Governors
Our Governors
Thomas Middlecott Academy is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.
Our governors are:
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Joanne Myhill-JohnsonPrincipal
Joanne Myhill-Johnson
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Chris BlanchardDRET Appointed Governor (Chair)
Chris Blanchard
Chris was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor at the academy on 19 February 2018. He initially became a governor because he wanted to have an influence on his daughters education but then realised he could make an impact to all the students progress through challenge. He is also passionate to see the school as the school of choice for the area and not see children waiting for a bus to take them to another school. Chris has served 32 years so far for the Royal Air Force. His good leadership and managerial qualities enable him to effectively Chair the ASCs at Barnes Wallis, King Edward VI and Thomas Middlecott Academies. Chris is empathetic with excellent communication skills and has the courage to give challenge to school leaders and the higher Trust leaders, if required. He has a calm demeanour and is very approachable, and is often called upon to support other academies in the Trust. In his free time Chris enjoys Running, cycling and reading.
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Andrew WrightDRET Appointed Governor (Vice Chair)
Andrew Wright
Andrew was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 5 April 2019. His nephew joined year 7 at the academy in 2018, and Andrew wanted to gain more knowledge of the academy his nephew was attending along with learning some new skills. Andrew seeing the progression that has been made at the academy over the last four years has made it all worthwhile. He is currently self-employed working within the family businesses, which are involved in food production, processing and retailing. They employ over 50 people across two sites in Lincolnshire. Andrew enjoys Food, wine and seeing the world.
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Amy KerrStaff Governor
Amy Kerr
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Paula SpeedStaff Governor
Paula Speed
Paula was elected by her colleagues to join the ASC as a Staff Governor on 6 November 2020. Her connection to the academy, which goes back many years, places her in a good position to be a valued member of the ASC. It is this connection that began as a parent 16 years ago, TMA formally Middlecott, educated five of her children, and enabled them to achieve their goals of university, further education and then places of work. This connection grew stronger, when eight years ago she joined the academy as her place of work. As a teacher she has already seen first-hand the improvements in the classroom. As a staff governor she wishes to help drive forward the academy performance to ensure that all staff are united in its improvement. As part of the teaching and learning group, Paula has been fortunate enough to support and mentor staff members. She feels passionately about creating connections with the community and encouraging parents to share in the academy's vision.
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Nicola GascoigneClerk
Nicola Gascoigne
Nikki has been clerking for the Trust since September 2020. Her background is in public sector accountancy including Higher Education, Local Government and the NHS. As well as currently clerking for six DRET academies, she is a Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer for two Parish Councils. She loves going on holiday with her husband and two children and exploring closer to home with her daft cavapoo. Nikki also enjoys reading, singing and Zumba.
Governor Assigned Responsibilities
Safeguarding and Pupil Premium - Chris Blanchard
SEND - Andrew Wright
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.
