Governance

Tudor Park Education Trust

“Inspired by the success of our schools and our students. Open minded, future focused and passionate about education.  We make a difference every day.”

Springwest Academy is part of Tudor Park Education Trust (TPET). Springwest's governance is made up of a Local Governing Body, a board of directors (of the wider Trust) and members of the Trust. More information on the structure of the Trust and our governance arrangements can be found below and on the Trust's website as well as through the UK Government's Company Information Service.

Company Registration Number 07798639 (England and Wales)

Registered Office
Browell's Lane
Feltham
Greater London
TW13 7EF

info@tudorparkeducation.org / 0208 831 3000

CEO – Steve Price   s.price@tudorparkeducation.org

Chair of Directors – Charlotte Warner   c.warner@tudorparkeducation.org

There is a Trust Scheme of Delegation that sets out the accountabilities and responsibilities of Directors, the CEO, Governors and Principals.

Scheme of Delegation

Our Mission

Tudor Park Education Trust is firmly rooted in Feltham and its locality and is deeply committed to its development. The Trust is founded on the belief that inspirational teaching and learning is the key to future opportunity. We have developed an expertise in training and developing our teachers to be innovative and creative ensuring progress at all levels. We are determined to secure a happy and healthy community that is energised by the achievements of its young people.

We want to work in a collaboration of local schools, working together for the benefit of the individual and the whole.

We are committed to inclusion and determined to offer excellence in our provision for children with all ranges of educational needs.

We will provide challenge and strong leadership in our schools to ensure our shared vision is achieved.

We take a lead role in the Hounslow Partnership of Schools.

We are actively connected to wider partnerships that influence the broader educational landscape.

Local Governing Body

Together we form the Local Governing Body of Springwest Academy. We audit our skills as governors to ensure that we have the right mix of people and talent to best support the success of the school. We all undertake safeguarding training every year and three of us are trained in safer recruitment.  We have a Clerk, Rebecca Wilson, who takes our minutes and advises us of our legal responsibilities.  The Governors, their business and pecuniary interests and attendance at meetings can be seen in the documents below.pecuniary interests and meeting attendance

Financial Scheme of Delegation

How does governance work in our Trust?

Each part of the governance structure is committed to the success of the family of schools in our Trust and wider partnerships. Professional management and leadership of the schools is delivered by the education professionals employed by the Trusts.

Governance by all bodies in our Trust is about:

• Setting and carefully reviewing the strategic direction
• Ensuring that public money is spent wisely to give value for money and best outcomes for our children and young people
• Determining and upholding the ethos and values of the Trust
• Holding our educational professional to account for the standards, impact and performance of our schools
• Supporting and encouraging the work of the schools and school leaders
• Acting as ambassadors for the individual school and the Trust as whole

All parts of our governance are highly valued as together our work creates success at each level for our schools. The Board and Local Governing Bodies work collaboratively in partnership at all times. The Board will make decisions, following consultation with Local Governing Bodies, on matters which affect all academies in the Trust. The Local Governing Body will make decisions on matters which affect their individual academies. Local Governing Bodies and their Principals in the Trust should be as autonomous as possible and have as much freedom as possible in order to achieve excellence for their school.

There does have to be a primacy of decision making in any successfully run enterprise and a school, or family of schools, is no different. Therefore there exists the need for a Scheme of Delegation. Our accountability framework is strong and goes in more than one direction. The Board must take action, including the withdrawal or partial withdrawal of delegated authorities should any individual, group or Local Governing Body, fail to carry out their duties and responsibilities effectively.

Governors have a term of office for four years. The full governing body at our school meets 4 times a year.   The meetings start at 8.30 am and usually last for around 2 to 2 ½ hours. The morning meetings allow governors to meet staff and students and see the school at work.

The main focus of the Governing Body meetings are Teaching & Learning alongside behaviour attendance and wellbeing. The function of the Governing Body is to support the Principal in leading a great school with successful outcomes for all of our students and staff. They work with the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust to report back to the Board of Directors on how the school is doing. Governors need to play the role of a ‘critical friend’, challenging robustly where necessary, but always remembering that the Principal is responsible for the day to day running of the school.

Key responsibilities of Governors:

The Local Governing Body  holds the Principal and Senior Leaders of the academy to account. They work most closely with the professional leaders in their schools on behalf of: children, young people, parents and the community. Their primary concern is that their children or young people have a great experience at school and are well safeguarded. They ensure that progress is strong and targets are monitored, achieved and reported on to the Board. They represent the interests of pupils and parents to the Board and in turn hold the Executive Head and the Board to account for ensuring standards of learning and welfare are kept high.

Local Governing Body’s Role – The Three Ps

Progress

• Recommend targets for achievement and the school development plan
• Review progress regularly – ensuring progress gaps are closed or closing
• Review curriculum
• Review teaching for learning strategies
• Monitor ongoing professional development of staff
• Ensure performance management of staff is carried out and robust
• Ensure SMSC offer is strong
• Report to the Board

Protect

• Monitor and review all safeguarding procedures – student welfare is of highest priority
• Monitor the school site for safety and accessibility
• Monitor the progress of Looked after Children, children with SEND and those on CP plan
• Review all arrangements for ensuring health and wellbeing of the school community
• Monitor attendance, punctuality and exclusions targets and report
• Review transition arrangements and CEIAG
• Monitor safer recruitment practices
• Listen and respond to feedback from stakeholders

Partnerships

• Consult with the Board in agreeing a funding model and review compliance at school level
• Consult with the Finance Director in respect of the budget requirements of the school
• Consult with the Board on the determination and allocation of central services
• Recommend two governors to sit on the appointment panel for a new Principal
• Appoint school staff as recommended by Principal / Head
• Recommend new governors and LGB chair and vice-chair
• Review the training requirements of governors and work with wider partnership networks on sharing best practice
• Ensure the school and trust are represented in a strong network of wider partnerships to the benefit of the Trust and its wider educational community
• Work with the Clerk of the Trust and the Directors to ensure that reporting and lines of accountability are clear
• Proactively manage the reputation of the school within the community
• Key School Development Priorities for 2022-23:
• Creating a framework to enable all students to achieve. 
• Continue to improve behaviour.
• Literacy, oracy and reading.

Andy Watkins - Chair of Governing Body

David Snaddon

Hazzel Dunn - Staff Governor

Martin Charlwood

Mariana Luxardo - Vice Chair

Frances Gibney

Clive Brooks