Every Child Achieves

Every Child Achieves

Governors

The Local Governing Body (LGB):

Follows the 3 core functions set out in the Governance Handbook 2020:

  1. To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  2. To hold the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the Academy and its children;
  3. To oversee the financial performance of the Academy and making sure its money is well spent.

Together, the governors are responsible for:

  • Setting aims and targets for the Academy and checking their progress towards attaining these;
  • Monitoring how well the Academy’s policies and plans are working;
  • Accounting for the performance of the Academy and the Local Governing Body;
  • Working with the Head teacher to make sure that teaching at the Academy is effective and good quality and the children are making the best possible progress;
  • Taking general responsibility for the Academy and its budget;
  • Challenging and supporting the senior management team and taking opportunities to show interest in and appreciation of staff and children;
  • Promoting the interests of the Academy and its children in the wider community.

Elevate Governance:

As a multi-academy trust, Elevate is a charitable company limited by guarantee. This means that Elevate is a single legal entity, but it has several Academies within its family. Currently, Elevate has 14 Primary Academies. These are mainly situated across North Yorkshire with 1 Academy in West Yorkshire.

 

Elevate and their Academies work in collaboration with a single shared vision. The governance structure is designed to reflect the overall responsibility of the Board of Trustees, the (operational) leadership of the CEO supported by the School Improvement Team for education and the Operational Team; for the day to day running of the Academies by the Executive Head Teachers (EHT) and Head teachers coupled with the value of local experience and understanding of the LGBs in assessing the performance of our Academy and their interaction with the local community.

Elevate has established 3 key layers of governance: 

  • Members
  • Trustees
  • Local Governors 

 

Although Elevate’s Trustees are accountable for all of the Academies within the Trust, it highly values the work undertaken by local governors in supporting, and challenging, our Academies and senior leadership teams to deliver high quality and inclusive education.

 

Elevate LGBs have a pivotal role in the overall framework of the Trust by having:

  • An in-depth knowledge and understanding of their Academies;
  • Sustaining uniqueness of their Academy whilst aligning with Elevate’s educational vision;
  • Forging and maintaining links with their community;
  • Providing the vital governance link between themselves and Trustees to enable the Trustees to carry out their responsibilities as leaders of the Trust.

The different responsibilities overseen by Trustees and Local Governors are set out in the Scheme of Delegation, which is reviewed on an annual basis.

 

Link to Scheme of Delegation

Link to Articles of Association

 

The LGB comprises of:

 Head teacher

 Staff governor - elected by the staff at the Academy 

 2 Parent governor - elected from parents at the Academy

 4 Co-opted governors - Invited by the LGB for their skill set from the local community

 Associate members - Appointed by the governors to provide short term support in areas identified by the LGB. They have no voting rights and their term of office will be limited to 1 year. 

 

Further information on governance and financial information can be found here, including: 

Local Governing Body

Beth Hope- Acting Headteacher

 

Jane Makin - Co opted governor and Chair

Jane Makin

Jane has spent 35 years in education working both within the state and independent sector. She is a great supporter and advocate of small rural schools. Latterly, she was a Head teacher of a small independent day school with a day care facility for babies and children from 0 - 11 years before taking early retirement to be able to spend time giving back to the world of education. During her 13 years of Headship Jane was a strategic leader within a Teaching Alliance and an ISI Inspector. Jane is also a governor of another local state school where she has delegated Governor responsibility for Safeguarding. Jane also acts as a mentor for Head teachers and consultant to schools. She has a passion for education and the holistic development of all children. She fully upholds the vision, values and ethos of Elevate. In her spare time she is a keen sportswoman, enjoying cycling, walking and skiing.

Vacancy - Co opted governor

 

 

Emma Roberts - Elected Staff governor

Laura Bryan -Parent governor

 

Laura has worked in education for over ten years primarily in early years.  With a degree in Education Studies, she is experienced in the EYFS framework and understand how the school experience should be both fun and engaging in order for children to develop a love of learning, a sense of belonging and enjoyment in their education and the wider school environment.  As a parent with two children at the school, Laura has followed Keeble's journey from the beginning and has seen the school grow and progress, providing a safe, nurturing environment where children can thrive both educationally, emotionally, and socially.  She is passionate about supporting the school as it continues to grow and develop. Laura lives with her two children in Sowerby and enjoys spending time outdoors with her family. 

