Academy Governance


An Academy Trust is a charitable company, set up to run an Academy, and it is responsible for the strategic direction of the Academy. Academy Trusts have two layers of governance – the Members of the Trust and the Governing Body (Trustees).

Members

Members are similar to shareholders and have ultimate control over the direction of the Academy Trust. They ensure the charitable company achieves its objectives and  they also appoint some of the Governors.


The Members of Folkestone St Mary’s Church of England Primary Academy for the year ending 31/8/24 to this present time include:

  • The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Company Ltd
  • The Incumbent of St Mary and St Eanswythe (Rev Dr John Walker resigned 27/3/24)
  • Emma Lane (Chair of Governors)
  • The Parochial Church Council of St Mary and St Eanswythe (currently represented by Jan Clark)
  • John Bird appointed 9/1/24
  • NEW Member from 12/9/24 Rev John Tomlinson

Experience/Skills of Members


The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Company Ltd – Corporate Member

The Diocese is able to draw on the combined skills and experience within the Diocese for support and advice

Emma Lane – Chair of Governors. Manager of Grand Hotel Burstin – a 550 bed hotel in Folkestone.

Emma has spent much of her career in hotel management. She has excellent HR, organisational and interpersonal skills. She has shown both empathy and courage in dealing with difficult situations. As Chair, she is able to effectively lead the Governing Body and offer appropriate support and challenge to Senior Leadership.

Rev Dr John Walker – Anglican priest with many years’ experience and was incumbent of St Mary and St Eanswythe. He had been involved in school to lead Collective Worship and offer pastoral support


PCC of St Mary and St Eanswythe – Corporate member

John Bird – former Primary Head Teacher, volunteer with Migrant Support and local Food Bank

Rev John Tomlinson New member from 3/9/24, retired priest with many years’ experience and regularly in school for Collective Worship

Governors/Trustees


The core functions of the Governing Body/Trustees, as set out in the Academy Trust Handbook are as follows:

• Strategic leadership of the Academy Trust: The Board defines the trust vision for high quality and inclusive education in line with its charitable objects. It establishes and fosters the trust’s culture and sets and champions the Trust strategy including determining what, if any, governance functions are delegated to the local tier

 • Accountability and assurance: The Board has robust effective oversight of the operations and performance of the Academy Trust, including the provision of education, pupil welfare, overseeing and ensuring appropriate use of funding and effective financial performance and keeping their estate safe and well maintained

 • Engagement: The Board has strategic oversight of relationships with stakeholders. The Board involves parents, schools and communities so that decision-making is supported by meaningful engagement.

The Trustees must apply the highest standards of conduct and ensure robust governance, as these are critical for effective financial management

The Governing Body plays an important role in guiding the school strategically in conjunction with the Headteacher and Leadership Team, with a view to providing the best possible education and educational opportunities for all of the pupils. St Mary’s. It is fortunate to have an enthusiastic and hard-working Governing Body who are committed to raising standards in the school. Governors are not expected to intervene in the day-to-day management of the school.

The Governing Body is split into committees which meet separately from the main Governing Body to discuss relevant issues in more detail. Discussion is then fed back at a Full Governing Body meeting.

The Finance Committee focuses on the delivery of the annual School Development Plan in this area, undertakes monitoring and evaluation activities against financial priorities and reports to the Governing Body as a whole.

In addition, there is an Audit and Risk team which is an advisory body with no executive powers and which makes recommendations to the Governing Body. It is the means for ensuring that there is in place, a process for the independent checking of financial controls, transactions and risks. (see Terms of Reference for the Governing Body for full details of governance structure (document attached.)

Ofsted looks closely at the contribution which the Governing Body makes to school improvement and expects governors to demonstrate a determination to secure the success and good progress of every pupil. Ofsted expects governors to be fully informed about the work of the school, to understand where it has been successful, where improvement is needed and what measures the school has put in place to achieve this.

Governors can be contacted on [email protected]

Minutes of all full governor meetings and of committee meetings may be obtained upon request to [email protected]

Governors/Trustees in the year from 1.9.23 to 31.8.24

Mrs Amanda Wolfram, ex officio Trustee (Head Teacher and Accounting Officer)
Mrs Emma Lane Trustee Co-opted (appointed Chair 27/11/18)
Mrs Lindsey Smith (appointed by the Members)
Mrs Dawn Wolley (appointed by the Members)
Rev Dr John Walker (ex officio St Eanswythe) resigned 27/3/24
Ms Natalie Martin (Parent Elected)

Claire Frost (appointed by the Members 5/9/23)

Mr Aaron Brann (Parent elected) appointed 2/2/24 resigned 27/3/24

Experience/Skills of Governors/Trustees

Emma Lane (also a Member – see information above)

Lindsey Smith MA (Oxon) Director of The Wills Register for over 30 years. Legal and administrative experience. Prior to becoming a Governor, acted as Clerk to the Governors for St Mary’s and another local school for eight years. At School’s request, managed the transfer of St Mary’s and two other Folkestone schools to Academy status in 2013 and has explored the possibility of both forming and joining a MAT on a number of occasions. Also undertaken voluntary work at St Mary’s for a term to cover for an absent TA, and taught Art and ‘Gifted and Talented’ Maths to small groups. Has acted as Safeguarding Link Governor for a number of years.

