Meet the Advisory Board
Welcome to our Advisory Board section
On 1st March 2024, the Board of Trustees of Ash Field Academy unanimously approved that the academy should join the Discovery Trust.
Link to the Discovery Trust: Home - Discovery (discoverytrust.org)
The academy has now adopted the scheme of delegation and governance regulations of the Discovery Trust.
Welcome to this section of our website where you can find out more about our advisory board members and their role.
Being a member of the advisory board is a voluntary position but it is an incredibly worthwhile role. There is certainly much reward in assisting the school to deliver a high-quality education to pupils and in promoting their welfare.
Members of the Advisory Board work closely together, and with the Principal, and are responsible for a wide range of strategic matters including ensuring pupils receive high-quality education, setting the aims and objectives for the school, planning for future development and improvement of the school, and for the robust accountability, oversight and assurance of the school’s educational performance.
Together with the Principal and other members of the senior leadership team, advisory board members work to ensure that Ash Field Academy achieves its vision to provide exceptional education and care/support so every pupil reaches their potential. Advisory board members are actively involved in all areas of the school and bring a range of skills and experience from their personal and professional lives.
Our Advisory Board is made up of a Chair, Vice-Chair, an ex-officio (the Principal), members and parent members and information on all the members of our advisory board is given below.
The academy joined the Discovery Trust on 1 March 2024 and the responsibility for the financial affairs of the academy was transferred from the RAR committee to the Board of Trustees of Discovery Trust on that date.
Discovery Trust's scheme of delegation is detailed below.
Trustee Recruitment
Information on how to join our Advisory Board will be made available soon.
Any PDF document can be translated into another language by Google Translator, a link to the translator and instructions on how to use it can be found in our policies section, by clicking on the link below:
Scheme of Delegation
The scheme of delegation of the former company is available to view on the finance and funding pages of this website.
Chair of Advisory Board
| DanielSlavin | dslavin@ashfield.leicester.sch.uk
Please direct any written correspondence to:
Chair of Advisory Board Ash Field Academy Broad Avenue Leicester LE5 4PY |
Governance Professional | Mark Shaw |
mshaw@discoverytrust.org
|
Advisory Board Members for the 2024-25 Academic Year
Trustees Name | Role/s and Responsibilities | Business Name | Nature of Business | Nature of Interest | Post Began |
Dr Daniel Slavin | Board Appointed Member
Chair of Advisory Board
Responsibilities: Careers | General Medical Council | Registered | 26/10/21
Joined AB 01/09/2024 | |
Susanne Francis (Prefers Sue)
| Vice Chair of Advisory Board
Board Appointed Member
Responsibilities: Resi | Rosebank Services Ltd
Woodland Grange Primary School | Property Developer
Education | Managing Director
Governor | 28/09/2020
Joined AB 01/09/2024 |
Tracey Lawrence (Prefers Tracey) | Principal
| Little Beam Foundation
Little Beam Ltd
Chartered Teaching Council
The Childrens Hospital School | Charity
Publishing
Education
Education | Trustee
Director
Member
Governor | 25/05/2023
Joined AB 01/09/2024 |
Dr Rachael Straub | Parent Member
Link Governor Responsibilities Pupil Premium |
|
|
| 06/05/2021
Joined AB 01/09/2024
|
Susan Orme (Prefers Sue) | Parent Member
| Tyson Spraybooth Services |
| Director | 09/12/2022
Joined AB 01/09/2024 |
Emma Watson (Staff) | Staff Elected Member | 25/09/24 | |||
Denese Daley-Cole | On Sabbatical advisory board appointment deferred. Board Appointed Member | N/A | N/A | N/A | 11/12/23
Joined AB 01/09/2024 |
Advisory Board Meeting Attendance the Academic Year 2024/25
AB Member | Position | Total | 17/10/24 AB01 | 23/01/25 AB02 | 27/03/25 AB03 | 27/06/25 AB04 |
| Daniel Slavin | Chair | 1 / 4 | Yes | |||
| Sue Francis | Vice Chair | 1 / 4 | Yes | |||
| Tracey Lawrence | Principal | 1 / 4 | Yes | |||
| Sue Orme | Parent Member | 1 / 4 | Yes | |||
| Rachael Straub | Parent Member | 0 / 4 | App. A | |||
| Emma Watson | Staff Member | 1 / 4 | Yes | |||
| Denese Daley-Cole | Member |
Some words from a few of our advisory board members on why they are doing their roles:
Daniel Slavin
My name is Daniel Slavin, I joined the board in October 2021. I am a Junior Doctor working in the East Midlands.
