Aspire Board
The Aspire Board of Trustees is responsible for the same three core governance functions performed by the governing body in a maintained school: setting the direction, holding trust leaders to account and ensuring financial probity. As trustees of a charitable company, they also ensure that the trust complies with charity and company law requirements.
In summary, trustees are required to -
- set strategic vision, oversight and policies
- ensure effective governance and decision making
- set targets for the Chief Executive Officer
- oversee standards and educational outcomes
- review academy performance and budgets
Penny Shilston
Chair of Trust Board
Foundation Trustee
Appointed 2nd February 2021
Penny is a retired primary school headteacher. For 18 years she worked in three very different primary schools in Cornwall - Constantine, Porthleven, and most recently at Archbishop Benson Church of England School in Truro, which became the first church school academy in the county in 2011.
On retirement, she took on the role of Vice-Chair of the Diocesan Board of Education.
During her 39-year teaching career, she developed a passion for special education and early years education. She was involved in multi-agency working and developing Children Centres both within the county and nationally, as well as partnership working with colleagues.
As a School Improvement Partner and a Local Leader of Education, she supported a number of schools throughout the county.
On a personal note, she believes that all children and young people in Cornwall are a part of the Diocese of Truro and should be given the opportunity to eagerly learn, develop their own skills, make progress and have memorable experiences within a high-quality dynamic curriculum.
She is an active grandparent to four young grandchildren educated and growing up in Cornwall.
The chair can be contacted c/o Aspire Academy Trust, Unit 20, St Austell Business Park, St Austell PL25 4FD.
Michael Larsen
Member-appointed Trustee
Vice-Chair of Trust Board
Chair of Finance, Audit & Remuneration Committee
Appointed 16th December 2019
Michael Larsen is a recently-retired partner/shareholder at Harbert Management Corp, a privately-owned investment firm. During his 40+ year career in finance he has held a variety of senior management roles in Europe and the Middle East including 20 years with Citigroup/Citibank, joining Harbert's London office in 2004. A native of Los Angeles, California, Michael received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Boston University and is registered with the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Michael is a Freeman of the City of London and Immediate Past Master of the Worshipful Company of World Traders. He is also a trustee at the Newlyn FISH trust, where he serves as Treasurer. Until July 2022 Michael was also an Appointed Member of the South-West England Advisory Board (HTB), a position he held for 5 1/2 years. In addition he is a member of the Board of Directors of a U.S.-based charity. Michael and his wife Corinne reside in Newlyn, West Penwith.
David Barton
Member-appointed Trustee
Appointed 1st October 2020
David is a self-employed education consultant having retired in 2016 after fourteen years as a secondary school headteacher in Cornwall. After completing a music degree, he trained as a music and PE teacher and spent 35 years teaching in secondary schools across England, twenty-five of them as a senior leader. The majority of his consultancy work is with secondary schools, and he is currently the Executive Officer for Cornwall Association of Secondary Headteachers (CASH). David supports school leaders in their day to day work, organising conferences and representing them in many different forums both locally and nationally. In addition to his work with schools, David works closely with health providers across the county; he has a particular interest in Inter-Professional Collaboration and is committed to all agencies and schools working together with local communities to improve children's lives.
In addition to being a member of the Trust Board with Aspire, David is a Hub Councillor at St Breock Primary School and is Vice-Chair of Trustees at his local secondary academy in Wadebridge. He is also a Director and Trustee of Kernow Education Arts Partnership (KEAP).
Dan Chapman
Co-opted Trustee
Appointed 11th December 2023
Dan was born and raised in Cornwall and is currently a Vice Principal in the largest secondary school in Cornwall. He has been teaching for over 13 years and has a significant amount of experience in school leadership and is passionate about ensuring the very best educational opportunities are available for Cornish children.
Dan studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge and specialised in Geophysics; his dissertation was on outer-rise earthquakes which occur as a result of stresses within tectonic plates due to subduction. He also spent 6 weeks carrying out detailed geological mapping of an area of Los Tres Picos National Park in northern Spain.
While his love of all things physics is obvious to all (for example, he has facilitated numerous school trips to CERN, the home of the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva), he is also a qualified Moorland Leader and takes an active role in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme.
