Educational Governance Committee

Mike Thiedke

Chief Executive

Mike Thiedke is The Children’s Trust’s Chief Executive and proprietor of the school.

Mike has more than 15 years’ experience in executive and senior positions in the third sector, advocating for children’s and families’ rights and tackling systemic inequality and discrimination.

He will join The Children’s Trust from youth homelessness charity Depaul UK, where he has served as Chief Executive for the past five and a half years. Mike holds a PhD in education and socio-psychology and has previously worked at children’s rights charity Plan International UK, ActionAid and the United Nations.

Term of office start date

November 2023 by virtue of office

Tim Davies

Vice-Chair, Trustee and Governor

Chairman of BlueSpark Foundation, a charity supporting the education and development of children and young people. He was formerly a corporate lawyer with multinational law firm Fieldfisher LLP where he was a partner, head of the corporate department and board member.

Term of office start date

October 2015

Melanie Burrough

Director of Therapies and Education

Melanie has spent 17 years working in the NHS, education, and charity sectors. She has led and managed a range of multi-professional teams; at The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust and Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust, holding a varied clinical background in paediatric acquired brain injury, neurodevelopmental conditions and complex neurodisability.
Melanie has a MSc in Professional Development, with research interests in quality improvement and knowledge translation.  In 2015, she was awarded ‘outstanding occupational therapist of the year’ for a quality improvement service re-design across Camden mainstream schools. She is also Chair of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists School-based occupational therapy clinical forum.

Mike Donald

Local Authority Governor

Having recently retired after 25 years as headmaster of Warlingham Park School in Surrey, Mike is now an education consultant for online learning in the further and higher education sectors and is actively engaged in editorial advisory work for a number of publishers and academic institutions. Over the years, he has been heavily involved in sports, both as a player and a coach, and more recently as a cricket umpire.

Term of office start date

April 2019

Toby Mullins

Chair, Trustee and Governor responsible for Safeguarding

Principal and proprietor at Mount House School, Barnet. Toby's career history in Education spans 32 years, including a former position as Headmaster of Seaford College, a nationally recognised college for SEN education. Toby is a keen sportsman, coaching cricket and more notably hockey.

Term of office start date

May 2015

Launa Randles

Head Teacher of The Children's Trust School

Following qualification Launa held teaching positions for twelve years in mainstream education.

She taught classes across primary and specialised in  early years being a lead teacher for the London Borough of Kingston and subsequently lecturing in this field.

Following an MA in early years education she moved into special educational needs and further qualified as a teacher of visually impaired where she spent the next 10 years teaching across both primary and secondary ages and across an increasing complexity of need .   

In 2016 Launa moved to the Children’s Trust School in role as Deputy Head , undertook further study to complete a National Qualification in Middle Leadership and in 2019 as Head of School and safeguarding lead. 

During her time at The Children’s Trust she has comments on the ‘privilege to work daily with children, young people, families and external professionals to support the journey of learning for all.’

Term of office start date

January 2023 by virtue of office

Molly Ramsay

Teacher and Staff Governor

Teacher at The Children's Trust.

Term of office start date

May 2022

Sylvia Kusi-Appouh

Parent Governor

Parent Governor.

Term of office start date

January 2023

Mike Maddick

Director of Resources

Mike has 15 years' HR experience gained within the Financial Services and Charity sectors. He has worked in a number of significant global roles within corporate HR departments, with a focus on Business Partnering, Talent, Graduate Resourcing & Development and Senior Hiring. Mike was a youth worker and community volunteer providing support to children and young adults via sport and independent living projects.

Term of office start date

2023 by virtue of office

Maruzaan Hanlon

Deputy DSL  

Maz is the designated teacher for looked after children and previously looked after children and does work with local authorities to promote the educational achievement of registered pupils who are looked after. 
Maz is the named DDSL for early years.

Sonia Allen

Head of Business Development and Commissioning

With over 20 years’ experience in marketing, business development and commissioning, Sonia has worked across many sectors including leisure, retail, construction, and legal services before joining the charity sector in 2016. 

With a passion for developing and delivering audience-centric strategies to grow reach, she has extensive experience in business development in the business-to-business and business-to-business-to-consumer spaces. Her passion and commitment to placing the audience at the centre of any work extends into her commissioning working, ensuring services are commissioned with the best interests of the service user at the forefront of decision making. Well versed in leading multifaceted teams in complex environments, she has a solid understanding of healthcare and education commissioning, both at a local and national level, and has extensive partnership management experience including working closely with NHS England, local integrated care boards and local authorities, and private funding organisations including insurers, case managers and international embassies.