is an experienced Senior Litigation Counsel and Solicitor Advocate, based in the Manchester area. For the educational community and parents of Saddleworth School, his dual role as a school governor brings a unique blend of high-level legal expertise and a commitment to community-focused leadership. 

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Andrew’s professional role involves managing complex litigation, including nuanced areas such as public and administrative law, commercial disputes, human rights, and equality along with a general specialism in health safety law. Andrew’s experience in specialised legal fields directly aligns with the strategic, oversight, and compliance responsibilities of a school governor.
 
Andrew’s legal and strategic background ensures that the school’s leadership remains accountable and focused on high standards of achievement
 
Beyond his legal career, Andrew is first and foremost a parent of three boys. This personal stake in the education system provides a ground-level perspective that complements his professional experience, making him an effective Governor for the Saddleworth community”

Tom Davies

Tom has worked in education for the past 14 years. For the past 5 years he has served as School Business Manager at The Radclyffe School, one of our secondary schools within the trust.

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Tom has a strong focus on strategic planning, organisational efficiency, and sustainable school improvement. Working within the education sector, Tom plays a key role in aligning operational systems, staffing structures, and financial planning with whole-school priorities to ensure schools can deliver high-quality outcomes for students while remaining financially resilient. His approach focuses on ensuring that operational decisions support teaching and learning while maintaining long-term sustainability.

Tom grew up in Oldham and attended Saddleworth School. Having experienced the school first-hand, he is particularly motivated to contribute to the continued success of the school and to help ensure it provides strong opportunities and outcomes for current and future students.

Stephen Gabriel

Stephen is a highly experienced education leader with over 18 years of senior leadership experience and a strong track record of leading school improvement in complex and diverse communities. He has served as Headteacher of St Peter’s RC High School in Manchester for over a decade, where he has led sustained improvements in standards, behaviour and inclusion, securing strong outcomes for pupils

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Stephen has played an active role in supporting the wider education system. He has led a successful School Direct programme as a Lead Partner for teacher training and has been involved in the Maths Hub programme, supporting professional development and subject expertise across schools in the North West.

He brings significant governance and sector leadership experience. Stephen has served on the board of MyHub, chairs ASCL’s national Ethics, Inclusion and Equalities Committee, and sits on ASCL’s Executive Committee. He previously served on the Manchester Safeguarding Strategic Board and is currently a Governor at a sixth form college.

He lives in Manchester with his wife and two children, and in his spare time enjoys watching sport and playing basketball.

Kate Wilson

I am a local resident and the proud parent of a child in Year 7. I am delighted to have been appointed as a parent governor on the IEB. With my own child attending the school, I am deeply invested in its future and committed to supporting its development and success. This school is an exceptional part of the community, and I am passionate about helping it continue to grow and excel.

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My professional background is in secondary education, and I currently serve as a Vice Principal for Inclusion within a Trinity Multi Academy Trust school, as well as Inclusion Lead for the Trinity Trust. Over the years, I have held a range of leadership roles including Head of Modern Languages, Head of Sixth Form and Assistant Principal. I firmly believe that education opens doors for young people and equips them to thrive in society beyond the age of 16. My work as a Governor in an outstanding all-through specialist provision and as a primary school Governor have helped me develop a well rounded perspective. I understand school transition points, the gaps that can emerge, and the support structures that make the biggest difference to children with and without additional needs. 

Outside of my work in education, I enjoy running, travelling and spending quality time with my family and friends. These interests help me stay balanced, energised and connected to the people and experiences that matter most to me.

For further information about governance within the trust, please see the following links:

Collecting and Publishing Local Governing Committee Diversity Data
Diversity is important and we want our trustees and our local governing committees to be increasingly reflective of the communities they serve. The Trust is in the process of working through GovernorHub’s facility to see if it is possible to collate Trustees’ and Local Governing Board members’ information. The return will be voluntarily, and they can opt out of sharing their information, including protected characteristics, at any given time including after publication. To ensure that individuals cannot be identified through the publication of data, anonymous data will only be published in an appropriate format based on the number of optional returns. The current legal advice is that the safest way to protect data subjects and special category data, meeting the UK GDPR standard, would be to publish information that does not amount to ‘personal’ because it is anonymous, and therefore data protection principles do not apply.

The IEB can be contacted through the Trust Governance Professional by email on info@cranmeredt.org and marking your correspondence: SDW Governance Referral.