Twelve members appointed to the Board of the Education Authority for Northern Ireland

Education Minister Paul Givan has announced the appointment of 12 members to the Board of the Education Authority (EA). Four are new members while eight have previously served on the Board.

Welcoming the appointments, the Education Minister said: “I am pleased to appoint these members to the Education Authority Board. The breadth of experience and knowledge they will bring will prove invaluable and play a significant role in underpinning the work of the Board as we continue to reform and improve critical services to meet the needs of all of our children and young people.

“I would like to thank the outgoing members for their dedication and contribution to the work and achievements of the Board.”

The appointments are:

Four persons nominated by the Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education (NICCE) to represent the interests of trustees of maintained schools:

Mrs Marie Lindsay has served as a representative member on the EA Board since April 2024 and is a former school principal of St Mary's College, Londonderry. She is a Governor of a primary school, chairperson of the Board of Management of an Irish school and is a member of the Council at Ulster University.

Mr Garry Matthewson is a former primary school principal. He has worked as an assessor with the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), an associate inspector with the Education and Training Inspectorate as well as being a member on various working groups with the Department of Education, CCMS, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and EA. In addition, he holds the position of chairperson of the Northern Ireland Nurture Group Network, an educational advocacy group for the introduction and expansion of nurture provision in schools in Northern Ireland. He is also an associate of the Association of Education Advisers and an associate of CCMS. He has recently been appointed to the Board of St. Mary's University College, Belfast.

Mrs Gillian McGrath has served as a representative member on the EA Board since February 2021 and is a former Director of Education in CCMS. She is an Independent Education Adviser, a College Governor and Director on the National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church and Trustee of an Educational Trust.

Mr Arthur Scott has served as a representative member on the EA Board since April 2024 and is a former senior civil servant completing 20 years across four different Departments, an Executive Agency, and a Non-Departmental Public Body.

Four persons nominated by the Transferor Representatives' Council (TRC) to represent the interests of transferors of controlled schools:

Mrs Catherine Chambers is a Solicitor and a Director on the Controlled School Support Council (CSSC) on a voluntary basis and was a member of its Governance, Audit and Finance Committee. She is also a committee member of a sporting organisation.

Mr Ray Gilbert is a member of the Church of Ireland Board of Education. He is a former Senior Education Officer in both the North-Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB) and the EA where he was also the senior responsible officer for Area Planning. He served as a member of the Ministerial Working Group on the strategic development of the Northern Ireland Curriculum and led the strategic redesign of teacher support services to become a School Improvement Service.

Mrs Edith Shaw has served as a representative member on the EA Board since April 2024 and is retired with a background in education and training and is a College Governor. She is a Director of the Open College Network Northern Ireland.

Mr John Wilkinson OBE has served as a representative member on the EA Board since April 2024 and is a former member of CCEA, the Southern Education and Library Board (SELB) and more recently a Non-Executive Director of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. He is currently an Associate with CCEA.

One person nominated by the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) to represent the interests of integrated schools:

Mr Maurice Johnston has served as a representative member on the EA Board since April 2020. He has been involved in integrated education for many years as a parent and governor and has previously served on the Board of NICIE. He is currently a Governor in the primary school sector.

One person nominated by the Association of Controlled Grammar Schools (ACGS) to represent the interests of controlled grammar schools:

Mr Trevor Dale Robinson OBE has served as a representative member on the EA Board since April 2024 and is retired from the teaching profession after 36 years working in the grammar school sector where he was Headmaster of Lurgan College. He is a former Director of the CSSC, President of the Association of School and College Leaders Northern Ireland, as well as Chairman of the Association of Controlled Grammar Schools.

One person nominated by Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG) to represent the interests of Irish-medium schools:

Mrs Eilís Uí Néill has served as a representative member on the EA Board since April 2024 and is a former teacher in the Irish Medium school sector and principal of Scoil na Fuiseoige, Dunmurry. She is an external reviewer for the Performance Review of Staff Development Scheme in several Irish medium schools and is a Professional Associate with CnaG.

One person nominated by the Governing Bodies Association (GBA) to represent the interests of voluntary grammar schools:

Mr Leo O'Reilly is Chairperson of a College Board of Governors, member of the Executive Committee of the GBA and member of the Senate & Planning, Finance and Resources Committee, Queen's University Belfast.

The members have extensive backgrounds in such areas as corporate governance, business/corporate planning, performance and risk management, finance, strategic decision making, collaborating, and partnering and communication. Their significant knowledge and skills will play a key role in underpinning the work of the Board.

Notes to editors:

1. The Education Authority (EA) came into operation on 1 April 2015, replacing the five former Education and Library Boards (ELBs) and their Staff Commission.
2. The constitution of the EA Board is set out in the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2014. The Board comprises a Chairperson appointed by the Minister and 20 members who are nominated by a range of interests, i.e. there are 12 members appointed after consultation with bodies representing the trustees of maintained schools, transferors of controlled schools, Irish-Medium schools, integrated schools, voluntary grammar schools and controlled grammar schools, and eight political members who are nominated by the relevant political parties.  
3. The EA is a non-departmental body sponsored by the Department of Education. It is responsible for ensuring that efficient and effective primary and secondary education services are available to meet the needs of children and young people, and support for the provision of efficient and effective youth services.
4. The appointment of nominated members will commence on 1 April 2025 and end on 31 March 2029 (unless terminated before that time). The annual remuneration for members on the EA Board is £8,800 per annum plus travel and subsistence allowances. The expected time commitment for members on the EA Board is up to five days per month, including evening meetings and public occasions.
5. These appointments have been made in accordance with the principles and practices of the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
6. The Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Mr Maurice Johnston has declared that during the last five years he has undertaken political activity for the Alliance Party, canvassing on behalf of the party and helped at elections. All other members have declared that they have not undertaken any political activity during the past five years. Only one member, Mr Leo O'Reilly, holds one other public appointment as member of the Independent Monitoring Authority of Citizens Rights Agreements (IMA) Swansea, Wales for which he receives £7,200 per annum. All other members do not hold any other public appointments.