Steve Beegoo
CEO
Steve Beegoo is the CEO of the Christian Schools’ Trust having stepped down from being the Principal of The King’s School in Witney. He is also Head of Education at Christian Concern, where he advises, teaches, supports, writes, campaigns and networks, home and abroad so that Christian Education and Christians in Education are able to influence for the kingdom. He has been a primary school teacher for 18 years and was pastor of Bicester Community Church in Oxfordshire for 9 years. He is married to Tammi and has three daughters. Steve has experience in Christian schools and state schools, works on the Oxfordshire SACRE and also enjoys a competitive game of badminton in his spare time!
Phill Moon
National Development Team
Phill, together with his wife Audrey, founded Bradford Christian School. The school has grown greatly from its portacabin beginnings and now is building new classrooms on its permanent site. The school has developed many original initiatives, including a strong link with a nursery in Romania. Phill has a particular interest in developing and training teachers within the process of Christian Education. He and Audrey have three sons.
Roger Slack
Chair of Trustees
Dr Roger Slack has lectured in mathematics at university for over 30 years. He has since 1981 been the proprietor of Covenant Christian School, a learning community in Stockport. Roger is the Chair of CST Trustees.
Barbara Lord
Trustee & National Development Team
Barbara Lord taught for four years in the state sector before being part of the initial team opening Christian Fellowship School in 1980. Barbara has remained at the school both teaching and in a leadership role, latterly as Head of Middle School and deputy to Phil Williamson. Barbara took up the full Headship just prior to Phil going to be with the Lord in 2009. Barbara has a particular interest in Curriculum Development and Educational Psychology. As part of the CST team, she facilitated the 5 national working groups, represented CST as a member of the EA Coalition for Educational Issues and was part of the steering group for the Northern INSET initiative. Other interests include Welsh hill walking accompanied by her dog, sometimes llamas and of course human friends.
Therese Tinnion
CST Administrator
Therese is married to Steve and has two daughters who both attended The River School and are now married. She is also a grandmother to five beautiful boys. Apart from being the CST administrator, she was also a qualified nurse, and trained as a Teaching Assistant, working at The River School with years 5 & 6. Since moving to Whitby where the CST office is now based, Therese is an elder at the Hope Whitby community church and is involved in youth work, and leading a small missional community group. Hobbies include walking along the coast, loves the colour purple, wolves, music, reading, travel and adventure.
Miriam Wiltshire
National Development Team
Miriam Wiltshire has been Headteacher of Emmaus School since it opened in 1997. Prior to that she taught in state schools for 5 years before taking a break to start a family. Emmaus School has been an ideal way to combine working with family, since her husband, Kevin, is Chair to the Governors and she has taught all 3 of her children! Miriam enjoys reading, walking, swimming, cooking and all manner of crafts. She is excited to be part of the leadership team at CST having valued CST’s support and encouragement in running a growing school.
Garrie-John Barnes
National Development Team
Garrie-John (GJ) studied Drama at Bretton Hall College in the 1980s before co-founding a Theatre-in-Education company touring schools across the Yorkshire region. After working as a Teaching Assistant, he trained as an Early Years teacher at North Riding College, Scarborough. GJ then taught reception and KS1 pupils in Barnsley primary schools for a number of years before becoming Headteacher of Hope House School in 1998, where he also taught GCSE drama and geography. Moving on from headship in 2016, he worked as a supply teacher whilst completing an MA in Leadership in Education at the University of Huddersfield where he is currently researching Fundamental British Values in Christian schools for his PhD. A former team inspector for the Bridge Schools Inspectorate, GJ also leads section 48 inspections in state free schools designated as having a religious character. He still finds time to write worship songs, pamper his beloved cats and walk the dog. He’s happily married with two great kids.
Ken Walze
Trustee
Ken trained to teach in Liverpool, completing his studies in Chemistry and Design and Technology in 1973. He taught for 14 years in two Sheffield comprehensive schools, the last four years as a Head of Department. He was involved with four other families in establishing Bethany Christian School in 1987. Ken retired as Headteacher in 2014 and then served as a Team Inspector for Bridge Schools Inspectorate. He is a Trustee of an NGO working in Nigeria involved in delivering water, health and sanitation projects. Ken enjoys gardening, listening to music, reading and fishing and he especially likes a construction project. Ken became a Christian as a teenager and every day he remains thankful to God for His grace and faithfulness. Christian education continues to be a generous blessing for his family. Ken became a CST Trustee in 2016.
Heather Bowden
National Development Team
My name is Heather Bowden and I have been involved with Christian schools for over 25 years, sending both my children to The King’s School, helping as a parent, teaching English (and several other subjects!), and finally becoming Headteacher. I am passionate about the importance of providing an environment where our children can grow and thrive, secure in the knowledge that they are loved by God, and I feel enormously privileged to have been able to work in a Christian school for so many years.