Outside of medicine, I have an interest in inter-professional working and believe strongly in the power of education.
Ash Field Academy is clearly a place where education and opportunity for our pupils is at the heart of what the school is trying to achieve and I look forward to the opportunity to support the school going forward. |
Sue Francis
Hello, I am Sue Francis and I have been a governor and now a Member of the new advisory board at Ash Field for nineteen years. Before retiring I worked as a Business Manager at a county primary school, where I worked for 25 years, including several years in the classroom. I was also a governor there for 18 years so, I believe, I have useful experience to offer Ash Field.
It took very little time for me to realise what a special place Ash Field is and it is a pleasure and privilege for me to be able to work with staff and pupils. |
Sue Orme
Hello, I am Sue Orme and a Parent Member of the Advisory Board.
I have held office as a Parent Governor at the academy on two other occasions and I have over eight years of experience as a school governor. I remain equally passionate about helping to support the academy, its pupils, and its families.
I am a Director of a Company I own with my husband, which manufactures and sells equipment to the motor trade and I love traveling and cruising on the family's narrow boat. |
Rachael Straub
Hello, I am Rachael Straub a Parent Member of the Advisory Board and I have over three years experience as a Parent Governor.
I trained as a research scientist, worked in university grants administration, and spent ten years as a manager with Citizens Advice. I'm now a full-time carer for my daughter.
I thought I knew Ash Field fairly well, but I've learnt so much in this role and now understand that Ash Field Academy really is an amazing school with staff and students who work incredibly hard to achieve their best. |
Company Officers
Name xxxxx | Role | Responsibility |
Chief Executive Officer Discovery Trust | Accounting Officer | Moved to Discovery Trust on 01.03.24 |
Board of Trustees Discovery Trust | Chief Financial Officer | Moved to Discovery Trust on 01.03.24 |
Companies House Registration No. 07988444.
Ex-Governors' Details (retained for one year after the date of resignation)
Governor's NameXXXXXXXXXXXX | Role/sXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX | Business Name xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | Nature of Businessxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | Nature of Interest | Post Began | ||
Tracey Lawrence (Member of staff) | Accounting Officer | As recorded above | As recorded above | As recorded above | Ended 01.03.24 | ||
Nicola Edwards (Member of staff) | Chief Financial Officer | None | None | None | Ended 01.03.24 | ||
Kathy Inskip | Chair of Trustees / Governors Community Governor Resource Audit and Risk
Link governor responsibilities - Attendance Artsmark Safeguarding Children Looker After Resi Improvement Plan SIP Priority Independence | None | None | None | 30/11/2008 01/12/2012 02/12/2016 06/11/2020 Resigned 28/03/2024 | ||
| Shafraz Nizam
| Trustee / Governor
Link Governor responsibilities: IT / Technology / Data Protection / GDPRV | Aero Cyber Aero Cyber Reality West Bromich Building Society NDA Community Services | Cyber security and cloud consultancy Real Estate Land Security Architect | Director Director Director Trustee | 20/01/2023 Resigned 31/03/2024 | ||
Trustee | Trust-appointed Trustee / Governor Chair of Trustees Chair of RAR Committee (30.10.23) Link Governor responsibilities: Careers | General Medical Council | Registered |
| 26/10/2021 Resigned 31/08/2024 | ||
Tracey Lawrence Trustee (Governor) |
|
| Charity
Publishing
Education
Education | Trustee
