Governance

Board of Trustees

SSA Trustees are committed to ensuring the academy’s success. Their diverse range of experience, knowledge and interests collectively support and challenge SSA to ensure that it delivers its vision.

Current Trustees

Name        Appointed by Term From Term To Link Roles
Craig Hewitt  Ex- officio by virtue of office as headteacher 01/09/20 - Headteacher 
Dorothée 
Ancira
Appointed by members 24/01/22 23/01/26 Chair of Resources, Audit and Risk Committee
Kim Caplin Appointed by members 18/06/23 17/06/27 Chair of Trustees
Idris Ibrahim Appointed by members 26/10/21 25/10/25 Special Educational Needs and Disability

Jayadevan 
Pillai

Appointed by members 28/11/21 27/11/25  Safeguarding
Theresa Allotey Appointed by members 18/06/23 17/06/27  Pastoral
Wendy Sutherland Appointed by members 18/06/23 17/06/27

Chair of Curriculum and Standards Committee

Mercy Akanimo Appointed by members 26/01/24 22/01/28  Literacy
Sally Everist Appointed by members 26/01/24 22/01/28 Careers Education and Guidance
Zainab Malji Elected by Parents 12/11/24 03/11/28 Parent Trustee

 

Members

Name Appointed by Term From
Naga Sai Siva Kumar Dinavahi Appointed by members 19/05/22
Hamilton Pruim Signatory member 22/09/11

Kim Caplin

Appointed by members 15/05/24
Rupert Gather Appointed by members 28/03/22
Laura McInerney Appointed by members 06/06/24
Andrew Ford Appointed by members 06/06/24

 

Documents 

Memorandum of Association

Certificate of Incorporation

Articles of Association

Funding Agreement 

Deed of Variation

Governance Meetings Schedule 2024-2025

Register of Interest October 2024

 

Meet our Trustees

Craig Hewitt

Idris Ibrahim

Idris Ibrahim"I have been a school governor and trustee at Stratford Academy for over 10 years. Prior to that, I served at Elmhurst Primary School, one of Stratford Academy’s main feeder schools. During this time, I have served on numerous committees and have witnessed significant change, guiding Stratford from a foundation local authority school to academy status. The challenges have been considerable, but we successfully transitioned from two poorly maintained buildings to two newly built, modern schools. I have worked closely with the Head Teacher and board members to achieve the best results for our students, and I remain committed to shaping the school’s educational strategy for the future."

Kim Caplin

Kim CaplinKim is an experienced executive and non-executive leader with a strong track record across the education and charity sectors. She currently holds board-level roles as Governor and Chair of the Pre-Degree Committee for University of the Arts, London and Vice -Chair of Quality and Standards and Trustee of Orchard College and Academy Trust (OHC&AT). She has been Chair of Southwark College (NCG) and served on the Advisory Board of Big Creative Training.

Kim started her career teaching in secondary schools but moved to tertiary education where she has extensive experience in Post 16 education having held senior leadership roles, including Principal. She has expertise in curriculum and quality development to improve access and inclusion; education and training for those with special educational needs and higher education. Having served as a senior examiner for GCSE and A Level for many years, she became trustee of the awarding organisation, OCN London for 8 years, contributing to their agenda to enable every learner to thrive, especially those who have not previously benefited from education.

Kim has effectively overseen charity governance transitions, helped establish new boards, and led safeguarding oversight. She enjoys singing and acted as Company Secretary of the New London Community Choir, which she established as a charity in partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra. Her leadership is grounded in the Nolan principles and a collaborative, compliance-driven approach.

Mercy Akanimo

Mercy AkanimoMercy Akanimo is an international education specialist  with over 2 decades of experience helping global education providers and students’ recruitment agencies scale their international presence. Currently, she serves as the Chief Commercial Officer at Shabuj Global Education  where she leads a global team of business developers across  UK, Europe,  Africa, South Asia and MENA.

Previously, Mercy Akanimo worked at Global University Systems, where she built the business development team across sub–Saharan Africa  from the ground up, resulting in 23 team members operating across 12 markets  growing revenue for the business from the region.  She specializes in high value education products sales , international education business development ,  and new markets growth.

Mercy Akanimo holds an MBA from the University of Essex, is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management,  is certified by British Council for the promotion of UK education.

Outside of work, she serves at her local parish,  and mentors new aspiring professionals in the international education sector.

Sally Everist

Sally EveristSally's background in anthropology and history underpins her research skills and meticulous approach. A natural connector and promoter, she excels at building relationships and fostering collaboration, honed through years of international experience in Australia, France, Spain, and Tanzania. This global perspective enables her to identify and link diverse concepts and individuals, creating synergistic environments and empathetic connections.

Professionally, Sally is Co-Founder of a skills training provider that uses a blended teaching and coaching pedagogy. With a resourceful and inquisitive nature, Sally brings a researcher's mindset and creative spirit to challenges. She enjoys analysing complex issues, identifying patterns, and developing innovative solutions. She effectively identifies and implements strategies that can empower organisations and individuals to achieve their goals and potential. As an early adopter of technology, driven by her need to stay connected while living abroad, she combines a forward-thinking approach with a strong creative intellect. She consistently seeks novel and effective solutions to challenges.

Sally possesses extensive knowledge of apprenticeships and has authored several books on the subject for The Good Schools Guide, where she worked for over 20 years as the founding Director of their careers arm.

In her spare time, she runs a contemporary art group in London, enjoys working in her garden, plays padel tennis, and spends time with her globally dispersed family.

Wendy Sutherland

Wendy SutherlandWendy joined the Board of Trustees in June 2023, bringing experience of a Trustee role over a five-year period with the Institute of Hospitality. Two years were completed as vice-chair with an additional Ethics and Fellowship committee role undertaken. Chair roles on committees were also carried out for the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. Wendy brings to the Board of Trustees experience in strategy development and implementation, procurement, people development and project management, which were some of the services provided when running her own consultancy business. Passionate about learning and personal development, as a lifelong learner, Wendy understands the importance of having excellent educational resources, accessible to all.

Zainab Malji

"My name is Zainab. I am proud to serve as a parent trustee for Stratford school academy. I decided to join the board so I could learn more about the school's progress and to contribute to the continued success of the school. I am committed to supporting an environment where all students have the opportunity to thrive.  I also would like to foster open communication between the parents and the school. I am looking forward to working with all the other trustees, staff members and families."