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Exceptional Education at the Heart of the Community

Exceptional Education at the Heart of the Community

Responsibilities

Oasis Charitable Trust is the sole member of Oasis Community Learning (OCL) and appoints members of the OCL board.

The information on governance included here supplements that described in the Directors’ Report and the Statement of the Directors’ Responsibilities. The Board has met formally four times during the year.  Attendance during the year at Board meetings was as follows:

Name of Director       Attendance during 2024/25 academic year
  Appointed Term Ends Resigned Attended Out of a possible
Caroline Taylor (Chair) 21 Oct 2021 12 Oct 2029   4 4

Andrew Blundell 

11 Nov 2012 

 7 Feb 2029

  

4

4 

Craig Dean 

9 Oct 2014 

 N/A

 18 Jul 2025

3

3

Ann Holt 

13 Sept 2007 

 10 Oct 2027

  

4 

4 

Stan Chan 

24 Mar 2022 

 24 Mar 2026

  

4

4 
Andrew Simmonds 24 April 2009 7 Feb 2029   4 4

Dave Rasmussen 

6 Jan 2020 

 16 Jan 2028

  

4 

4 

Dr Gordon Carver 

16 March 2023 

 16 Mar 2027

 

2

4 

Julian Scholefield  

16 March 2023 

 N/A

31 Dec 2025

4 

4 

Rachel Arthur

17 March 2023 

 17 Mar 2027

 

3

4
Dr Grace Healy 9 May 2024 9 May 2028   4 4
Dr Yvette Hutchinson 9 May 2024 9 May 2028   4 4
Jayne Keller 24 May 2024 24 May 2028   4 4
Christabel Fearson 9 May 2024 N/A 31 Mar 2025 2 2
Rob Allen 3 June 2024 3 June 2028   3 4

The Board has appointed seven sub-committees:

(a) The Audit & Risk Committee (Chair: Andy Simmonds) whose responsibilities cover:

  • Internal controls and risk management
  • Compliance, whistleblowing and fraud
  • Policy review
  • Internal Audit
  • External Audit and statutory financial reporting

(b) A Board Finance Committee (Chair: Stan Chan). Its responsibilities cover:

  • Financial strategy
  • Monitoring and review
  • Budget
  • Treasury
  • Governance & Regulation

(c) The Curriculum & Learning Committee (formerly the Performance Evaluation Committee) (Interim Chair: Jayne Keller) whose responsibilities cover:

  • Evaluation of key indicators, especially educational performance data
  • Assessing progress of the academies over time against National OCL targets
  • Identifying success and urgent priorities for remedial action

(d) The People Committee (Interim Chair: Caroline Taylor), whose responsibilities cover:

  • Organisational culture, ensuring our organisation is fully inclusive and in line with our ethos and 9 Habits
  • Seeking assurance that our policy framework is compliant, speaks into who we are as an organisation and is successfully implemented/monitored.
  • Evaluate KPIs and wellbeing indicators.
  • Succession planning and our CPD offer, ensuring that it meets the current and future needs of Oasis Community Learning.
  • To monitor the relationship and benefits of the work between NIOT and Oasis.
  • To maintain oversight of high-risk people cases

(e) The Remuneration Committee (Interim Chair: Caroline Taylor) whose responsibilities cover:

  • Oversight and maintenance of a cohesive set of appropriate pay scales and terms & conditions for OCL staff.
  • Oversight of the most appropriate way of evaluating pay.
  • Monitoring equal pay in accordance with the Equalities Act 2010.
  • Report to the Board on areas related to pay and reward including policy changes, updates, (legislative and OCL driven) new initiatives and projects.

(f) The Growth Committee (Chair: Caroline Taylor) whose responsibilities cover:

  • Governance oversight to ensure that OCL’s growth strategy furthers the Oasis vision for community and enables OCL to deliver its strategic objectives.
  • To seek assurance that effective risk management and the due diligence process is compliant with DfE/legal frameworks and is successfully implemented/monitored.
  • To maintain oversight of growth, ensuring that it meets the current and future needs of OCL and our commitment to our local communities.
  • To approve free school/convertor/sponsored schools joining OCL in line with the organisational strategy. If a recommendation is not in line with the organisational strategy this should be presented to the full OCL Board

(g) The Complex Projects Committee (Chair: Caroline Taylor) whose responsibilities cover:

  • Programme and Change Management;
  • Cross organizational communication
  • Capacity Management
  • Risk Management

Attendance at Sub Committee meetings

Attendance during 2024/25 academic year
  Attended Out of a possible
Audit & Risk Committee    
Andrew Simmonds (Chair) 4 4
Stan Chan 4 4
Dr Yvette Hutchinson 3 4
Rob Allen 3 1
Curriculum and Learning Committee    
Andrew Blundell (Chair until 06/02/25) 3 4
Ann Holt 4 4
Julian Scholefield (Chair from 06/02/25) 3 4
Dr Yvette Hutchinson 2 4
Craig Dean 4 4
Jayne Keller 4 4
Dr Grace Healy 4 4
Finance Committee    
Stan Chan (Chair) 4 4
Andrew Simmonds 2 4
Dr Grace Healy 3 4
Jayne Keller 3 4
Julian Scholefield 3 4
People and Renumeration Committee    
Caroline Taylor (Chair until 03/12/24) 3 4
Ann Holt 3 4
Andy Blundell 4 4
Craig Dean (Chair from 03/12/24) 4 4
Rob Allen 3 4
Growth Committee    
Caroline Taylor (Chair) 2 2
Andrew Simmonds 2 2
Andrew Blundell 2 2
Craig Dean 2 2
Complex Projects Committee    
Caroline Taylor (Chair) 2 2
Andy Simmonds 2 2
Christabel Fearson (Resigned 31/03/25) 0 1
Stan Chan 3 3

