Governors

The Role of the Governing Body

Each E-ACT Academy has a Local Governing Body (LGB) whose main responsibility is to ensure that the Academy provides a high quality education for all its students, and that standards of achievement exceed national expectations. The internal organisation and day-to-day management and control of the Academy is the responsibility of the Principal. Rather than manage, governors are there to help shape the Academy's future direction and focus.

E-ACT Academies have between 13 and 15 governors on their LGBs including the Principal and parent and staff governors. We carry out much of our work through three sub-committees; Curriculum and Standards; Personnel and Pay; and Finance and Risk. Every Governor belongs to a sub-committee, and sub-committees and the full LGB each meet four times a year - twice in the Autumn term and once in each of the Spring and Summer terms. Each meeting takes around two hours, so the LGB and each sub-committee only have eight hours of meetings each year to cover a huge amount of work! To be effective, we need to know the Academy well and respect the different responsibilities of the Principal and the LGB and its sub-committees.

Together governors have three main roles – providing a strategic overview, acting as a critical friend to the school and ensuring accountability. In our strategic role, we set standards and targets for the performance of the Academy, and make decisions about the curriculum and the Academy's budget and staffing. As a critical friend, we monitor how well the school is doing, and how well policies and plans are being implemented. We ensure accountability by holding the Academy to account for the standards achieved and the quality of provision for all students.

As well as being at meetings, governors attend a wide range of school events; visit the Academy to see it in action; meet and listen to the views of students, staff and parents; and are involved in appointment, admissions and exclusions panels. We meet with Ofsted and E-ACT's Education Advisors and, at the moment, governors are also involved with the new build that will see Dartmouth have the school its young people and community deserve.

How to become a governor

Governors are ordinary people, drawn from many areas of society. There are no formal qualifications required to be a governor - but there are key qualities that make a good governor! As well as being passionate about the quality of education every child deserves and being able to commit time to the role, a governor must be a good listener; discreet, open-minded and fair; and a team player who is able accept and support group decisions. Being a governor is hugely rewarding and our new governors receive induction in addition to the ongoing training which is a feature of how we all work at the Academy.

If you are interested in becoming a governor at Dartmouth Academy please contact Mary Shaw by emailing mary.shaw@dartmouthacademy.org.uk

Introducing our Governors:

Mary Shaw: Chair of Governors

Mary Shaw lives in Dartmouth and is Chair of Governors. She began her working life as a maths teacher in a Nottingham comprehensive school and has remained closely involved with education ever since. In 1994 Mary led a successful bid for a community school to become a Technology College - one of the first of the specialist schools. Later she became an OFSTED inspector and a tutor and assessor on the headteacher and bursar training programmes provided by the National College of School Leadership. "Outside" of education she has worked as the recruitment manager for a software firm, as the northern regional manager for a national start-up company and as a business analyst for British Gypsum. Since 1997 Mary has been an independent consultant. In practical terms she works with organisations who want to become the best in their field, helping them to develop realistic choices to make it happen. Mary is delighted to become the Chair of Governors at such an exciting time for the Academy and the local community. As a mum of two grown up children she knows how important it is to parents and carers that their children are happy, settled and achieving their very best at school.

Lowes Casey

Lowes has worked in a number of projects and other roles at E-ACT and its predecessors. Lowes lives in London and works at E-ACT’s headquarters. He has a background in Local Government as Head of the Chief Executive’s Office in Lambeth and as a Head of Democratic Services at the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest and Lambeth. An experienced school governor, Lowes sits as the Director General’s representative on a number of Local Governing Bodies of both primary and secondary academies in Manchester, Oldham and Birmingham.

Joanna Gaukroger: Chair of Finance Committee

Joanna Gaukroger is an E-ACT appointed governor, who lives in Dartmouth. She has spent most of her working life in further and higher education starting initially as a lecturer at South Devon College. During her career she has been an HM Inspector of Schools, Vice Principal of a large further education college in the East Midlands, and Principal of two London further education colleges. She is now Director of a company which provides advice and support to colleges nationally. She is committed to supporting the management team in developing the Academy and is keen to see it become a central focus of community life. She is currently Chair of the Academy’s Finance Committee.

Andora Glanvill

Andora Glanvill lives in Dartmouth. She is married and both her children attend Dartmouth Academy. Andora was keen to become a Governor as she felt her children had benefited from attending the Academy and cares about the education all children receive. She is enthusiastic about ensuring that all children are given the best opportunities to do well at school. She wants to help strengthen the existing links between the school and the local community as well as give something back to the community she feels so fortunate to be a part of. Andora is also aware that the role is a challenging one and she will need to learn new skills, this is something she is keen to do. Andora was educated at Teignmouth Grammar School & South Devon College and has worked in the town for over 20 years. Now a senior coordinator for Gameplans LSC. Her penchant for voluntary work has encompassed; Royal Naval Reserve as a Sub Lieutenant; after dinner speaker and fundraiser for Devon Air Ambulance; Events coordinator for Dartmouth RNLI; Chairman of Dartmouth Pre school committee; Primary School committee Vice Chair; and Dartmouth Academy Friends chairman. Andora still finds time to enjoy her passion for gardening and holidays.

