Spa Education Trust
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Holly McAlpine
Chair of Trustees
Holly joined the Spa Trust in 2018 as a Co-opted Trustee. Holly is a Head of HR who has a particular interest in diversity and inclusion, particularly in the tech industry. Holly holds a Masters in Human Resource Management and postgraduate qualifications in both Management and Employment Law, and is a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute and the CIPD. Holly is a volunteer facilitator with Diversity Role Models, a charity committed to ending homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying in schools, and is also a volunteer mentor with CIPD Steps Ahead, working with young jobseekers to improve their confidence and employability.
David May
Vice Chair
David became a Trustee of Spa Education Trust in July 2023 and is Chair of Governors at Spa School Bermondsey. He is a chartered accountant and has built his career around understanding systems, reducing risk, and helping organisations work better. He currently works in internal audit for a global asset manager. He is passionate about education and brings his professional skills to support strong governance across the Trust. He previously volunteered as a mentor with The Kids Network and is committed to helping every child fulfil their potential.
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Joseph Wood
Member
Joseph became a Member of the Trust as part of the Spa School Conversion. Joseph had previously been a Governor at Spa School and at an Academy Trust in the London Borough of Bexley. In his professional capacity as a Lead Associate at the Financial Conduct Authority, and prior experience in auditing and investigations, Joseph is well positioned to perform the oversight role that is expected of members.
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Steph Lea - Executive Headteacher
Trustee
Steph has worked in special needs education for more than 25 years and has extensive leadership experience. Steph was the Headteacher at Spa Camberwell which she opened in September 2020. She was the Deputy Headteacher at Spa Bermondsey from 2011 to 2018 and the Deputy Head at the Bethlem and Maudsley Hospital School before that. She previously worked as a link advisor for the General Teaching Council, as an Inclusion Manager in a Lambeth community primary school and as a learning support leader at The United Nations International School. Steph has Bachelor of Education degree in Primary Teaching, the National Professional Qualification for Headship and an MA degree in the Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs.
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Rachel Landau
Member
Rachel is a lawyer currently working at the Department for Education. Rachel has significant expertise in educational matters and was a member of the governing body at Spa School for several years before the creation of the Trust.
Bridget Gilchrist
Member
Bridget has been a parent governor for over 15 years at 3 different schools in 2 London local authorities. These include both mainstream and special schools. Bridget has 3 children, 2 of whom have a diagnosis of autism. In 2012 Bridget received her MEd in Special Education (Autism) from Birmingham University. Since 2005 Bridget has worked at a community primary school in Southwark as Assistant Inclusion Manager and Autism lead. She is very proud to be Chair of the newly formed Spa Education Trust and is excited to be able to work alongside the outstanding leadership team at Spa, to make the school a happy experience for young people with autism and to provide support for their families and carers. Bridget was the Chair of Governors at Spa School for several years before the creation of the Trust in 2018.
Lynsey McAlpine
Member
Lynsey joined as Member of the Trust in 2023. She brings a wealth of experience from her professional role as a psychiatrist in the NHS, her work in the higher education sector, and her prior role as a co-opted governor for a maintained school. She has a particular interest in parental mental health and early years mental health, supporting the wellbeing of young people and their families so that they can thrive.
Krys McInnis
Trustee
Krys McInnis MBA is an educator with extensive experience in both the public and private sector. Having been a member before the creation of the Trust, Krys has brought with him his previous HR and Legal expertise to the governing board. As an ex-Chair of Governors, as well as various other board positions, Krys brings with him a wealth of experience in governance, compliance and policy which he extends further as the inaugural Chair of Governor for Spa Camberwell.
Nicola Beaumont
Trustee
Nicola Beaumont is a Business Consultant with extensive experience of guiding organisations and teams through programmes of change from strategy to design and implementation. Nicola brings experience from across the private sector, working with leadership teams to work collaboratively through effective governance. Nicola has a BSc in Economics, a MSC in Organisational Psychology and is passionate about the power of education.
Soulaf Rizki
Trustee
Soulaf has a son in KS1 at Spa Camberwell. She is looking forward to supporting other families and the school in her role as Trustee for Spa Education Trust.
Tom Bryan
Trustee
Tom became a trustee of Spa Education Trust in February 2024. He is a trainee auditor working towards his Chartered Accountancy qualification (ACA). Tom holds a Master's Degree in Chemistry from the University of Oxford, where he was involved in outreach and access work. Tom is looking forward to supporting the trust in its goal of providing excellent SEND provision.
Dilnaz Khambata
Trustee
Dilnaz is an experienced professional in policy, strategy, and public sector transformation, with expertise in governance and programme management. She currently works as a Policy and Transformation Consultant, leading the roll-out of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards at DESNZ. She has previously worked on projects reducing GB-EU export border issues at Defra and established a legal hub to draft secondary legislation at the Government Legal Department. Dilnaz holds an MBA focused on Integrated Children Services and an MA in International Affairs researching the Online Safety Bill. With over 10 years of governance experience, she supports the Spa Education Trust Board in strategic oversight and delivering positive outcomes for young people.
Spa Education Trust
