Academy Improvement Boards
Our Academy Improvement Boards (AIBs') are structured to reflect the four academies within our Trust, and therefore we have a Secondary AIB, for Netherthorpe, and a Primary AIB, for the three Primary academies.
Our Academy Improvement Boards meet at least once every term and includes governors that link directly to the individual academy and trust governors that oversee specific areas of responsibility.
The main role of the Academy Improvement Board is to support the Academy Leaders and the staff – the phrase often used to describe this role is ‘a critical friend’. The AIB's help them to set and reach targets and to strive for excellence across the whole spectrum of academy life.
The two key documents used for this are the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and the Self Evaluation Summary (SES). The SIP sets out a strategic plan for the school, with targets that everyone works towards and the SES sets out how well the school is doing and where we aim to make improvements.
Our delegated duties include:
- Education and School Performance
- Behaviour and Attendance
- Safeguarding, SEND, LAC
- Pupil Premium and Sports Premium Grants
- Community Engagement
Governors of the Academy Improvement Board 2023-2024
Primary AIB |
|||||||
| Name | Governance Role | Date Started | Date End | Business Interest |
Attendance at Meetings |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |||||
| Andrew Crowther | Chair of the AIB | 2019 | 2023 | No | 3 / 6 | 2/4 | 1/1 |
| Dawn Walton | Trust Governance | 2019 | 2023 | No | 3 / 6 | 3/4 | 0/1 |
| Maureen Hemingway |
Trust Governance |
2020 | 2024 | No | 1/ 3 | 1/4 | 0/1 |
| Joanne Mappin | Executive Primary Lead | 2018 | / | No | 3 / 3 | 4/4 | 1/1 |
| Rebecca Vodden Page | Head of Barrow Hill | 2019 | / | No | 3 / 3 | 4/4 | 1/1 |
| Tonicha Kershaw | Staff Governor | 2021 | 2025 | No | / | 4/4 | 1/1 |
|
Louise Parker |
Head of Dunston | 2023 | / | No | / | / | 1/1 |
| Frances Green | Link Governor | 2021 | 2025 | No | 1 / 1 | 2/4 | 1/1 |
|
Michelle Madders |
Link Governor | 2021 | 2025 | No | 1/1 | 4/4 | 0/1 |
| Nicola Bradley | Link Governor | 2021 | 2025 | No | 2/2 | 2/4 | 0/1 |
| Lauren Kay | Head of Whittington | 2019 | / | No | 3 / 3 | 4/4 | 0/1 |
|
Louise Speed |
Link Governor | 2021 | 2025 | Yes | 2/2 | 2/2 | 1/1 |
Secondary AIB |
|||||||
| Name | Governance Role | Date Started | Date End | Business Interest |
Attendance at Meetings |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 | ||||||
| Helen McVicar | Head of Netherthorpe | 2021 | / | No | 5/6 | ||
| Beverly Catlow | Staff Governor | 2021 | 2025 | No | 5/6 | ||
| Shannon Crookes | Staff Governor | 2021 | 2025 | No | 6/6 | ||
|
Gill Hart |
Duke of Devonshire | 5/6 | |||||
| Jenny Nightingale Newton | Parent Governor | 6/6 | |||||
| Vernon Sanderson | Link Governor | 2021 | 2025 | No | 5/6 | ||
| Mark Smith | Link Governor | 2021 | 2025 | No | 5/6 | ||
| Rachel Swann | Chair of the AIB | 2021 | 2025 | No | 5/6 | ||
| Jennifer Tongue | Parent Governor | 6/6 | |||||
| Carly Waterhouse | Link Governor | 5/6 | |||||
| Yvonne Wright | Parent Governor | 4/6 | |||||