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Governance

The Governing Body

Ebor Gardens Primary Academy is part of the Wellspring Academy Trust and is a federated governing body with our sister school Victoria Primary Academy, within Leeds.

A single governing body is responsible for both schools with three key roles:

  • in consultation with the Trust, we decide the vision, ethos and strategic direction of our schools;
  • we hold the Principals and senior staff to account for the educational performance of the schools and their pupils;
  • we oversee the financial performance of the schools and make sure that money is well spent.

We formed a new Local Governing Body in October 2020 and have a compliment of governors who come from all walks of life within and beyond the local community in Leeds. These governors bring a wide skillset to the LGB which helps support the school from the quality of education to the business and financial aspects of school management. The details of the current members of the LGB are below.

Our Governors have a wide range of backgrounds, skills and experience which they bring to this important role, and meet at least every half term to look at all aspects of the life and work of the schools.  Many of the Governors are linked with specific aspects of the life of the schools and make regular reports to the governing body.

Meet the Team:

 Michael Sanderson – Trust Appointed Governor – Chair of Governors
Term: 26.06.23 – 26.06.27
Links: Leadership and Management
Declarations of Interest: 
Bio: Michael has served on various governing bodies in Barnsley, and helped form the Barnsley Governors Association. He was a National Leader of Governance. Having trained as a statistician, Michael worked for nearly 40 years in local government, in a wide range of roles. m.sanderson@wellspringacademies.org.uk
Natalie Wathen – Ex Officio – Principal (Ebor Gardens Primary Academy)
Term of Office: n/a
Links: n/a
Declarations of Interest: None
Bio: Natalie Wathen is the principal of Ebor Gardens Primary Academy.
 Jon Green – Ex Officio – Principal (Victoria Primary Academy)
Term of Office: n/a
Links: n/a
Declarations of Interest: None
Bio: Jon Green is the principal of Victoria Primary Academy.
Mark Wood – Ex Officio
Term of Office: n/a
Links: n/a
Declarations of Interest: None
Bio: Mark Wood is the Chief Finance Officer for Wellspring Academy Trust.
Annie Dobbie – Staff Governor
Term: 14th October 2020 – 14th October 2024
Links: Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Declarations of Interest: Teacher at Ebor Gardens Primary Academy
Bio: Annie has been a teacher at Ebor Gardens Academy for the past three years and has loved being part of the Ebor team. She decided to become a staff governor as she wanted to gain an insight into the wider running of the school and to understand how an effective governing body is structured and run. Annie would like to contribute to the decision making process to help make the children’s learning experiences the best it can be.
Isaac Opoku- Trust Appointed Governor
Term: 14th October 2020 – 14th October 2024
Links: Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Declarations of Interest: Church of Christ – Leeds Central (Member) since 2009
Bio: Isaac Kwadwo Opoku is a former teacher and hold Msc in Risk, Disaster and Environmental Management. He has been working with Northern Railway for the past ten years. Isaac is a Faith Leader and a charity trustee. As a former teacher, the best educational development of our children and the youth is his concern and priority and he is pleased to be part of Governors of Ebor Gardens and Victoria Primary and hopes to team up with the Governors along with management to aid the academies a success.
Rachel Sharples – Trust Appointed Governor
Term: 14th October 2020 – 14th October 2024
Links: Safeguarding Lead
Declarations of Interest: Vice Principal at White Rose Academies since 2021, Designated Safeguarding Lead at White Rose Academies since 2021
Bio:Rachel is a senior leader for school improvement across a multi academy trust based in Leeds. She has a proven track record in the leadership of the Quality of Education and last year saw one school become the sixth most improved nationally. In 2019 Rachel completed her NPQSL and more recently has gained accreditation from Harvard University focusing on the collaborative use of data to drive forward standards in Teaching and Learning
Bhavna Gupta – Trust Appointed Governor
Term of Office: 16/1/23 – 16/1/27
Links: TBC
Declarations of Interest: TBC
Bio: to follow
Ben Leach – Trust Appointed Governor
Term of Office: tbc
Links: TBC
Declarations of Interest: TBC
Bio: to follow
Philip Rzonca- Trust Appointed Governor
Term of Office: tbc
Links: TBC
Declarations of Interest: TBC
Bio: to follow
James Hayward – Trust Appointed Governor
Term of Office: 26/6/23 – 26/6/27
Links: TBC
Declarations of Interest: TBC
Bio: to follow

Key Information: 

Key Contacts

Wellspring Academy Trust
Digital Media Centre
County Way
Barnsley
S70 2JW

Interested in Becoming A Governor?

If you are looking for information regarding joining the Governing Body or for Local Governing Body minutes, please contact the Clerk to the Governing Body on 01226 720741 or emailing k.storr@wellspringacademiestrust.org.uk

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