Local Governance

The Role of the Local Governing Board

The Local Governing Board of Darite is a group of enthusiastic volunteers who bring a range of skills and expertise, and who are dedicated to supporting the school, and indeed supporting the whole of Bridge Schools Trust. Governors meet approximately every half term, to support and challenge the school leadership team, with the aim of improving outcomes of all our pupils.

Governors report to the Trustees of Bridge Schools. Their key role is:
1. To provide a balance of challenge and support to school leaders, understanding the strengths and areas for improvement in the school.
2. To be able to articulate these to all stakeholders.
3. In areas where the role of the LGB is to monitor an activity the expectation is that this is an active role. Monitoring could confirm that the item has been successfully addressed or the LGB could make a recommendation or suggestion for improvement.

Bridge Schools Governance

Darite Primary Academy is part of the Bridge Schools Trust. For more information about the structure, see the Governance page. Details of the memorandum of association, funding agreement and accounts, please visit the trust website here.

Darite Local Governing Hub (LGH)

Darite, Lanlivery, Blisland, Harrowbarrow and Copper Valley Academies share a LGH (Local Governing Hub). The governors are from a wide range of backgrounds, professions and links to the school. They involve parents, teachers and other interested parties. They meet termly and the governors play a huge role in monitoring and supporting the school. The LGH also works closely with other Governing Bodies across Bridge Schools Trust to strengthen good practice.

This page is where you can find out about the LGB that supports Darite.

As part of the Bridge Schools Trust, the following details can be found on the trust website (www.bridgeschools.co.uk).

Register of interests for accounting officer.
Memorandum of association.
Funding agreements.
Annual accounts
Annual report

Offering Advice and Guidance

Our parent and community governors have a range of different backgrounds and experience and bring many beneficial perspectives to the life of the school.

The role of the Governing Body and Hub:

Ensures clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Contributes to the school's self-evaluation and understands its strengths and weaknesses, including the impact of their own work
Supports and strengthens the school leadership, including developing their own skills
Provides challenge and holds the Headteacher and other senior leaders to account for improving the quality of teaching, pupils' achievement and pupils' behaviour and safety, including using the data dashboard, other progress data, examination outcomes and test results
Uses performance management systems to improve teaching, leadership and management
Ensures solvency and probity and that the financial resources made available to the school are managed effectively
Operates in such a way that statutory duties are met and priorities approved engages with key stakeholders
Uses the pupil premium and other resources to overcome barriers to learning, including reading, writing and mathematics.

LGB Monitoring at Darite Primary Academy

The governing body has a crucial role to play in the life of our school and the effectiveness of governors in carrying out their responsibilities is a central part of the overall effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school.

Their key role is to oversee the strategic development of our academy. This involves monitoring and evaluating the school’s effectiveness, and offering support and challenge. As well as providing this through LGB meetings, monitoring is a key aspect to their work.

Recent monitoring

LGB monitoring follows clear guidance and structure to allow all areas of the school to be monitored over the course of the year. Recent monitoring work has been carried out on:

• SEN

•Safeguarding – S157

• Parent Survey

• Sports Premium

• Pupil Premium

• Curriculum

• Standards (including Catch Up)

• Wellbeing

• LGB Impact Statement

Autumn term monitoring

Over the course of the autumn term, these areas of school will be looked at through monitoring:

• Safeguarding (Single Central Record)

• Review of standards

• Pupil Premium Strategy

• Review of EYFS provision

• Review of website compliance

• Wider Curriculum

Adrian Hines

Chair of Governors

I was appointed in 2014 as a Parent Governor at Rydon Primary School, a 420-pupil school in Kingsteignton, Devon. I was elected to the role of Chair in 2016. At this time, the school was part of the Templer Academies Schools Trust (TAST), a MAT comprising two secondary and two primary schools. Upon taking on this role, I prioritised establishing clarity regarding roles and responsibilities, and sought to develop improved insight amongst the Governing Board members. During this period, I also served on the TAST Board, and chaired the TAST Audit Committee, before stepping aside to lead the Governing Body through a challenging period of change arising from a merger of trusts to form Education South West (ESW), which now comprises four secondary and six primary schools. I am currently taking a lead in developing local governance across ESW, seeking to improve cooperation between the Local Governing Bodies, and between the Local Governing Bodies and the Trust Board. I have also implemented a Trust-wide Governor training programme, and have designed and delivered “Basics of Governance” training within this programme.

In developing governance across the Trust I have been working with a National Leader of Governance, and with the DfE-funded GovernorSpace leadership development programme. I am an Associate Board Member of Devon Association of Governance, and have recently been appointed as the Primary Academies Governor Representative on the Devon Education Forum.

Outside of school governance, in my “day job” I have over 15 years of experience in leading teams of scientists and software engineers, and of committee work at local, national and international level. My work roles have also involved a number of interactions with the Education sector. My teams have included qualified trainers who are responsible for development and delivery of training materials for a variety of audiences, and I have visiting positions at the Universities of Exeter and Leeds which both involve interaction with both undergraduate and postgraduate training activities. As a public sector employee, I benefit from my employer offering flexibility to enable me to work around Governor duties.

To contact Adrian, please contact Bridge Schools using the address on the homescreen.

Ms Emma Richardson- Calladine

Parent Governor

Mr Tom Whipps

Staff Governor and Head of Darite Primary Academy

Tom is originally from Sheffield but trained in Manchester. He taught for several years in larger schools across Oldham and Manchester before moving to Looe Primary. He has now taught in 5 of the 14 schools in the trust and has been head of school at 3 of these.