Meet the Academy Councillors
Wark C of E Primary Academy is a member of the Durham & Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust (D&NDLT). The Board of Directors of the Trust has identified that each school in the Trust will have a dedicated committee to oversee the governance arrangements of the school on their behalf. This committee is called the Academy Council and its members – Academy Councillors - work closely with the Head Teacher and the school’s leaders in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for all pupils.
The membership of the Academy Council is as follows:
Chairperson : Mrs Esther Brown (Strategic, Resources and Curriculum Committee chair)
Vice-Chairperson: Elizabeth Walters
Head Teacher: Mr Michael Boucetla
Foundation Councillor:
There are 10 Councillors in total.
The role of the Academy Council is to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for educational and financial performance. The Academy Council meets half-termly and its work reflects the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation that identifies the duties delegated to the Academy Council by the Board of Directors.
Councillors work very hard to ensure that they know what it is like to be a learner in the school and undertake a range of activity in relation to the three core functions of governance:
The School Development Plan (SDP) identifies the school’s priorities for the year and the Academy Council is instrumental in working with the Head Teacher to develop this and then monitoring progress against the identified priorities for the year.
Councillors are linked to areas of the SDP and undertake a range of activity – meeting staff, talking to pupils, reviewing plans, looking at pupils’ work – so that they can see the progress being made against the priorities for themselves.
Councillors are also linked to other areas and aspects of school life – e.g. science, safeguarding, Pupil Premium, SEND - and this helps them to understand the school and enables them to build relationships with members of staff. This ensures that the decisions they make are based on a good knowledge of the school.
Councillors report on their activity to the meetings of the Academy Council so that all councillors are aware of what is going well and what is in need of development.
Councillors also identify and then manage any risks that might impact on the outcomes achieved by the school.
Councillors look at the information provided by the school on the progress and attainment of pupils and challenge the Head Teacher when performance appears to be uneven or inconsistent. They ask about the organisation of the curriculum and the quality of teaching in the school. They make sure that the school has a robust system in place for the performance management of staff. Councillors rely on the Trust to undertake the performance management of the Head Teacher on their behalf.
Councillors look at a range of external data and information to see how their school compares to local and national benchmarks. They also look at the reports of external partners about their school so that they have as wide a view as possible of how their school is performing.
Councillors also receive information about the school’s plan for spending its Pupil Premium grant and PE and Sport grant. The school provides regular updates on the impact of these plans to meetings of the Academy Council.
Governors' Business & financial interests & attendance of meetings
From September 2015, Governing Bodies/Academy Councils are required to publish, on their website, information about their governors.
Please open file to see information on The business & financial interests, commitee information and roles and responsibilites of our governors. Follow the link for our Register of Governor Interests.
The membership of the Academy Council is as follows:
Chairperson : Mrs Esther Brown (Strategic, Resources and Curriculum Committee chair)
Vice-Chairperson: Elizabeth Walters
Head Teacher: Mr Michael Boucetla
Foundation Councillor:
- Sarah Lunn (Church Representative - Ex-Officio)
- Angus Peckham - Cooper
- David Gundry
- Alice Murray
- Cath White
- Liz Walters
- Parent Governors:
- Kelly Ritchie
- Esther Brown
There are 10 Councillors in total.
The role of the Academy Council is to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for educational and financial performance. The Academy Council meets half-termly and its work reflects the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation that identifies the duties delegated to the Academy Council by the Board of Directors.
Councillors work very hard to ensure that they know what it is like to be a learner in the school and undertake a range of activity in relation to the three core functions of governance:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
The School Development Plan (SDP) identifies the school’s priorities for the year and the Academy Council is instrumental in working with the Head Teacher to develop this and then monitoring progress against the identified priorities for the year.
Councillors are linked to areas of the SDP and undertake a range of activity – meeting staff, talking to pupils, reviewing plans, looking at pupils’ work – so that they can see the progress being made against the priorities for themselves.
Councillors are also linked to other areas and aspects of school life – e.g. science, safeguarding, Pupil Premium, SEND - and this helps them to understand the school and enables them to build relationships with members of staff. This ensures that the decisions they make are based on a good knowledge of the school.
Councillors report on their activity to the meetings of the Academy Council so that all councillors are aware of what is going well and what is in need of development.
Councillors also identify and then manage any risks that might impact on the outcomes achieved by the school.
- Holding school leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff.
Councillors look at the information provided by the school on the progress and attainment of pupils and challenge the Head Teacher when performance appears to be uneven or inconsistent. They ask about the organisation of the curriculum and the quality of teaching in the school. They make sure that the school has a robust system in place for the performance management of staff. Councillors rely on the Trust to undertake the performance management of the Head Teacher on their behalf.
Councillors look at a range of external data and information to see how their school compares to local and national benchmarks. They also look at the reports of external partners about their school so that they have as wide a view as possible of how their school is performing.
- Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and ensuring that money is well spent for the benefit of all pupils.
Councillors also receive information about the school’s plan for spending its Pupil Premium grant and PE and Sport grant. The school provides regular updates on the impact of these plans to meetings of the Academy Council.
Governors' Business & financial interests & attendance of meetings
From September 2015, Governing Bodies/Academy Councils are required to publish, on their website, information about their governors.
Please open file to see information on The business & financial interests, commitee information and roles and responsibilites of our governors. Follow the link for our Register of Governor Interests.
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