What do our Local Governors do?
Within the wider leadership and governance of the Wessex Learning Trust Directors, whom we are accountable to, Weare and Wedmore Academy are governed by a shared local body. Our schools' governors are drawn from different parts of the community; they are parents, staff, and members of the local neighbourhood. This helps to ensure that, in compliance with the Trusts' Terms of Reference, our local governing body has sufficient diversity of views, skills and experience to meet our responsibilities. We don’t as local governors interfere in the day-to-day teaching and running of the schools, but are committed to school welfare and improvement:  predominantly in terms of pupil safety welfare and education. In consultation with the Senior Leadership Teams  and other staff, our main responsibilities are to:

• set aims and agree local policies, targets and objectives for the school
• support and challenge decisions
• help determine the ethos of the school
• support expenditure of the school budget
• assist in the recruitment of staff

How does our Local Governing Body work?
There are six main meetings a year which involve the full governing body. We hear reports from the Executive Head teacher and Senior Leadership Teams, other members of staff and from the various governing roles  about the work they have been doing. We ask questions, make decisions, comment on proposals, offer advice and act as a sounding board for ideas. Our objective is always to arrive at the best solution for the school. In addition to this we hold an annual Data Scrutiny Panel every September to reflect and set actions from the previous years academic data. Further to this we hold an annual Pay Committee meeting for teacher pay.

We monitor specific objectives listed on the Key Trust improvements and the schools Academy Improvement Plans so each Governor will be responsible for monitoring an initiative in, for example:  English, Maths, Special Educational Needs etc. This allows governors to focus on  particular areas and work more closely with the relevant staff and to then feed back to the full governing body.


How can I get more information?

The current members of our local governing body are listed below.  Please feel free to contact one of them if you would like any more information.  

• Matt O'Connor (Chair of Governors, Foundation Governor, Safeguarding Governor)
• Craig Middleton (Vice Chair of Governors Vice Safeguarding Governor)
• John O'Brien 
• Michelle Case
• Paul Hammond
• Rob Seeley 
• Denise Mawdsley (Executive Headteacher)

Note that all governors have been reappointed from 1st September 2021 in accordance with the Trust Local Governing Body agreement.(Note that all governors appointed prior to 1st September 2016 were reappointed from 1st September 2016, as Local Governing Body for Weare Academy First School, Wessex Learning Trust).

Trust Governor now holds all records of the local governing body including attendance from April 2021.

Previous Governor Committees for Weare (prior to merger)

Finance and Human Resources Committee: Jackie Wright (Chair), John O'Brien, Denise Mawdsley and Valerie Jones (Business Manager)

Standards and School Improvement Committee: John O'Brien, Michelle Case, Jenny Mason, Felicity Gibb and Denise Mawdsley

Health and Safety Committee: Denise Mawdsley (Chair), Matt O'Connor, Valerie Jones (Business Manager)  and   attendee Nick Paraskeva (Caretaker)

Ethos Committee:  Reverend Judith Jeffery (Chair), Felicity Gibb, Denise Mawdsley, Matt O'Connor