Members

• Mark Mitchell
  Member
  Mark Mitchell

• Barry Hicks
  Member
  Barry Hicks

  Qualifications:

  Graduated 1972 Bsc Hons (external London) Sociology

  Current employment where relevant:

  Retired.

  Professional experience including organisations you have played a part in

  Taught in Secondary education 1972 to 1987 taking 1973/74 to complete

  PGCE (Lancaster University) at Edge Hill for secondary and FE.

  In 1987 promoted to senior management position to the newly created

  St. Vincent College in Gosport where subsequently promote to Vice Principal.

  1998 became Principal of Regent College in Leicester.

  In 2002 took up position of Principal of Itchen College, Southampton

  until retirement in 2016.

  During this time Barry was Chair of the Association of South East Colleges.

  Barry was also active in the development and growth of the Itchen International School.

• Maria Dawes
  Member
  Maria Dawes

  Maria is passionate about education and how the collective power of partnership working in education can be the catalyst to deliver educational excellence and great outcomes for all children and young people.

  Her career in education started as a maths teacher in East Sussex and she has held a wide range of senior educational leadership positions in schools, university and other organisations including as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors for Schools and as Deputy Regional Schools Commissioner in the South-East.

• Adrian Neal
  Member
  Adrian Neal

  I am an experienced Chartered Surveyor having spent over 35 years in private practice. Latterly employed by an international consultancy. I specialise in property management primarily dealing with rural and heritage properties for a wide range of clients from landowning charities, institutional landowners, and private clients. I live near Winchester and have previously been a Governor of a primary school in Southampton with a significant SEND provision. I am currently a Governor of the Sparsholt College Group which caters for Further, Higher and Adult Education courses with campuses near Winchester and in Andover. I am also a Trustee of a well-known Hampshire tourist attraction and a Trustee of a property investment charity.

• Carolyn Robson
  Member
  Carolyn Robson

  Carolyn was in post until August 2022 as the founder CEO of TMET, The Mead Educational Trust, a growing -phase MAT with 13 schools including 2 secondary Free Schools. She graduated from Durham University and subsequently achieved a PGCE and M.Ed. from The University of Leicester. She is also an experienced accredited Executive Coach, trained at Henley Business School.

  A longstanding National Leader of Education, Carolyn has over 35 years teaching experience in Leicestershire and Leicester City schools. Carolyn was Executive Principal at Rushey Mead Academy, which achieved an Ofsted rating of ‘Outstanding’ three times. The academy also featured in Ofsted’s publication of ‘Twelve Outstanding Secondary Schools – Excelling against the Odds’. Rushey Mead was a Cohort 1 Teaching School and currently hosts a Teaching Schools Hub. Carolyn also set up and directed a highly successful secondary SCITT for many years and this has developed into a successful accredited provider of both primary and secondary ITT from 2024 onwards.

  arolyn served for 3 years on the Teaching Schools Council, 2 as Vice Chair. She was also a founder member of Challenge Partners. She sat on the British Council Educational Advisory Group for 8 years and was also on the National STEM Centre Advisory Board. She previously chaired a DFE Expert Subject Group in D and T and was actively involved in MFL research and curriculum development. She also spent 4 years as a member of the NCTL Professional Conduct panels. Carolyn’s extensive school improvement experience was recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list, 2013, when she was awarded a CBE.