Governors

Governing Body at Uffculme School

Uffculme School is part of the Uffculme Academy Trust and overall responsibility for the governance of all schools within the trust lies with the Board of Directors. The Trust’s mission is to provide outstanding educational experiences to all the children and young people who are educated within the Trust. More information about the trust can be found at http://www.uffculmetrust.org

Local Governing Bodies (LGB) provide oversight and scrutiny for each of the schools within the Trust and are made up of Governors who are recruited locally. Their work resembles that of the governing bodies of maintained schools and is set within the vision, values and policies defined by the Trust. The LGB chair is appointed by the Board of Directors. 

A scheme of delegation sets out the different roles played by the Trust and the LGBs and Terms of Reference describe the work of the LGB as well as the Trust’s Board and Committees.

The overall purpose of the LGB is:

a.    To ensure all students within the academy have access to a high quality education provision in line with the shared vision.

b.    To monitor the implementation of the development/improvement plan of individual academies within the Trust, ensuring that it is delivering against agreed strategic and local objectives; moving the academies and the Trust as a whole towards achieving and sustaining a regulatory judgement of outstanding in all areas.

c.    To ensure that the academic and wellbeing needs of students are being met effectively through the design and delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum which, through use of personalised, developmental support, helps to maximise each student’s success and enjoyment.

d.    To ensure all students are safeguarded.

e.    To ensure the Trust’s collective published admission number (PAN) is full.

LGB meetings are open, and if you were interested to see how the LGB works, you would be welcome to attend. If you would like to attend a meeting, or if you want to contact the Governing Body for any reason, please contact Liz Mitchell (tel: 01884 840458 extension 201 or email: MitchellL@uffculmeschool.net). 

The Governing Body is always interested in hearing the views of parents, pupils and staff.

Information on each member of the LGB is given below

Governors

  • Nikki Able

    Staff Governor

    Nikki is currently a deputy Headteacher at Uffculme School where she has been in post since January 2015 and an SLE since March 2017.  She has been teaching for just over 14 years having started her career in the West Midlands before relocating to Devon three years ago.  Nikki is currently studying for her MA in Educational Leadership and Management.  She is very proud of her role within the Uffculme Academy Trust and looks forward to furthering this involvement through her role as a staff governor for the school. 

  • Julian Berry

    Parent Governor, Stakeholder Engagement Portfolio Holder
    Julian has been a Governor since December 2016. It has been a steep learning curve, and there is still much to take on board, but he has found it very interesting, challenging, and rewarding. He is a Chartered Surveyor, currently working as the Property Manager for Viridor and Pennon Group PLC , and has experience in the property, insurance and agricultural sectors, in both private and public sectors. Julian is married, to a Piano Teacher, and has two sons, the youngest of which is in Year 10 and gaining so much from his time at Uffculme School.

  • Jo Dentith

    Community Governor, Portfolio Holder for SEND
    Jo is currently Headteacher of Uffculme Primary School, having been in post since September 2014 and a Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) since March 2017. She has worked primarily in Devon for 14 years. Her background is in special educational needs having achieved the National Award for SEND coordination from Plymouth University, and early years, with a MEd from Exeter University. She has very much enjoyed being part of Uffculme Academy Trust, providing a high quality education for the children within our local community.  Jo looks forward to bringing her experience to the role of the Special Educational Needs and Disability governor on the local governing body for Uffculme School. 

     

  • Hannah Devine-Wright

    Parent Governor, Teaching and Learning Portfolio Holder

    Hannah is a Director of social research consultancy Placewise Ltd and author of ‘Outside Time’, a book about the history of farming in the prison service. Hannah grew up on a prison farm and graduated from Surrey University as a Social and Environmental Psychologist. She undertakes projects about wellbeing, education and sustainability for universities, charities and the public sector. Hannah has two sons who attended Uffculme School, the eldest is training to be a physiotherapist and the youngest is studying ‘A’ levels at Exeter College.

  • Lorraine Heath

    Ex-Officio Governor

    Lorraine has been the Headteacher of Uffculme School since 2008. Prior to this she worked in a number of secondary schools in Somerset, spent a year working as an English consultant for the National Strategies, and was then Assistant Head then subsequently Deputy at Ladymead School in Taunton (now the Taunton Academy). From there she moved to Uffculme. In 2013 Lorraine was elected onto the regional Headteacher Board where she works with Outstanding South West Heads, with Sir David Carter on the Academies programme for the region. She also sits on the Board of Richard Huish College Trust. Lorraine is married with two children and a step-son. Molly works in the charity sector in London having read Philosophy at UCL and Joseph is taking a gap year before University.

  • Alexa Lachlan

    Staff Governor

    Alexa is married with two children; one married with a little boy and the other just graduated and now working in the City. Prior to being a Governor at Uffculme she was a Parent Governor at The Duchy School in Bradninch for 7 years. Alexa is now in her eleventh year as a Cover Supervisor at Uffculme.  In her spare time she plays tennis and badminton and enjoys baking.

  • Jill Larcombe

    Community Governor, Chair of the Local Governing Body, Safeguarding, Behaviour and Attendance Portfolio Holder, Governor with responsibility for Children in Care

    Jill has been involved in school governance for 19 years.  As well as being a Director of the Uffculme Academy Trust and a member of the Uffculme School and Uffculme Primary School Local Governing Bodies, she is also a Clerk to Governors of a Primary School Federation, Clerk to the Primary Committees of a cross-phase Federation and Clerk to the Board of Devon Association of Governance. Through Devon Association of Governance she represents governors on Devon Education Forum, Devon Children’s Safeguarding Board Education Sub-committee and School Finance Group (Substitute member).  She is a bookkeeper, administrator and Parish Council Clerk.

  • Mike Travers

    Parent Governor, Vice Chair of Local Governing Body, Curriculum and Assessment Portfolio Holder, Governor with responsibility for Pupil Premium

    Mike lives in Hemyock with his wife and 4 children. All his children are, or have been, students at Uffculme School. His wife is a primary school teacher and Mike is a lawyer in the Civil Service, and the family moved to the West Country 14 years ago. Having lived and worked in London and the North, he knows how fortunate they are to settle in an area that provides a comprehensive and outstanding education for our young children. The need not only to maintain but also to improve the standards of an outstanding establishment presented a challenge with which Mike has been involved for 7 years.

  • Caroline Wigley

    Community Governor, Deputy portfolio holder for Safeguarding, Behaviour and Attendance

    Caroline’s background is in biomedical research and higher education. After 12 years as a cancer research scientist, she joined Guys and St Thomas’s medical school in 1985, combining research with teaching. Caroline moved to Devon in 2002 and taught part-time at Exeter Medical School until last year. She edited the microscopic anatomy content of Gray’s Anatomy, editions 39 – 41 and is just beginning work on the 42nd edition. Caroline’s husband is Cornish and she is Devonian so they always planned to move west in their ‘semi-retirement’. They have two married daughters and four young grandchildren. Caroline’s other interests are in wildlife, especially birds, gardening, cooking and crosswords.