Director
Member
Governor | 25/05/2023
Resigned 31/08/2024
| ||
Dr Rachael Straub | Parent Trustee (Governor)
Link Governor responsibilities: Pupil Premium |
| 06/05/2021
Resigned 31/08/2024 | ||||
Susan Orme | Parent Trustee (Governor) | Tyson Spraybooth Services | Director | 09/12/2022
Resigned 31/08/2024 | |||
Susanne Francis | Vice Chair of Trustees Co-opted Trustee (Governor) Governor RAR Committee Link Governor responsibilities: Resi | Rosebank Services Ltd
Woodland Grange Primary School | Property Developer
Education | Managing Director
Governor | 28/09/2020
Resigned 31/08/2024 | ||
Denese Daley-Cole | Member appointed Trustee Governor |
| 11/12/2023
Resigned 31/08/2024 |
Ex- Member's (Company Shareholders) Details of the former Ash Field Academy (retained for one year after the date of the post ended)
Members Name | Role/s and Responsibilities | Business Name
| Nature of Business | Nature of Interest | Post Began | Post Ended |
William Shepherd Prefers (Will) | Member of the Academy Trust | Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
ILLIFE Media Group Ltd KM Media Group Ltd ILLIFE Media Publishing Ltd KENT Online Ltd KM Direct Ltd Cherry Holt Holdings Ltd | Institute
Media Group Media Publishing Media
Media Property | Member MCIMA
Director
Director
Director Director Director Director | 11.05.21
| 31.09.24 |
Kathryn Inskip Prefers (Kathy) | Member of the Academy Trust
| None
| None
| None
| 12.03.12
| 31.09.24
|
Allan Dunsmore | Member of the Academy Trust | None | None | None | 06.12.13 | 31.09.24 |
Miles Carter
| Member of the Academy Trust
| Connected Learning
John Milton Academy Trust MEC Consultants
ICAEW
| Trustee
Member
Consultant
Life Member | Trustee
Member
SRMA which is accredited by DfE
Member | 02.07.22 | 31.09.24 |
Trustee (governors) Meeting Attendance The Academic Year 2023/24
| Trustees Nameaaaaaa | 14/09/23 FGB01 | 09/11/23 FGB02 | 18/01/24 FGB03 | 07/03/24 FGB04 | 25/04/24 FGB05 | 27/06/24 FGB06 | 11/12/23 AGM | 30/10/23 RAR01 | 08/02/24 RAR02 | 16/05/24 RAR03 | 27/06/24 RAR04 |
K Inskip | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
T Lawrence (Principal) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
S Francis (Vice Chair) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
R Straub | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
D Slavin (Chair) | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | ||
S Orme | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||||
S Nizam | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||||||
| D Daley Cole | Yes | Yes | No | ||||||||
Members Name | |||||||||||
| M Carter | Yes | No | |||||||||
| W Shepherd | No | Yes | |||||||||
| K Inskip | Yes | Yes | |||||||||
| A Dunsmore | No | Yes | |||||||||
| Governance Professional | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FGB - Full Trustees (governors) Board Meeting
RAR - Resources, Audit and Risk Committee Meeting
(Please note: Governors with Grey Zones are not members of the RAR Committee)
Governors' Meeting Attendance Previous Academic Years
Meeting Agendas 2023-2024 Academic Year (Current)
Meeting Agendas 2022-2023 Academic Year (Previous)
External Review of Governance Report July 2022
The former Board of Trustees (Governing body) commissioned this external review of governance during 2021-22 from the National Governance Association (NGA) which represents governing bodies at a national level. This provided former Trustees with an independent view of their current effectiveness which supported them to determine the next stage of their development as a board of trustees in the areas of governance arrangements and strategic leadership.
Information on the National Governance Association (NGA) can be found on their website via the link below.