Governors
Our Governors
Cedar Road Primary School is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.
Our governors are:
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Rhys Jones-PennyHeadteacher
Rhys Jones-Penny
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Tracey HudsonTrust Senior Link
Tracey Hudson
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Sara Groocock-WilsonChair & DRET Appointed Governor
Sara Groocock-Wilson
Sara joined the ASC as a DRET Appointed Governor on 17 June 2019, as she wanted to use her previous work experience to support local children to achieve well in education. In December 2019, she was assigned the responsibility for Safeguarding, and in April 2020 was elected Chair of the ASC. Sara started working with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in 2006. Her career has included roles in schools, charities, and Local Authorities. She holds both a Post-Graduate Certificate and a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology, and is currently studying with the Chartered Governance Institute. When she's not studying, Sara enjoys travelling, baking, and spending time with friends and family.
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Nathan ThompsonDRET Appointed Governor
Nathan Thompson
Nathan was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on the ASC on 14 January 2021. He decided to become a governor after being the first in his family to be able to go to university and wanted to give something back to the community. Nathan feels very strongly about supporting children and the school environment to allow every child to succeed. He has spent all his career in and around digital technologies and now works in Consultancy for a firm in London. Nathan has experience in corporate finance, governance and strategy, all valuable skills that dovetail nicely with the skills and knowledge his fellow governors have on the ASC. Nathan loves all things travel related and enjoys visiting the cinema.
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Gwennie Lynell LewisDRET Appointed Governor
Gwennie Lynell Lewis
Gwennie was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 18 March 2021, and was keen to support an academy she believed in, trusted, and respected. Her aim is to help in providing the students with not only an excellent education but with a sense of self-worth and emotional well-being too. She hopes to have a positive impact on the work carried out by the academy, allowing young people to thrive and grow, both academically and personally.
Gwennie is a Therapeutic Counsellor with over 10 years' experience within Safeguarding Children and Adults. As well as being the SEN and Pupil Premium lead, she brings knowledge, skills and experience in mental health, safeguarding, business development and corporate governance. She is also a foster mum, and loves to paint with acrylics and capture photos too. Gwennie was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 18 March 2021, and was keen to support an academy she believed in, trusted, and respected. Her aim is to help in providing the students with not only an excellent education but with a sense of self-worth and emotional well-being too. She hopes to have a positive impact on the work carried out by the academy, allowing young people to thrive and grow, both academically and personally. -
Jolen GranthamDRET Appointed Governor
Jolen Grantham
Jolen was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 26 August 2021. He wanted to become a governor to give back to the system and provide quality assurance to local schools looking to make a difference. He is also Chair of Governors at Kings Heath Primary Academy, was Interim Chair at Lodge Park Academy from 2017 to 2018, and is also a DRET Appointed Governor on the Joint Malcolm Arnold Academy and Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School ASC. Jolen's work experience is an Education consultant and teacher. He is skilled in the area of personal development, behaviour and attitudes and teaching and learning. Jolen enjoys knowing more about the curriculum depth and new ideas. He is interested in reading about developments in education, the outdoors and holidaying.
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Meena Tobias(Vice Chair)
Meena Tobias
Meena was elected by Parents to join the Academy Scrutiny Committee on 20 November 2018. She has since been appointed Vice Chair by the ASC. She joined the ASC as she was keen to understand the statistics and measures supporting the school strategies due to her children attending the academy. She works as a Portfolio Lead for International Supplier Management, bringing to the ASC a wealth of financial and procurement knowledge, problem solving, project and stakeholder management with great negotiation skills.
Meena is a Mother of two children and is passionate in teaching them what she feels is morally and ethically right but equally in driving cultural awareness and diversity in all engagements she has. Cooking is also another of her passions and she loves south Indian cuisine. -
Hayley PhillipsStaff Governor
Hayley Phillips
Hayley has been involved in the Cedar Road family since 2006 and was appointed a Staff Governor on 8 November 2018. She previously volunteered in the classrooms and is now employed as the academy's Administrative Officer. She became a governor as she cares passionately about the academy and her role in the office gives her a well-rounded view of the academy. She works on the Single Central Record daily and is a trained Safeguarding Officer, which allows her to work effectively with the Safeguarding Link Governor. She enjoys spending time outdoors with friends and family and attending comedy and music events.
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Harriet DowlingStaff Governor
Harriet Dowling
Harriet was elected by her colleagues to join the ASC as a Staff Governor on 5 February 2019. After 3 years of teaching, and with little experience in governance, Harriet thought becoming a governor would be a great way to support the academy trust and be a part of the wider school community. She wanted to share her knowledge and experience of the day-today aspects of the academy. Harriet is currently a full-time class teacher at the academy, and has been teaching in primary schools for 6 years enabling her to have good experience in the education system. She is passionate about teaching and ensuring all children receive the best opportunities to achieve in all areas of the curriculum. As Mental Health Lead for the academy, Harriet has the responsibility of overseeing and implementing strategies to support children with their mental health and well-being. She is also now focussing on supporting the mental well-being of the staff, which is of huge importance, and will ensure the children get the best education possible and maintain quality teaching. When Harriet's not teaching, she enjoys going to the gym and spending time with her family and friends. She also has a passion for reading.