Nik Green

Nik Green lives just outside Dittisham and has family connections linked to Dartmouth and the Dart that stretch back centuries. He has three children, one of whom attends Dartmouth Academy. One of Nik's first jobs was teaching dinghy sailing on the Dart at Dittisham which led to a successful career managing water-sports resorts abroad for a large UK company. He eventually swapped the wetsuit for a business suit and forged a career in Training & Development, eventually managing the learning and development departments for companies including ITV Digital and Imerys. Nik now works on a self employed basis and divides his time working as an Adventure Education Facilitator, an Organisational Development Specialist and assisting with the family business, The Raleigh Estate. He is a Governor at the ‘Our School’ Federation of local primary schools and is committed to ensuring that the local children have the best opportunities to fulfil their potential. When not working, Nik is studying for a degree in Leadership & Management through the Open University and would like some time for his hobbies of windsurfing, sailing & hill walking.

Jenny Hughes

Originally from Oxfordshire, Jenny spent time during her childhood living in Canada, St Kitts in the Caribbean and Bonaire, a small island near to Venezuela. After completing her A Levels she went to Cardiff University and gained a Bachelor of Science and Economics degree in European Community Studies, specialising in EEC Law, Politics, Economics, German and Spanish. Jenny embarked on a career in publishing in London after completing a Higher Diploma in Administrative Procedures, working initially in Sales & Marketing for Penguin Books, then moving to IPC Magazines where she worked as a Senior Marketing Analyst. Whilst working at IPC she studied Promotional Practice and Marketing Operations as part of a Chartered Institute of Marketing qualification.

Jenny moved with her husband to Dartmouth 12 years ago and has 2 children of primary and secondary age. She has worked at Dartmouth Pre School as Chair (voluntary post), Teaching Assistant and part time Administrator, and then spent 4.5 years working at Kingswear Primary School as Senior Administrative Officer and Clerk to Governors. In addition to her paid role, Jenny took part in volunteering for fundraising activities, residentials/school trips and lantern making workshops. Jenny is keen to make a worthwhile contribution to supporting the Academy, and would love to see it become the school of choice for local families and their children. She has a passion for literature, good food and the Arts and enjoys hiking, swimming and yoga.

Brian Longland: Chair of Curriculum and Standards Committee

Brian Longland spent the major part of his working life as a senior manager in the retail industry. He settled in Kingswear, with his wife Sarah, over 25 years ago. In 2000 their twin daughters were born. When his girls started at their local school, Kingswear Primary, Brian wanted to give something back to the community and so put himself forward to become a governor at their school. Shortly after his acceptance he become Chair of Governors, a position he held from September 2005 until the end of December 2011, when the school joined the ‘Our School’ Federation of Blackawton, East Allington and Stoke Fleming Schools. Brian is now a community governor on the Federation Governing Body. As his daughters would be joining Dartmouth Academy in September 2012, he approached E-Act to offer his services and was appointed a governor at the Academy in December 2011. Brian has now been appointed Chair of the Curriculum and Standards Sub-Committee, taking the position over from Mary Shaw who is now the Chair of the Governing Body.Brian is committed to helping the Academy become the best secondary school in the area. He strongly believes that all our children deserve a quality of education that is second to none.

David Lowes

David Lowes is currently employed by Babcock Learning and Development Partnership as a School Improvement Officer in Devon. Following a first degree in Biological Sciences, David qualified as a teacher through the PGCE route. David has enjoyed wide and varied experience in education and childrens' services in the North of England, including residential social work with children and young people in care, community tutor in a large community comprehensive school and sixteen years’ experience in primary education. This has included leading a school out of OfSTED Special Measures and work with a schools advisory service as an ICT adviser and latterly as school improvement officer. David gained leadership experience outside education through two industrial placements, with the Rank Organisation and Tesco. David and his family moved to Devon in 1999 when he took up the role of Divisional Education Officer with Devon County Council. David has 3 children all of whom were educated in Devon schools, two of whom are currently attending London and Oxford universities and one of whom graduated from Cardiff university last year. In 2001 under a re-structure David became a School Improvement Officer. From 2009 until 2012, David led the school improvement portfolio for Devon LDP leading and managing a very diverse and extensive team of school improvement colleagues in their work with schools.

