Governors
Our Governors
King Edward VI Academy is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.
Our governors are:
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James Myhill-JohnsonPrincipal
James Myhill-Johnson
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Chris BlanchardDRET Appointed Governor (Chair)
Chris Blanchard
Chris was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor at the academy on 28 November 2017. He initially became a governor because he wanted to have an influence on his daughter's education but then realised he could make an impact to all the students' progress through challenge. He is also passionate to see the school as the school of choice for the area and not see children waiting for a bus to take them to another school. Chris has served 32 years so far for the Royal Air Force. His good leadership and managerial qualities enable him to effectively Chair the ASCs at Barnes Wallis, King Edward VI and Thomas Middlecott Academies. Chris is empathetic with excellent communication skills and has the courage to give challenge to school leaders and the higher Trust leaders, if required. He has a calm demeanour and is very approachable, and is often called upon to support other academies in the Trust. In his free time Chris enjoys Running, cycling and reading.
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Alastair DixonDRET Appointed Governor
Alastair Dixon
Alastair was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on the ASC on 21 October 2020. He decided to join the ASC after speaking to another governor about the role whilst attending his son's school performance. Alastair has the assigned governor link role for Safeguarding. He was previously employed within the RAF for 22 years and is now settled into a new career with Siemens as an Overhaul Technician within the rail industry. Â Alastair has the ability to challenge decisions, to ensure they are in the best interest of the academy and its pupils, a keen eye for Health and Safety, and a passion for the well-being of children in general. As a family man, he loves weekends away in their caravan, and carp fishing trips with his youngest son. He also has a motorbike that is a dedicated track bike, which he enjoys using on tracks such as Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Mallory.
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David MangionDRET Appointed Governor
David Mangion
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Mariana HuntonStaff Governor
Mariana Hunton
Mariana was appointed a Staff Governor on 5 October 2021. She recently moved to the academy and decided to volunteer to be a staff governor. She previously served as a parent governor in her daughters' primary school and found it to be a really rewarding and an enriching experience. She is looking forward to contributing to the wider KEVI community on behalf of the staff and being able to work with a variety of stakeholders to shape the future for the young people in the community. Mariana is a Trust Wide Lead Practitioner for MFL, currently based the academy three days a week and working Trust wide for the rest of the week. She teaches French and Spanish and is designing the trust wide Spanish curriculum. She is able to work with others, see others' perspectives and be diplomatic. Also, being a Trust wide employee means that she can see the bigger picture of how the academy links into the whole Trust and this brings new ideas and context to the issues affecting the academy. In her free time Mariana enjoys doing yoga and Zumba.
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Kathryn OdlinParent Governor
Kathryn Odlin
Kathryn was appointed a Parent Governor on 11 September 2020. Kathryn is passionate about all children receiving an outstanding education and having the opportunity to explore interests that will see them move into adulthood happy and ready to embrace their future. She is a Police Officer and works in the community policing team. Kathryn is also a Chair of Governors at a local primary school. These roles see her involved in safeguarding and protecting young people. She has also received significant governor training at her primary school which is transferable to the academy setting. Kathryn enjoys reading and watching films.
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Nicola GascoigneClerk
Nicola Gascoigne
Nikki has been clerking for the Trust since September 2020. Her background is in public sector accountancy including Higher Education, Local Government and the NHS. As well as currently clerking for six DRET academies, she is a Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer for two Parish Councils. She loves going on holiday with her husband and two children and exploring closer to home with her daft cavapoo. Nikki also enjoys reading, singing and Zumba.
Governor Assigned Responsibilities
Safeguarding - Alastair Dixon
Parent and Student Voice - Keziah Wood
Contacting a Governor
To contact a governor, please contact the Trust Governance Team by emailing governorservices@dret.co.uk
Scheme of Delegation
Information about the David Ross Education Trust's scheme of delegation is available here.
Minutes of the Academy Scrutiny Committee
Should you wish to view a copy of the minutes of the ASC at this academy, please contact the Trust Governance Team, who will be able to provide you with an electronic or paper copy of the minutes.
Are you interested in becoming an academy governor?
We are looking for new governors to support our academies. Our governors work closely with their academies to support the Trust’s goal of broadening the horizons of young people through a world-class education, equipping our students with the skills and experiences to become their confident, academic best, no matter what.
If you have an interest in, and commitment to, improving education and would like to make a difference within your community, please register your interest in becoming a governor by completing our governor application form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governorservices@dret.co.uk
What skills, experience and commitment are required?
Governors attend six Academy Scrutiny Committee meetings a year (this may vary slightly depending on the academy) and are asked to support and enrich the academy in a range of other ways including:
- Undertaking school visits outside Academy Scrutiny Committee meetings.
- Taking on a ‘link’ governor role, liaising with academy staff and other governors on areas such as safeguarding, special educational needs and other academy priority areas.
- Sitting on panels related to the school, eg, appeals, complaints, exclusions.
- Participating in the Trust’s governor training and development programme.
We are looking for local people who would be committed to supporting the Trust’s goals. You need time, enthusiasm and a deep commitment to support these academies to be the best they can for their communities. A programme of induction, training and support is provided and expenses are covered. The Academy Scrutiny Committee role outline can be found here.
How does governance work at DRET?
At DRET, the Academy Scrutiny Committee provides support and challenge to the Principal in ensuring every child makes good or better progress and that the Academy is achieving targets and continually improving. To maximise the ability of the local governors to focus on this key area the Academy Scrutiny Committee is not required to set strategy or policy, manage financial resources, staff performance and pay, Health and Safety or many of the other areas traditionally associated with a maintained school governing body as these issues are dealt with at Trust level. This means that governors are able to concentrate on the things that really matter – pupil progress, school outcomes and aspiration.
The Academy Scrutiny Committee consists of a group of people who could be parents, community nominees, academy staff, Trust staff and Diocesan members. Each Academy Scrutiny Committee normally consists of 11-15 governors creating a balanced group of experience, skills and connections to support the academy in achieving exceptional performance.
In summary, the key responsibilities of the Academy Scrutiny Committee are:
- Understanding and promoting the Trust’s and the Academy’s vision and ethos.
- Scrutiny and challenge of achievement of targets, school improvement and pupil outcomes. Escalation of any concerns to the Trustees via the Executive.
- Supporting and facilitating parental and community engagement.
The difference between a DRET Academy Scrutiny Committees and a traditional school Governing Body
By comparison to a traditional school Governing Body:
- The Academy Scrutiny Committee’s role is not to “manage” the Academy. This is done through the Trust’s executive management structure (ie Principal, Regional Directors, Executive Management Team) and the Trust Board. Therefore, the Academy Scrutiny Committee is not required to take decisions on staff or financial matters affecting the Academy. As an Academy Scrutiny Committee Member you should have an understanding of strategic issues that impact on the Academy, and be updated on them regularly by the Principal, but you are not required to have direct responsibility for them. Instead the Academy Scrutiny Committee should be in a position to assess the impact of the Academy locally; how it is contributing to the local community, how it is relating to local families and how it understands local issues.
- As the Executive Management and Trust Board takes responsibility for setting educational standards, legal compliance and financial viability, the Academy Scrutiny Committee then has the time to scrutinise and challenge achievement of targets and school improvement, investigate the standards on the ground, to see how they are working, and explore how the Trust ethos is being understood and expressed in the way the Academy operates. As an Academy Scrutiny Committee member, your view as a parent, member of staff or as part of the community is vital in this discussion.
