Church of England Academy Services

Church of England Academy Services
CASL photos

CASL Annual General Meeting

 

The second Annual General Meeting of CASL was held at the company’s offices in Peterborough on 25 March 2010. 

The company was created in autumn 2007 with the active practical and financial support of the National Society.  The NS recruited its original directors, made a start-up loan to the company and a senior officer of the NS was its first Company Secretary.

CASL is very grateful for the large contribution made to its creation and growth by the National Society and particularly thanks its founder directors – Sheila Bamber, Colin Hopkins, and Tom Peryer - for their support and encouragement.  Our thanks also go to David Whittington for his work as its Company Secretary in the first year. Colin Hopkins has been an exemplary Chairman for the initial two years of CASL’s existence and saw it established on a firm foundation thanks to his leadership; the company would not be where it is today without him.

CASL also thanks John Smith for his valuable contribution to Board discussions as a Director over the last twelve months.  He is soon to retire from his post as Diocesan Director of Education for Rochester diocese and has chosen not to stand for re-election.

CASL now has 28 member academies and three academies, for which it provided the project management services, opened in September 2009: All Saints Academy Dunstable, Aylesbury Vale Academy, and Northumberland Church of England Academy.  It is currently undertaking the project management of a further nine Church of England academies across the country and developing the provision of Extended Services for Church of England schools and academies.

CASL’s accounts for 2009 show a profit of £86,000; during this year, it also repaid in full the start-up loan which it received from the National Society.

Throughout its existence Adrian Pritchard has been CASL’s Chief Executive and he continues to lead the Executive team of CASL.  CASL’s Office Manager, Sheena Fisher, was appointed as Company Secretary by the Directors in May 2009 and Peter Taylor took up the post of Director of Operations in February 2009.

At the Annual General Meeting 2010 and the following people were elected to the Board of Directors:

Phil Hearne, Executive Director of Northumberland Church of England Academy

Paul Hollingum, Principal of Saint Mary Magdalene Academy, Islington

Adrian Pritchard, Chief Executive Officer of CASL

John Sheppard, Principal of The Hereford Academy

Ian Wildey, Director of Education, Diocese of Wakefield

  Phil Hearne Paul Hollingum Adrian Pritchard John Sheppard Ian Wildey  

These newly elected and re-elected Directors bring a wide range of skills and experience to the Board.  The three newly elected leaders of Church of England academies will contribute their practical knowledge of school and academy management, which the previous Board members were eager to have added to its skills set.  The two re-elected Diocesan Directors of Education are able to voice the current concerns of Boards of Education across the country and have many years’ experience of the church’s relationship with local and national government bodies.