• Trust Board Members
  • Charles Buchanan – Chair of Members

    Charles Buchanan is an independent management consultant and business mentor, having previously been Chief Executive Officer of London Ashford Airport and CEO of Manston Airport in Kent over five years. Prior to this he spent more than 10 years at London City Airport, ultimately as Strategy and Communications Director. Throughout his career in airport management, he has been responsible for commercial development and infrastructure investment programmes, combined with governmental and public relations.

    Charles trained originally as a civil engineer at Oxford University and joined the developing Channel Tunnel Group in 1985. He was part of the team that submitted the successful bid to build and operate Eurotunnel and latterly was responsible for sales and marketing, both in the UK and on the Continent, through the opening in 1994 and the first years of operation, leaving as Group Sales Manager.

  • Jonathan Clarke

    As former Managing Director of Morgan Jones, Jonathan has significant experience in leadership, business, and HR.

    Jonathan joined EKC Schools Trust as a Trustee in March 2020 serving as Chair of Trustees until he stepped down in July 2022. Jonathan took up the role of being a Member of EKC Schools Trust on 1 August 2022.

    Jonathan has been a Governor of East Kent Colleges Group from 2013-2022 and served as Chair of Search and Governance Committee and Chair of Remuneration Committee.

  • Semih Ozyurt

    Sem has been actively involved with East Kent Colleges Group since he was a student at EKC Broadstairs College from 2009 – 2014 as student governor and students’ union president. He is business-minded and has a keen interest in start-ups and business in the local area.

  • Louisa Coppins

    Having started out as an NQT in 1989, I took early retirement from teaching in 2021 and am currently working as Attendance Consultant for a trust of schools in Folkestone. During my teaching career, I held a variety of senior roles in large and challenging schools. Early on, I spent over a decade at Harris Academy Bermondsey working as a Head of Year and Raising Standards Leade. I then worked as a senior leader in three large secondary schools and, most recently, was Vice Principal for Inclusion at Folkestone Academy. Growing up in north London, and with the majority of my career in inner London, I relocated to Kent in 2014 and now live in a 15th century farmhouse in the outskirts of Whitstable. To relax I enjoy walking my five dogs, working in the garden and listening to Test Match Special.

  • Kristina Yates

    Krissy was raised and educated in Folkestone, Kent. She completed her single honours degree in English at Canterbury Christ Church University before attending the University of East Anglia to undertake her PGCE in Secondary English.

    Krissy began her teaching career at Southlands Community Comprehensive (now Marsh Academy) in New Romney, teaching English and Media Studies, before becoming the Director of Learning for this department, leading her team to more than double the percentage of pupils achieving a good pass at GCSE. Krissy was then promoted to the role of Lead Teacher at the Marsh Academy before becoming the Assistant Principal responsible for Key Stage 4. During her time at the Marsh Academy, Krissy completed the ‘Tomorrow’s Heads’ course, a fast-track programme to headship, successfully studied for her Masters in English Literature, and became a mother.

    To develop her experience in a selective context, Krissy moved to The Folkestone School for Girls in 2014, taking on the role of Assistant Principal for Pastoral Care before moving on to the role of Vice Principal for Teaching and Learning. These roles enabled Krissy to gain experience in a wide range of areas, including the Leadership of SEND and Safeguarding. Krissy has also supported a number of schools in challenging circumstances, engaging in a range of school improvement work in Kent schools.

    In 2018, Krissy founded the Turner Free School, an oversubscribed, non-selective school with a mission to provide an exceptional education to all pupils in its care, irrespective of their starting points. TFS offers a traditional, academic curriculum within a fully inclusive environment and has recently moved to its brand new building. Krissy also works across Turner Schools, leading the strategic development of the Trust with a particular focus on Leadership and Community and Stakeholder Engagement.

    Krissy is an avid reader and continues to bring her love of reading and its transformative potential to the core values of TFS and to her teaching as an English specialist.   

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