"Like to say a huge thank you to everyone for all their hard work."
"We are grateful for all the measures put in place and the support has been second to none."
"Home learning was clear and easy to follow, topical and expanded on learning to further capture imagination."
"School did amazing with all help through lockdown and gave me massive confidence that all safety measures were put in place for my child to go back."
"Brilliant communication and fantastic support on a daily basis from."
"Please keep up the fab work these are unprecedented times we live in and I think you have done more than enough for the children and young people plus and their families."
"I felt fully informed at all times during Lockdown, by phone calls, messages etc. My worries, concerns about sending my child back to school were answered and I felt happy overall."
"Felt really supported by the school during lock down with weekly phone calls"
"I felt the school was helpful and supportive during the pandemic and considered me and my child's needs and wellbeing constantly."
"School went well above their requirements during lock down. We never felt as if we were on our own, we always knew we could contact someone if needed. All the staff have been amazing during a very difficult time."
"Excellent support from staff. Thank you"
"Thank you .... you're all doing an amazing job"
"Whilst not ideal, you are working hard to keep the children safe and in a stable routine. Thank you."
"Thank you for the updates and the way you keep our children and staff safe."
"Hope you are keeping yourself safe too."
"Well done! Very challenging times for everyone and I think you’re doing great considering no one knows how to deal with this new horrible virus"

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Founders of Nexus MAT

Nexus MAT was founded as a company on 21 March 2016, and was joined by the 3 founding schools of our Trust on 1 June 2016: Abbey, Hilltop and Kelford schools. All three schools were based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

The Trust has come a long way since those early days, though the foundations laid then have helped the Trust flourish in the years since. The founding Members of the Trust were:

  • Mr. Andrew Child MBE
  • Mr. John Coleman
  • Mr. Paul Girling
  • Mr. Peter Leach
  • Mrs. Zanib Rasool MBE
  • The Board of Directors which founded the Trust has changed over time, and the founding Directors of Nexus MAT were:

  • Mr. Andrew Child MBE (Chair)
  • Mr. John Coleman (Vice Chair)
  • Mr. Steven Booth
  • Mrs. Tracey Brooke
  • Mr. Warren Carratt
  • Mr. John Irwin
  • Ms. Susan Shelley

The first Chief Executive Officer of Nexus MAT was Mr. Warren Carratt. The Nexus MAT community will always be grateful for the contribution made by these key individuals, who gave their time voluntarily and with generosity to help create the Trust we have today.

In Memoriam

Sadly, since we started our journey as an organisation we have lost key friends and contributors along the way. This section of our website remembers those who are no longer with us.

john Coleman

John Coleman
    6 November 1955 – 25 February 2022
      Member and Director of Nexus MAT (21 March 2016 – 25 February 2022)

      John was a founding Member and Director of Nexus MAT, and was a relentless champion for the children, families and staff we serve.

      John gave his life to public service, starting his career as a teacher before training to become an Educational Psychologist, working in his early career at Rotherham Council. A bright and highly capable man, John served as the Principal Educational Psychologist at Sheffield City Council in the 1990s and early 2000s before moving to the Department for Education as a regional director of the then National Strategies programme, which was a New Labour Government initiative aimed at supporting underperforming schools across the country.

      Latterly, John was the commissioner for special educational needs at Rotherham Council, closing the circle on his career before retiring in 2015.

      Following his retirement, John was an active volunteer Director/Trustee of Nexus Multi Academy Trust, and also worked in a voluntary capacity with the National Governance Association – work which continued his lifelong commitment to changing our state education system for the better. John served as chair of the local governing bodies at Pennine View, Abbey and North Ridge Schools during his time with Nexus MAT, and was also Chair of the Management Committee at The Rowan Centre, a pupil referral unit in Rotherham.

      John will always be an irreplaceable member of the Nexus MAT community and is someone who made an immeasurable contribution to the lives of children and young in our country. He will always be missed, and never forgotten by those who had the privilege to work with him.