Governors
Our Governors
Gillian Bennell - Co-opted Chair of Governors
Claire Sheppard - Staff Governor
Jimmy Smith - Staff Governor
Alison Trehearn - Co-opted Governor
Eddie Howard - Co-opted Governor
Laurence Courtney - Co-opted Governor
Paul O’Dwyer - Parent Governor
Krishnaswamy Madhavan - Parent Governor
What Our Governors Do:
Establishing the strategic direction, by:
- Setting the vision, values, and objectives for the school
- Agreeing the school improvement strategy with priorities and targets
- Meeting statutory duties
Ensuring accountability, by:
- Appointing the Principal
- Monitoring progress towards targets
- Performance managing the Principal
- Engaging with stakeholders
- Contributing to school self-evaluation
- Ensuring financial probity, by: Setting the budget, Monitoring spending against the budget, Ensuring value for money is obtained, Ensuring risks to the organisation are managed and Composition.
Bradstow School has:
13 governors, comprising of the following types: 1 Principal, 2 parent, 1 Local Authority, 1 staff, 8 co-opted (one reserved for an additional staff governor). Associate governors can be appointed to provide expertise in specific areas but have no voting rights.
The sub-committees cover the areas of:
People & Practice Leadership
- Claire Sheppard
- Alison Trehearn (Chair)
- Jeannette Newton
Sustainability
- Eddie Howard (Chair)
- Gillian Bennell
- Laurence Courtney
Education & Residential Provision
- Gillian Bennell
- Jimmy Smith
- Paul O’Dwyer (Chair)
- Krishnaswamy Madhavan
These committees report into the governors’ meeting. All governors are members of the governors’ meeting.
How are they appointed?
- Principal : by virtue of her job.
- Co-opted : are appointed at the governing meeting.
- Parent governors : voted by parents.
- LA governors: are nominated by the Local Authority and appointed at the governing meeting.
- Staff governors: teacher governor is elected by a majority vote amongst fellow teachers. Non-teaching staff governors are elected by a majority vote amongst non-teaching staff.
- Associate governor: Associate members are appointed by the governing body to serve on one or more governing body committees. They may also attend full governing body meetings. Associated members should be appointed because of the specific expertise and experience they can contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. The definition of associate member is wide. Subject to the disqualifications set out in the Regulations, the governing body may appoint a pupil, school staff member, or any other person as an associate member so that they can contribute their specific expertise. This can help to address specific gaps identified in the skills of governing body members, and/or help the governing body respond to particular challenges that they may be facing.
How often do they meet?
The school holds a governors’ meeting where every governor is welcome to attend and a set of committee meetings every term, where the committee members are welcome to attend.
Voting rights
Associate governor: They are not governors and therefore do not have a vote in governing decisions, but may be given a vote on decision made by committees to which they are appointed.
Co-opted, LA, Parent and Staff governors: can vote in both governing and committee meetings.