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Natasha MycawkaParent Governor
Natasha Mycawka
Natasha was elected by Parents to join the ASC on 2 February 2021. She became a Governor to be able to support her local community, be a voice of parents and families of the academy and help support the academy to continue to be a safe, fun, friendly and innovative place to learn. She works in Schools Outreach at the University of Northampton, to support aspirations and widen participation into further and higher education. Her role involves working closely across the Primary and Secondary sector, working to develop the confidence and skills of young people, and open their eyes to opportunities that may inspire them to be the best that they can be as they go through school and beyond.
She is a keen advocate for young people and helping them achieve the skills to develop critical thinking, the skills for independent learning and the confidence to speak up and have a voice. Natasha's passions and interests are being outdoors, being with others, watching live music, eating good food, being a responsible citizen and achieving a good work-life balance. -
Teresa ElkinClerk
Teresa Elkin
Teresa Elkin has been clerking academies within the Trust since 2014. As a former Chair of an Outstanding primary school and part of the governance teams at Northamptonshire County Council and the David Ross Education Trust, she decided to become an independent clerk to support governing bodies. Teresa also supports other maintained schools and academies in the county. Teresa's initial career was in advertising and marketing but a move into education, governance in particular ensured that she had a wide range of skills to bring to governing bodies. Teresa is an experienced governor and Chair, a governor trainer and mentor to individual governors and Chairs. Her passions and interests are the Theatre, literature and international travel.
Governor Assigned Responsibilities
Safeguarding - Sara Groocock-Wilson
Pupil Premium and SEND - Gwennie Lynell Lewis
Enrichment - Natasha Mycawka
Mental Health - Harriet Dowling
Core Knowledge Curriculum - Tracey Hudson
Maths - Meena Tobias
English - Nathan Thompson
Contacting a Governor
To contact a governor, please contact the Trust Governance Team by emailing governorservices@dret.co.uk
Scheme of Delegation
Information about the David Ross Education Trust’s scheme of delegation is available here.
Minutes of the Academy Scrutiny Committee
Should you wish to view a copy of the minutes of the ASC at this academy, please contact the Trust Governance Team, who will be able to provide you with an electronic or paper copy of the minutes.
Are you interested in becoming an academy governor?
We are looking for new governors to support our academies. Our governors work closely with their academies to support the Trust’s goal of broadening the horizons of young people through a world-class education, equipping our students with the skills and experiences to become their confident, academic best, no matter what.
If you have an interest in, and commitment to, improving education and would like to make a difference within your community, please register your interest in becoming a governor by completing our governor application form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governorservices@dret.co.uk
What skills, experience and commitment are required?
Governors attend six Academy Scrutiny Committee meetings a year (this may vary slightly depending on the academy) and are asked to support and enrich the academy in a range of other ways including:
- Undertaking school visits outside Academy Scrutiny Committee meetings.
- Taking on a ‘link’ governor role, liaising with academy staff and other governors on areas such as safeguarding, special educational needs and other academy priority areas.
- Sitting on panels related to the school, eg, appeals, complaints, exclusions.
- Participating in the Trust’s governor training and development programme.
We are looking for local people who would be committed to supporting the Trust’s goals. You need time, enthusiasm and a deep commitment to support these academies to be the best they can for their communities. A programme of induction, training and support is provided and expenses are covered. The Academy Scrutiny Committee role outline can be found here.
How does governance work at DRET?
At DRET, the Academy Scrutiny Committee provides support and challenge to the Principal in ensuring every child makes good or better progress and that the Academy is achieving targets and continually improving. To maximise the ability of the local governors to focus on this key area the Academy Scrutiny Committee is not required to set strategy or policy, manage financial resources, staff performance and pay, Health and Safety or many of the other areas traditionally associated with a maintained school governing body as these issues are dealt with at Trust level. This means that governors are able to concentrate on the things that really matter – pupil progress, school outcomes and aspiration.
The Academy Scrutiny Committee consists of a group of people who could be parents, community nominees, academy staff, Trust staff and Diocesan members. Each Academy Scrutiny Committee normally consists of 11-15 governors creating a balanced group of experience, skills and connections to support the academy in achieving exceptional performance.
In summary, the key responsibilities of the Academy Scrutiny Committee are:
- Understanding and promoting the Trust’s and the Academy’s vision and ethos.
- Scrutiny and challenge of achievement of targets, school improvement and pupil outcomes. Escalation of any concerns to the Trustees via the Executive.
- Supporting and facilitating parental and community engagement.
The difference between a DRET Academy Scrutiny Committees and a traditional school Governing Body
By comparison to a traditional school Governing Body:
- The Academy Scrutiny Committee’s role is not to “manage” the Academy. This is done through the Trust’s executive management structure (ie Principal, Regional Directors, Executive Management Team) and the Trust Board. Therefore, the Academy Scrutiny Committee is not required to take decisions on staff or financial matters affecting the Academy. As an Academy Scrutiny Committee Member you should have an understanding of strategic issues that impact on the Academy, and be updated on them regularly by the Principal, but you are not required to have direct responsibility for them. Instead the Academy Scrutiny Committee should be in a position to assess the impact of the Academy locally; how it is contributing to the local community, how it is relating to local families and how it understands local issues.
- As the Executive Management and Trust Board takes responsibility for setting educational standards, legal compliance and financial viability, the Academy Scrutiny Committee then has the time to scrutinise and challenge achievement of targets and school improvement, investigate the standards on the ground, to see how they are working, and explore how the Trust ethos is being understood and expressed in the way the Academy operates. As an Academy Scrutiny Committee member, your view as a parent, member of staff or as part of the community is vital in this discussion.
