Thomas Mills High School became an academy in 2011. Our role as Members and Trustees is to provide strategic oversight and accountability of the school leadership. Together with our experienced headteacher our aim is ensure the highest standards of teaching and learning, provide the opportunity for students to progress to the best of their ability and offer the opportunity for personal development through extra-curricular activities.
Whilst monitoring and following Department for Education guidance, we continue to support the provision of a broad curriculum and open entry to our 6th form. Keeping abreast of national developments and planning ahead is a key element to our role.
We work closely with the school leadership and management to ensure the school is safe, compliant and making best use of its finances and resources. We are committed to following the Academy Trust Handbook, the Academy Trust governance guide and Keeping Children Safe in Education – the cornerstones of Academy Trust operation.
We take great pride in our responsibilities and our main aim could be described as maintaining excellence through support and encouragement of continual improvement across all areas of the school.
Our Governance Structure
Members of the Academy Trust – oversee the Trust Board, appoint members of the Board and appoint the schools’ auditors. The members meet annually, the AGM, but are also involved less formally in other relevant meeting and main close contact with the board and the school directly.
Trustees of the Academy Trust – have three main responsibilities which are:
- To establish the vision and strategic direction of the school
- To hold leadership to account
- To oversee effective financial performance
The Trust board meet half termly where we will receive reports and scrutinise areas such as examination results, attendance, behaviour and safeguarding data. The headteacher reports at each meeting on progress against the school development plan and other developments. We approve many of the schools’ policies and ensure compliance is maintained.
We take seriously our role as employer The contribution of all staff to the school’s success is much appreciated and their wellbeing is important to us. Most Trustees also have links with specific aspects of the school including Sixth Form, Safeguarding, SEN, Attendance, Wellbeing, Health & Safety and Careers.
Some of the work of trustees is delegated to committees: we have two main committees and several that operate as and when required.
The Finance & Premises committee monitors the financial status of the school through monthly Management accounts and approves the annual budget. This committee also monitors the site, health and safety and infrastructure issues.
The Standards Committee focuses on teaching and learning, safeguarding, attendance and curriculum development.
All out Trustees are volunteers and come from all areas of the community. Some are parents and ex parents, others have specific skills they are able to offer the school, all of us are proud to be part of Thomas Mills and committed to supporting it as an institution.
As a board we monitor ourselves via a skills audit and attend regular training sessions to ensure our knowledge and skills are up to date.
If you would like more information on the work of the Trust board, please contact the headteachers PA.
Members of the Academy Trust
Genevieve Christie
Alister Gourlay
Lisa Hamon
Penny Miller-Williams
Sue Preston
Trustees of the Academy Trust
Timothy Allitt – Co-opted Trustee
Kate Archer – (Vice-Chair) Trustee elected by the Parents
Janet Bell – Co-opted Trustee
Jack Fairweather – Co-opted Trustee
Caroline Foster (Chair) – Co-opted Trustee
Philip Hurst – Headteacher Trustee
Kate McLennan – Trustee elected by the Parents
Doug Stewart – Trustee appointed by the Members
Associate Governor:
Julie Crisp – Appointed by the Trustees
Staff Associate Governors:
Jessica Beckwith – Governor elected by the Staff
Freedom of Information Act: Information Commissioner’s Office
As a result of the Publication Scheme Development and Maintenance Initiative the ICO introduced a model publication scheme.
Details of the model publication scheme may be found at.
https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1235/definition-document-schools-in-england.pdf
Governors online; link for Governors
