Academy Community Council (Governance)

We are a part of the Co-op Academies Trust, which is a multi-academy trust. Our Trust Board is legally responsible for the effective running of the whole Trust. To learn more about trust-level governance, please visit our Trust’s central website here.

Our Academy Community Council (ACC) is made up of our Community Council Members (CCMs) who are responsible for ensuring a high-quality pupil experience that meets the needs of our local community. Learn more about them below.

Community Council Members

Liza Watts (Chair of the ACC)

Full Name	Liza Watts
Date of appointment	01/07/2025
Term of office	4 years
Category of CCM	Sponsor CCM, Chair of the ACC
Appointed by	Appointed by the Sponsor
Declarations of Interest	Information to follow
Attendance at Academy Community Council meetings (2025-25)	ACC1 (Autumn 2025) – Attended ACC2 (Spring 2026) - Attended
Hello, I’m Liza, Chair of the Academy Council at Co-op Academy Rathbone. I currently work at the Co-op as a Principal Delivery Manager within our Funeralcare business, where I lead the delivery of technology change across our colleague platforms and customer-facing website. Over my time with the Co-op, I’ve also had the opportunity to work across our Food and Insurance businesses, giving me a broad understanding of how we support communities through different services. Alongside my day job, I’m proud to lead our annual Breast Cancer Awareness campaign each October, helping to raise awareness and support colleagues across the organisation. I’ve been supporting Co-op Academy Rathbone since July 2025 and I’m passionate about using my experience to both challenge and encourage our team. I have lived and breathed our Co-op values for over 10 years, I love that we have incorporated them into our academies so that the children can embrace them every day. My aim is to help create a safe, supportive, and inspiring environment where our children can thrive and reach their full potential.

Sean Jones

Full Name	Sean Jones
Date of appointment	01/07/2025
Term of office	n/a
Category of CCM	Ex-officio CCM
Appointed by	By virtue of appointment as Head of School
Declarations of Interest	None

Beverley Cawley

Full Name	Beverley Cawley
Date of appointment	12/09/2025
Term of office	4 years
Category of CCM	Community CCM
Appointed by	Appointed by the Sponsor
Declarations of Interest	Brighter Days Ahead CIC
Attendance at Academy Community Council meetings (2024-25) I am based in the school setting for one day per week, supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the children. I am an Independent Wellbeing Practitioner and my background is in education and children's mental health and wellbeing. I am a director of a local Community Interest Company (Brighter Days Ahead CIC). I am deeply committed to making sure every child is valued as an individual. I believe that meaningful change only happens when we are willing to do things differently — because nothing changes if nothing changes. It is my belief that supporting children starts with listening to them and understanding their world. When we nurture the relationships with children and their families, we create the foundation to truly make a difference. I am passionate about promoting the connection between schools and the wider community, because I believe that when we work together, we build stronger, more inclusive environments where every child, family and staff member feels safe, supported, and empowered to reach their full potential.	ACC1 (Autumn 2025) – Attended ACC2 (Spring 2026) - Attended

Marie Jones

Full Name	Marie Jones
Date of appointment	12/09/2025
Term of office	4 years
Category of CCM	Community CCM
Appointed by	Appointed by the Sponsor
Declarations of Interest	Brighter Days Ahead CIC
Attendance at Academy Community Council meetings (2024-25) I am based in the school setting for one day per week, supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the children. I am an Independent Wellbeing Practitioner and my background is in education and children's mental health and wellbeing. I am a director of a local Community Interest Company (Brighter Days Ahead CIC). I am driven to ensure that every child has a voice, feels heard, safe and valued. I believe that investing in children and their families as a whole is key to supporting positive outcomes that help our children to thrive. I am dedicated to strengthening links between school and the wider community as I believe that community matters. We are stronger when we work together.	ACC1 (Autumn 2025) – Attended ACC2 (Spring 2026) - Attended

Jack Cassidy

Full Name	Jack Cassidy
Date of appointment	25/09/2025
Term of office	4 years
Category of CCM	Staff CCM
Appointed by	Appointed by staff election
Declarations of Interest	Class Teacher and Staff CCM
Attendance at Academy Community Council meetings (2024-25)	ACC2 (Spring 2026) - Attende

Daniel Sharples

Full Name	Daniel Sharples
Date of appointment	1/04/2026
Term of office	4 years
Category of CCM	Sponsor CCM
Appointed by	Appointed by the Sponsor
Declarations of Interest	Co-op Group
Attendance at Academy Community Council meetings (2024-25) Since June 2025 I have been the Democratic Services & Engagement Lead for Co-op Group, where I lead on the delivery of our formal democracy such as elections to our Board and National Members’ Council, as well as our Annual General Meeting. My professional background is predominantly in Local Government where I was responsible for democratic governance as well as school admission appeals, giving me a strong knowledge and skill base on good governance, including in a school setting. I am passionate about children from all backgrounds having equitable access to the tools and resources needed to have the best start in life. I have previously served on Wirral Foodbank as the governance lead and I’m currently part of a team aiming to raise £32,500 for Barnardo’s children’s charity to provide safe, reliable and shareable online support that can be accessed by any community. I have an adult diagnosis of ADHD and OCD and I’m passionate about using my lived experience in mainstream education to ensure that we are providing the right support and environment to ensure that every child in our school has the opportunity to reach their full potential.	ACC3 (Summer 2026) - Attended

Community Council Members can be contacted by writing to the Governance Officer for Co-op Academy Rathbone at governance@coopacademies.co.uk