Kate Jarrett-Shorter

Chief Operating Officer, Compass Eko Trust

Kate Jarrett-Shorter is the Chief Operating Officer of the Compass Eko Trust; a primary and special school trust consisting of 28 schools, across seven Local Authorities, serving a community of over 5000 pupils, with 1600 employees. She joined Compass when it was a federation of seven schools, and led the conversion process, overseeing the eventual growth to the 28 schools as of today. Kate has spent 18 years in the education sector, having previously worked for the Department for Education, Challenge Partners and United Learning. Kate is passionate about governance and is currently a Trustee for another Greenwich Trust. She has previously served as a Chair of Governors.

1 Workshops series one

Purposeful transitions: Not growth for growth’s sake

With the shift toward a fully trust led system, mergers and growth remain critical strategic questions for trust boards. Purposeful, values led mergers are the most likely to deliver lasting benefit for pupils, staff, and communities. Following the governance of their recent merger, Kate and Jill will examine what worked well and what could have been better, as well as an honest look at the complex parts of a merger: how to ensure culture and values are a strong match, how to effectively communicate the ‘why’ with both communities, how to manage the integration of two boards? Join this session to explore the realities of the merger journey.