Governance at The Wellington Academy
The Wellington Academy joined Ascend Learning Trust (Formerly Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust) on 1st April 2020. The Trust exists to ensure that the staff, pupils and parents from each Academy are able to benefit from Excellence in Education across the Trust.
Ascend Learning Trust (ALT) was set up as a Multi Academy Trust in May 2017. In establishing ALT, the trust committed to offering strategic leadership and management expertise to facilitate collaboration, commitment leading to high levels of school improvement opportunities to each Academy within ALT.
Ascend Learning Trust
Ascend Learning Trust (ALT) has strategic responsibilities which include achieving high level educational performance in all of its Academies, owning all assets, employing all staff, and receiving all funding from the Education Funding Agency to allocate budgets to each Academy in ALT, whilst providing effective and efficient corporate services which offer value for money.
ALT operates through a governance structure, which includes the ALT Board of Trustees, supported by a Finance Committee, Standards Committee and Academy Attainment Committee identified below. Each Committee has its own Terms of Reference. Academy Local Governing Bodies feed into the governance structure.
Vision & Values
Members and Trustees
Executive Leadership Team
Strategic Plan
Standard Operating Documents
ALT Constitution
The Academy has a Local Governing Body (LGB) which meets six times a year.
The LGB is a committee which meets to monitor, evaluate and review the Academy Improvement Plan, ensuring clear links from the self-evaluation process. The responsibilities of the LGB cover; Trust governance, statutory and regulatory compliance, Student outcomes, Community engagement and School development.
The Local Governing Body exists to provide a platform of governance designed to enhance the monitoring and improvements in education and pupil attainment at local level whilst delivering the three core principles of
- clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction in line with ALT policy
- holding the Academy Head teacher to account for the performance and attainment of its pupils
- Overseeing the Academy’s delegated financial budget.
The LGB articulates the needs of its academy community through its regular reporting to ALT in line with the operational Scheme of Delegation. The LGB seeks to support ALT in wide curriculum collaborations and sharing good practice, which underpins the ways of working and terms of reference for the LGB.
The Governing Body is made up of representatives of the Staff, Parents/Carers and the Community. They are volunteers and have various legal responsibilities and duties. The role of governor is largely a thinking and questioning role and ideas from outside education can be useful; the day to day decisions about the running of the school is the role of the Head Teacher, supported by the staff.
Composition of the Local Governing Body
Each LGB comprises up to ten members(Local Governors), including:
- the Head teacher of the Academy;
- at least two elected parents or guardians of a pupil at the Academy (Parent Local Governors);
- with the option of up to two employees of the Academy comprising one teacher member and one elected non-teaching staff member elected by employees of the Academy (Staff Local Governors) and
- Such other members as the Trustees decide.
Each LGB shall have a Chair and a Vice-Chair.
The length of service of all Local Governors and the Clerk to the LGB shall be four years. Subject to remaining eligible to be a Local Governor, any Local Governor may be reappointed or re-elected at the end of his or her term.
Every person wishing to become a Local Governor will be required to sign a declaration of acceptance and of willingness to act as a Local Governor.
Commitment of Local Governors
Local Governors are asked to:
- prepare for and make an active contribution at meetings of the LGB;
- champion the Academy in the local community;
- familiarise themselves with the Academy’s policies;
- visit the Academy both during school hours (with prior arrangement with the Head teacher) and for evening events to get to know the Academy and to be visible to the Academy community; and
- attend training sessions for Local Governors, where possible.
There are many opportunities for governors to support school activities to develop understanding of the students and staff’s experience of teaching and learning, and of pastoral care. It is recognised that, as volunteers, governors cannot necessarily attend school activities during usual working hours, but relevant events are not limited to those hours..
Phil Mitten (Chair)
Phil is a serving Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in the British Army and has spent most of his career in training, coaching, and mentoring roles. He self-studied an Honours degree and also a Masters degree in Education, through part time distance learning, the latter specialising in the leadership and management of adults who engage with learners. He has an in-depth knowledge of neurodiversity, wellbeing, inclusion and equity, and mental health. Phil spent two years as Assessment Governor at a primary school before relocating and proudly taking up the role of Chair at The Wellington Academy’s Local Governing Board. He is highly motivated to use his knowledge, skills, and experience to influence positive changes in young people’s lives so that they can be happy, healthy, and go on to have prosperous futures.
Rupert Gregory (Vice-Chair)
Mr Gregory has been a classroom teacher, in Newbury, since September 1990. During this time he has held a number of responsibilities and for the past eighteen years has been second in Faculty being responsible for the teaching of Mathematics in the sixth form. In addition to academic studies he has been in the CCF since 1991. He is a Tidworth Town Councillor and represents the local community on the LGB. He has a liking for cars, in particular MGs, and likes to spend time in the garage. He lives in Tidworth, with his wife, and has done so since 1997.