Simon Reeves
National Development Team
Simon caught the vision for Christian education from his mother, Hilary Reeves, one of the former leaders of the Christian Schools’ Trust. Having attended Immanuel School up to the end of his GCSEs, Simon came back to the school as a teacher and has since taught at Immanuel School for nearly twenty years. Simon became the Principal of the school in September 2015 until early 2020 and is now teaching at St Edward’s CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School. He is married to Mandy; they have three children, Jessica, Luke and Zoe.
Dr Sylvia Baker
Trustee
Dr Sylvia Baker was part of the founding group which established Trinity Christian School, Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, in 1978. She taught in the school for 26 years and for 15 of those years was co-headteacher. She was a member of the CST Core Team from 2002 to 2013. In 2004 she began academic research, investigating the beliefs and values of the teenage pupils attending the new independent Christian schools and in 2010 was awarded a PhD for this research by the University of Warwick. Since then she has continued to research the outcomes of the kind of education offered by the schools.
Andy Reeves
National Development Team
Andy studied PE at Loughborough and taught for two years in Derby before moving to Hertfordshire to volunteer with a charity called Christians in Football. It was here that he met staff from The King’s School, Harpenden and he worked for three years as a part-time teacher of PE and Maths. In 2003 Andy became Head of Secondary and in this role he has greatly appreciated the privilege of having input into young people’s lives, encouraging them in their walk with God and guiding them as they grow in character, whether on the football field or the classroom! Andy became Headteacher at King’s in September 2020. Andy enjoys playing guitar, walking, cycling and any sport going! He is married to Caroline, and they have three lovely boys.
Jonathan Swain
National Development Team
A few years ago, Jonathan was a part of the CST Core Team now known as the national Development Team (NDT). After a period of time away, focusing on his school and family, we are delighted to welcome him back onto the team. Jonathan has been Head of Emmanuel, Walsall since it opened in 1996. He has four children, three of whom are now in their 20s and slowly dispersing around the country. The youngest is still at Emmanuel. Outside of school, he loves any kind of sport, especially following Liverpool and encouraging the development of his boys running at Birchfield Harriers where he also takes part with the road runners. He is at his happiest on holiday in the British countryside with all his family back together.
Jane Prothero
National Development Team
Jane has taught since 1990, in a range of state primary schools and also in teacher education at York St.John University. She met Mark studying for a Master’s degree in 1995, and they discovered that they shared a faith in the same God and a love for education. In 2006 they moved to Cambodia to work in a school for missionary kids, where they stayed for ten years to educate children from thirty-one nationalities. Jane was principal of the primary school and in charge of special needs for 3 - 18-year-olds, Mark developed a thriving high school growing from 15 to 200 students.
Jane is passionate about holistic education, with God in the centre. School is about so much more than academics, and whilst these are important, education should be in partnership with parents to develop children socially, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Bradford Christian School, where jane is now Head, is a place where this happens. It is a privilege to be able to pray for and with children, to teach them that they are precious and valued by God. Jane loves Jesus, loves children and loves teaching, and enjoys working with a group of people who do the same. Last year she completed the National Award for SENCos, a post-graduate certificate in Special Educational Needs, which she is using in her job at BCS.
Hayley Bowen
National Development Team
Hayley has a BA (Hons) degree in Sport Studies and a Post Graduate Certificate in Physical Education. She’s worked as a Physical Education teacher in primary and secondary schools, and in management at David Lloyd Health Clubs promoting healthy lifestyles. Upon discovering classical Christian education, she wished she’d received it as a child; she says, “It captivated my attention as I believe it speaks into what truly makes us human.” This led her to co-found The King Alfred School to give her own children and others the best education in the world. She loves property renovation, gardening, fitness, tennis, and reading (especially Christian apologetics). She’s mother to two young children
Rachel Boulton
National Development Team
Rachel is currently Head Teacher at Christian Fellowship School, Liverpool, having taken over from Richard Worsley in June 2021. Before that, she had been Head of Upper School at CFS, where she developed the Equipped To Serve programme which is one of their key distinctives at CFS. Rachel still teaches on that programme as well as teaching Y9 - 11 Business Studies, Computer Science (her least favourite subject), Design & Technology, Graphics and some PHSME.
Rachel joined the school when her youngest was 4 - he is now 28 - so next year will mark a quarter of a century at the school! And it all started with a chance conversation at the school gate, when her husband volunteered her services to teach Business Studies. Up until then she had worked (for nine years) as a Business Studies lecturer specialising in Finance and Accounting in an FE college in Bootle, Merseyside. It was quite a shock for Rachel going from a post-16 environment, teaching young adults, to a school where there were lots of little children calling her Miss!