1.      Information about the Governing Committee

Ashmole Academy is proud to be part of Ashmole Trust. We are committed to delivering our motto; Excellence, Aspiration and Care for both students and staff.

Please click here – for a full list of governors.

 2.      The Role of the Governing Committee

The Local Governing Committees is responsible for carrying forward the Trust’s Vision, policy and priorities and provide internal assurance and to provide challenge and support to school leadership.

   Their Responsibilities include:

• Vision & Accountability
• Leadership Development
• Compliance Monitoring
• Student Behaviour Management
• Complaints Procedures
• Staff Discipline
• Ofsted Monitoring
• Site

The Governing Committee provide scrutiny of the delivery on the academy improvement plan, holding the school’s leadership to account. It ensures that the Trust’s vision is embedded in all aspects of school life and that the community is engaged with the academy, so that the school is properly meeting its community’s needs.

In addition, the Governing Committee has a duty to monitor the work of the school, especially its performance, and to be a critical friend to the school through working in partnership with the Head Teacher.

The Head Teacher is responsible for the running of the school, not the Governing Committee.

The Governing Committee also has a key function to perform with regard to pupil discipline:

• In cases of exclusion, the Pupil Discipline Panel may review the decision of the Head Teacher where an appeal occurs.  In cases of permanent exclusion, the Pupil Discipline Panel has to review the decision of the Head Teacher within 15 school days.  The Governing Committee is also responsible for establishing the independent Review Panel in permanent exclusion cases where the parent/carer wishes to appeal against the decision of the Pupil Discipline Panel to uphold the Head Teacher’s decision.

3.      How Does the Governing Committee Operate?

The Governing Committee has three meetings a year, one per term.  The Head Teacher provides a detailed report on the work of the school to each of these meetings.  In addition to formal meetings, the Governing Committee also attends three Governor Engagements Visits per year to observe, monitor, and engage with staff, pupils, and the wider community.

4.      The Work of the Parent & Staff Governor

Parents/carers and staff have the opportunity to vote for who they think will make a good governor when vacancies appear for parent or staff governor.  Parent and Staff Governors are not delegated to work specifically on behalf of or for parents. The post is chosen by ballot of parents or staff to select those who have the motivation, skills and qualities that would make a good governor in the best interest of the school – in the same way that all Governors are responsible as members of the Governing Committee.

Because the role and responsibilities of the Parent or Staff Governor are no different to other Governors, it is not the role of a Parent or Staff Governor to take up individual requests of parents or staff.  In all cases of a personal matter about what is happening at school as a parent or a member of staff, the advice from the Governing Committee is to take the matter to the Head Teacher, as it is the Head Teacher who is responsible for the running of the school.  If after that a parent or a member of staff feels a need to contact the Governing Committee and it is not a formal complaint, then please contact the Clerk to the Governors to discuss how best to resolve the issue.

5.      Do you want to Contact the Governing Committee?

Sometimes parents and carers wish to contact the Governing Committee directly.  Sometimes parents and carers wish to contact Parent Governors about a school matter that is affecting them. 

The advice to parents and carers in these cases is clear.  Please contact the Head Teacher in the first instance.  The Head Teacher is operationally in charge of the school and not the Governing Committee, so on most matters, it is the Head Teacher who can most effectively deal with the issue.  The Head Teacher is also a Governor and, if the matter is more strategic, he is in the best position to bring it to the attention of the Governing Committee.

There are formal processes to deal with admission and exclusion and parents and carers involved in those processes will be contacted directly over those matters and informed on how to appeal. 

If you are still of the view that you want to contact the Governing Committee, please contact the Clerk to the Governors, at the school for advice about how best to pursue the matter.

6.      How to Contact the Governing Committee

The Governing Committee can be contacted via the Clerk to the Governors:

Mrs D MacKay-Lear
Clerk to the Governors
c/o Ashmole Academy
Cecil Road
Southgate
London  N14 5RJ
Tel :  020 8361 2703
E-mail: dma@ashmoleacademy.org