Paul Snook

Member Appointed, Board Director - Standards Committee (Chair)
Appointed: 1 May 2018
Term of Office: 1 May 2022 - 30 April 2026

I am a former teacher and education consultant, now retired. For the past 25 years I have worked on projects in the education sector supporting a number of Department for Education initiatives ranging from developing effective use of ICT in schools, supporting initiatives to promote Post 16 education and to building leadership capacity.

I have over 18 years experience as a school governor covering both Primary and Secondary education.

Rachael Kenningham

Member Appointed, Chair of Board of Directors
Appointed: 1 May 2018
Term of Office: 1 May 2022 - 30 April 2026           

ATLAS schools are deeply rooted in the communities they serve and work tirelessly to prepare students to thrive in an increasingly complex world. As Chair of the Board of Trustees, I feel incredibly proud to be supporting our schools and families in this important work. 

I am the daughter of two teachers, one who later became Head, and watching them work over the years always gave me an enormous respect for the teaching profession. As a parent Governor at STAGS, I learnt more about what it takes to build and sustain an outstanding school. I have always felt incredibly lucky that my own daughter was able to benefit from such a thorough education and want all ATLAS families to benefit as we have. 

As well as my passion for making world class education, I bring 20 years professional experience in public policy related roles, where I have helped a wide range of organisations understand and navigate Governments, working both at Westminster and Brussels at a senior level.

I graduated with an Honours Degree in French from the University of Birmingham in 1993. 

I will be the Governing Body’s representative for Modern Foreign Languages and Government and Politics and will serve on two committees - Curriculum, Assessment and Standards and Personnel and Student Wellbeing.

Paul Lerwill

Member Appointed, Board Director - Resources, Audit & Risk Committee (Vice Chair)
Appointed: 1 May 2018
Term of Office: 1 May 2022 - 30 April 2026

I was born and brought up just outside St. Albans. I am a qualified teacher and worked for many years teaching students with learning difficulties, eventually becoming Deputy Head and then acting head of a special school. During this time I completed an MEd. in Special Education. 

For many years I was a member of the St. Albans Community Health Council and was Chairman for three years. I then worked as a senior manager in the Health Service and at an FE college with responsibility for a wide range of support and premises staff.  During this time I completed an MA in Educational Management.

I finished my career working at St. Albans Girls’ School for 18 years as Business Manager and was acting deputy head for three years. During this time I completed an Advanced Diploma in School Business Management. I retired from full time work in 2017 and now live in Hemel Hempstead where I have more time to spend with my wife, grandchildren and dog.  

Claire Robins

Member Appointed, Board Director - Standards Committee
Appointed: 2 July 2018
Term of Office: 2 July 2022 - 1 July 2026

I have taught at a number of schools in Hertfordshire before becoming head of Sir John Lawes in 2006.  In 2008, Sir John Lawes became a National Support School and I was made a National Leader of Education, since when I have led on school to school support work with several local schools, leading to the setting up of the Scholars Education Trust, in 2011, of which I am CEO. 

I have sat on the Regional Schools’ Commissioner’s Head Teacher Board for the NWLSC region since its inception and I am also on the board of the Harpenden Secondary Education Trust, which has recently set up a new secondary free school in Harpenden - Katherine Warington School.

I am a founding trustee of HertsCam Network, a group which aims to improve teaching through teacher leadership and am also a member of the Executive Committee of UCET (The Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers).

I was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2018 for Services to Education.

Mary Newman

Member Appointed, Board Director - Standards Committee
Appointed: 1 May 2018
Term of Office: 1 May 2022 - 30 April 2026

I became a Director of the Atlas Multi Academy Trust on May 1st 2018 with a specific focus on safeguarding and standards. My passion for quality education for all pupils has been invaluable in this role as it has enabled me to make a real contribution to the wide range of schools in the Atlas Multi Academy Trust.

I was a Governor of Beech Hyde School for three years from 2018, and I continue to support their governing body as part of The Trust. It is a rewarding role as the School has grown so much within the Atlas umbrella, and it has enabled me to give back to the village community which has provided me with support and friendship for over thirty years.

I graduated from Birmingham University with a Mathematics degree and gained my MSc in Operational Research and Management shortly afterwards. I spent eight years working for Cadbury at Bournville in Operational Research, Marketing and Data Analysis. This developed my interest in the use of statistics to inform decisions and my understanding of the importance of accurate, informative data.

We then moved south, and I spent eight years as Assistant Director
Management Services for ManuLife Insurance. In this role I recruited staff at all levels and, as a result, I have a great interest in the importance of education as a preparation for the real world and the development of the life skills of all pupils.

We had our two wonderful sons and I became a teacher at St Albans Girls’ School where I had a really fulfilling twenty years becoming Deputy Head Teacher before taking early retirement in 2017. It was here that my love of education flourished and where I learnt the true importance of ‘Every Child Matters.’