The Rt. Revd. Dr. Steven Croft became Bishop of Oxford in 2016. He was previously the Bishop of Sheffield, team leader of Fresh Expressions, Warden of Cranmer Hall and Vicar of Ovenden in Halifax. He is a co-author of the Emmaus and Pilgrim Resources.  His latest book is The Gift of Leadership (Canterbury Press, 2016). 

Oxford Diocesan Board of Education acting corporately (current named officer: Tony Wilson)

The Oxford Diocesan Board of Education is a member acting corporately by hand of one of its directors.

Currently the Director of Education for the Diocese of Oxford, Tony possesses extensive headship experience including providing intervention for schools in challenging circumstances as well as leading a school designated as outstanding. Tony has led two different schools towards good and in another was able to raise the school’s Progress 8 performance from being well below average to above the national average at the same time as eradicating a budget deficit of -£2 million.  He oversees all aspects of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education’s work across 283 schools, 19 MATs and 9 local authorities.          

In addition, Tony has international school improvement and system leadership experience gained from his role as Principal Education Consultant in The Kingdom of Bahrain and is the director of an educational consultancy.  

Peter was head of The Warriner School, Oxfordshire (2001 - 2007) and Waddesdon Church of England School, Buckinghamshire (2007 - 2017).

He has served as an ex-officio governor at both The Warriner and Waddesdon Cof E School and as a parent governor and chair of governors at Waddesdon Village Primary School, Buckinghamshire. Peter is a member of the Diocese of Oxford Board of Education and currently chairs the School Effectiveness Committee and serves on the Executive Committee.

Michael is a retired Department for Education senior civil servant. He was responsible in Whitehall for policy advice to Government Ministers on aspects of the school sector, led a group devising the original National Curriculum, delivered various school standards and support programmes, managed the passage of education legislation and directed major public expenditure programmes for schools amounting to several hundred million pounds.

He is an experienced governor of various schools. He was Chair of Governors of Seer Green CE Primary School from 2013-2023, steering its academy conversion in 2013 and successful SIAMS and Ofsted inspections in 2017 and 2023.  He initiated its development of a new vision, values and strategic 5-year plan; introduced new self-evaluation programmes; led two successful Headteacher recruitments in 2016 and 2022; and chaired admissions and performance management committees.

Michael has also been a Trustee of several charities, large and small. He chaired two Quaker church boards of Trustees: one locally in Buckinghamshire and the other nationally for the whole UK. He worships at Jordans Quaker Meeting House.

The Bishop of Buckingham is the Right Revd Dave Bull. Dave was consecrated Bishop of Buckingham in February 2025. Dave was ordained in 2008, prior to ordination he worked for a charity and a church in London and for Unilever. He studied law at Oxford, and theology at Wycliffe Hall, and is currently studying for a Masters in the Theology of Ministry and Mission. Having served his curacy in the Diocese of Southwark, until this appointment Dave was the Team Rector of the 4U Team in Marlow, where he was appointed in 2012, Area Dean of Wycombe Deanery, an Honorary Canon at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and was Chaplain to the 2012 London Olympics. He is married to Helen, with whom he has three children, and enjoys sailing and mountain biking.

Michael has over forty years’ experience in education. He was, most recently, Diocesan Director of Education for Carlisle Diocese for nine years working with 105 church schools, many of them small and rural. In this role, he was also instrumental in establishing the diocesan Multi Academy Trust as its first CEO, which included supporting sponsored schools to good outcomes. He worked for three years as an education consultant mainly working on the ‘Building Schools of the Future’ programme.

He spent nearly twenty years working for Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire local authorities in a variety of senior education roles, working closely with designated local primary and secondary schools. This included supporting and developing SEN provision. Michael was, for some time, in charge of the large school’s capital programme in Oxfordshire.

He began his career as a secondary RE teacher in Bucks and then Essex.

Michael is married and has two daughters, who, like him, live in High Wycombe. He is an active member of St Andrew’s Church in the town.

