Welcome to our Governors’ section.
Welcome to this section of our website where you can find out more about our trustees (school governors) and their role.
Being a trustee 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.
Governing bodies (trustees) 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 and financial performance.
Together with the Principal and other members of the senior leadership team, trustees work to ensure that Ash Field Academy achieves its vision to provide exceptional education and care/support so every pupil reaches his/her potential. Trustees are actively involved in all areas of the school and bring a range of skills and experience from their personal and professional lives.
The Governors Handbook (issued by the Department of Education) states that a governing body has three core functions:
• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation (school) and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation (school) and making sure its money is well spent.
The document below provides further information about the role of the governing body (trustees).
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:
Our Full Governing Board comprises of a Chair, Vice-Chair and other governors.
These include an ex-officio governor (the Principal), parent governors, a staff governor and co-opted governors.
Full details of our structure can be found in our Articles of Association on the Funding section of the website.
Information regarding current governors is given below.
Link-to-Funding Agreement which includes the Articles of Association
We have one committee: the Resources and Audit Committee. This committee has a particular remit around finance and audit but also has some delegated responsibility for resources, such as staffing and the premises.
Chair of Governors
| Kathryn Inskip | chairofgovs@ashfield.leicester.sch.uk
Please direct any written correspondence to:
Chair of Governors Ash Field Academy Broad Avenue Leicester LE5 4PY |
Governance Professional | Mark Shaw |
clerktogovernors@ashfield.leicester.sch.uk
|
Governors' Details for the 2021-22 Academic Year
Governors Name | Role/s and Responsibilities | Business Name | Nature of Business | Nature of Interest | Post Began |
Kathryn Inskip (Prefers Kathy) Member and Trustee
| Chair of Governors Safeguarding Governor Community Governor RAR Committee
Link Governor responsibilities: Reading and Maths Children Looked After Careers and Enterprise Arts Mark | None | None | None
| 30/11/2008 01/12/2012 02/12/2016 06/11/2020
|
Allan Dunsmore Member and Trustee
| Trust Appointed Governor Vice-Chair of Governors
Chair of Resources, Audit & Risk Committee (RAR Committee)
Link Governor responsibilities: Effective Structures to Maximise Progress Health and Safety Teaching and Learning (including remote learning) Inclusion and SEND hub | None | None | None | 06/12/2013 01/12/2017 00/00/2021 |
Jennifer Eshelby (Prefers Jenny) Trustee (Resigned as a Director of The Well Trust (Leicester) an Education Charity 2018 - 24.03.22) | Principal Ex-Officio Governor | Challenge Partners
Medicines in Special Schools
| Education Charity
Healthcare
| Senior Partner
Regional Lead
| 23/08/2018 |
Charles Moore (Prefers Barry) Trustee | Community Governor
Link Governor responsibilities: Residential Staff Well-being | None | None | None | 31/10/2014 01/11/2018 |
Rupert Mingay Trustee | Co-opted Governor RAR Committee | Non-Executive Director of Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets PLC | Banking
| Started 29.04.2022
| 09/06/2013 09/06/2017 00/00/2021 |
Dr Rachael Straub Trustee | Parent Governor | The Careers Centre Leicestershire and Rutland | Careers Centre | Employee | 06/05/2021 |
Catherine Gough Trustee
| Staff Governor Teaching Staff Representative
| Frozen Light Theatre | The Arts (Company Charity) | Trustee and Director | 06/12/2019 |
Susanne Francis (Prefers Sue) Trustee | Co-opted Governor RAR Committee
Link Governor responsibilities: Pupil Premium Reading and Maths | Rosebank Services Ltd
Woodland Grange Primary School | Property Developer
Education | Managing Director
Governor | 28/09/2020 |
Dr Daniel Slavin Trustee | Trust appointed Governor | General Medical Council | Registered | 26/10/21 |
Governor's Name | Role/sXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX | Business Name | Nature of Business | Nature of Interest | Post Began |
PennyxAllsopp Trustee | Parent Governor / Trustee Link Governor Responsibilities: Parent Engagement | Nursing & Midwifery Council NMC | Registered Nurse | Nursing | 01/03/2019 31/08/2022 |
Members Name | Role/s and Responsibilities | Business Name
| Nature of Business | Nature of Interest | Post Began |
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
|
Kathryn Inskip Prefers (Kathy) | Member of the Academy Trust
| The same as that given in the Governor's register above.
| Ref to Gov's register above.
| Ref to Gov's register above.
| 12.03.12
|
Allan Dunsmore | Member of the Academy Trust | The same as that given in the Governor's register above. | Ref to Gov's register above. | Ref to Gov's register above. | 06.12.13 |
Miles Carter
| Member of the Academy Trust
| Ormiston Academy Sudbury John Milton Academy Trust MEC Consultants
ICAEW | LGB - Governor Member Consultant
Life Member | Governor Member SRMA which is accredited by DfE Member | 02.07.22 |
Name | Academy Role | Company Role and Responsibility |
Jennifer Eshelby | Principal | Accounting Officer |
Jennifer Eshelby | Principal | Chief Financial Officer |
Companies House Registration No. 07988444.
