Garry Ratcliffe

Chief Executive Officer

As I continue my role as CEO of The Golden Thread Alliance, I continue to be incredibly proud of our pupils and the many achievements they make on a daily basis whilst studying at our schools.

Many of you will already know that I have a very special family myself…Myself and my husband have four children – three of them with complex health and learning needs. They are an immense joy but I have to confess that our fourth child who others would call “mainstream” is the hardest work of all! We have adopted our children and so I feel I have a good understanding of issues faced by children living in care or who have been adopted, as well as children with special educational needs.

One of the benefits of being CEO of The Golden Thread Alliance is that I am able to make links with other partners right across the county, and beyond. This means that I am able to learn from other professionals, taking on their ideas, and sharing them within The Golden Thread Alliance.

If I can achieve one thing during my time within The Golden Thread Alliance it would be to instil our values of Respect, Responsibility and Equality in our staff, pupils and parents. Of course it is our role to promote high standards of learning in maths and English, as well as the wider curriculum – but it is equally important for us to ensure we are growing the best, most valuable citizens that our town, our county, our country and our world needs. By learning about Respect, Responsibility and Equality, I hope we will be making our children’s world, a much better place. 

Claire Misy
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer

I started my working life in the public sector in 1996 and quickly became interested in education, where I started as a finance assistant and worked my way up, leaving the Local Authority as a Senior Accountant in March 2011. During my time in the LA I was head hunted to work with Medway Council, heading up and implementing their school finance support for over 200 schools.  I worked across the whole county, consulting, auditing and advising primary, secondary, and special schools regarding their finances, systems and compliance which has given me a great deal of knowledge and experience within the Education Sector.

In March 2011, I was appointed as School Business Manager for Oakfield. I was also privileged enough to be selected on the second cohort of the CSBM (Certificate in School Business Management) and successfully passed the programme in 2013. 

In September 2016 The Galaxy Trust (now The Golden Thread Alliance) was established, comprising of Oakfield Primary Academy and Temple Hill Primary Academy. I was appointed as Chief Operating Officer and CFO.  The growth of The Trust has continued and I’m sure will continue.  I am proud that I am part of a Trust that holds it values at the heart of everything they do – RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY AND EQUALITY.

Danielle Lewis-Egonu
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, School Improvement

I am extremely proud to work for The Golden Thread Alliance with its nine school across Dartford and Gravesham.   I have served the Education sector for many years across Kent and London and have a great passion in making a real difference to the lives of all children. I strongly believe that all children and young people deserve the best Education and I am committed to high expectations and consistency for teaching and learning across our schools. I also believe it is important to develop children's confidence, self-esteem and resilience which will equip them with the necessary tools to overcome challenges and be ready for the next phase of their learning.

As well as being a parent to three wonderful children, I love being outdoors, spending time with my large family, travelling, coaching and being an advocate for young people.

Nicole Caulfield

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Governance and Community

I have been privileged to work in primary education since 1986, initially in Birmingham and the West Midlands before moving to Kent and into Senior Leadership, where I am extremely proud to be a Deputy CEO for The Golden Thread Alliance.

I count becoming a Headteacher in 2001 as one of my greatest achievements; early education is my passion and I truly believe that the solid foundations set down in the early years are the base upon which future success is built. I am committed to ensuring that every child gets the best possible opportunities and enjoys every moment in our schools. For in the words of Nelson Mandela:

‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’

Collaborating and innovating with other leaders has been a real pleasure firstly as founding member of a local Gravesham based Academy Trust and now as a senior strategic leader within The Golden Thread Alliance.

Outside of work I love spending time with friends and family; I have a very active social life. I also ride and am a regular gym goer.