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The Governing Body
School Governors
Welcome to the school governors website page for The Grange Academy
The governing body team at The Grange Academy is expected to:
Establish the strategic direction, by:
- Setting the vision, values, and objectives for the school
- Agreeing the school improvement strategy with priorities and targets
- Meeting statutory duties
Ensuring accountability, by:
- Appointing the lead executive/headteacher
- Monitoring progress towards targets
- Performance managing the lead executive/headteacher
- Engaging with stakeholders
- Contributing to school self-evaluation
Ensuring financial probity, by:
- Setting the budget
- Monitoring spending against the budget
- Ensuring value for money is obtained
- Ensuring risks to the organisation are managed
s individuals on the board we agree to the following:
Governors Code of Conduct
Role & Responsibilities
- We understand the purpose of the board and the role of the lead executive/headteacher.
- We accept that we have no legal authority to act individually, except when the board has given us delegated authority to do so, and therefore we will only speak on behalf of the governing board when we have been specifically authorised to do so.
- We accept collective responsibility for all decisions made by the board or its delegated agents. This means that we will not speak against majority decisions outside the governing board meeting.
- We have a duty to act fairly and without prejudice, and in so far as we have responsibility for staff, we will fulfil all that is expected of a good employer.
- We will encourage open government and will act appropriately.
- We will consider carefully how our decisions may affect the community and other schools.
- We will always be mindful of our responsibility to maintain and develop the ethos and reputation of our school/group of schools. Our actions within the school and the local community will reflect this.
- In making or responding to criticism or complaints we will follow the procedures established by the governing board.
- We will actively support and challenge the lead executive/headteacher.
Commitment
- We acknowledge that accepting office as a governor/trustee/academy committee member involves the commitment of significant amounts of time and energy.
- We will each involve ourselves actively in the work of the governing board, and accept our fair share of responsibilities, including service on committees or working groups.
- We will make full efforts to attend all meetings and where we cannot attend explain in advance why we are unable to.
- We will get to know the school/s well and respond to opportunities to involve ourselves in school activities.
- We will visit the school/s, with all visits arranged in advance with the lead executive/headteacher and undertaken within the framework established by the governing board.
- We will consider seriously our individual and collective needs for induction, training and development, and will undertake relevant training.
- We accept that in the interests of open government, our full names, date of appointment, terms of office, roles on the governing board, attendance records, relevant business and pecuniary interests, category of governor and the body responsible for appointing us will be published on the school’s website.
- In the interests of transparency we accept that information relating to governors/trustees/academy committee members will be collected and logged on the DfE’s national database of governors (Edubase).
Relationships
- We will strive to work as a team in which constructive working relationships are actively promoted.
- We will express views openly, courteously and respectfully in all our communications with other governors/trustees/academy committee members.
- We will support the chair in their role of ensuring appropriate conduct both at meetings and at all times.
- We are prepared to answer queries from other board members in relation to delegated functions and take into account any concerns expressed, and we will acknowledge the time, effort and skills that have been committed to the delegated function by those involved.
- We will seek to develop effective working relationships with the lead executive/headteacher, staff and parents, the trust, the local authority and other relevant agencies and the community.
Confidentiality
- We will observe complete confidentiality when matters are deemed confidential or where they concern specific members of staff or pupils, both inside or outside school.
- We will exercise the greatest prudence at all times when discussions regarding school/trust business arise outside a governing board meeting.
- We will not reveal the details of any governing board vote.
Conflicts of interest
- We will record any pecuniary or other business interest (including those related to people we are connected with) that we have in connection with the governing board’s business in the Register of Business Interests, and if any such conflicted matter arises in a meeting we will offer to leave the meeting for the appropriate length of time. We accept that the Register of Business Interests will be published on the school/trust’s website.
- We will also declare any conflict of loyalty at the start of any meeting should the situation arise.
- We will act in the best interests of the school as a whole and not as a representative of any group, even if elected to the governing board.
About our Governors
Amanda Hopwood
"I am the headteacher of the school and have been on the governing body in this capacity since September 2018. I currently sit on the school improvement and resources working groups. The Grange Academy is my first headship. Previously I was a deputy head teacher at the school for a year and prior to that at a school in Welwyn Garden City. As a teacher I particularly enjoyed teaching years 3 to 6. My favourite subject to teach is English and I enjoyed leading this subject as a deputy. Before becoming a teacher I had a career in banking. It is part of my duties to serve on the governing body but I have previously served as a deputy, class teacher and parent governor on three different governing bodies. It is a hugely rewarding role. I hope to work with the other governors to secure the best outcomes for all pupils at the school." 