| Name | Type |
Appointed by |
Period | Committee / Roles | Class link | Relevant business and financial interests | Governance roles in other institutions | Any Material interests arising from relationships between governors or between governors and school staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Eddie Howard | Co-opted | board of governors | 1Mar2015-1Mar2027 |
Chair of Sustainability Subcommittee Link Governor : Finance |
5 | None | None | None |
| Mr Jimmy Smith | Staff | voted by teaching staff |
11Feb2022-11Feb2026 |
Education & Residential Subcommittee | None | None | None | |
| Mrs Alison Trehearn | Co-opted | board of governors | 20Nov2023-19Nov2027 |
Vice Chair of Governors Chair of People & Practice Leadership Vice Chair of Educational Provision & Residential Provision Subcommittee Link Governor : Deputy Safeguarding / Single Central Register |
1 | None | None | None |
| Miss Claire Sheppard | Co-opted | voted by non-teaching staff | 15Oct2021-15Oct2025 | People & Practice Leadership Subcommittee | None | None | None | |
| Mr Laurence Courtney | Co-opted | board of governors | 11Mar2019-11Mar2027 |
Sustainability Subcommittee Link Governor: H&S / Premises |
8 | None | None | None |
| Mrs Gillian Bennell | Co-opted | board of governors | 4Oct2022-3Oct2026 |
Co-Chair of Governors Sustainability Subcommittee Educational Provision & Residential Provision Subcommittee Link Governor: H&S / GDPR / Processes |
4B | None | None | None |
| Mr Paul O'Dwyer | Parent | voted by parents | 27June2022-22June2026 | Educational Provision & Residential Provision Subcommittee | None | None | None | |
| Dr Krishnaswamy Madhavan | Parent | voted by parents | 16Aug2023-16Aug2024 | Educational Provision & Residential Provision Subcommittee | None | None | None | |
| Co-opted | board of governors | None | None | None | ||||
| Co-opted | board of governors | None | None | None |
Governor Attendance Record (2023/24)
Key: Y=attended, A=apologies, X=not attended
| Governor |
28/9/23 Sub-Committee Meeting Sustainability |
2/10/23 Sub-Committee Education & Residential Provision |
3/10/23 Sub-Committee Meeting People & Practice Leadership |
20/11/2023 Governors' Meeting |
22/1/2024 Sub-Committee Meeting Education & Residential Provision
|
|
| Mrs Alison Trehearn | Y | Y | ||||
| Mr Eddie Howard | Y | Y | ||||
| Mr Mike Kemlo | Y | A | Y | Y | Resigned Dec2023 | |
| Mr Barry Golding | Y | A | ||||
| Mrs Penny Doswell | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mrs Lorraine Hiller | Y | Y | Y | A | Y | |
| Mr Laurence Courtney | A | X | ||||
| Miss Claire Sheppard | N | Y | ||||
| Mr Jimmy Smith | N | A | A | |||
| Mrs Gillian Bennell | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Mr Paul O'Dwyer | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Dr Krishnaswamy Madhavan | Y | X | ||||
| Mr Chris Connelly | Y | Y | ||||
| Mrs Aisling Cohn | A | A | Resigned 3Jan2024 | |||
| Mrs Lesley Game | Y | Y |
Governor Attendance Record (2023/24) continued
Key: Y=attended, A=apologies, X=not attended
| Governor |
11/3/24 Governors' Meeting |
22/4/24 Governor's Meeting |
15/5/24 Governor's Meeting |
29/5/24 Governor's Meeting |
17/6/24 Governor's Meeting |
|
| Mrs Alison Trehearn | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mr Eddie Howard | A | X | A | A | A | |
| Mrs Penny Doswell | Y | Y | A | Y | Y | |
| Mr Laurence Courtney | Y | A | X | Y | A | |
| Miss Claire Sheppard | A | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mr Jimmy Smith | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mrs Gillian Bennell | A | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mr Paul O'Dwyer | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | |
| Dr Krishnaswamy Madhavan | Y | A | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mr Chris Connelly | A, Resigned 23April2024 | X |
Governor Attendance Record (2022/23)
Key: Y=attended, A=apologies, X=not attended
| Governor |
3/10/22 Sub-Committee Meeting |
21/11/22 Governors' Meeting
|
16/1/23 Sub-Committee Meeting People & Practice Leadership |
19/1/2023 Sub-Committee Meeting Sustainability |
23/1/2023 Sub-Committee Meeting Education & Residential Provision |