 

 

Hannah Secouet - Co Opted Governor

Hannah currently runs Base Camp, an outdoor learning and holiday activity business near Topcliffe, where she’s passionate about the benefits learning and playing outside has on children’s development and wellbeing. Prior to this, Hannah had a successful career in communication in London before returning home to North Yorkshire with her family, where she gained her Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning. She’s worked in classrooms across a number of local primary schools, often with a SEND focus, as well as being active on local Governing bodies for the last decade. Hannah has been a Governor at Keeble since the very beginning and has enjoyed seeing the school grow and develop along the way. In her spare time, she plays and coaches hockey at the pitch over the road from Keeble, she’s also recently taken up cricket and plays in the Thirsk women’s softball team.

Ian Haylett - Co-opted governor

Ian and his wife have both been the local Salvation Army ministers in Thirsk since 2018 and prior to that, held the same responsibilities in Selby for 12 years. As a resident of the Sowerby Gateway housing development, Ian enjoys being involved in the local community, working to bring a sense of unity and being particularly mindful to include those at the margins or who feel isolated. Ian is a Chaplain for the Thirsk Racecourse, actively involved in the Gateway residents group and he also volunteers at the Salvation Army charity shop in Thirsk. Before becoming a Salvation Army minister, Ian had a career in IT working for a global financial services company. In his spare time Ian enjoys films (he is a volunteer at the Ritz Cinema), Astronomy and baking bread!  Ian feels honoured and privileged to be a part of the Keeble Academy and he looks forward to doing what he can to ensure that all children continue to be afforded the opportunities and encouragement that they need to fulfil their potential.".

Jane Long - Parent governor

 

Clerk: Dianne Mousley

Elevate's Head of Governance and Safeguarding. Dianne has a BA joint hons law and history and was then called to the Bar in 1981. She worked as an employed lawyer  from 1982 to 1987. Since moving to North Yorkshire she joined North Yorkshire County Council governor support as a clerk to governing bodies until 2017 when she joined Elevate Multi Academy Trust. She achieved the National College for Teaching and Leadership qualification in 2014.

 

 

 Governors 

Name

Term of Office

Link Governor Role

Name of Business

Nature of Business

Nature of Interest

 

Beth Hope

 

 

N/A

 

N/A

 

Keeble Gateway

 

Education

 

Acting Headteacher

 

Emma Roberts

To 01.09.2025

 

 Keeble Gateway 

 Education 

 Teacher

 

Jane Makin

Co opted

 

To 27.09.2027

 

Safeguarding, Leadership and Management, Behaviour, Well-being and RSE

 

Retired

 

 

 

N/A

Education

 

N/A

governor

 

Ian Haylett

Co opted

 

To 01.09.2025

 Finance

 Salvation Army 

 

 

Co opted

 

 

 

 

Hannah Secouet

Co opted

To 01.09..2025

SEN, Pupil Premium, Quality of Education 

 Base Camp

 Educational Activity Centre

 Proprietor 

 

Laura Bryan

parent

 To 29.06.2027

 

 

Thirsk Primary school

 

Education

 

Teacher

 

Jane Long 

Parent

 To 23.09.2026

 Early Years Foundation Stage 

 N/A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie Dent has resigned as a co opted governor on 16.05.2022

Tom Macdonald has resigned as a parent governor on 13.05.2022

Katie Parsons has resigned as a parent governor on 24.03.2023

Julie Mc Callum resigned as a co-opted governor on 10.12.2023

 

Governor Attendance:

Governor Attendance 2022-2023

Governor Attendance 2021-2022

Governor Attendance 2020-2021

Governor Attendance 2019-2020

Governor Attendance 2018-2019

Governor Attendance 2017-2018