Jon Legg
Trust governor and a governor at the school for over eight years.
Chair of the school improvement working group.
SEND and CLA linked governor
"I was a secondary headteacher for over fourteen years and have since worked on the national professional qualification for headteachers (NPQH) for many years. This has given me considerable experience in primary education, and I enjoy supporting the headteacher and her staff in their aim to provide the very best education for all the children in their care. As a governing body, we are a team, and I enjoy working with the other governors to fulfil our role of providing a strategic overview of and acting as a critical friend to the school. It was most rewarding for us all when the school achieved its 'good' Ofsted report in January 2022'
Joanne Balaam
"I originally applied to become a parent Governor in March 2015 because I have 4 children who would all go through the school so I have a long-term interest in the success of the school, and I wanted to proactively support the leadership in the school. In March 2019 I was re-elected as a co-opted Governor. When I applied back in 2015, I had no knowledge of the education sector at all, apart from my children coming to school each day! But I am a Finance Director for an international non-profit organisation and have worked within the third sector for over 15 years, so had knowledge about the sector as a whole. Sitting on the resources working group, I can bring expertise in accounting, procurement, capital projects, budgets, staffing, data analysis and policies."
Nicky Murphy
"I am the staff governor and have been on the governing body in this capacity since September 2019; I was a non-voting teacher representative during the previous academic year. I am the Deputy Headteacher, year 6 teacher, assessment and English lead at the Grange. I am now into my tenth year working at The Grange and have also led maths and the implementation of the new curriculum. I became a staff governor to help with my own professional development as well as being a voice to represent the teaching team at the Grange. I hope to be able to offer an insight into teaching and learning as well as observations about the journey the school has been on during my time as a teacher and as part of the leadership team.”
Jamie Sinclair
Co-opted Governor.
I have been a co-opted governor at The Grange since 2019, more recently taking on the role of co-chair. I live relatively locally and became a governor because I wanted to do something to support my local community. The best part of my role as a governor is hearing the enthusiasm that the children have for the Grange during governor visits. In my day job I am a management consultant working with the public sector. Previously I worked for the NHS in West Hertfordshire where I helped design services and, more recently, worked on setting up covid testing and vaccine sites during the pandemic.
Kayleigh Abery
I have been a parent governor since the autumn term 2021. I have children at the school and this drew me to consider being a governor. I have worked in local government for 18 years in an administrative role that has over the years provided support to engineering, planning and transport services. I have a fair amount of interaction with customers and my role requires investigating facts and problem solving alongside some reporting. I have a good mindset for policies and procedures and safeguarding and I feel these skills can support being a governor. I hope to bring an honest, nuanced opinion and the viewpoint of being a parent at the school. I feel comfortable contributing and working as a team for the future of the children at the school.
Tamsin Thomas
Ann Blake
The Grange Academy are sadden to report that Ann Blake, Vice Chair of Governors passed away on the 8th September 2022.
