Governors
Our Governors
Kings Heath Primary Academy is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.
Our governors are:
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Kim DuffPrincipal
Kim Duff
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Jolen GranthamDRET Appointed Governor (Chair)
Jolen Grantham
Jolen was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 4 June 2018. He wanted to become a governor to give back to the system and provide quality assurance to local schools looking to make a difference. He is also Chair of Governors at Kings Heath Primary Academy, was Interim Chair at Lodge Park Academy from 2017 to 2018, and is also a DRET Appointed Governor on the Joint Malcolm Arnold Academy and Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School ASC. Jolen's work experience is an Education consultant and teacher. He is skilled in the area of personal development, behaviour and attitudes and teaching and learning. Jolen enjoys knowing more about the curriculum depth and new ideas. He is interested in reading about developments in education, the outdoors and holidaying.
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George MullanDRET Appointed Governor (Vice Chair)
George Mullan
George was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 6 December 2018. After working in education for several years, he wanted to gain a wider understanding of how academies work and the knowledge of why certain decisions have to be made. He also wanted to gain valuable leadership experience. George's experience has mainly been within secondary schools and therefore he wished to learn more about the primary school curriculum. He has since been elected Vice Chair by his fellow governors and has the governor link responsibilities for Safeguarding, Behaviour and Attitudes. He has worked at secondary schools with a high involvement of pastoral care, safeguarding, behaviour management, inclusion, LAC, PP and SEN. George has a wide understanding of education and an excellent knowledge of the external agencies within Northampton. His passions and interests include Baking, Rugby, Cars and House refurbishment.
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Grace ComoDRET Appointed Governor
Grace Como
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Lekan Alli-BalogunDRET Appointed Governor
Lekan Alli-Balogun
Lekan was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 3 June 2020 after wanting an opportunity to share insights from industry to help support schools. He also wanted to bring a perspective from an ethnic minority. Lekan is a Program Management IT Consultant. He enjoys playing guitar, Travelling and making an impact.
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Sarah DurbinStaff Governor
Sarah Durbin
Sarah was appointed on to the ASC on 5 May 2017 and is currently serving her second term office as a Staff Governor. She became interested in seeing how the school is run from a wider perspective. She knew it would give her a chance to develop skills she already has and the opportunity to continue to be part of a team whose main focus and purpose is the best outcomes for children. Sarah is a teacher at the academy. She brings her knowledge of education to the committee and her 'on the ground' perspective. She spends a lot of her spare time with her family, especially with her son. Together they like to go out for meals and are avid movie watchers. She loves to read at every opportunity and this could be anything from historical nonfiction, to comics to sci-fi novels; and everything in-between.
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Anna WoronieckaStaff Governor
Anna Woroniecka
Anna was appointed a Staff Governor on 5 October 2020. She wanted to be a part of the academy's development and decisions that can positively impact the staff and most importantly, the pupils. She is also very new to working in Education, and Governance has really expanded her understanding of the sector. As a Senior Administrator at the academy, she can offer a unique perspective to the ASC. She has direct contact with staff, parents and pupils and hear their everyday concerns first-hand. Anna is an Artist and loves to cook. She enjoys playing board games and role-playing games with friends.
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Maama AduParent Governor
Maama Adu
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Stephanie HolleyParent Governor
Stephanie Holley
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Teresa ElkinClerk
Teresa Elkin
Teresa Elkin has been clerking academies within the Trust since 2014. As a former Chair of an Outstanding primary school and part of the governance teams at Northamptonshire County Council and the David Ross Education Trust, she decided to become an independent clerk to support governing bodies. Teresa also supports other maintained schools and academies in the county. Teresa's initial career was in advertising and marketing but a move into education, governance in particular ensured that she had a wide range of skills to bring to governing bodies. Teresa is an experienced governor and Chair, a governor trainer and mentor to individual governors and Chairs. Her passions and interests are the Theatre, literature and international travel.
