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About Us

Governors for Schools is a national charity, that finds, places, and supports skilled volunteers as governors and trustees on school and academy boards. Our Trustee Recruitment Service supports volunteers to become trustees in single and multi academy trusts across England.

We support schools across England to run effectively by finding high calibre volunteers to bring their skills and expertise to the table – and improve education for children.

We launched the Trustee Recruitment Service in response to the government’s drive for all schools to join trusts. As more schools come together, the need for skilled and committed trustees is growing. Combined with the closure of the Academy Ambassadors Programme, this shifting educational landscape means the demand for trustee recruitment experts has never been greater. We’re pleased and honoured to have the opportunity to address recruitment gaps and help improve educational standards across trusts.

The launch of our Trustee Recruitment Service represents an exciting milestone in the development of Governors for Schools. We’re committed to adapting to the shifting needs of the education sector and believe the service will play an important role in our growth. We’re thrilled to have David heading up our trustee recruitment operations. Having gained significant knowledge and experience with the sector-leading Academy Ambassadors Programme, David is perfectly positioned to carry on his fantastic work with Governors for Schools.

Hannah Stolton, CEO, Governors for Schools

The Trustee Recruitment Services Team

David Ardill - Head of Trustee Recruitment

David joined Governors for Schools as Head of Trustee Recruitment in June, 2022 having previously worked for more than five years on trustee recruitment in the education sector. David previously worked as a Marketing Manager for British Cycling, the national governing body for the sport based at the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, and was responsible for the delivery of Sky Ride, Britain’s largest initiative to get people into recreational cycling, in partnership with Sport England and corporate partners. A former newspaper journalist, David has a degree in Communication from Chester University.

Jill McAusland - Trustee Partnership Manager

Jill joined Governors for Schools in July 2015 as a National Team Area Manager before moving across to the London Team the following year, where she helped develop the organisation’s school engagement process. She now works as Partnerships Manager for the Trustee Recruitment Service supporting volunteers interested in trustee level positions. Jill is a newly qualified HCPC registered Dramatherapist specialising in working with children with social, emotional and mental health needs including autism spectrum disorder, and adults with experience of addiction and the criminal justice system. She is passionate about social justice and believes that her work at Governors for Schools further contributes to ensuring equality of opportunity for all children and young people.

Scott Walker - Regional Advisor

Scott began his career teaching and was seconded to the DfE to oversee the national Excellence in Cities programme. Appointed as one of five full-time national advisers he worked on the early academy programme which took him to schools with long-standing issues. He was accredited as an Ofsted inspector and National Challenge SIP, supporting several academies to drive-up improvements and later working for the DfE’s National Schools Commissioner in London. He remained working as a SIP through his own consultancy and was part of the first cohort of Free School Advisers for the DfE, assessing bids and supporting sponsors and trusts to open new schools.

In 2015, Scott joined the New Schools Network as a Regional Adviser on the Academy Ambassador Programme and supported trusts to appoint hundreds of high-quality business leaders as trustees, a role which has now transferred to Governors for Schools. He continues to work for the DfE Attendance Policy Team, supporting trusts and schools to improve attendance and he has been recommissioned to the team of DfE’s External Experts.