Governance

A message from our Chair of Governors.

“Our mission is to provide a safe, stimulating learning environment where everyone feels valued and respected. We aim to achieve this through continually reflecting on our work and striving for improvement thus providing a consistently high-quality learning experience that will support every individual to achieve their full potential.”

If you wish to contact the Chair of Governors please write or email: Mrs Wendy Holton, The Woodlands Academy, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 6QN    cofg@woodlands.n-yorks.sch.uk

More detailed information about the structure, function & membership of the governing body appears below.

Members

In 2013 our original members told the government that they wanted to form a company.   They signed our “Memorandum of Association” – the document that allowed The Woodlands School to become The Woodlands Academy. Click to view our Original Funding Agreement and Deed of Variation To Funding Agreement

These members also agreed our first “Articles of Association”, which describes our purpose.

This is called our charitable object – in-short this is:-

“to advance, for the public benefit, education in the United Kingdom.”

Or current members are:

*also serves as a trustee

Members have a limited role in the running of the Academy.   Their key role is checking that the trustees are doing a good job and stay focussed on our charitable object.   The Department for Education (DfE) call this “hands-off, eyes-on”.

Members do:

• appoint or remove trustees. (Appoint where a vacancy or skills gap exists.   Remove if a trustee is failing in their role.)
• appoint or remove members.
• appoint or remove auditors.

Members do not:

• set agendas or priorities for the trustees
• tell the trustees how to run the Academy
• attend trustee meetings (unless they are also a trustee)
• have voting rights at any board meeting

Members meet once per year at an annual general meeting.  However, they may call more meetings if required.

Details of pecuniary interests for Members are published to this web-site and updated annually

Board of Trustees – 2021/22

*chair of board of trustees

**vice-chair

***Headteacher of the Academy

The board of trustees are the Academy’s key decision-makers.   However, their role remains strategic rather than operational; that is to say, deciding where the Academy should be going but not how to get there.

The board is in charge of making sure the Academy runs well.   They do this by checking that:-

• there is a clear vision, ethos and strategic plan
• Senior Leaders create and maintain an effective staff team
• Educational performance of the Academy and its pupils is effective
• Money is well-managed and well-spent

However, certain responsibilities will be delegated (passed on) to other committees or Senior Leaders.   Some delegated responsibility is described in the next sections.   Our full Scheme of Delegation appears near the bottom of this web-page.

The board will publish, to this web-site, an Annual Report & Financial Statement for the Academy.

Meeting attendance records are available here for the last academic year & for the current academic year.

Details of pecuniary interests for Trustees are published to this web-site and updated annually.

Strategy Group

“Terms of reference” describe what each group or committee will do as well as what it will not do.   The terms of reference this group can be found at: Strategy Group Terms of Reference

In brief; the Strategy Group involves:

• Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
• The Headteacher
• Chairs of all standing committees [see individual committee headings for details (below)]

The Group will meet during term time.   The dates of these meetings will be agreed from time-to-time by the group.

It is a group that advises the Board of Trustees.   It does not hold any delegated powers.

Its job is to allow the chairs of the committees of the Board of Trustees to discuss things informally with the Headteacher so that:-

• the work of the committees can be planned so that there are no gaps or overlaps;
• approaches to governing are the same in all committees

The Group has an important job in making sure that the School’s Vision Statement is kept in mind at all times by the Board of Trustees.  

The Group will also check how well the Board of Trustees works and suggest further training and development.

Standing Committees

All standing committees meet 6 times during the year and report back to the full Board of Trustees.   Each committee will consist of three trustees with a chair being elected at the first meeting each year.   Full terms of reference for each committee can be found by clicking on the links below.

* Our full Scheme of Delegation appears towards the bottom of this web-page.

Senior Leaders

Senior Leaders help with planning where the Academy is going, but also decide how this will be done and make sure this happens.   They must engage with, report to and support the work of the *Governing Body.

Accounting Officer (AO)

The AO is responsible for the Academy’s finances and reports to the trustees, Parliament, and to the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).   It is important for trustees to appoint a senior person to this role.   In our case, the role is filled by our Headteacher.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

The CFO manages the Academy’s finances.    They are expected to work closely with the finance & audit committee as well as contributing to other committees/groups where financial matters are raised.   In our case this is our School Business Manager.

Our current Senior Leaders are:

Woodlands Academy Executive Pay Report

Parental & Community Engagement Arrangements

An effective Governing Body

is one that is in touch with what is happening nationally and locally within education. Speaking with, and listening to, parents and our local community will help us to make sure that The Woodlands Academy continues to serve the community, its families and its children well.

Our Members will try to make sure we have the right balance of skills and experience in the Governing Body.   They will do this by recruiting new trustees and training those we already have.  

Trustees will keep up-to-date with educational developments by reading and finding appropriate training opportunities.

The Governing Body will gather the views of parents through an annual questionnaire.

In addition, informal contact through parents’ assemblies, parents’ evening and other open events remain important.   The Governing Body will try to be represented at such events and will make themselves known to parents.

Parents will receive an invitation to the Annual General Meeting of the Academy’s Board of Trustees.

Parents can request a meeting with an individual Governor or group by contacting the clerk to the Governors via the Academy office or directly by email. 

The Woodlands Academy Scheme of Delegation (agreed 09-12-21)

This scheme is based on a template created by the National Governance Association https://www.nga.org.uk/Home.aspx