Birdwell School Members and Board of Trustees

The Trust’s Governance Arrangements

Constitution

The Birdwell School Academy Trust was incorporated on 1 March 2013 and opened as an Academy on 1 April 2013. It is a company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity. The Charitable Company's Memorandum and Articles of Association are the primary governing documents of the Academy Trust. The Members and Trustees of Birdwell School are also the directors of the Charitable Company for the purposes of company law. The Charitable Company operates as Birdwell School.

Method of recruitment and appointment or election of Members and Trustees

The Academy has up to five Members. Founding Members were appointed at the time the Academy Trust was incorporated and others, typically retiring Trustees, have been invited to become Members by the Founding Members. The Members provide independent oversight of the Trust’s activities and work with the Board of Trustees to set strategic direction for the Academy.

The Academy's Board of Trustees comprises the Headteacher, a minimum of 2 Parent Trustees, up to 3 Staff Trustees (providing that the total number of Trustees, including the Headteacher, who are employees of the Academy Trust, does not exceed one third of the total number of Trustees) and up to 8 other Trustees.

Trustees are appointed for a four year period, except that this time limit does not apply to the Headteacher. Subject to remaining eligible to be a particular type of Trustee, any Trustee can be re-appointed or re-elected.

When appointing new Trustees, the Board will give consideration to the skills and experience mix of existing Trustees in order to ensure that the Board has the necessary skills to contribute fully to the Academy's development.

Organisational Structure

The Board of Trustees normally meets once each term. The Board establishes an overall framework for the governance of the Academy and determines membership, terms of reference and procedures of Committees and other groups. It receives reports including policies from its Committees for ratification. It monitors the activities of the Committees through the minutes of their meetings. The Board may from time to time establish Working Groups to perform specific tasks over a limited timescale. There are currently three committees as follows;

Audit and Finance Committee - responsible for monitoring, evaluating and reviewing policy and performance in relation to financial management, compliance with reporting and regulatory requirements and reporting, receiving reports from the internal audit and drafting the annual budget including setting staffing levels. It also incorporates the role of an audit committee

Curriculum and Standards Committee - responsible for monitoring, evaluating and reviewing Academy policy, practice and performance in relation to curriculum planning, communications, target setting and assessment, examinations and all pastoral issues.

Premises, Health and Safety Committee – considers management and development of the Academy premises and site and to gain assurance over safeguarding.

Birdwell School Members

Rob Goodwin

Rob joined Birdwell School’s Board of Trustees in 2018. He actively supported both the Finance Committee and Premises, Health and Safety Committees and Chaired the Board of Trustees for a year before joining the Members of Birdwell School in 2022.

Geoff Mountjoy

Geoff works with the Teaching School Council as Regional Governance Lead helping to broker support for schools in the Region who have Leadership and Management issues. He is also works part time as a governance coordinator for the Cathedral School Trust.

Dr Tabetha Newman

Tabetha sat on the Board of Trustees for nine years prior to becoming a Member. Tabetha’s key focus has always been the Curriculum and Standards Committee and supporting staff and pupil wellbeing. Tabetha is an honorary research fellow at the University of Bristol. She moved from academia to science communication, and in 2003 she set up Timmus Limited, a digital research consultancy. She is a mum to two children, both of whom attended Birdwell School.

Nick Thompson

Nick was a Trustee of Birdwell School for four years and was Chair of the Finance Committee for much of that time before being asked to become a member.

Birdwell School Trustees

Jennifer Haimes

Laura Humphreys

​Laura is a Senior Corporate Health & Safety Advisor for a local authority and carries out monitoring visits and offers advice & support to maintained schools, she is a Chartered Member of Institute of Occupational Safety & Health. Laura has two children that attend Birdwell School, and is also the Communications Manager for Birdwell School PTA. 

Liz Anderson

Liz is a resident of Long Ashton. Through her work with the council, Liz co-ordinates the Long Ashton Memory and the Community Choir and was previously a Parish Councillor. Until recently, Liz was a lecturer in medical education at Bristol University and holds a doctorate in education.  Although her career has focused on Higher Education, the themes of inclusion, students as partners, social accountability and citizenship are common across all sectors.

Marc Cornford

Marc Cornford is a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. He has spent the majority of his career teaching young pilots to fly various types of military helicopter from Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton. In recent years he has worked extensively in the governance and assurance of flying standards in the Fleet Air Arm. Marc lives in Long Ashton and has two children who attended Birdwell School.

Kevin Davies

Kevin is an Audit Director at a top 7 accountancy firm and a Chartered Accountant with over 15 years’ experience. He also has two children who attend Birdwell School.

Lucy Durham

Lucy is an Assistant Head at Birdwell School

Roxanne Ismail

Roxanne is joint Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Premises, Health & Safety Committee.  Roxanne is a commercial barrister who has practised in London and Hong Kong. She is mother to two boys who started their schooling in Hong Kong and are now finishing secondary school in Bristol.

Paul Sainsbury

Paul is the Headteacher of the school.

Henry Springate

Henry is a class teacher at Birdwell School.

Clare Sutherland

Clare is joint Chair of the Board of Trustees. Clare works within school improvement as her day job. She has a wealth of school leadership experience both as a Deputy Headteacher and Headteacher of three primary schools in Inner London and Bristol. Clare has worked as a system leader within a federation, supporting schools in the group and beyond with curriculum development, data and assessment as well as mentoring new senior and middle leaders.

Helen Vye

Helen is a Chartered Accountant and works as an Internal Audit manager at a big four accountancy firm.

Michael Wells

Michael is a Crown Servant working in Logistics and is also CIMA qualified (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants).  Alongside this, Michael undertakes charity work with the RN Rugby Union as Treasurer and is a fitness coach to LAFC U10s.  Michael is also a parent helper at Beavers/Cub Scouts and has two children at Birdwell School.

Trustee attendance at Board and Committee Meetings during academic year 2022-23