Governors
Our Governors
Lodge Park Academy is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.
Our governors are:
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Carly WatermanPrincipal
Carly Waterman
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Sandra ApplebyTrust Senior Link (Vice Chair)
Sandra Appleby
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Tracey MaloneyDRET Appointed Governor (Chair)
Tracey Maloney
Tracey is an Education Consultant, advising schools on improving academic performance across a range of sectors. She began her career teaching English, moving to becoming a Leading Teacher with a brief to exemplify excellent practice, followed by other roles as Head of English and Assistant Headteacher.
Tracey has a keen interest in education research and policy, completing an MA in English in Education at King's College and working as a Senior Lecturer in Education at Canterbury Christ Church University. She also works on the development of curriculum resources for the London Grid for Learning; creating curriculum resources in conjunction with authors, theatres and museums. In addition to writing and delivering grammar courses for teachers across all key stages.
Tracey is part of an eQualitas team, carrying out whole school reviews for leading multi academy trusts and is a tutor at Buckingham University, providing mentoring for graduate teachers following the GTP route into teaching
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Cath ArnoldDRET Appointed Governor
Cath Arnold
Cath was appointed an DRET Appointed Governor on 4 October 2019. She is also serving her second term of office as a governor at Rockingham Primary School. She is interested in education and in supporting children to fulfil their potential. In addition to her general interest, she is a local and was brought up and went to school in the community. Cath also has a granddaughter at each of the academies she is governor at. Cath was a nursery teacher, researcher, Lecturer and author with her specialisms being early development and learning, how young children learn and working with families. She has held responsible positions in leadership roles. She brings knowledge of the local community as well as some knowledge of education and research. Cath is interested in sport, reading, socialising and family.
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David YoungDRET Appointed Governor
David Young
David Young was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 3 November 2020. Having worked as a senior leader in a DRET school he wanted to keep his links to DRET and also offer his expertise to help Lodge Park. David is an Assistant Headteacher in Wellingborough and has been a senior leader in several schools specialising in Data and Curriculum. He has been an Advanced skills teacher of Mathematics and has a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. David enjoys climbing and kickboxing and has recently taken up mountain biking.
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Alan BrookfieldDRET Appointed Governor
Alan Brookfield
Al was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 19 January 2021. He is keen to support, in any way possible, the education and life chances of children in Corby. He has had Management consultancy roles with expertise in implementing major change programmes in both the private and public sectors. He was previously a Chief of Staff for a UK Member of Parliament and Lecturer in business studies in a Further Education College and is now retired from paid employment. His passions and interests include reading history and literary fiction, also Gardening and nature.
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Gary McDonaghDRET Appointed Governor
Gary McDonagh
Gary was appointed a Staff Governor on 5 May 2019. He became a governor to help participate in the progress of the academy and has the link governor role for Careers. Gary is a teacher at the academy but before teaching he worked for 14 years as a manager in factories and warehouses and is able to bring public and private sector experience to the committee. He is a keen rugby fan.
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Sarah BlackieStaff Governor
Sarah Blackie
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Emma Stephens-DunnClerk
Emma Stephens-Dunn
Emma Stephens-Dunn has been clerking academies for DRET since 2013. Emma is Clerk to ASCs for all but one of the academies in the DRET Greater Corby Region, as well as an independent Clerk for several other schools in Northamptonshire, and Company Secretary for a Peterborough based Multi-Academy Trust. Emma has also served as a governor for fifteen years, in three different schools. Emma is Chair of Governors at one of the schools. She has a broad insight into school governance across all sizes, types and phases of school. She has an excellent understanding of current issues in education as well as best practice in governance. Emma has four children aged between eight and twenty and is therefore keenly aware of the crucial role played by education in shaping young lives. Emma enjoys supporting governors to fulfil their role within this through providing governance advice and guidance and an efficient governance administration service. Emma's interests and hobbies include gardening, singing, fitness, running and walking with her two dogs.
Governor Assigned Responsibilities
Safeguarding - Tracey Maloney
SEND and Pupil Premium - Sandra Appleby
Careers - Gary McDonagh
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 aspiration.
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.