Mark Freeta
Mark has been on the local governing body since 2015 and brings industry experience having had a long career in telecommunications both at a technical level and also global business management. Mark has lived in the area for the last 18 years and is a keen supporter of the local area having taken on a number of voluntary roles with the aim to make a positive difference and give something back.
Jacqui Lord
Jacqui is currently the Senior Science Technician at the Academy and has worked there since 2015. She has also worked at Bishop Wordsworth School, St Joseph’s School and Westwood St Thomas School in Salisbury. Prior to moving to the area in 2000 Jacqui was an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve. She has previously been a governor at a local primary school including spending some time as the Chair of governors.
Major Robert Crean
Originally working as a Secondary Science teacher in Liverpool, Bob joined the Army in 2009, commissioning into the Educational & Training Services Branch. Bob has done a wide range of education-related roles, including assuring training courses, mentoring course designers, training instructors, working as a coaching advisor and teaching a plethora of subjects to soldiers at every rank (from Corporal to Major).
Geordie Chisholm
Geordie has served in the Royal Logistic Corps for the past 24 years, working all over the world in his principal role of logistician. He has a specialisation in petro-chemicals and has expertise in recruit and simulated training. Geordie is married with three young children and has a desire to remain in the local area to allow his children to have continuity in their education. This is his first time working on the Local Governing Body and is looking forward to adding value for both the school and all the children within it.
If you would like to make contact with any of our Governors please email the clerk via: cmercer@rwbatrust.org.uk.
Name of governor | Name of Business | Nature of Business | Nature of Interest | Date of appointment or Acquisition | Date of Cessation of interest | Date updated | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steven Paddock | No Business Interest Declared/Head teacher | September 2022 | ||||||||
Mark Freeta | September 2022 | |||||||||
Rupert Gregory | September 2022 | |||||||||
Major Robert Crean | january 2023 | |||||||||
Jacqui Lord | September 2022 | |||||||||
Isla Thorne | September 2022 | |||||||||
Phil Mitten | September 2022 | |||||||||
Geordie Chisholm | October 2022 | |||||||||
Wes Meredith | December 2022 |
Category | Name | Date of Appointment | Term of office ends | Date stepped down | attendance at lgb meetings 2022 - 2023 | attendance at lgb meetings 2021 - 2022 | attendance at lgb meetings 2020 - 2021 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head teacher | Steven Paddock | 01 / 04 / 2020 | 5/5 | 6/6 | 6/6 | ||
Staff governor(teacher) | Isla thorne | 01 / 10 / 2020 | 01 / 10 / 2024 | 4/5 | 4/6 | 4/6 | |
Parent Governor | Geordie Chisholm | 07 / 07 / 2022 | 07 / 07 / 2026 | 4/5 | 1/1 | N/A | |
Staff Governor(Non-teacher) | Jacqui Lord | 01 / 11 / 2020 | 01 / 11 / 2024 | 4/5 | 6/6 | 6/6 | |
Community governor | Rupert Gregory | 19 / 11 / 15 vice chair: 20/5/21 | 03 / 10 / 2022 | 4/5 | 4/6 | 3/6 | |
Military Governor | Major Robert crean | 11 / 02 / 2021 | 10 / 02 / 2025 | 2/5 | 3/6 | 3/4 | |
Community governor | Mark Freeta | 12 / 10 / 2015 | 11 / 10 / 2023 | 4/5 | 4/6 | 5/6 | |
Community governor | Phil Mitten | 19 / 05 / 2022 Chair | 18 / 05 / 2026 | 4/5 | 2/2 | N/A | |
Military governor | Wes Meredith | 08 / 12 / 2022 | 07 / 12 / 2026 | 2/3 | N/A | N/A | |
parent governor | Lisa Ashford-Smith | 20 / 05 / 2021 | 19 / 05 / 2025 | 18 / 05 / 2023 | 0/5 | 4/6 | 2/2 |
Military governor | Simon Culley | 19 / 02 / 2021 | 22 / 01 / 2024 | 31 / 10 / 2022 | 1/1 | 5/6 | 4/6 |
Parent governor | Jessica Laing | 11 / 02 / 2021 | 10 / 02 / 2025 | 24 / 03 / 2022 | 0/4 | 3/4 | |
Community Governor | Ian Hendersor | 20 / 04 / 2017 Chair : 02 / 10 /2019- 20 / 05 / 2021 | 01 / 10 / 2023 | 02 / 05 / 2021 | N/A | 5/6 |