NLGs 

National Leaders of Governance (NLG) are highly experienced individuals who give their knowledge, skills and enthusiasm to schools. They are designated by the Department for Education. NLGs are recruited using stringent criteria, and there currently are about 480 nationally. Every NLG is a governor or trustee and are often Chairs themselves.

Annette Beckwith

Based in North Yorkshire, with over twenty years experience as a governor both in secondary and primary settings, working in Local Authority controlled schools and within a Multi Academy Trust. I became a National Leader of Governance in January 2014, and have successfully completed the External Review of Governance. I supported twelve schools in the first four years across a number of Local Authorities, all with individual challenges.

My role as an NLG is complimentary to my skills and experience of running a successful engineering business alongside my husband for the past thirty years. I can provide strong mentoring and encouragement to ensure the right people develop quickly whilst having the necessary and difficult conversations with others. I believe that confident governance is structured strategic meetings with accurate information and timely agenda items. This ensures governors not only understand their role but are well informed in regard to the strengths, areas of development and priorities, enabling them to support the school whilst strongly challenging the leadership in raising standards.

David Earnshaw

David is currently Chair of the Board of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, a multi-academy trust which runs sixteen academies in the North of England and the East Midlands. He has extensive experience in the education sector at both secondary school and local authority levels, and was head teacher of a state secondary school before entering into private-sector business. He has been a school governor for many years, mainly in the state sector, but also with some independent sector commitment. Additionally, he was a non-executive director of a local Training and Enterprise Council (fore-runner of the Local Enterprise Partnership).

In the private sector, David was an executive Board Director of two technology companies (one mid-sized, the other a larger enterprise), non- executive chairman of a mid-sized creative design and marketing company, and managing director of a small business management company.

David was awarded a CBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours’ list.

Sue Blayney

Sue is the Managing Director and one of the founding Directors of a very successful engineering company in Scunthorpe. She has been involved in school governance for the last 14 years and is determined to use her influence to ensure schools support the regeneration of communities through raising expectations and outcomes for young people and their families.

Sue has experience in business includes strategic management, quality assurance (ISO registered), staff management (HR, training, appraisal, health & safety, etc.), marketing and managing accounts. She become a Director on the OGAT board in 2014 and is also Chair of joint academy council at Foxhills and Brumby.

Sue has 12 years of experience in governance at Secondary level. Completed ‘Chair of Governors’ training through National College in 2014, is a member of North Lincolnshire Inclusion Partnership and also carried out peer reviews on several North Lincolnshire secondary schools.

Ralph Pickles

Ralph retired after a career in the chemical, bioscience and food industries, living in Europe, Singapore and America, and culminating in managing facilities in 26 countries as President of a NYSE listed business.

He now chairs two emerging businesses in med-tech; a sporting charity; and is a member of a Prince’s Trust Committee. Ralph also sits on the OGAT Board; chairs Acklam and Bishopsgarth and recently joined Easingwold’s Academy Council. Educated in engineering at Cambridge, he was the first person in his family to go to University and is keen to help others succeed. His main hobby is rowing, competing regularly.

Sue Silk

Sue has worked in education all of her professional life having qualified as a primary school teacher in 1974. Her varied career has involved working across the sector in primary school, secondary special school, further education at Wakefield and Dewsbury Colleges and in the voluntary sector with the Pre-school Learning Alliance. She has been a teacher, middle manager and senior manager at different times during her working life. Latterly, prior to retirement, she worked as an independent consultant helping to develop language, literacy and numeracy skills within further education and work-based learning as part of DfE funded programmes. She also supported a local F.E. college to improve its provision for students with learning difficulties/disabilities following a special measures judgement. She led a national project for the Basic Skills Agency for three years to develop language, literacy and numeracy skills within vocational learning.

Sue has been a primary school governor since September 2010 and chair since September 2011. Shortly after assuming the role of chair, the school had an OfSTED inspection and was placed in special measures. At re-inspection in September 2014 the school was judged to be outstanding. The school had passed out of local authority control and become an academy as part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust in April 2013. She has experience of working both as a local authority governor and within a local academy trust structure. This experience of leading a governing body during a period of intense and sustained improvement has been invaluable in being able to support others who need to develop effective governance in their schools.

She became an NLG in 2016. Since then she has supported two primary schools to establish academy councils and provided support as required to new chairs. She has completed the external review of governance training and undertaken an external review of governance in a junior school following a judgement of special measures. She contributes to the development of local governance within the framework of Outwood Grange Academies Trust so that the skills and abilities of governors are used to the advantage of the academy and the local community.

She ensures that she is thoroughly briefed on developments within the education sector and on primary education in particular. She attends regular training and NLG networking events to update herself on current developments. Sue is committed to improving the educational chances of children and recognise the importance of governance that is both challenging and supportive.