Governance Overview

We have been part of the NEAT Academy Trust family of schools since 1 April 2017.

The levels of governance in NEAT include:

  • Members
  • Non-executive directors/trustees
  • Local governing committees

Our NEAT Board and committee role overview shows the relationships between the different levels of governance.

Constitution

Our local governing committee has:

  • Two parent members (elected by parents of pupils at the school)
  • One staff member (elected by staff of the school)
  • Headteacher member (ex-officio)
  • Eight trust members approved by the NEAT board of directors.
  • Three co-opted members approved by the Local Governing Committee

The terms of office of all members are four years, except:

  • Any co-opted members where the term of office is one year
  • Ex-officio appointments which are based on the person holding a particular office and continue as long as the person remains in post

Local Governing Committee members

Philip Anderson

Trust Member (LGC Chair)

Appointed by NEAT Trust Board: 05.07.19

Re-appointed: 05.07.23

Term of office ends: 04.07.27

Declared interests: Employee – Teach First since August 2019

Angela Rose Birt

Trust Member (LGC Co-Vice Chair)

Appointed by NEAT Trust Board: 19.10.18

Re-appointed: 19.10.21

Term of office ends: 18.10.25

Declared interests: Employee – Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Hospitals Trust

Lynne Elizabeth Cope

Trust Member

Appointed as co-opted member: 22.09.22

Appointed by NEAT Trust Board: 26.01.23

Term of office ends: 25.01.27

Declared interests: Employee – Education Development Trust since 29.06.09

Susan Currey

Co-opted Member (Co-Vice Chair)

Appointed by the Local Governing Committee as Co-opted member: 13.03.23 

Appointed by NEAT Trust board as Trust member: 04.12.23 

Term of office ends: 03.12.27

Declared interests: Employee – Pearson Edexcel since 28.03.22

Carole Ann Day

Parent Member

Elected by parents of Benfield School: 09.05.22

Term of office ends: 08.05.26

Declared interests: None

James Holdsworth

Trust Member

Appointed by NEAT Trust Board: 13.07.22

Term of office ends: 12.07.26

Declared interests: Employee – Newcastle City Council since 14.11.16

Anthony Martin

Headteacher

Ex-officio position based on role as Headteacher from 01.09.22

Declared interests: Employee – NEAT Academy Trust since 01.09.22

Stephanie Murray

Staff Member

Appointed by staff at Benfield School: 11.03.21

Term of office ends: 10.03.25

Declared interests: Employee – NEAT Academy Trust, Benfield School

Carolyn Reay

Trust Member

Appointed by NEAT Trust Board: 17.03.21

Term of office ends: 16.03.25

Declared interests: Employee – NEAT Academy Trust since April 2017

Sarah Studholme

Parent Member

Elected by parents of Benfield School: 21.02.18

Re-elected: 29.06.21

Term of office ends: 28.06.25

Declared interests: Employee – NEAT Academy Trust, Benfield School

Read more about Sarah and why she became a member of Benfield’s Local Governing Committee

Hamdi Torun

Trust Member

Appointed by NEAT Trust Board: 13.07.22

Term of office ends: 12.07.26

Declared Interests: Employee – Northumbria Unversity since 30.10.17; Business interest – GlakoLens (Istanbul) since 01.01.16

Neil Jonathan Walker

Co-opted Member

Elected by the Local Governing Committee: 13.03.23 

Term of office ends: 12.03.24 

Declared interests: Employee – Westfield School since September 2017

Former LGC members in the last 12 months

Ray Duell

Co-opted Member

Appointed by the Local Governing Committee: 13.03.23 

Resigned: 20.11.23

Declared interests: Employee/ OwnerDuell Training Associates since 2011

Dan Kane

Trust Member

Appointed by NEAT Trust Board: 15.11.21

Resigned: 16.10.23

Declared interests: Director – Little Coffee Bean Company since October 2019; Director – L W Rail Magazine since September 2019; Employee – Projects Pick N Mix Ltd since January 2019; Director – Health and Safety Event Management Ltd since August 2004; Employee – Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust since January 2000

Rebecca Nicholson

Trust Member

Appointed by NEAT Trust Board: 27.06.18

Re-appointed: 10.07.21

Term of office ended: 06.07.23

Declared interests: Employee – Northumbria University Since May 2022; Business partnership/ directorship – RN Education Consultancy Ltd since September 2021

Local Governing Committee Meetings

The Scheme of Delegation of Governance sets out the role and responsibilities of each school’s local governing committee and the decisions that the NEAT Board of Directors has delegated to it.

Meetings

The local governing committee meets up to six times each year: twice in each of the Autumn, Spring and Summer Terms.

Attendance register

The attendance of local governors at meetings in 2022-23 is shown below:

The trust has an ongoing consultation exercise on admissions arrangements from 2025-26. Read more and respond via the link below.

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