The results of the 2022-23 External Review of Governance is given in the above PDF.
The Governing body commissioned this external review from the National Governance Association (NGA) which represents governing bodies at a national level.
Because the governors believed it would provide an independent view of their current effectiveness, in addition, to independently providing advice and support on the next stage of the governing bodies development in the areas of strategic leadership and governance of Ash Field Academy Trust.
Information on the National Governance Association (NGA) can be found on their website.
| Governors Name | 17/09/21 FGB | 05/11/21 FGB | 14/01/22 FGB | 11/03/22 FGB | 29/04/22 FGB | 17/06/22 FGB | SRM02 | DSRM03 | 10/12/21 AGM | 07/10/21 RAR | 02/02/22 RAR | 02/03/22 RAR | 12/05/22 RAR | 16/06/22 RAR |
K Inskip (Chair) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
AaDunsmore (Vice-Chair) | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
J Eshelby Principal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| R Mingay | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes/No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | ||
| S Francis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes/No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| P Allsopp | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes/No | Yes | |||||||
| R Straub | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes/No | Yes | |||||||
| C Gough | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes/No | Yes | |||||||
| B Moore | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes/No | Yes | |||||||
| D Slavin | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes/No | Yes | ||||||||
| Governance Professional | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FGB - Full Governing Board Meeting
RAR - Resources, Audit and Risk Committee Meeting
(Please note: Governors with Grey Zones are not members of the RAR Committee)
GovernorssNamessssss | Total Attendance | 18/09/20 FGB | 06/11/20 FGB | 15/01/21 FGB | 12/03/21 FGB | 23/04/21 FGB | 18/06/21 FGB | 04/12/20 AGM
| 25/02/21 Constitutional Meeting | 14/04/21 Members Special Resolution Meeting | 08/10/20 RAR | 11/02/21 RAR | 13/05/21 RAR | 17/06/21 RAR |
Ms Inskip (Chair) | 13/13 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Mr Dunsmore (Vice-Chair) | 13/13 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Miss Bone, Principal (Now Mrs Eshelby) | 13/13 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Mr Moore | 9/10 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Mr Mingay | 12/12 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Ms Allsopp | 6/8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
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| Miss Gough | 8/8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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| Mrs Francis | 11/11 | Yes Visiting (Member) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Clerk to Governors | 13/13 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FGB - Full Governing Board Meeting
RAR - Resources, Audit and Risk Committee Meeting (Please note – Governors with ‘grey rows’ are not members of the RAR committee)
Some words from a few of our Governors on why they are doing their roles:
I am Kathy Inskip and I feel it is a privilege to be the Chair of Governors at Ash Field. I am delighted to have the opportunity to be part of the school with such amazing pupils, parents, staff and governors – thank you to everyone.
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I am Allan Dunsmore and I am now retired after over 40 years working in Leicester city schools as a Science teacher. I have considerable experience at the senior management level and for the last six years of my teaching career, I was a headteacher. Since my retirement in 2011, I worked part-time at New College as a Community Partnership manager working with DMU and local volunteers organising volunteer placements at the school. I have also worked at Ash Field for a number of years teaching GCSE Science to local Teaching assistants one evening a week. I also had the pleasure of teaching science to a year 11 pupil at Ash Field a number of years ago.
I am fully aware of the challenges facing Ash Field, the senior team and the committed staff as well as the community it serves. My hope is that I can bring my considerable experience to support the work of the Governors, senior team and teachers at this amazing school. |
Hello, I am Rupert Mingay. I first came across Ash Field Academy when my daughter Philippa was a student here a few years ago. She loved her time at Ash Field and has stayed in touch with the friends she made here. I became a governor while she was at school and have stayed on because I enjoy being part of it.
I hope I can help with some ideas from time to time and I know I can learn a lot too.
I live in South Leicestershire, about half an hour away from Ash Field. I work in the banking sector. My office is in London, but I have been working from home since the first lockdown. I spend a lot of time on Zoom these days which is better than getting up early to go to work on the train. I love the Leicestershire countryside and I like walking along the canal towpaths. One of my neighbours plays for Leicester Tigers and I'm looking forward to getting back to Welford Road to watch them again. |
I am Catherine Gough and I joined the staff of Ash Field in 2017. Since then, I've had so many opportunities to further develop my teaching practice and I feel extremely lucky to have found such an amazing place to work; I love coming to school to see everyone each day! I've learnt such a lot personally since I arrived and am keen to contribute where I can to our community's drive for self-improvement. |
Hello! I have been the Principal at Ash Field Academy since 2018 and therefore automatically became a governor. I really enjoy working with our board of governors who are totally committed to our school and ensuring we are the best we can be. I hope to see you around the school sometime soon! |
Hello, I am Sue Francis and I have been a governor at Ash Field since September 2020. 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.
Although I have only been a governor for a short time it didn't take me long to appreciate what a special place Ash Field is. I am looking forward to getting to know staff, pupils and parents better. |
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. |
Hello, I am Rachael Straub and I have been a Parent Governor since 2021. 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. A I thought I knew Ash Field fairly well, but I've learnt so much since becoming a governor. It really is an amazing school with staff and students who work incredibly hard to achieve their best. |