Bridgemary School is an academy as part of  The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT). 

TKAT is a multi-academy trust that was established on 1st September 2010.  Its constitution is set out in the Articles of Association and this is shared with individual academies via the Scheme of Delegation.  TKAT has, through the Scheme of Delegation, established Local Governing Bodies for each of the Academies.

The Local Governing Body of each of the Academies is responsible for fulfilling the strategic and operational governance role in the conduct of the Academy. 

Please click here to Meet the Trustees of TKAT    

Please click here to link to Governance information relating to TKAT, including the structure of the Trust’s governance and relevant details about Trustees including terms of office, attendance, and business interests.

Please click here for key Trust documents including the Master Funding Agreement, Articles of Association, and Accounts.

Please click here to read the TKAT Scheme of Delegation.

The Local Governing Body is made up of parents, staff, and appointed members of the community. Collectively we bring together a thorough knowledge of the school and its community to set a clear vision and ensure it is delivered through strategies and policies. We support and constructively challenge the school’s leaders to constantly strive to improve conduct and promote consistently high standards. 

The constitution of the Local Governing Body (LGB) at Bridgemary School is made up of 11 Governors in total, broken down as follows:

• 1 Headteacher (ex officio)

• 2 Staff Governors 

• 2 Parent Governors

• 6 Appointed Governors

The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body are elected annually at the first Academic year meeting or as necessary in the event of a resignation.  The Clerk to the Governors is a paid appointment and part of the school staffing structure. 

• The current Chair of Governors is Ben cooper

• The current Vice Chair of Governors is Sven Latham

• The current Clerk to the Governors is Charlotte Roberts

For further information on matters relating to the Governing Body please contact the Clerk in the first instance email governor.clerk@bridgemary-tkat.org 

• To see the signed copy of the constitution, please click here

• To see the names, details, and declarations of interest of the current members of the Governing body at Bridgemary School, please click here

• To see the LGB meeting attendance figures for the current members of the Governing body at Bridgemary School, please click here

• To see the names, details and declarations of interest for the past* members of the Governing body at Bridgemary School, please click here. *Those leaving within the last 12 months.

All parents/carers are contacted when a parent/carer governor vacancy arises and are invited to apply. If more than one application is received, we undertake a ballot of parents/carers to determine who will fill the vacancy.

If you’re interested in becoming a governor and you are not a parent/carer of a pupil or a member of staff, you can join us as an Appointed Governor.  

Please email the Clerk for further information on how to apply. 

Teacher governors are invited to apply to be a Staff Governor when a vacancy arises, and should the school receive more than one teacher application we undertake a ballot process to determine who will fill the vacancy.

The term of office for all types of Governor is 4 years. Governors can stand for multiple terms of office.

To find out more about the work of the Local Governing Body at Bridgemary School, please use the links provided below:

• To read the Governor’s Impact Statement for the last academic year, please click here

• To read the Governor’s Vision Statement for the school, please click here

There are six meetings of the full Local Governing Body (LGB) each academic year. One per half term. 

2023/2024 LGB meetings

• 20th September 2023

• 22nd November 2023

• 24th January 2024

• 13th March 2024

• 15th May 2024

• 19th June 2024

All correspondence with The Local Governing Body at Bridgemary School should be directed to the Clerk to the Governors in the first instance. You can email the clerk here or write to the Governors via the main school address which can be found here. If you wish to contact governors, please do so by contacting the Clerk to the Governing Body on 01329 512333 or email: governor.clerk@bridgemary-tkatat.org 

To support the school and help our senior leaders implement the identified improvements, our Governors will need to understand the school at a level that enables them to ask appropriately challenging questions. They will need to come to meetings clearly knowing what a typical school day, behaviour, and pedagogy look like. They will need to build relationships with staff at all levels, interact with the students, and generally ‘get under the skin’ of the school.

 To achieve this, they will be invited to take as active a role as their other commitments permit. At Bridgemary, we operate an open culture whereby our governors are welcome to ask questions directly of senior leaders and also join them on their regular timetable of learning walks and monitoring. Where resource permits, each Governor will take a dedicated link role, working with a member of staff to investigate the quality of provision and carry out the regulatory checks relevant to that link, e.g. finance or safeguarding. The link roles will be reviewed at the start of each academic year in partnership with the HT to ensure that the Governor's priorities are reflective of those of the school and SLT. By regularly joining learning walks and fulfilling their link roles, Governors will build a collective knowledge of the school and be able to share this knowledge with other members of the LGB, drawing on it to support the LGB in making informed decisions.

 Governors are encouraged to seek feedback from staff and pupils during their time in school to ensure their experience of school life is multi-faceted. They will also be invited to attend any/all open events and shows.

 Whilst regular attendance and involvement in the school is the only minimum requirement, our Governors are challenged to:

•  Attend all Local Governing Body meetings – currently one meeting per half-term.

• Take ownership of a link role – working hard to understand the remit of that activity, visiting your link at least once per term, and reporting back using templated visit reports at each LGB meeting.

• Be available to sit on HR and pupil panels dealing with recruitment, behaviour, and/or performance issues.

• Undertake learning walks – attending the site during the school day to see first-hand how the school operates and how pupils engage.

• Attend school events – concerts, parent evenings, and open events.

• Undertake training to ensure you can execute your role and understand the data and results you are presented with

• Be available and willing to receive contact from parents or staff with concerns about school or pupil performance.