Working together for North Mead

North Mead Primary Academy is part of The Mead Educational Trust (TMET).

Our Academy Council is the local tier of governance for North Mead. It brings together volunteers who provide local insight, support and constructive challenge to help the school continue to improve.

Academy councillors do not manage the school day to day. That is the responsibility of the Principal and senior leadership team.

Instead, the Academy Council provides strategic oversight and helps ensure that decisions remain focused on the needs of pupils, families and the wider North Mead community.

What does the Academy Council do?

Our Academy Council:

• champions the vision, ethos and ambitions of North Mead
• keeps pupils’ education, safety and wellbeing at the centre of its work
• supports and constructively challenges school leaders
• monitors progress against school improvement priorities
• considers the impact of actions and strategies
• provides oversight of safeguarding and pupil wellbeing
• helps strengthen links with families and the wider community
• provides local information and assurance to the TMET Trust Board

The Council acts as an important link between North Mead and the wider governance of The Mead Educational Trust.

Who is on our Academy Council?

The Academy Council can include:

• Trust-appointed councillors
  Volunteers from the community appointed through the Trust’s governance arrangements.
• Parent councillors
  Parents or carers of pupils at North Mead who bring an important family perspective to governance.
• Staff councillors
  Members of staff who contribute their experience of working within the school.

Academy councillors are volunteers and bring a range of professional experience, knowledge and perspectives to their role.

Our Academy Councillors

Academy Councillor	Relevant Responsibilities
Mrs Cathy Brown	Safeguarding
Mr Ben Burpitt	Principal
Louise Ingram	Curriculum
Mrs Karla Hussey	SEND
Mrs Keren Ellis	Staff Governor

Monitoring and school improvement

Academy councillors develop their understanding of the school through a combination of:

• Academy Council meetings
• reports from school leaders
• consideration of school performance information
• monitoring of improvement priorities
• safeguarding oversight
• discussions with leaders and staff
• visits to the school
• consideration of pupil and family experience where appropriate

Their role is not to inspect individual lessons or manage individual members of staff.

The purpose of monitoring is to help the Council understand:

• What are we trying to improve?
• How do we know actions are being implemented?
• What difference are they making for pupils?

Safeguarding

Safeguarding forms an important part of the Academy Council’s oversight responsibilities.

Councillors seek assurance that safeguarding arrangements are effective, that statutory duties are being met and that the culture of the school keeps children’s safety and wellbeing at the forefront.

North Mead currently identifies Mrs Cathy Brown as its Safeguarding Academy Councillor.

Contact the Chair of the Academy Council

The Chair of North Mead’s Academy Council is Mrs Cathy Brown

Become an Academy Councillor

Academy councillors do not need to work in education.

People from a wide range of backgrounds can make a valuable contribution through their professional skills, community knowledge, curiosity and commitment to improving outcomes for children.

New councillors receive induction, training and ongoing support through The Mead Educational Trust.

You can find out more on our Become an Academy Councillor page.

External Resource/Organisation	Link
TMET Governance	TMET Governance
Latest TMET Scheme of Delegation	TMET Scheme of Delegation

Related North Mead Pages

• Become an Academy Councillor
• The Mead Educational Trust
• Safeguarding
• Academy Performance
• Policies
• Contact Us

Who is on our Academy Council?

Our Academy Council is made up of a mix of:

• Trust-appointed (community) councillors – volunteers from the community appointed by the Trust’s Executive Team.
• Parent councillors – parents or carers of children at our school
• Staff councillors – members of our school staff

All councillors are volunteers who bring a range of skills, experiences and perspectives.

 Register of interests

In line with good governance practice, academy councillors declare any business or personal interests that could be seen to influence their role. This helps ensure transparency, openness and integrity in decision-making.

Becoming an Academy Councillor

Academy councillors come from all walks of life – you do not need a background in education. What matters most is a commitment to children and young people, curiosity and a willingness to ask questions. If you are interested in becoming an academy councillor, you can find out more about the role on the Trust website:

Become an Academy Councillor (TMET)

New councillors receive a full induction and ongoing support and training from The Mead Educational Trust.