Saint Carlo Catholic Academy Trust

Saint Carlo Catholic Academy Trust is overseen by a Trust Board that safeguards our Catholic mission, ensures high standards, and uses resources wisely. Local Governing Bodies in each school focus on the life of their community, supporting and challenging leaders so that every child can flourish. Our CEO and central team work with all schools to provide strong leadership, share best practice, and secure the very best outcomes for pupils across the Trust.

Trust Board

Directors (ID 1255)

Evadne Cookman

Chair of the Board and Foundation Director

Evadne Cookman

I have the lived in the west London area from the age of nine years, more specifically in the boroughs of Hammersmith and Ealing. I attended St. Augustine's primary school in Fulham and St. Edmund's in Hammersmith (later became William Morris Academy). My children and niece all went to St. Vincent's and I have just completed my second stint as chair/co-chair of governorship at this school.

In the past I have been fortunate enough to have been able to contribute to the life of the school in differing capacities. For example, member of the Parents Association, parent governor and chair of governors. During my first stint as chair, I was closely involved in the first four classroom brick built extension and the original nature area in the playground.

My working background was within the National Health service (NHS), specifically, Clinical Neurophysiology which deals with disorders primarily affecting the brain, muscles and nerves. I was head of department at both Guy's and Imperial College Hospitals in addition to being chair of my professional association and was very involved in all aspects of teaching, training, assessment as well as the development of the profession nationally.

Separately to the above, I also contribute to the judicial system and have been a magistrate for nearly 30years, sitting in both the adult and youth courts.

I am passionate about education and the endless opportunities a good educational base brings and truly believe that “we were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone” (Nelson Mandela). I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to contribute to the development of the St. Carlo Acutis Academy and look forward to working with everyone to ensure the continued success of the schools in our community.
George Sinclair Adams

Foundation Director

George Sinclair Adams

Senior Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Director, Thought Leader, and board‑level leader with extensive experience in enterprise security, Project Management, Operational Delivery, Governance, and Multi‑Sector Digital Transformation. Trusted advisor to government executives and global organisations' boards, delivering clear risk oversight and resilient security operating models. Skilled in aligning cybersecurity with organisational strategy, regulatory requirements, and long‑term governance priorities. Known for simplifying complexity and strengthening executive decision‑making.
Nicole Alexander-Morrell

Foundation Director

Nicole Alexander-Morrell

Nicole Alexander-Morrell has 25 years of experience working in the education sector in both professional and voluntary roles. Nicole currently works in central government working with academy trusts in relation to financial management and oversight.

Nicole's voluntary roles include serving as a Foundation Governor at primary and secondary level and serving on school admission/exclusion appeal panels. Nicole is currently Chair of Governors at the Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in Greenford.
Anne Majcherczyk-Olczak: NPQL, MA, PGCE, BA

Vice Chair of the Board and Foundation Director

Anne Majcherczyk-Olczak: NPQL, MA, PGCE, BA

AnneMajcherczyk-Olczak has worked in the Secondary Education sector, both Independent and State, for 32 Years and is still working; with much experience in Leadership, including Head of PSHE and currently as Head of History and Teacher of Politics.
Anne has served as a Foundation Governor since 2019, on the Board of The Cardinal Wiseman School Greenford, currently as Vice Chair and Chair of the Catholic Life Committee.
Anne serves on the Trust Board as Foundation Directorandis Vice Chair ofthe Board.
Michelle Samuel

Foundation Director

Michelle Samuel
John Sexton

Foundation Director

John Sexton

I've been a regular at St George's Church, Sudbury for 40 years now, currently serving as a Confirmation Catechist (and previously FHC catechist).
I'm a civil servant who's worked in trade promotion (including at the British Embassy in Beijing); adult learning and development; and internet and telecoms regulation.
I currently work in online safety - on regulation of, and enforcement for, harmful online content and child safety.
I'm married to Shirley and we have three grown-up daughters. Shirley is a teacher at Saint John Fisher, where my granddaughter Lacacia attends. We have three cats, I walk two dogs, and I'm a lifelong Arsenal fan'.
Sophia Varadkar

Foundation Director

Sophia Varadkar

Dr Sophia Varadkar is Chief Medical Officer at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London. Sophia is an experienced and able medical leader with extensive experience in specialist children’s hospital and in system leadership.
Sophia is a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist. Her clinical work focuses on treating babies, children and young people with complex epilepsy and she had a key role in establishment of the NHSE National Children’s Epilepsy Surgery Service.
Sophia completed her undergraduate degree as a Gold Medallist at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and her postgraduate medical training in Dublin and London. She has a PhD and is an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London.
Originally from Dublin, she lives in Ealing with her husband and two teenage children. Sophia loves cooking, all kinds of rock music and Sci Fi-fantasy.

