Governors

A message from the Governing Body

As governors, we are immensely proud of Ash Grove and the tremendous progress it has made.  Children at Ash Grove are given a wonderful and well-rounded experience, enabling them to meet the demands of the curriculum and learn about life beyond the classroom.  Ofsted recognised this in our inspection of March 2013 when we were found to be OUTSTANDING in all areas. 

This kind of achievement would not be possible without the truly talented teaching and support staff at Ash Grove, all of whom are dedicated to ensuring every pupil achieves.  Their commitment and talent has been recognised nationally through their own personal achievement, with several teaching staff being recognised as Specialist Leaders of Education.

At Ash Grove, we want our children to be respectful, caring, curious and co-operative, and to achieve success in all areas of their lives.  We help this process by enriching their experiences at every stage, with educational visits and residential trips, visitors in school, and a wide range of exciting activities which also help to ‘ignite interest’ in future careers.

Our standards in terms of national tests have gone higher and higher and now compare favourably with any school in the country. Our children’s behaviour around school is courteous, considerate and, most of all, focused on their learning. All of this makes Ash Grove Academy a great place to be – for children, for parents and carers, for visitors and for governors. We enjoy our connection with Ash Grove and hope to meet you soon.

Kind regards,

Katie Siddall (Chair of Local Academy Committee)

 

 

As a school we recognise that a diversity of thought, voices and perspectives is essential to good governance and the effective running of any organisation. We regularly collect diversity information from our governors and, depending on current data, can use this to: 

  • target recruitment to address gaps in experience and diversity 
  • develop and adapt board practices to ensure full participation 
  • prioritise training and awareness-raising in identified areas 
  • address potential ‘blind spots’ through seeking wider advice and perspectives on current and upcoming opportunities, challenges and risks 

However, we are unable to publish this information as it would mean that individual members of our governing body are identifiable. 

 

Role of the Governing Body

The Principal is a Governor and she is responsible for the management of the school. The Governing Body (Local Academy Committee) has general responsibility for the conduct of the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement. This general responsibility gives rise to a wide range of specific responsibilities which in turn require the governing body to establish a range of procedures. It is the governors’ responsibility to monitor the management of the school and the education of the children based on the requirements of the National Curriculum.

School governors work with the Principal and are responsible, jointly, for the strategic direction of the school. They consult with the Principal to manage the delegated budget, to appoint staff, and to ensure the quality provision of equipment, books, buildings and environment, as well as health and safety issues. Local Academy Committee meetings are held once a term.  The Local Academy Committee of the school is made up of a number of people from a variety of backgrounds. Some of the governors are staff, some are parents, and some are members of the local community. The school governors are a group of individuals who are nominated, elected or co-opted on to the Local Academy Committee.

The Governors

All of our governors have a four-year term of office, apart from the Principal who is Ex Officio - their term will end when they leave their post.

Current governors and terms of office:

Name

Who appointed

Start date

End date

Relevant business and pecuniary interests

Katie Siddall (Chair)

Parent

1/1/19

05/02/27

 

Judith Ceuppens (Principal)

Ex Officio

N/A

N/A

 

Mark Reddiough

Co-opted

14/1/19

13/1/27

 

Nick Evans

Co-opted

6/5/21

5/5/25

Married to Kathryn Evans (bursar)

Nicola Lucas

Staff

24/9/21

23/9/25

 

Nicola Knapper

Parent

07/03/22 06/03/26  

Sally Veale

Staff 28/04/23 27/04/27  

Former members of the governing body and terms of office:

Name

Who appointed

Start date

End date

Relevant business and pecuniary interests

Lisa Finnegan (Principal)

Ex Officio

N/A

31/12/21

 

Mustafa Al-Salam

Co-opted

7/3/19

17/12/21

 

Rebecca Spencer

Parent

20/4/21

17/12/21

 

Claire McAndrew

Co-opted

19/3/20

21/6/21

Parent of Laura McAndrew (teacher)

Laura Jeuda

Co-opted

1/9/18

10/2/21

 

Lee Shore

Parent

1/9/18

25/1/21

 

All Trustee information for the Aspire Educational Trust can be found on the Aspire website.  Please click HERE to find out more.

If you wish to contact the governors please contact the Chair, Katie Siddall, at chair@ashgrove.cheshire.sch.uk