How Ark's governance works
Every school in the Ark network is the legal responsibility of the Ark Schools Board. This board focuses on statutory duties and delegates most day-to-day responsibilities to each school’s individual Local Governing Body (LGB).
This means that our Academy's governors are able to concentrate on the things that really matter – educational strategy, school outcomes and aspiration.
The Ark Schools Decision Making Framework outlines where responsibility and accountability sits for the key functional areas within Ark Schools between the ‘tiers’ of governance.
Our Local Governing Body
Our Local Governing Body (LGB) is made up of 6-10 members – usually people with a local connection or interest who are committed to supporting educational opportunity in the area. The board generally includes:
- Academy Principal
- Up to two Parent Governors
- One Teaching Staff Governor
- One Non-teaching Staff Governor
- One Local Authority representative
We aim to create a balanced group that will have the right skills, connections and dynamic for the LGB to work well and support the school in achieving exceptional performance. Attributes we look for include:
- Good insight into the specific challenges at the school and the general challenges of operating top-quality schools
- Excellent community links
- Specific skills as needed by/relevant to the school
- A link to the senior executive team of Ark Schools
All appointments are made by the Director of Governance for Ark Schools. The term of a governor is three years, except for the Principal, who remains a governor for the duration of his or her time in post. Governors may be reappointed for further terms.
The LGB meets four times a year.
Becoming a governor
If you have an interest 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 online Governor Application Form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governance.team@arkonline.org
A full programme of induction, training and support is provided. You can see more information, including role specifications here.
Contacting the governors
The current Clerk to Governors is Cathi Hughes (Catherine.Hughes@arkonline.org). Please contact them if you have any governance-related queries, or would like to contact one of the governors.
Our Governors
Siobhan Ali
Siobhan Ali has been a parent at Ark Brunel for 7 years and has two children who attend the school. Siobhan has worked in Education for over 16 years and held a number of positions within both primary and secondary schools. Siobhan is currently a Deputy Headteacher at a school in Brent. Siobhan holds a BA (Hons) in English, Education and Employment from the University of Surrey and a PGCE in Secondary English from King’s College London. As well as two senior leadership qualifications, National Professional Qualification for Headship and National Professional Qualification for Senior Leaders.
Stephen Hermer
Stephen has been a solicitor in private practice for many years, and is currently general counsel at a leading international law firm with a focus on the technology, media and telecoms sector. Stephen has also sat on the board of a large global listed corporation, as well as being an elected (non-executive) member of the board of two law firms. He believes passionately in the importance of education and in helping young people to achieve their full potential, and has for many years been involved in the "Lawyers in Schools" initiative, a programme run by the Citizenship Foundation that is designed to give school children the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions about their rights and responsibilities.
Guy Holloway
Guy comes from an international development background and specialises in organisational leadership, programme delivery, policy analysis and development, and strategy and has worked for intergovernmental agencies and NGOs across the globe. Guy is currently Deputy CEO of World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Formerly, he managed Ark's international Health and Child Protection Programmes globally with a main focus on supporting Ark's Zimbabwe office to spin off into an independent entity.
John Lees
John has worked in various different educational roles over the last 20 years. Having worked in teacher training for more than three years, John has trained countless people to become excellent teachers and practitioners. Prior to this, he was Key Stage Lead for KS1 in a deprived area of the north, and was also responsible for ensuring the most disadvantaged pupils were well supported via pupil premium funding and ensuring other schools were supported to develop through school-to-school support.
Victoria Waddington
Victoria has more than 15 years professional experience in private capital markets. Having initially qualified as a lawyer, Victoria subsequently moved into investor relations, working with managers across private equity, infrastructure and credit. She is currently a Senior Product Specialist at a global investment firm. Having experience of navigating the school system through the lens of special educational needs, Victoria understands some of the challenges but also the importance of having the right support in place for children.
Edward Stratton
Edward is a driven and committed individual with a background in finance, investing and real estate. He graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Modern Languages and subsequently spent time working in London and New York. He has a family of 3 kids and lives between London & Portugal. Outside of work and family he enjoys all aspects of sport.