Oasis Community Learning – Business & Pecuniary Interests of Board members

Board Member

Relevant Interest

 Date Interest Began Date Interest Ceased (if applicable)

Andrew Blundell
  • Trustee of Tonbridge Gold (DofE Gold Expedition training and assessment)

 

  • Trustee of the Sheppey Endowment Fund

13/08/2018

 

15/12/2021

12/05/2025

 

15/08/2025
Ann Holt
  • Trustee, Culham St Gabriel Trust (Religious Education Charity)

 

  • Trustee, Oasis Restore (subsidiary of OCT)

01/01/2016

 

16/11/2022

  

Andrew Simmonds
  • Director of Oasis IT Services Ltd (subsidiary of OCL)

17/11/2016

  

Dave Rasmussen
  • Nil
    

Stan Chan
  • Trustee and Director of Better Society Capital

 

  • Trustee of Raileigh International

 

  • Trustee of CBF Church of England Investment Funds

01/12/2022

 

03/12/2015

 

06/11/2017

  

Caroline Taylor
  • Trustee of Oasis Charitable Trust (OCL’s parent company)
 01/01/2011  
Dr Gordon Carver
  • Employee of Empowering Education International Ltd (trading as Etio)

 

  • Director - Arboreum Ltd - Education Consultancy 

 

  • Trustee - Lively Minds 

01/05/2023

 

01/12/2016

 

01/01/2018

 

  
Rachel Arthur
  • Employee, Chief Learning Officer, Raspberry Pi Foundation
 01/07/2024  

Dr Grace Healy
  • Employee, Education Director (Secondary), David Ross Education Trust

 

  • Honorary Research Fellow, University of Oxford

 

  • Honorary Associate Professor, UCL

 

  • Treasurer, Geography Education Research Collective with UK IGU-CGE

 

  • Associate Fellow, UCL Centre of Climate Change and Sustainability Education

 

  • External Examiner, Nottingham Trent University

 

  • Advisory Group, UCL Centre for Teachers and Teaching Research

 

  • Expert Panel, Oak National Academy Subject Expert Group

 

  • Leadership Group, UCL Curriculum Subject Specialist Research Group (CSSRG)

 

  • Associate Editor, The Curriculum Journal

 

  • Editorial Board, London Review of Education

 

  • Editorial Board, Teaching Geography

 

  • Member, BERA's Publications Committee

 

  • Chair, BERA British Curriculum Forum Steering Group

 

  • Co-Editor, International Perspectives on Geographical Education IGU-CGE Book Series

 

  • Member, GA's Geography Education SIG

 

  • Member, GA's Teacher Education Phase Committee

 

  • Secondment, Taskforce Education Lead, DfE Northern Ireland

01/01/2020

 

01/10/2022

 

15 /07/2024

 

01/01/2019

 

 

01/06/2023

 

01/05/2024

 

30/09/2023

 

01/01/2023

 

01/03/2024

 

01/01/2023

 

01/01/2019

 

01/01/2019

 

01/01/2019

 

01/07/2025

 

10/09/2025

 

01/01/2018

 

01/01/2018

 

20/11/2025

  
Yvette Hutchinson
  • Employee, Research Engagement Lead, British Council English and Schools' Education Team 

 

  • Board member, Institute of Equity, University Centre 

 

  • Trustee, Icolyn Smith Foundation (Oxford Community Soup Kitchen)

01/01/2013

 

01/01/2022

 

01/01/2017

  
Jayne Keller
  • Employee Education South West, Director of School Improvement
 01/09/2022  
Rob Allen
  • Employee, Director, Deloitte LLP

 

  • Co-Founder, Scunthorpe Tomorrow 01 01 2023

 

  • Informal partnership, Oasis Hub Henderson Avenue

22/11/2021

 

05/06/2023

  

John Barneby
CEO & Accounting Officer
  • Trustee & Director of School Led Development Trust/National Institute of Teaching

 

  • Governor, Mayhill Primary School

 

  • Co-Chair, National Education Assembly

22/11/2021

 

01/08/2024

 

01/10/2025

  

Craig Dean (resigned 18/07 /2025)
  • Director of Egisly Consulting Ltd

 

  • Coach - National Institute of Teaching

 

  • Trustee of Oldham Community Leisure

 

  • Trustee of The Society for Neurodiversity (S4Nd)

 

  • Director of Oasis IT Services (subsidiary of OCL)

20/02/2020

 

02/06/2024

 

02/05/2022

 

25/09/2024

 

01/10/2021
 

  
Christabel Fearson (resigned 31 03 2025) 
  • Nil
    

Julian Scholefield

(resigned 31 12 2025)
  • Employee, CEO, Esteem Multi-Academy Trust

 

  • Trustee for the National Autistic Society

01/08/2018

 

01/01/2023