Our Local Academy Board (LAB)

Our  come from a range of backgrounds, and bring different areas of expertise to the school.  LAB members contribute to ensuring high standards of achievement for all children in the school by:

• Setting the school’s vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the head of school to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

A LAB members role is to support and challenge the senior staff to continue to improve the school.  It is largely a thinking and questioning role and LAB members are not there to manage the school or do the jobs of school staff.  LAB members fulfil their role by regularly attending LAB meetings, providing strategic guidance, by asking probing and challenging questions of leaders within the school.  They also undertake visits, serve on relevant committees and oversee the Head of Schools performance management.

Chair of Local Academy Board

Claire Daffern is Chair of LAB. She joined the LAB in September 2018 as a community governor before becoming Chair of LAB at the beginning of the 2019/20 academic year. Mrs Daffern provides the LAB with invaluable expertise from her wide experience of the educational sector, as a teacher and senior leader in  the London area. Mrs Daffern is fully involved in school life, meeting with Mr Clement on a weekly 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.

Vice Chair

Janet Tighe is Vice Chair. Mrs Tighe is a retired primary teacher with a strong grasp of contemporary issues within education, including the challenges facing schools in the current climate.

Clerk to Local Academy Board

Louise Smith is the Clerk to the LAB. The clerk’s role is:

• To work effectively with the Chair of LAB, the other LABs and the Head of School to support the LAB
• To advise the LAB on Constitutional and Procedural Matters, duties and powers
• To convene meetings of the LAB
• To attend meetings of the LAB and ensure minutes are taken.
• To maintain a register of members of the LAB and report vacancies to the LAB.
• To give and receive notices in accordance with relevant regulations.
• To perform such other functions as may be determined by the LAB from time to time.

Role of Local Academy Board

The conduct of the LAB and its meetings will be based upon the “Seven Principles of Public Life”: (Nolan Committee’s report on standards in public life)

1. Selflessness
2. Integrity
3. Objectivity
4. Accountability
5. Openness
6. Honesty
7. Leadership

We expect all LAB members to be able to demonstrate the following essential qualities and attributes:

• commitment to improving education for all pupils;
• ability to work in a professional manner as part of a team and to take collective responsibility for decisions;
• willingness to learn and to engage in training and development;
• commitment to the school’s vision and ethos and to the democratic values of freedom, tolerance and respect for the rule of law;
• literacy, numeracy and IT skills, sufficient to deal with LAB papers and school data.

Across the LAB as a whole, we are also looking to ensure that a range of specialist skills are covered (but we do not expect any individual LAB member to have all of these), including: understanding and experience of governance; strategic planning; human resources and performance management; data analysis; financial planning/budgeting; community engagement and volunteering; legal understanding; premises and property management; and experience of working in education/social care/health settings.

The composition of Rushwick School’s Local Academy Board (LAB) will be as follows:

• 2 x Parent LABs
• 2 x Staff LABs (including the Headteacher)
• 2 x Co-opted LABs
• 3 x Foundation LABs (appointed by the Diocese including the Ex-Officio)

The LAB Body may also decide to appoint Associate LABs to serve on a particular committee if they provide a specific skill that the committee requires.  Associate LABs can vote at committee meetings.  They can also attend full LAB Body meetings in a non-voting capacity. The full LAB Body meets on a half termly basis and is also be broken down into 2 main sub-committees who meet termly:

1. Resources  
2. Curriculum

There is also  a Performance Review Panel who meet twice a year, as well as Hearings , Appeals and Pupil Discipline Committees, who only meet on a needs basis. Minutes for LAB meetings are filed in the school office and are available for parents and carers to view.

The terms of reference for LAB members is reviewed on an annual basis.