Anna Corbett
Foundation Trustee
Appointed 9th February 2021
Anna has a background in education and not-for-profit organisations. Having taught for a number of years, Anna became involved in grant-awarding for organisations including Grassroots Funding, Comic Relief, Sport Relief and a variety Cornwall-based social funds. Alongside this, Anna is currently a Partner in Tor Mark Publishing, with responsibility for editorial and product development. As a governor of three Cornish schools, two with Aspire and one in the independent sector, she has particular experience in financial turnarounds involving restructuring and rationalisation. Anna is a member of the Diocesan Board of Education, Cornwall Council’s SACRE and the Cornwall Community Foundation. She is particularly interested in pupil progress, the use of data to facilitate school improvement and safeguarding children and young adults. On a personal note, Anna is an enthusiastic supporter of dance involving young people and is Chair of the Board of Trustees for Duchy Ballet.
Sophie Eddy
Co-opted Trustee
Appointed 18th November 2022
Mark Jacques
Co-opted Trustee
Appointed 15th October 2025
Mark brings over four decades of experience across the education and retail management sectors, offering a wealth of operational insight and leadership expertise. After a long and fulfilling career, he relocated to Cornwall in 2022, following a role in education that deeply inspired him. This passion led him to re-enter the sector, taking on the position of Estates Manager at a Multi Academy Trust.
During his two and a half years at the Trust, Mark worked alongside dedicated colleagues and a strong team to deliver meaningful improvements to the learning environments across the schools. His efforts have contributed to enhancing the educational experiences and outcomes for students, reflecting his commitment to creating spaces where young people can thrive.
In January 2026, Mark will begin a new chapter as Head of Estates at Cornwall College. He is enthusiastic about the opportunity to continue driving positive change, ensuring that students have access to safe, inspiring, and well-maintained environments that support their development into confident and capable adults.
Mark is passionate about using the skills and knowledge he has gained throughout his career to support Aspire Academy Trust. His focus is on delivering high-quality learning environments that enable every student to reach their full potential.
Rebecca Stott
Co-opted Trustee
Appointed 13th February 2025
Rebecca is the Director of Education at Twinkl Educational Publishing. A qualified secondary headteacher with an MA-Ed in SEND & Digital Learning, she has worked in education for over 16 years in various roles, including Trust Teaching Excellence Lead (EYFS-KS4), Assistant Headteacher (Secondary), and Whole School Literacy Lead (KS3-KS5). Her expertise spans teacher training, academic assessment and curriculum innovation, with a proven track record in creating impactful learning experiences, particularly for the most disadvantaged.
A passionate advocate for the transformational power of literacy and EdTech, Rebecca leads the high-performing teams that deliver innovative, inclusive curriculum resources, professional development and EdTech solutions to over 6 million educators worldwide. She also regularly contributes to national conversations in education.
Beyond education, Rebecca ranks third in the UK for bodysurfing and is a volunteer surf life-saving coach.
Dr Barbara Vann
Co-opted Trustee
Appointed 18th February 2025
After 23 years as a Headteacher of two secondary schools, Dr Vann was Chair of Cornwall NHS Partnership Foundation Trust between 2015 and 2020. Barbara holds MA and PhD degrees. She was Chair of the National Council of the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society and an Executive of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Management (CCEAM).
A Governor of Truro and Penwith College for 16 years, Dr Vann has chaired the Cornwall Association of Secondary Headteachers, the Cornwall School Centred Initial Teacher Training steering committee, and the Schools’ Forum. She has been a Trustee of the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth and the Hall for Cornwall. Currently Dr Vann is a Trustee and Chair of the Duchy Health Charity.
Professionally, Dr Vann has focussed upon the establishment of strong collaborative and continuing links between schools. Her interest in the link between Health and Education led to the establishment of School Based Integrated Health Centres on six secondary school sites across Cornwall as well as reviews of curriculum and styles of teaching and learning that support health and wellbeing.
Dr Vann has three sons and seven grandchildren. She has a long held passion to help children and young people to be informed decision-makers and change agents. She became a Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall in 2010.
Victoria Edwards
Company Secretary/Governance Professional
Victoria manages the company secretarial duties, ensuring the trust complies to all of its legal and constitutional company and charity regulations at all times, including those stipulated by the DFE, statutory frameowrks and within the articles of association and funding agreements.
As Governance Professional Victoria is responsible for best practice in governance frameworks, risk management, and compliance ensuring the board and its committees are expertly advised and the organisation is operating within the law.
Kirstie MacLachlan
Governance Officer & Clerk to Trust Board & Committees
Kirstie works with the trust board and its committees supporting with governance and administrative support. Kirstie supports with enusring all parties perform their roles in accordance with all constitutional frameworks and statutory requirements.
Previous Trustees (within previous 12 months)
| Name | Date |
| Brian Richards | 8th November 2024 |