Cathy Brown

Director of Governance, The Mead Educational Trust

Cathy Brown has held the post of Director of Governance at The Mead Educational Trust since 2016. In this role she is responsible for the strategic leadership of governance across the trust. As a member of the trust’s executive team, she is involved in discussions and decisions across school improvement, finance, operations and HR. Cathy brings extensive experience of school and academy trust governance to her role, including: chairing and clerking governance meetings and panels for complaints and exclusions; delivering governance training; conducting reviews of governance; and mentoring other school trust governance professionals. She works with colleagues across the trust to manage complaints.

Workforce

1 Breakout sessions: Series three

Protecting staff when complaints escalate: Leadership, wellbeing, and support

This case study and discussion explore how trusts can respond when parental complaints move beyond formal processes and begin affecting staff wellbeing, reputation, and leadership capacity. Drawing on sector insight, trust experience, and specialist support perspectives, we will examine how concerns can escalate through parent groups, local media and online discussion, and explore practical approaches to de-escalation, communication and staff support. You will gain insight into warning signs, governance considerations and how trusts can assess when additional support may be beneficial. Ideal for CEOs, governance professionals, HR leaders and school leaders.