Welcome to our Governors Section!

Rushwick Local Academy Board

Our Local Academy Board (LAB) meets regularly and aims to play an active and informed role in the development and day-to-day running of Rushwick School, contributing to ensuring high standards are met and maintained across all areas of the school.  Our members come from a range of backgrounds, bringing with them different areas of expertise.  The LAB supports the DoWMAT Board of Directors by taking on the following responsibilities:

• Guardian of the Vision and Values of the School.
• School Improvement - holding the School Leadership Team to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
• Ratifying Pay Decisions (smaller committee).
• Support for Finance – specifically working with the school to ensure spending remains within the agreed budget.

LAB members fulfil their role by regularly attending LAB meetings, providing strategic guidance, asking probing and challenging questions of School Leaders, understanding monitoring within the school, and attending events held at the school.

The LAB shares the school vision to Ask, Seek and knock, and feedback from parents and other school stakeholders is always really important to us.  If you would like to contact the LAB, please do so through the school office.

Rushwick Local Academy Board comprises of:

Claire Daffern – Chair and Foundation member

Maria Gardner – Vice Chair and Parent member

Rev Anne Potter –Ex-offico Foundation member

Jemma Macdonald – Parent member

Monica Longley – Co-opted member

Pal Brom – Ex-officio Executive Headteacher

Annie Stephens – Staff member

David Holley - Head of School

Current vacancies:

Foundation member

Co-opted member

Chair of Local Academy Board

Claire Daffern is currently the Chair of Rushwick LAB. She joined the LAB in September 2018 as a foundation governor, before becoming Chair a year later. Mrs Daffern provides the LAB with invaluable expertise from her wide experience of the education sector, having been a teacher and senior leader in several Primary Schools in London. Mrs Daffern is fully involved in school life, meeting with school leadership on a regular basis, visiting classrooms and attending special assemblies and celebratory events. The role of the Chair is:

• To ensure the business of the LAB Body is conducted properly, in accordance with Diocese of Worcester Multi-Academy Trust delegation requirements (DoWMAT)
• To ensure meetings are run effectively, focusing on priorities and making the best use of time available, and to ensure that all members have an equal opportunity to participate in discussion and decision-making.
• To establish and foster an effective relationship with the Head of School based on trust and mutual respect for each other’s roles. The Chair has an important role in ensuring that the Local Academy Board acts as a sounding board to the Head of School and provides strategic direction.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Local Academy Board (LAB), working closely with our Academy Trust, oversee the work of the school with the Headteacher and Senior Leadership team taking day-to day responsibility for the running of the school. The Local Academy Board is made up of parent, staff, foundation governors and co-opted representatives.
School governors have a wide range of responsibilities. They support the Head of School in leading the school and act as a 'critical friend'. They also have a strategic role, alongside the Trust Board. in setting aims and objectives, agreeing targets, budgets, policies and priorities and monitoring effectiveness. The LAB also evaluates the school's performance through results and data, outside agency reports and the School Development Plan.

Our School LAB members

The different categories of governors serving on our LAB are:

• Foundation governors - these governors can be nominated and serve in different ways - Ex Officio, Bishop’s Appointed, DBE representing the Diocesan Board of Education, PCC representing the Parochial Church Council, joint DBE and PCC, Benefice or Trustee.
• Parent governors who have a child in school at the time of their election, and are elected by the parents with children at the school.
• Staff governors who are members of staff at the school and are elected by their colleagues;
• Co-opted governors are appointed on to the governing body by the other members because they come from a specialist group, such as the business community or because they possess a particular skill which can contribute to the effective governance and success of the school;
• The Head of School (HT) is also a member of the governing body by right of the position they hold in the school;
• The Executive Headteacher is also an Ex-officio member of the LAB.
• A DOWMAT Code of Conduct outlines the expected behaviour and conduct of each member of the LAB - the conduct principles within the Code of Conduct are based upon the Academy Vision and Values. 

DOWMAT GOVERNOR RECRUITMENT

If you would like to become a governor at a DOWMAT Academy, then please see the attached advertisement.  This role is a vital component of every school, and your time/effort would be greatly appreciated:

DOWMAT Governor Advertisement