Governance Arrangements

Finham Park Multi Academy Trust is an exempt charity; this means we operate like any other charity but are not regulated by the Charity Commission but instead overseen by an alternative regulator, in this case the Secretary of State for Education.

Our Governance Structures

Our Governance structures are designed to give robust oversight and management of our schools, without unnecessarily restricting innovation.
We have five Members, including the Trust chairman Mr Peter Burns MBE, JP, who are responsible for appointing Trustees to the Trust Board.

Trustees provide strategic oversight and ensure the Trust meets its legal obligations, both directly and through committees.

The Trust Board is supported by a trained Governance Professional who also works with our LGB Clerks to ensure a consistent approach to Governance across our Trust.

Formulation of strategy and day to day operations are delegated to the CEO / Executive Headteacher, Mr Mark Bailie. He is supported by our school headteachers and professional experts within our central support services team.

Our headteachers are challenged and supported by their Local Governing Bodies to which governors are largely appointed based on their expertise, ensuring we have the balance of skills required to oversee a modern school.

Parental opinion is gathered through three elected parent governors at each of our schools and our Headteachers also frequently meet with parents at open evenings and other events.

All our schools operate a Student Voice model to encourage young people to take an active part in their own education

Trust Board Committees

Four committees feed into our Trust Board – Finance and Resource, Audit and Risk, Standards, and Pay, Appraisal & Personnel. 

Finance and Resource Committee

Finance and Resource Committee Terms of Reference and Schedule 2024-25

Standards Committee

Standards Committee Terms of Reference and Schedule 2024-25

Pay, Appraisal and Personnel Committee

Pay Appraisal and Personnel Committee Terms of Reference and Schedule 2024-25

Audit and Risk Committee

Audit and Risk Committee Terms of Reference and Schedule 2024-25

All individuals involved at every level of Governance are asked to read and sign our Code of Conduct annually.

Local Governing Bodies

The Trustees at Finham Park MAT are supported by a Local Governing Body at each of our schools. We are privileged to have a diverse range of skilled governors serving our LGBs, who are active in our local communities and are passionate about quality of education and bringing fantastic experiences to the children in our schools. 

We have established a clear process for ensuring governor vacancies are filled by individuals who have the knowledge and skill set necessary, ensure they have the capacity to make a positive contribution to the work of the governing body and are preferably part of the community local to the schools. 

All of our Governors complete regular skills audits to identify any areas where additional skills would benefit the governing body as a whole. This also drives our training focus each term. 

We advertise co-opted roles on our governing body vacancies on Governors For Schools and take applications through our dedicated vacancies page. Parent and Staff Governors are elected by their respective body.

Our privacy notice for Governors and volunteers can be found here.

The standard Terms of Reference for our LGBs can be found here.

Claire Denton

Headteacher, Pearl Hyde Community Primary School

Claire is passionate about Primary Education; she has taught in all year groups across the primary phase and held several leadership roles in her career in a range of schools.
Working throughout the primary phase has given her a depth of knowledge and understanding that drives her to strive for excellence. Claire is a specialist in working to develop ambitious curriculums with cultural capital and quality first teaching at the heart of a school. She is committed to ensuring children make excellent academic progress and receive a range of experiences that develop young learners to carry our values such as honesty, respect and integrity. 
Claire has extensively used coaching as a tool for improvement allowing children and adults to meet their full potential. Claire uses research to implement the most affective practice believing that education is about creating a community where all stakeholders are invested in breaking down barriers so that children have access to a world class education.