The Trustees
As the accountable body for the Trust, the role of the Board of Directors (or Trustees) is to:
- Ensure clarity of vision and ethos
- Determine the Trust’s strategic priorities
- Hold the executive to account for the educational performance of the schools (including the staff) and their pupils
- Oversee the financial performance of the Trust and ensure its money is well spent
- Allocate the school budgets
- Agree curriculum statements for the Trust and each school as necessary
- Agree Trust-wide policies in line with its values and vision
- Be responsible for child safeguarding across the Trust
- Appoint the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher for each of its schools
- Review the performance and pay of the CEO, Executive Headteacher (EHT), Headteachers and Heads of each school
- Approve the Trust's pay policy
The full Board of Directors (Trustees) meets four times a year, including twice with the Members. It has two main committees composed of Trustees, which also meet four times a year and report to the main Board:
- Finance and Audit Committee
- Curriculum and Resources Committee
- Additional Committees held less frequently are:
- Scrutiny Committee
- Pay Committee
Mary Higgins
Trustee and Member
Mary Higgins has been part of Create’s governance as a Member and Trustee since its designation in 2016. She had over twenty years’ professional experience as a school improvement adviser and senior officer for Schools HR in Birmingham Local Authority with a specialism in employee relations, recruitment, workforce reform, appraisal and performance related pay. She worked with West Midlands authorities on succession planning for school leadership.
Mary has been active in school governance over many years and with different types of schools – primary/secondary/special and academies/mainstream including as Chair of Governors. She is the only Trustee who is also a Member and so she plays an important role in bridging the two levels of governance.
As Trustee she is a member of the Curriculum and Resources Committee and the Scrutiny Committee. She leads the appraisal of the CEO with the support of an External Adviser and is the Board’s safeguarding lead.
Sangeeta Walia
Sangeeta Walia joined Create in September 2024, bringing a broad range of experience spanning finance, commercial strategy and operational leadership. Sangeeta's career is marked by a blend of expertise ranging from financial management and corporate governance to construction and project management.
Sangeeta's ability to bridge different sectors, particularly in creating partnerships between the NHS and the private sectors, underscores her versatility and strategic judgement.
Her qualifications include a Mathematics degree from Cardiff University, she is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and has a PRINCE2 project management certification and is currently a Commercial Director at University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.