Governors

Lansdowne is an academy within a multi-academy trust namely The de Ferrers Trust.

The de Ferrers Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee and as such they are required to comply with charity law and company law.

The Trust is one legal entity with one set of Articles of Association that governs each academy within the Trust.  The Trust has a Master Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State and then each academy has a separate Supplementary Funding Agreement.  All documents referred to throughout this page can be located below.

Our Governance Structure

The Members

The trust consists of five members who are very similar to shareholders in a normal company.  They are often considered as the custodians of the trust and act as a ‘check and balance’ on the performance of the multi-academy trust.  The members have the power to appoint or remove trustees, amend the articles of association and, if necessary, wind up the multi-academy trust.  To ensure robust accountability within our governance structure the members are independent of the trust board.  The members will meet as often as is necessary to carry out their duties, but at least on an annual basis.

The Trust Board

The trust board has strategic oversight and ultimate responsibility for all of the management decisions within the multi-academy trust.  The board consists of up to  11 trustees, 8 of whom are appointed by the members.  The trustees are appointed purely on a skills basis.  The board’s key responsibilities are to ensure, through their governance structure and leadership team, that the multi-academy trust is making proper and effective use of public funds and for the quality of provision.    The trust board will meet as often as is necessary to carry out their duties, but at least five times per year.

The trust board has established three sub-committees to assist them, namely the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, the Standards Committee and the Resources Committee.  Each committee operates with its own set of terms of reference which can be located at the bottom of this page.  The Finance, Audit and Risk and Standards sub-committees will meet as often as necessary, but at least three times per year.  The Resources Committee will meet as often as necessary, but at least on an annual basis.

The Local Governing Body

The trust board has established one local governing body to oversee both Eton Park junior Academy and Lansdowne Academy.

The LGB carry out the Trust’s vision, policies and priorities and engage with the academy's key stakeholders (our students, parents, staff and members of the community).  They will play a support & challenge role and will seek assurances on behalf of the board in regard to academic performance and quality of care and provision for their academy.  They are responsible for making decisions by way of the powers delegated to them by the trust board in accordance with the terms of reference and scheme of delegation (located at the bottom of this page).

Our Chair of Governors Anne Andrews and she can be contacted via the Clerk to Governors by emailing zmellor@deferrers.com

Our Clerk to the Local Governing Body is Zoe Mellor.  They can be contacted by emailing zmellor@deferrers.com

We currently have governor vacancies.  If you would like to be considered or simply want further information on the role then please contact the Clerk to the Governors or visit The de Ferrers Trust's Website.

Meet our Local Governing Body

Ex-Officio Governor
The Executive Principal of our academy sits on our local governing body as a governor.  She is referred to as an ex-officio governor.  This means that she will remain a governor for as long as she is employed in her role as Executive Principal.
Claire Shaw - Executive Principal
Appointed	17th April 2023
Attendance for 2021/2022	LGB Meetings - 0/4 Pay Review - 0/1
Committee Membership	None
Register of Interests	Employed by the de Ferrers Trust
Bio
I am the Principal at Eton Park and Lansdowne Academies. I believe that all children can achieve excellence in their learning. My philosophy of education is that our children’s emotional well-being, cultural experiences, health and wellbeing are as important as their academic achievements. I am an experienced primary headteacher, educational consultant and formally Diocesan Director of Education. I have many years’ experience as both a governor and a trustee.

We currently have a vacancy for a board appointed governor.  If you would like to be considered or simply want further information on the role then please contact the clerk to the governors.