Governance & Financial Information

"The governance of the school is strong. Relationships between governors and senior leaders are highly positive and constructive, based on a mutual understanding of support and challenge. Together they uncompromisingly strive for excellence and have a strong vision for the future success of the school." Ofsted July 2019

Public Information

• Declaration of Interest: Trustees & Members
• Meeting Attendance Academic Year 2024/2025
• Meeting Attendance Academic Year 2023/2024
• Meeting Attendance Academic Year 2022/2023
• Meeting Attendance Academic Year 2021/2022
• Meeting Attendance Academic Year 2020/2021
• Meeting Attendance Academic Year 2019/2020
• Meeting Attendance Academic Year 2018/2019
• Meeting Attendance Academic Year 2017/18
• Trust Scheme of Delegation & Terms of Reference & Procedures
• WPS Financial Procedures
• Master Funding Agreement April 2025
• Funding Agreement (SAT 2016)
• Articles of Association (MAT)
• Memorandum: NFST Articles of Association Adoption
• DfE Information: Executive Pay Summary 
• Audited Accounts and Annual Report 2024
• Audited Accounts and Annual Report 2023
• Audited Accounts and Annual Report 2022
• Audited Accounts and Annual Report 2021 
• Audited Accounts and Annual Report 2020
• Audited Accounts and Annual Report 2019
• Audited Accounts and Annual report 2018
• Audited Accounts and Annual Report 2017
• DfE Governance Guidance 

Remembering David Laing CBE

David served as a Member of Northampton Free School Trust from 2018 and was hugely valued and respected by our school community. David sadly passed away in March 2024.

David's time, support and knowledge helped Wootton Park School, and the Academy Trust, go from strength to strength. David was a keen supporter of the Trust's vision for growth and was a key member of the Trust's applicant group that secured the approval to open a new secondary school in Northampton. 

David will be remembered by the school community for his significant commitment to the education and welfare of young people. 

The school's 'Standing Stones', designed by David in 2022 , continue to provide a place of reflection for the community and future generations.

Wootton Park School is a member of the  National Governance Association (NGA). The Clerk to the Governors has a  NGA Level 3 certificate in clerking in school and academy boards. 

About the Trust Board

Members

Members and the Board of Trustees exercise their responsibilities through a committee structure, which oversees all facets of the Trust simultaneously. The CEO acts on behalf of Trustees, guaranteeing effective leadership at all levels to include maintaining development plans, review, and reporting arrangements.

Each school has a PCCAB, which will function in accordance with the authority granted to it by a Scheme of Delegation in the best interest of each provision.

The Members are the individuals appointed to hold the property of the charity of the Trust. Most of the powers and responsibilities of the Members are currently delegated to the Trust Board. The members can appoint (and can remove and replace) up to 5 directors.

The Trust currently consists of:

• Five Members. The Members have been appointed with relevant skills and experience to facilitate the effective development and operation of the Trust.
• The Members meet at least twice a year, including the Annual Directors Meeting in the autumn term to approve the annual accounts. Additional meetings may be convened to appoint or reappoint directors. 

Trustees

Trustees oversee the operation of the Trust on behalf of the Members of the Trust. The Trustees will execute all of the responsibilities and powers of the Trust, and will delegate responsibilities and powers to committees which include the PCCAB of each school according to the scheme of delegation.

The Trustees are appointed to uphold the values and vision of the Trust and provide the skills and experience the Trust Board needs to fulfil its legal responsibilities. The Trust Board will be kept as lean as possible to enable effective decision-making and to effectively identify priorities for the Trust. The Trust Board will rigorously hold to account both the CEO and the PCCAB’s for the performance of each academy. The Trust Board will consist of the:

• Chair of the Trust Board (Roberta Brittle)
• The CEO– ex-officio
• The Chair of the Audit, Risk and Finance Committee (Lead Finance Trustee) - Martin Scoble (September 2024)
• The Chair of the Standards and Performance Committee-  Barbara O'Brien (September 2024)
• The Chair of the Governance and Personnel Committee - Roberta Brittle
• Community Trustee
• Community Trustee
• Community Trustee
• Community Trustee
• Community Trustee

The Chair is Roberta Brittle.

Parent Carer Community Advisory Board (PCCAB)

PCCABs are being established this academic year and will have delegated the duties of consulting with the Headteacher / Head of School and Trust Board on the effective management and performance of schools, and are constituted such that they are close to and representative of the communities those schools serve. The members of the PCCABs are referred to as PCCAB members. The Headteacher / Head of School of each school will ultimately be accountable to the Board for the management and performance of each school, but will also be supported in this duty by the PCCABs. The Headteacher/Head of School and/or the Standards and Performance Committee will consult the PCCABs on matters within their remit and will feed their opinions back to the Board, however the PCCABs will not bear final accountability for these matters.

To ensure the voices of all stakeholders in the local community are represented, each PCCAB will be constituted as follows:

• Chair of the PCCAB - Hamel Gathani
• Vice Chair of PCCAB - Stephanie Curtis
• Headteacher / Head of School – Dan Rosser (Executive Headteacher) Jane Page (Head of School Primary), Clair Edwards (Head of School Secondary)
• Up to six PCCAB members (elected by parents)
• Parent PCCAB Member & Safeguarding Link -Ivna Reic
• Parent PCCAB member & SEND Link - Mark Wilson
• Parent PCCAB Member - Jon Shippen
• One teaching staff member - Matthew May
• One non-teaching staff member (elected by non-teaching staff)
• Up to two PCCAB members appointed by the Trustees.

PCCAB members are required to meet at least termly to conduct their delegated responsibilities. They primarily work to set and refine each school’s vision as an instantiation of the Trust’s vision, review and refine school objectives and a school improvement plan (in collaboration with the Standards and Performance Committee) with clear targets and goals, review school financial stability, identify risks to school performance and report them to the Board, and to fulfil statutory obligations surrounding safeguarding, SEND, inclusion and the Prevent Duty.

The matters on which PCCABs may be consulted by the Headteacher/ Head of School and/or Standards and Performance Committee (their remit) includes:

• Applying Trust vision and ethos to individual schools
• Implementing Trust policies and procedures i.e. curriculum policy, behaviour policy, exclusions policy, etc.
• Scrutinising relevant data regarding behaviour, including suspension and exclusion decisions
• Act as a point of challenge for decisions taken by the Headteacher/Head of School
• Establishing a school risk register and conducting regular reviews
• Agree reporting and monitoring arrangements for school budgets
• Agree school budget plan to support strategic priorities
• Assist in monitoring school estates
• Plan and deliver individual school improvement interventions and strategies
• Develop stakeholder partnerships across the school and Trust levels
• Appoint safeguarding link person

Safeguarding is also a crucial function of PCCABs. Each PCCAB will review safeguarding measures at their school to ensure strict adherence to and compliance with local, Trust, and national safeguarding standards, policies and regulations, primarily through the commissioning of an annual review of school safeguarding and the appointment of a safeguarding link person for each school. This person is responsible for monitoring safeguarding areas including bullying, racist and homophobic incidents, child-on-child abuse, and mandatory training in safeguarding and the Prevent Duty.

Contact details

• Roberta Brittle, Chair of Trustees

c/o Wootton Park School

Wootton Hall Park

Northampton

NN4 0HZ

Email: clerkgb@woottonparkschool.org.uk

01604 931139

Wootton Park Academy Trust registered office:

• c/o Wootton Park School, Wootton Hall Park, Northampton, NN4 0HZ
• A Private Limited Company: 08782697

• DfE Number: 941/4020

• URN: 142869

• https://woottonparkacademytrust.org.uk/