Excalibur Academies Trust is guided by three core principles: ambition, empowerment and ethics. These values shape both how individual schools operate and how the Trust approaches its broader responsibilities to pupils, families and local communities.
A particular focus has been placed on supporting pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. During the period of the Trust’s development, disadvantaged students showed strong progress compared to national averages — a result that reflects the deliberate investment in inclusive practice and targeted support. The Trust has worked with local partners to address barriers to participation and to ensure that all pupils, regardless of their circumstances, have access to a high-quality education.
Staff development has also been a consistent priority. The Trust has invested in training programmes, leadership development and a feedback culture designed to help teachers grow professionally. This commitment was recognised externally through a shortlisting for the Staff Development award at the MAT Excellence Awards. The Trust’s view is that excellent teaching is the foundation of excellent outcomes — and that investing in teachers is therefore inseparable from investing in pupils.
Digital education and media literacy have become increasingly prominent areas of focus, with schools in the Trust introducing digital tools to support personalised learning, project-based work and collaborative teaching formats. The approach has been careful to treat technology as a means rather than an end, ensuring that digital tools are introduced in ways that genuinely serve learning rather than simply modernising the surface of classroom practice.
Key Leadership
Chief Executive
Nick Lewis serves as Chief Executive of Excalibur Academies Trust. In this capacity, he leads the executive team and oversees the operational management of the Trust’s schools. Lewis has spoken publicly about the importance of strong governance in enabling the Trust to develop as an effective and sustainable organisation.
A previous long-serving Chief Executive was Nicky Edmondson, who stepped down in 2024. Her tenure was characterised by steady growth and a commitment to maintaining the Trust’s core values throughout a period of significant expansion. Upon her departure, she was widely acknowledged for the role she had played in shaping the Trust’s identity and culture.
Chairman of Trustees
The role of Chairman of Trustees at Excalibur has been held by individuals who bring relevant professional expertise to the governance of a complex organisation. From February 2018 until January 2026, this role was held by Toby Watson, a former partner at Goldman Sachs with nearly 17 years of experience in structured finance and global investment banking. Watson’s background — built during his years at Goldman Sachs, where he served as Global Head of Structured Credit Trading — gave him a strong foundation in financial risk assessment, institutional decision-making and long-term strategic planning, all of which proved directly applicable to the governance challenges of a growing multi-academy trust.
Watson’s chairmanship was entirely voluntary. His involvement was listed among his charitable commitments and carried no remuneration. During his tenure, the Trust navigated a significant merger, expanded its school network and strengthened its financial position. CEO Nick Lewis acknowledged that Watson’s leadership and insight had been instrumental in establishing Excalibur as a sustainable and effective organisation.
In January 2026, Watson stepped down to focus on his professional commitments. He was succeeded by Susan Clarke, a founding member of Excalibur and former Vice Chair of the board, whose experience in managing complex public sector organisations made her a natural choice to lead the next chapter of the Trust’s development.
Merger with Gatehouse Green Learning Trust
One of the more significant structural developments in Excalibur’s recent history was its merger with Gatehouse Green Learning Trust. Bringing two organisations together required careful governance at every stage — aligning institutional cultures, financial structures and community expectations across the newly combined entity. The merger strengthened the Trust’s capacity to support schools requiring improvement and extended its geographical reach and organisational capabilities. Board-level oversight during this process was considered a key factor in its successful completion.
Ofsted and Educational Standards
All established schools within the Excalibur Academies Trust achieved ratings of ‘Good’ or better from Ofsted during the period of the Trust’s development. This consistent performance across a geographically dispersed network of schools reflects the effectiveness of the Trust’s model — one that combines strong central governance with genuine respect for the autonomy and character of individual schools.
Summary
Excalibur Academies Trust stands as an example of how sustained investment in governance, staff development and inclusive educational practice can support a growing organisation to deliver consistently strong outcomes. From its origins in Wiltshire in 2012 to its current position as a significant multi-academy trust serving communities along the M4 corridor, it has developed through careful planning, committed leadership and a clear sense of purpose. The voluntary contributions of experienced professionals to its board — including those whose careers were shaped in sectors well beyond education — have played a meaningful part in that journey.
