Members

The role of our Members 

Our members play a limited but crucial role in safeguarding the governance of our trust. They do this by assuring themselves that the governance of our trust is effective, that trustees are acting in accordance with the trust’s charitable object (to advance for the public benefit education in the United Kingdom) and that they, the members, use their powers to step in if governance is failing.

Members are not involved in the day-to-day business of our trust. However, they do have an important role which is based on a number of key powers set out in the Department for Education’s model articles of association and in company law, which includes:

• Appointing and removing trustees
• Appointing and removing members (of which there must always be a minimum of three). 
• Directing trustees: members can, by special resolution, direct trustees to take a specific action where trustees are unable, or unwilling to act in the best interests of our trust or if they believe the trust board is failing to carry out its core functions, or is acting unlawfully. 
• Amending our trust’s Articles of Association, subject to any restrictions in the articles, the funding agreement or charity and company law. 
• Appointing and removing auditors: members appoint our trust’s auditors and will receive and review the trust’s annual audited accounts (subject to the Companies Act). 

• Baroness Estelle Morris
  Chair of Members
  Baroness Estelle Morris

  Baroness Estelle Morris is a former teacher, Member of Parliament and Secretary of State for Education. She recently chaired the Oldham Commission into Education which set out a framework for raising standards across the town.
  Start Date: 30/06/2017

• Andrew Kilburn
  Original Member
  Andrew Kilburn

  Andrew is a former Chief Executive of Oldham Council and former Chair of Governors at Oldham Sixth Form College. He has a wealth of experience in the areas of leadership, resources and finance.
  Start Date: 30/06/2017

• Mike Gibbons
  Member
  Mike Gibbons

  
  Mike is a former Governor at OSFC and Trustee at the Pinnacle Learning Trust. He grew up in the Oldham area and is passionate about the role of education in creating opportunities for young people from the town.

  Mike has spent most of his career in the university sector, leading teams across diverse portfolios including student administration, marketing, communications, student recruitment, admissions, fundraising and international relations. He now provides support and advice to universities on a part-time consultancy basis, as well as offering coaching and facilitation. He also volunteers as a reading coach with Read Easy UK, which supports adults to develop their literacy skills.

  Start Date: 13/03/25

• Julian Cobley
  Member
  Julian Cobley

  Appointed: 30/1/2026

• Megan Bruton
  Member
  Megan Bruton

  My role is to build relationships with non-selective state schools, to help inspire and empower students to access Higher Education. I co-ordinate and deliver Access Visits at St John’s College, where students are able to experience talks, workshops, and tours, to support them in their knowledge of Higher Education, and Oxford specifically.

  I work closely with secondary schools and sixth forms in our link areas in the South East, as well as with primary schools in Oxfordshire. Working with schools is incredibly rewarding, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to meet so many brilliant students and members of staff. I am committed to ensuring that the University is a representative, welcoming, and forward-thinking institution. Crucial to this is the prioritisation of access and outreach.

  Prior to taking up this role, I worked on other access programmes run by the University, such as UNIQ and OxNet, and benefitted from access programmes myself, whilst an applicant.

  I graduated with a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Oxford, in 2024.

  Appointed: 30/1/2026