Governor Assigned Responsibilities
Quality of Education, Leadership and Management - Jolen Grantham
Behaviour and Attitudes, Effective Safeguarding - George Mullan
Pupil Premium, Curriculum and Arts Mark - Grace Como
Transition, SMSC and CEIAG – Lekan Ali-Balogan
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities - Steph Holley
Early Years and Enrichment - Maama Adu
Workload and Wellbeing, Staff Profile - Anna Woroniecka
Staff Voice, Pupil Voice, Events and Staff Profile - Sarah Durbin
Contacting a Governor
To contact a governor, please contact the Trust Governance Team by emailing governorservices@dret.co.uk
Scheme of Delegation
Information about the David Ross Education Trust’s scheme of delegation is available here.
Minutes of the Academy Scrutiny Committee
Should you wish to view a copy of the minutes of the ASC at this academy, please contact the Trust Governance Team, who will be able to provide you with an electronic or paper copy of the minutes.
Are you interested in becoming an academy governor?
We are looking for new governors to support our academies. Our governors work closely with their academies to support the Trust’s goal of broadening the horizons of young people through a world-class education, equipping our students with the skills and experiences to become their confident, academic best, no matter what.
If you have an interest in, and commitment to, improving education and would like to make a difference within your community, please register your interest in becoming a governor by completing our governor application form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governorservices@dret.co.uk
What skills, experience and commitment are required?
Governors attend six Academy Scrutiny Committee meetings a year (this may vary slightly depending on the academy) and are asked to support and enrich the academy in a range of other ways including:
- Undertaking school visits outside Academy Scrutiny Committee meetings.
- Taking on a ‘link’ governor role, liaising with academy staff and other governors on areas such as safeguarding, special educational needs and other academy priority areas.
- Sitting on panels related to the school, eg, appeals, complaints, exclusions.
- Participating in the Trust’s governor training and development programme.
We are looking for local people who would be committed to supporting the Trust’s goals. You need time, enthusiasm and a deep commitment to support these academies to be the best they can for their communities. A programme of induction, training and support is provided and expenses are covered. The Academy Scrutiny Committee role outline can be found here.
How does governance work at DRET?
At DRET, the Academy Scrutiny Committee provides support and challenge to the Principal in ensuring every child makes good or better progress and that the Academy is achieving targets and continually improving. To maximise the ability of the local governors to focus on this key area the Academy Scrutiny Committee is not required to set strategy or policy, manage financial resources, staff performance and pay, Health and Safety or many of the other areas traditionally associated with a maintained school governing body as these issues are dealt with at Trust level. This means that governors are able to concentrate on the things that really matter – pupil progress, school outcomes and aspirations.
The Academy Scrutiny Committee consists of a group of people who could be parents, community nominees, academy staff, Trust staff and Diocesan members. Each Academy Scrutiny Committee normally consists of 11-15 governors creating a balanced group of experience, skills and connections to support the academy in achieving exceptional performance.
In summary, the key responsibilities of the Academy Scrutiny Committee are:
- Understanding and promoting the Trust’s and the Academy’s vision and ethos.
- Scrutiny and challenge of achievement of targets, school improvement and pupil outcomes. Escalation of any concerns to the Trustees via the Executive.
- Supporting and facilitating parental and community engagement.
The difference between a DRET Academy Scrutiny Committees and a traditional school Governing Body
By comparison to a traditional school Governing Body:
- The Academy Scrutiny Committee’s role is not to “manage” the Academy. This is done through the Trust’s executive management structure (ie Principal, Regional Directors, Executive Management Team) and the Trust Board. Therefore, the Academy Scrutiny Committee is not required to take decisions on staff or financial matters affecting the Academy. As an Academy Scrutiny Committee Member you should have an understanding of strategic issues that impact on the Academy, and be updated on them regularly by the Principal, but you are not required to have direct responsibility for them. Instead the Academy Scrutiny Committee should be in a position to assess the impact of the Academy locally; how it is contributing to the local community, how it is relating to local families and how it understands local issues.
- As the Executive Management and Trust Board takes responsibility for setting educational standards, legal compliance and financial viability, the Academy Scrutiny Committee then has the time to scrutinise and challenge achievement of targets and school improvement, investigate the standards on the ground, to see how they are working, and explore how the Trust ethos is being understood and expressed in the way the Academy operates. As an Academy Scrutiny Committee member, your view as a parent, member of staff or as part of the community is vital in this discussion.
