Our people

Chair: Matthew Purves

Matthew Purves joined Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) as National Director of Education Services in April 2020. AET educates 32,000 children and young people in 58 academies spread across many areas of England. He has responsibility for curriculum, learning and development, recruitment, talent management and safeguarding across the trust.

Previously, Matthew was Deputy Director for School Inspection at Ofsted, where he led the development and implementation of the Education Inspection Framework 2019. During his time at Ofsted he was also responsible for inspector training, the national administration of quality assurance and complaints, and led major projects to transform the way Ofsted inspects in early years, schools and further education and skills.  

Matthew has also worked at the Department for Education, where he led the department's internal consultancy unit for education standards. He is a dad to two young children, a keen walker, runner and cyclist, and an amateur writer.  

Principal Officer: Pam Shaw

Pam has worked as part of the NCB family for over a decade, previously leading participation programmes at NCB, building networks and training professionals to ensure young people have a say on the issues that matter to them. Her role has seen her lead on the development and implementation of the organisational Participation Strategy; and ensure children and young people’s voice informed and influenced NCB’s policy and strategic objectives.

Pam now manages our mental health and wellbeing programmes, and has supported the growth of the Schools' Wellbeing Partnership to become established alongside the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Council for Disabled Children and Childhood Bereavement Network. Pam supports our shared ambition to embed wellbeing and mental health at the heart of every school.