Design note 4 - what do we mean?
In addition to the similarities between our new icon and the real Northern Lights, we particularly liked some of the themes the Northern Lights icon represented, namely:
Governance
Our Accountability and Reporting Structure
An Academy Trust is a charitable company that works as one single legal entity led by the Trust Board. The Trustees are our governors, and they are professionals with a wide skill set.
School Trusts are set up to run and improve schools so that children can have a better future. Our mission reflects this. Trustees hold the Chief Executive and Executive team to account.
The Trust Board are overseen and held to account by a group of Members. The Members are the guardians of the Trust and seek assurance that the governance of the Trust is effective. The Trust Board and the Members are responsible for compliance with corporate and charity legislation.
Our Local School Committee at each school is an advisory board and performs vital duties and functions for effective scrutiny on behalf of the Trust Board of the following key areas:
- Educational standards
- Health and Safety audits and key data/information
- Safeguarding local protocols, audits and data
- Effective community and family engagement
- Staff engagement, welfare and wellbeing
- Student engagement, welfare and wellbeing
The full Scheme of Delegation below explains our governance structure and where all powers and functions are delegated and who makes decisions about what.
Members
| Name | Date of appointment |
| Emma Hamer | 10 June 2024 |
| Helen Wallace | 23 August 2016 |
| John Malcom Charles Cole | 24 July 2012 |
| Margaret Eaton | 21 December 2016 |
| Paul Hill | 10 June 2024 |
| Paul Speight | 10 June 2024 |
Trustees (Appointed by Academy Members)
| Name | Appointment and Term of Office |
| Andrew Fulton | 10 May 2024 – 10 May 2028 |
| Diane Ruth Fairfax | 1 September 2021 – 31 August 2029 |
| Erum Khalid Pervez | 1 September 2019 – 19 October 2027 |
| Homera Najib | 1 September 2021 – 31 August 2029 |
| Jack Fowler | 13 December 2024 – 12 December 2028 |
| Shirley Anne Watson | Ex-officio from 1 September 2021 |
| Surita Dalal-Wilson | 1 September 2019 – 19 October 2027 |
| Susan Kim Tollervey | 24 July 2016 – 23 July 2028 |
| Yvonne Marie Sinclair | 1 September 2023 – 31 August 2027 |
| John Winkley | 24 July 2016 – 3 July 2028 |
Members/Trustees who have stepped down/left office in the last 12 months:
- John Winkley (Member) – 10 May 2024, remains Chair of Trustees
- Paul Speight (Trustee) – 10 May 2024, now a Member
- Ryan Dolan (Trustee) – 1 May 2025
- Jenny Cryer (Trustee) – 26 September 2025
- Karen Cruise (Trustee) – 19 December 2025
- Gary Denison (Trustee) – 29 January 2026
To contact a Member or Trustee, please email the central office at [email protected]
Key Documents
Declarations of Pecuniary Interest and Attendance
School Funding Agreements
- Beckfoot Allerton Primary School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Heaton Primary School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Nessfield Primary School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Priestthorpe Primary School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Phoenix Special School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Hazelbeck Special School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Oakbank Secondary School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Secondary School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Thornton Secondary School Funding Agreement
- Beckfoot Upper Heaton Secondary School Funding Agreement
A register of full attendance by Directors to Trust Board Meetings can be found in the Annual Financial Statements which are available here along with our Funding Agreements. Financial Information