Our Governing Board
West Newcastle Academy is a free school with the following vision and ethos:
Vision
All children will achieve their full potential, with holistic support, whilst enjoying and driving their own learning, gaining self-respect, self-esteem and self- belief. Our classroom extends to rich, exciting environments within the forest, the beach, the city and the community as a whole.
At West Newcastle Academy, our purpose is to nurture curious and creative minds, strong characters, independent thinkers and loving humans in a culture that allows mistakes, failure and experimentation whilst consciously promoting equity and inclusion.
Our process builds:
- Connections to self
- Connections to a wide variety of environments
- Connections to family, peers, our team and community
- Connections to learning for life
Ethos
Respect for the core capabilities of children and the recognition that all children are unique individuals with a wide range of abilities and potentials. Children are valued as strong, sociable and capable individuals, constantly learning and enquiring about the world about them.
WNA is a place where children will be encouraged to be curious, to ask questions and to learn from one another. Children at our school will be encouraged to question their teachers, formulate their own theories and validate possible results.
Dialogue with, and democratic decision making between children, staff, families and the wider community is central to the running of WNA.
The role of the Governing Body
The governing body works to raise standards and support the overall development and academic achievement of our children. This involves providing a strategic view for the school, monitoring and evaluating the progress of the school against these plans; supporting and challenging the school team; being accountable to families and others about the school’s performance, and ensuring that all statutory duties are carried out.
Key information for Governors
Governors should consult the Department for Education’s Academy Trust Handbook for detailed, general information about the roles and responsibilities of school governors. The handbook is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academy-trust-handbook
This document provides further information about how the governing body is structured and how responsibilities are divided at West Newcastle Academy.
Governors should also familiarise themselves with the School Development Plan (SDP), the School Evaluation Document (SED) and the latest Ofsted Report. They are also encouraged to take up training opportunities offered by Newcastle City Council Governor Services, especially Induction training.
The structure of our Governing Body
The governing body is divided into the following three sub-committees, which meet bi-monthly, then report back to the full governing body, which meets at least once a term.
|
Finance & Premises |
Curriculum |
People |
|
Grace Barker (Chair) Jamie Carrahar Eva Simpson Sandy Iles Ben Wassall (Head teacher) School Bursar (associate) |
Paul Koshy (Chair) Grace Barker Chantelle Russell Ben Wassall Lisa Bewley ( DHT & associate)
|
Jen Vidrine (Chair) Sandy Iles Becky Cridford Ben Wassall Laura Murphy (SENDCo & associate) |
For a meeting to be quorate, a minimum of three governors from the relevant committee must attend.
- Our Governing Body is Chaired by Grace Barker
- Our Vice-Chair is Jen Vidrine