Governance of the Trust

St Carlo Catholic Academy Trust is a Catholic multi-academy trust in the Diocese of Westminster. The Trust is a private company limited by guarantee registered with Companies House. It is also an exempt charity.

In common with all companies, it has a Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Memorandum records the names of initial members of the academy trust. The Articles are the rules that govern the running of the company.

Roles, Responsibilities and Composition

A Catholic Academy Trust (CAT) has Members, a Trust Board and committees, including local governing bodies for each school in the Trust.

Members

The Members of the Trust are like shareholders of a company. They have ultimate control, appoint some of the directors and can change the Articles of Association.

A Catholic academy trust (CAT) has at least five Members. The Diocesan Bishop is always a member as are any of the following: a person appointed by the Diocesan Bishop, a Diocesan Trustee; the Chair of the Diocesan Education Commission, the Diocesan Director of Education and the Diocesan Financial Secretary. Additional members can be appointed in accordance with the Articles, if necessary.

The names of current members are shown here.

Board of Directors

The Trust Board Directors are appointed to the Trust Board to govern the Catholic academy trust (CAT). Their powers are set out in articles 93-96.

The academy trust is the legal entity. The Trust Board has collective accountability and responsibility for the Trust and its schools and for assuring itself that there is compliance with regulatory, contractual, and statutory requirements.

The board provides:

Strategic Catholic leadership of the academy trust: the board defines the trust’s vision for high quality and inclusive education in line with its charitable objects. It establishes and fosters the trust’s culture and sets and champions the trust strategy including determining what, if any, governance functions are delegated to the local tier
Accountability and assurance: the board has robust effective oversight of the operations and performance of the academy trust, including the provision of education, Catholic character, pupil welfare, overseeing and ensuring appropriate use of funding and effective financial performance and keeping their estate safe and well-maintained
Engagement: the board has strategic oversight of relationships with stakeholders. The board involves parents, schools and communities so that decision-making is supported by meaningful engagement.

Directors are company directors bound by company law. They are also charity trustees bound by the duties of trustees, set out in the Charities Act 2011, and by the trust’s charitable objects, which are set out in the Articles.

Practicing Catholic foundation directors, appointed by the Archbishop, are always a majority in any Catholic academy trust. They are expected to act as guardians of the Catholic life of the trust and its academies and to uphold the values and aspirations of the diocese for its schools in accordance with the teachings, practices and tenets of the Catholic Church.

Local Governing Boards

In accordance with article 100, the Trust Board has appointed local governing bodies for each school to conduct core governance functions at local level:

clarity of Catholic vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school
holding school leaders to account for the educational performance and Catholic character of the school and its pupils
overseeing the school’s financial performance and ensuring money is well spent.

ensuring the voices of the school community are heard

Each local governing body is a school-led committee, established by the Trust Board, to carry out the governance functions formally delegated to it. Local governing bodies are accountable to the Trust Board and must take account of Trust priorities and abide by Trust policies and procedures when exercising their responsibilities. Their powers, constitution, membership and proceedings are set out formally in the Scheme of Delegation and the Delegation Matrix.

Scheme of Delegation and Delegation Matrix

Based on the diocesan model, our Scheme of Delegation provides a detailed explanation of the roles and responsibilities of those who contribute to the governance and leadership of our academies, enabling the Trust to operate efficiently and transparently. The Scheme includes the constitutional framework, appointment processes, responsibilities and the arrangements for the conduct of local governing body business.

The Delegation Matrix is part of the Scheme of Delegation. It shows which functions have been retained at the Trust Board level or formally delegated by the Board to its committees, local governing bodies, the Chief Executive Officer and headteachers.