OUR CURRENT BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Name | Post | Start date | Term end date | Board meetings attended |
Amanda Hopwood | Headteacher | 01/09/2017 | Ongoing | 05.10.21 30.11.21 25.01.22 15.03.22 07.06.22 12.07.22 04.10.22 29.11.22 24.01.23 14.03.23 06.06.23 |
Jonathan Legg15.03.22 | Co-Chair of Governors Trust Governor Chair of School Improvement Committee *Special educational needs and children looked after | 02/04/2022
01/09/2017
Further term accepted 01/09/2021 | 04/10/2022
31/08/2021
31/08/2025
| 05.10.21 apologies 30.11.21 25.01.22 15.03.22 07.06.22 12.07.22 04.10.22 apologies 29.11.22 24.01.23 14.03.23 06.06.23 |
Joanne Balaam | Co-Opted Governor *Governor Training | 29/04/2019 | 28/04/2023 | 05.10.21 30.11.21 25.01.22 15.03.22 07.06.22 12.07.22 apologies 04.10.22 apologies 29.11.22 24.01.23 apologies 14.03.23 apologies 06.06.23 |
| Nicola Murphy | Staff Governor | 01/09/2017 | 31/08/2022 | 05.10.21 30.11.21 25.01.22 15.03.22 07.06.22 12.07.22 04.10.22 29.11.22 24.01.23 14.03.23 06.06.23 |
Jamie Sinclair
| Co-Chair of Governors
Co-Opted Governor
| 02/04/2022
05/02/2019
| 04/10/2022
04/02/2023
| 05.10.21 30.11.21 25.01.22 15.03.22 07.06.22 12.07.22 04.10.22 29.11.22 24.01.23 14.03.23 06.06.23 |
| Kayleigh Abery | Parent Governor Safeguarding Governor | 01/11/2021 | 01/11/2025 | 05.10.21 30.11.21 25.01.22 15.03.22 07.06.22 12.07.22 04.10.22 29.11.22 24.01.23 14.03.23 06.06.23 |
| Tamsin Thomas | Governor | 12/07/2022 | 12/07/2026 | 12.07.22 apologies 04.10.22 29.11.22 24.01.23 apologies 14.03.23 apologies |
The chair of governors can be contacted via the school office.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE | |
| Amanda Hopwood | 24/09/2021 Attended 19/10/2021 Attended
|
Jon Legg | 24/09/2021 Attended 19/10/2021 Attended
|
Clive Mitchell
| 24/09/2021 Attended 19/10/2021 Attended 18/05/2021 Attended
|
| Nicola Murphy | 24/09/2021 Attended 19/10/2021 Attended 18/05/2021 Attended
|
RESOURCE COMMITTEE ATTENDANCE | |
Clive Mitchell | 19/11/2021 Attended 24/09/2021 Attended 14/05/2021 Attended
|
Amanda Hopwood
| 19/11/2021 Attended 24/09/2021 Attended 14/05/2021 Attended
|
Joanne Balaam
| 19/11/2021 Attended 24/09/2021 Attended
|
Jamie Sinclair
| 19/11/2021 Attended 24/09/2021 Attended |
| Governor link area | |
| Discipline/Complaints Panel | Jon Legg / Joanne Balaam |
| Headteacher’s Performance Management Review Panel | Joanne Balaam |
| Safer Recruitment Trained Governors | Jon Legg |
| SEND linked governor | Jon Legg |
| GDPR | Joanne Balaam |
| Health & Safety linked governor | Jamie Sinclair |
| Governor Development Coordinator | Joanne Balaam |
| Safeguarding | Kayleigh Abery |
Previous Governors (past 24 months)
Name | Date stepped Down | Pecuniary Interest form on file |
| Michael Emmins | 01/03/2022 | |
| Laura Benn | 23/04/2021 | 09/09/2020 |
| Claire Anderson - Byrne | 31/12/2019 | |
| Sine Bates | 27/11/2018 | 14/10/2018 |
Full Governing Body Minutes Academic Year 22/23
Full Governing Body Minutes Academic Year 21/22
Full Governing Body Minutes Academic Year 2020/21
Full Governing Body Minutes Academic Year 2019/20
Full Governing Body Minutes Academic Year 2018/19
Governor Interests
Name | Role | Date appointed | Term of office end date | Nature of interest | Organisation/business in which interest held | Date of change | Date information supplied |
Clive Mitchell | Chair | 01/09/2017 | 31/08/2025 | Relative of employee | Dragon Of The North |
| 09/09/2020 |
Anne Blake | Vice Chair | 01/09/2017 | 31/08/2025 | None |
| 05/10/2021 | 05/10/2021 |
Amanda Hopwood | Headteacher | 01/09/2017 | Ongoing | None |
|
| 05/10/2021 |
Jonathan Legg | Trust Governor | 01/09/2017 | 31/08/2025 | None |
|
| 09/09/2020 |
Joanne Balaam | Co-opted Governor | 29/04/2019
| 28/04/2023 | CEO | Mercy Ships UK | 15/12/2020 | 05/10/2021 |
| Nicola Murphy | Staff Governor | 01/09/2017 | 31/08/2022 | None | 05/10/2021 | ||
Jamie Sinclair | Co-opted Governor | 05/02/2019 | 04/02/2023 | None | 05/10/2021 | ||
Kayleigh Abery | Parent Governor | 10/11/2021 | 09/11/2025 | None | 10/11/2021 |