Andrew brings over 30 years of technology and business leadership experience, specialising in payments processing systems with international assignments across Southeast Asia. His career culminated as Global Product Marketing leader managing a $6 million budget with extensive M&A experience. With 25+ years in educational governance, Andrew chaired Hawridge and Cholesbury Primary for six years and led the academisation of Chesham Park Community College. Since 2011, he has served as Chair of Chiltern Hills Academy and currently holds multiple governance roles within Knowledge Schools Trust, including Co-Chair of combined Local Governing Bodies and Audit and Risk committee membership.

Andrew is currently a Manager in the ‘Not for Profit’ team at Cooper Parry which has a significant Not for Profit and Academy presence in the Midlands. Andrew joined Cooper Parry in August 2019 when the Education team at Whitley Stimpson Limited transferred their Academy and Not for profit portfolio to facilitate the team’s growth and knowledge base. He has over 12 years’ experience with audit and accounting. In 2014 he joined the Whitley Stimpson newly created Education team, having previously completed his training as a Chartered Accountant there.

Andrew specialises in the education and charity sector and has worked with, and advised, a diverse range of educational organisations, including Academies, Free Schools, Independent Schools, Further Education colleges, Catholic Education offices and systemic schools as well as a wide range of local, regional and national charities. Andrew’s role in particular within the education team has been to work closely with Academy Trusts, not only through the audit and production of year end accounts, but also providing financial advice and support to schools and assisting them in undertaking and completing the relevant reporting requirements of the ESFA.

He has also been a church warden within his local community since 2012.

A highly successful senior educational leader with over 30 years of experience. A Headteacher of an outstanding Grammar School, National Teaching School and National Support School. The founding CEO of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust (TSAT) -a high performing Multi-Academy Trust in the South East.

A designated National Leader of Education since 2010 and an elected member of SESL Headteacher Board advising the RSC. As CEO, Denise has successfully sponsored and turned around several high-profile failing schools. After leaving TSAT at the end of 2016 Denise supported a small MAT of Free Schools to improve their educational standards, develop and undertake their first Ofsted inspections. All schools were rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted 2017-2019.

Kieran was the HR Director for businesses in the Rail, Construction, Oil and Gas technology sectors both in the UK and overseas. He led activities including recruitment, training and development, employee relations, pay and benefits, as well as Corporate Social Responsibility. As part of the latter, he sat on the Governing Board of schools in Pretoria, South Africa, and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Rachel has a strong understanding of education policy and practice; performance measures; building relationships; strategic planning; internal financial procedures; budget construction and monitoring; school improvement and compliance including HR, employment and safeguarding. She was a successful teacher and headteacher. Having been a school governor and a Chair of governor for many years she has clarity of vision and strategic direction and adds considerable experience and skill to the role of Trustee.

Sophie has dedicated over 13 years to both working and volunteering in the education sector. Her governance experience includes serving as a trustee for a multi-academy trust in Northamptonshire, as well as roles including Chair of Trustees for a Pre-School charity and Chair of Governors for a maintained primary school. 

Professionally, Sophie has also been committed to education. Over the past 8 years, she havs held commercial and operational leadership roles within the 'Edtech' sector, working with organisations such as Pearson Edexcel, SIMS, and Bromcom, where she focused on business strategy and growth. Currently, she works for a consultancy that supports multi-academy trusts in optimising their operations - the 'business' side of running trusts.

Toby is currently the Deputy Director of Education for the Diocese of Oxford. Toby possesses primary and nursery head and executive leadership experience across rural and urban school settings. Having been headteacher at two Church of England schools in Buckinghamshire Toby has a passion for Church school education. As a SIAMS inspector, Toby has experience of inspection across the country. He oversees the adviser team at Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE) working across 283 schools, 22 MATs and 9 local authorities. Toby serves on the Milton Keynes SACRE.           

In addition, Toby is a Churchwarden with the Wycombe Deanery and serves on several charitable trusts. He has over 20 years of experience in governance to draw upon.