Commander Jason Phillips OBE BA (Hons) MSc FRGS Royal Navy: Chair of Personnel and Pay Committee

Commander Jason Phillips was born in Australia, but educated at Brentwood School, Essex and Birmingham University before joining the Royal Navy in 1989 as an Observer. He has flown over 3.500 hours in the Sea King, Seahawk and Merlin helicopters, and is an Observer Instructor and Helicopter Warfare Instructor, and, following a ditching in September 1998, a member of the Goldfish Club. He has served on numerous Squadrons and ships, ranging from the frigate HMS CUMBERLAND in the West Indies, HMS ARK ROYAL off Bosnia, and HMAS NEWCASTLE in the Solomon Islands. Appointed to Command 820 Squadron in December 2008, equipped with 6 Merlin helicopters, the Squadron enjoyed unprecedented success over a three year period which saw them deployed overseas for 30 of 36 months. Jason finally hung up his flying overalls in December 2011, having become the longest serving Front-Line CO in Fleet Air Arm history, and was awarded the OBE for his outstanding leadership in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Birthday Honours in 2012.

After a four month Op Tour as Chief Policy & Plans for the European Force in Bosnia, Commander Phillips took up his current appointment as The Commander of BRNC Dartmouth in May 2012.

Married to Fiona, with six children, Commander Phillips lives in Helston, Cornwall. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for over 20 years, he maintains an interest in Antarctic exploration, Fleet Air Arm heritage and military history, with an armchair passion for all Australian sporting teams.

Nick Thayre

Nick Thayre is an E-ACT appointed governor. He is the nominated governor for safeguarding (monitoring and oversight of child protection policy and practice at the Academy). Nick has been a governor at Dartmouth for nine years. He was chair of governors at the Community College when the College federated with the Primary School. He then became chair of governors of the federation leading the schools into the now Academy. After a very busy couple of years helping to bring the Academy into being Nick is now pleased to be taking a bit more of a back seat in the new governing body. However Nick remains very excited about the new opportunities (particularly with Britannia Royal Naval College) and the new energy to raise standards that the move to an Academy has brought about. Nick has three children age 21, 18 and 14. All have been educated at Dartmouth with the eldest at University in Liverpool, the middle one on a foundation course for University entry, and the youngest still a learner at the Academy. Nick is also a foster carer and works for Torbay Children’s Services (a full time job) in his spare time!

Andy Williamson

Andy Williamson has been working at the Academy (and former Dartmouth Community College) for 10 years as staff member within the IT support team. He is now the Network Manager at the Academy, providing first and second line IT support to students and staff. Andy also oversees the Academy minibus and staff vehicle transport. Andy first became a parent governor when his son Ben attended the Community College, then continuing on as a staff governor. Before working at the Academy, Andy worked in the motor industry for many years, Also opto-electronics, music and events management, coaching Athletics and Youth club work.

Commander Geoff Wintle MSc Royal Navy

Commander Wintle joined the Royal Navy in 1984. His early years included sea going posts in a variety of ships and submarines, including BROADSWORD, SUPERB and TORBAY, interspersed with shore appointments in Northwood, Faslane and Yeovilton. He completed the Supply Charge Course in 1996 and joined HMS ARGYLL as Head of the Logistics Department. He then joined the staff of COMATG as the GLC. This period was marked by operational deployments in Honduras and Sierra Leone as well as a number of exercises in Turkey and Egypt; usually embarked in HMS FEARLESS and latterly HMS OCEAN. In 2001 he attended the Royal Military Academy of Science at Shrivenham, graduating with an MSc in Defence Logistics. Selected for promotion in 2002, he initially went to OMAN as DCOS with the JFLoGC before deploying to Afghanistan as SO1 Media Ops in a Turkish led ISAF HQ.

On returning from Afghanistan he took up a post in the Ministry of Defence, where he worked on a variety of projects supporting maritime strategic planning. On leaving the MOD in Spring 2006, Cdr Wintle joined RNAS CULDROSE as Commander Logistics but later that year was asked to fill a short notice gap in PJHQ in the J4 Division. While there his work included preparing logistics HQs for operational deployments as well as providing operational input to Supply Chain rationalisation work. In December 2006 he returned to Afghanistan for a short period as a PJHQ Liaison Officer with 52 Bde and has also been loaned to CENTCOM to work with the US/UK logistics development project in southern Afghanistan.

In 2009, he joined his last sea going appointment as Commander Logistics in the Fleet Amphibious Flagship, HMS ALBION, seeing the ship through regeneration, work-up and two deployments to Norway and then the USA.

He has been the Head of Resources and Plans at Britannia Royal Naval College since September 2011.

Commander Wintle lives on the edge of Dartmoor with his wife Jo. His interest and hobbies include walking on the moor, sailing, motorbikes and keeping chickens.