Interim Executive Board (IEB)

An Interim Executive Board (IEB) is a temporary governing body appointed to provide additional strategic oversight and expertise during a period of development.

The IEB works alongside our Executive Headteacher and Head of School to:

• Strengthen governance and accountability

• Support ongoing school improvement

• Ensure high standards of education and safeguarding

• Secure the long-term success of the school

Members are selected for their experience in education, leadership and finance.

The IEB is a time-limited arrangement and will remain in place until the school transitions back to a full governing body.

For pupils and families, day-to-day school life continues as normal. The IEB’s role is to provide strong strategic direction and ensure the school continues to move forward confidently.

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Interim Executive Board Pen Portraits

Heather Faulkner

Heather is recently retired and has experience of supporting schools and governing bodies in both LA maintained schools and academies. She has a degree in business administration and has extensive experience managing teams and projects. She worked for Essex County Council (ECC) for over 14 years and had responsibility for overseeing aspects of school improvement, the Early Careers Teacher and Initial Teacher Training programmes, workforce development and performance data for schools. She has experience of supporting governors through coaching and mentoring, finance and health and safety. She also has experience linked to statutory intervention boards in schools causing concern, appointed by Essex County Council and the Department for Education. Prior to her career at ECC, she worked at an international school in Singapore where she was responsible for the management of transport logistics and operations, serving over 2000 pupils.

Jennifer McCutcheon

Jennifer has extensive teaching experience in Primary Schools and Special Education. Working for the local authority as a Specialist Teacher, she supported pupils in mainstream schools and managed an Inclusion Project for the Local Authority. She believes passionately that all children are entitled to a good education.

Jennifer served as a Headteacher for 17 years. Under her leadership, she empowered a strong and principled leadership team to ensure the Primary School remained a good school. Importantly, the team worked with other agencies to secure services for children and families. As Chair of the Basildon Education Partnership, Jennifer undertook a major role in the delivery of educational services in Basildon. Commissioned by Essex Local Authority, she undertook Executive and Associate Headteacher roles, improving schools in complex and challenging circumstances.

Following her retirement in 2019, Jennifer has continued to follow her commitment to secure a good education for all pupils, through her work in Governance. She has served as a member of Strategic Intervention Boards and Interim Executive Boards at the request of the Local Authority. Through this work, she has supported schools to improve their practice in key areas. She has worked with Governing Boards dealing with parental complaints and other sensitive investigations.

Currently, Jennifer is Chair of the Governing Board in a primary school.

Katrina Carroll (Diocesan Link)

Katrina has worked in the Primary, Secondary and Independent school sectors. Her roles have been diverse including 6 years as a Headteacher in a London borough. Katrina’s school achieved an Excellent in all areas rating under the Independent Schools inspectorate and Outstanding in her previous Ofsted inspections within Essex.

Cathryn Adams (Chair)

Cathryn worked in Essex for a number of years. During that time, she held a number of leadership posts, including the lead for safeguarding in education and services related to inclusion and vulnerable learners. During that period, she was part of the Essex team that worked as a DfE Improvement Partner, working to help and support other authorities improve services to children. Cathryn is trained as a peer reviewer and manager by the Local Government Association and contributes to LGA reviews as required.

In 2018, Cathryn became an independent education consultant providing consultancy services to schools, multi-academy trusts and Local Authorities in relation to improving safeguarding and services for vulnerable learners in education.

Cathryn is experienced and continues to regularly work for Essex across a number of schools in statutory intervention on Interim Executive Boards (IEB) and Strategic Intervention Boards (SIB) as chair and/or member, providing professional governance and overseeing the improvements required along with supporting schools to be financially sustainable. In a voluntary capacity, Cathryn is a trustee and local governor in several schools.