13/3/23 Governors' Meeting
|
| Mrs Alison Trehearn | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Mr Eddie Howard | Y | A | Y | Y | ||
| Mr Mike Kemlo | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mrs Penny Doswell | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mrs Jeannette Newton | Y | Y | A | X | ||
| Mrs Lorraine Hiller | Y | Y | Y | Y | A | Y |
| Mr Laurence Courtney | Y | A | Y | A | ||
| Miss Claire Sheppard | Y | A | Y | Y | ||
| Mr Jimmy Smith | Y | Y | Y | A | ||
| Mrs Gillian Bennell | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mr Paul O'Dwyer | Y | Y | Y | A | ||
| Mrs Leanne Batey | Y | Y | A | Resigned Feb2023 | ||
| Mr Chris Connelly | Y | A | Y | Y | ||
| Mrs Aisling Cohn | A | Y | ||||
| Mrs Lesley Game | Y | A |
Governor Attendance Record (2022/23) continued
Key: Y=attended, A=apologies, X=not attended
| Governor |
12/5/23 Sub-Committee Meeting People & Practice Leadership |
15/5/23 Sub-Committee Meeting Education & Residential Provision |
18/5/23 Sub-Committee Meeting Sustainability |
26/6/23 Governors' Meeting [not quorate] |
4/7/2023 Governors' Meeting |
| Mrs Alison Trehearn | Y | A | Y | ||
| Mr Eddie Howard | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Mr Mike Kemlo | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Mrs Penny Doswell | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mrs Jeannette Newton | X | A | X | ||
| Mrs Lorraine Hiller | Y | attended by other co-chair | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr Laurence Courtney | A | A | Y | ||
| Miss Claire Sheppard | A | Y | Y | ||
| Mr Jimmy Smith | A | A | A | ||
| Mrs Gillian Bennell | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Mr Paul O'Dwyer | Y | A | Y | ||
| Mrs Leanne Batey | |||||
| Mr Chris Connelly | Y | A | A | ||
| Mrs Aisling Cohn | Y | A | Y | ||
| Mrs Lesley Game | Y | Y | Y |
Governor Attendance Record (2021/22)
Key: Y=attended, A=apologies, X=not attended
| Governor |
11/10/21 Sub-Committee Meeting |
22/11/21 Governors' Meeting
|
17/1/22 Sub-Committee Meeting |
14/3/22 Governors' Meeting
|
9/5/22 Sub-Committee Meeting |
20/6/22 Governors' Meeting |
| Mrs Alison Trehearn | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr Eddie Howard | A | A | Y | Y | A | Y |
| Mr Mike Kemlo | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mrs Sarah Dunn | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr David Pulman | A | A | Y | A | X | Resigned |
| Mr Andre Haynes | A | A | A | Y | Y |
A Resigned |
| Mrs Jeannette Newton | Y | A | A | Y | Y | Y |
| Mrs Abby Tarvin | Y | Y | A | Y | Y |
Y Resigned |
| Mrs Lorraine Hiller | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr Laurence Courtney | Y | Y | A | A | Y | Y |
| Miss Claire Sheppard | - | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr Jimmy Smith | - | - | - | Y | Y | Y |
| Mrs Gillian Bennell | Y | Y | Y | A | Y | Y |
| Mr Paul O'Dwyer | Y | |||||
| Mrs Leanne Batey | Y |
Governor Attendance Record (2020/21)
Key: Y=attended, A=apologies, X=not attended
| Governor |
12/10/20 Sub-Committee Meeting |
16/11/20 Governors' Meeting
|
18/1/21 Sub-Committee Meeting |
8/3/21 Governors' Meeting
|
10/5/21 Sub-Committee Meeting |
5/7/21 Governors' Meeting |
| Mrs Alison Trehearn | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr Eddie Howard | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr Mike Kemlo | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mrs Sarah Dunn | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr David Pulman | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Mr Andre Haynes | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr Darren Miller | Y | A | Y | A | Y | Y |
| Mrs Jeannette Newton | Y | Y | A | A | Y | Y |
| Mrs Abby Tarvin | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mrs Lorraine Hiller | Y | Y | Y | Y | A | Y |
| Mr Laurence Courtney | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mr Andy Hillier | A | A [Retired Dec 2020] | ||||
| Mrs Gillian Bennell | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mrs Debbie Holmes | [Appointed Nov2020] | Y | Y | A | Y | |
| Mr Joshua Dark | [Appointed Feb2021] | Y | Y | Y |