Dawn Wolley Honours degree in Mathematics. Now retired. Worked as part of the Government’s Statistical Service forecasting and monitoring Government Revenue income for HM Treasury. As a volunteer, taught cookery and recorders in a primary school and helped run the school library. School Governor for 5 years.

Natalie Martin  Parent with two children at the school. Project manager for Brakes, with 20+ years working within a number of businesses. Various experiences from Finance and Events to Marketing and Project Management. Skills brought to the Governing Board are organisational and planning; attention to detail, policy writing and driving through change. Holds the Headteacher and and Leadership Team to account to ensure the school is not only achieving for every child, but that it is constantly striving to exceed for every child.

Rev Dr John Walker (also a Member – see information above)

Amanda Wolfram BA Hons PGCE NPQH– Head Teacher. Director of Folkestone School Improvement Ltd. Former Deputy Head Teacher at Lyminge Primary School. Amanda is committed, collaborative, critical and creative. She has worked as an Associate of Surrey Local Authority (Babcock) to improve Literacy across many schools.

Claire Frost – Joined Governing Body in September 2023. Recently retired. Former Head Teacher Wittersham C E Primary School , Claire has an excellent record of raising standards of education.

The full Governing Body has formally met 6 times during the year.

Attendance during the year was as follows:

Governor on CommitteeMeetings AttendedOf a Possible
Emma Lane (Chair)66
Amanda Wolfram (Head Teacher)66
Lindsey Smith66
Dawn Wolley56
Natalie Martin66
Dr. John Walker24
Claire Frost56
Aaron Brann11

Attendance at Finance Meetings meetings in the year was as follows:

Governor on CommitteeMeetings AttendedOf a Possible
Dawn Wolley (Chair)33
Amanda Wolfram22
Emma Lane23
Lindsey Smith33

Attendance at Audit & Risk meetings in the year was as follows:

Governor on CommitteeMeetings AttendedOf a Possible
Dawn Wolley (Chair)33
Emma Lane23
Lindsey Smith33

Folkestone St Mary’s C E Primary Academy Governors September 2024 showing end of term of office and original appointment date  

Mrs Emma Lane (Chair) Trustee Co-opted end of term 25/9/27 appointed 23/11/15 
Mrs Amanda Wolfram Headteacher ex officio appointed 31/8/23 
Vacancy Incumbent St. Mary & St. Eanswythe ex officio 
Mrs Dawn Wolley Member appointed end of term 14/3/26 appointed 15/3/18 
Mrs Lindsey Smith Member appointed end of term 15/7/25 appointed 17/7/17 
Mrs Claire Frost Member appointed end of term 4/9/27 appointed 5/9/23 
Ms Natalie Martin Member appointed end of term 6/12/27 appointed 12/2/20  

Members and Governors/trustees Business Interests

Governors, Accounting Officers and Members are required to publish on the website any business and pecuniary interest including governance roles in other educational institutions and personal relationships with staff and these are shown below:

Amanda Wolfram (Trustee and Accounting Officer)

Employed as Headteacher of the Academy from 1/9/23

Member of ASCL

Director of Folkestone Ethos School Improvement Ltd

Dawn Wolley (Trustee)

None

Emma Lane (Member and Trustee)                      

Employed as Hotel Manager by Hotel Burstin

Lindsey Smith (Trustee)                

Son employed by St Mary’s as ICT support and also hosts website                      

Sister employed by St Mary’s as Finance Manager                         

Self and spouse are Director and/or Secretary of the following:                               

Ladywell Properties Ltd, Will Safe Co Ltd, Executors Co Ltd                          

South Eastern Estates Ltd, IHS Legal Services Ltd                          

Self and spouse 50% each shareholding in IHS Legal Services Ltd

Natalie Martin (Trustee)                  

Employed by Brakes UK Project Manager

Re Dr John Walker (Trustee resigned 27/3/24)         

Clerk in Holy Orders

Member and Trustee St Eanswythe’s C E Primary School Folkestone

Claire Frost (Trustee)

None

Aaron Brann (Trustee resigned 27/3/24)

Employed at FAS Ltd

Financial Interest in FAS Ltd, CDI Ltd, MGFP Ltd, & AB & DR Holdings Ltd

Director and Trustee at Kent Reliance Charitable Foundation

Mentor Young Lives Foundation

Mentor Chartered Insurance Institute

Jan Clarke – (Member currently representing PCC of St Mary and St Eanswythe)

Member & Trustee of Friends of St Mary and St Eanswythe

Member of PCC of St Mary & St Eanswythe Church

John Bird (Member)

Member of Dover Town Council

Trustee of Dover Municipal Charities

Member of the Labour Party

Rev John Tomlinson (Member)

Retired clergyman with permission to Officiate in the Diocese of Canterbury

Presently worshipping and assisting at St Mary & St Eanswythe

Member of British Trust for Ornithology, RSPB, Kent Ornithological Society, Kent Wildlife Trust, Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, Dungeness Bird Observatory and Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

For terms of reference for the Governing Body click on link below

St Mary’s Academy Terms of Reference for Governing Body June 2024Download