Governance
Freshford Church School is a member of the Bath & Wells Diocesan Academies Trust (BWMAT). The accountable authority for the school is the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is the appropriate body for all the schools in BWMAT for the purposes of section 6 of the Education Act 2005 and, as such, is directly responsible, together with BWMAT leaders, for the quality of education and governance provided in the school.
The Board of Trustees of the Trust has identified that each school in the Trust will have a dedicated committee to oversee the governance arrangements of the school on their behalf. This committee is called the Trust Local Committee (TLC) and its members work closely with the Head Teacher and the school’s leaders to achieve the best possible outcomes for all pupils.
The role of the TLC is to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create a robust governance framework that enables oversight and assurance for the school’s safeguarding arrangements and its educational and financial performance.
The TLC meets half-termly and its work reflects the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation that identifies the responsibilities delegated to the TLC by the Board of Trustees. Members of the TLC work very hard to ensure that they know what it is like to be a learner in the school. They undertake a range of activity in relation to the core functions of governance and these activities enable them to understand the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.
Membership type | Number of Members | Term | Election Process |
Trust | 2 | 4 years | Appointed by the BWMAT |
Parent | 2 | 4 years | Elected by parents/carers of children at the school |
Foundation | 1* | 4 years | Appointed by the BWMAT and approved by the Diocese Board of Education |
Associate (optional role) | 1 | up to 2 years | Appointed by the BWMAT |
* For the duration of their terms of office, Freshford Church School TLC retains 2 foundation members following restructuring of BWMAT Governance
Freshford Church School TLC Members
Caroline Ford
TLC Co-Chair, BWMAT-appointed
Sara Buchanan
TLC Co-Chair, BWMAT-appointed
Talia Kelly
Safeguarding Lead, Parent Elected
George Tomlinson
Parent Elected
Chris Cykowski
SEND Lead, Foundation Member
Penny Murray
Foundation Member
More detailed information about our TLC Members can be found below and details of each TLC member's term of office can be found on the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools (GIAS) website