Smarden Primary School is an academy as part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT).
TKAT is a multi-academy trust, which was established on 1st September 2010. Its constitution is set out in the Articles of Association and this is shared with individual academies via the Scheme of Delegation. TKAT have established Local Governing Bodies for each of the Academies through the Scheme of Delegation.
Click here to view the Scheme of Delegation.
The Local Governing Body of each of the Academies is responsible for fulfilling the strategic and operational governance role in the conduct of the Academy.
Please click here to link to the Directors of the TKAT Board.
Please click here to link to Governance information relating to TKAT, including the structure of governance and relevant details about Trustees terms of office, attendance and business interests.
Please click here for key documents including the Master Funding Agreement, Articles of Association and Accounts.
Pluckley Church of England and Smarden Primary Schools Joint Local Governing Body (LGB)
Mission Statement
The aim of the Governing Body is to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for education and financial performance at both schools. The three core functions of the Governing Body are:
The ethos of both schools is captured in our motto “Enjoying, Learning, and Achieving Together” and in the REFLECT values: Respect, Enjoyment, Friendship, Leadership, Endeavour, Cooperation, and Trust.
As governors, we are committed to this ethos, and to making sure that both schools promote British values of equality, freedom, democracy, tolerance, personal responsibility, and the rule of law.
In addition, we promote and encourage the distinctively Christian character of Pluckley, as a Church of England school.
Governors are critical friends to the schools’ leadership team. By undertaking regular monitoring of all aspects of school life, we should not only discover progress and achievement, but also lack of progress and underachievement, if and where it is occurring. On this basis we can provide challenge, as well as support, to the senior leadership team, as appropriate. Monitoring visits and regular meetings of the Governing Body are reinforced by regular training and extensive support from TKAT (the academy chain to which our federated schools belong).
Governor monitoring visits are carried out in order to check what progress is being made against the School Improvement Plan throughout the academic year:
Each year the LGB produces a Governance Impact Statement, summarising their activities and achievements over the previous academic year:
Membership
There are several categories of governor. Parent governors and staff governors are elected by the parents and staff respectively to offer their particular skills and perspectives. Appointed governors are drawn from other parts of the Smarden and Pluckley communities to provide connections with the wider world and additional professional skills and experiences, while Foundation governors have particular responsibility for the Christian ethos of the school at Pluckley, and the ‘REFLECT’ values across both schools.
Former Members of the LGB
If you wish to contact the governors, please do so via the school contact details or you can email the Chair of Governors directly - Thomas Dixon, tdixon@smarden-tkat.org
Structure
There are five meetings of the full Local Governing Body each academic year. They receive reports on the performance of both schools from the Head Teacher, and consider monitoring reports produced by individual governors on all aspects of the life of both schools, including pupil progress, attainment, behaviour, and wellbeing, as well as the ethos and values of the schools. In addition to this, there is a Finance Committee and a Premises Committee who have delegated responsibility.
Finance
The Finance Committee gives advice on setting and reviewing budgets in line with the School Improvement Plan.
Premises
The Premises Committee has the responsibility to ensure that the schools’ buildings and grounds are well maintained and provide a safe and suitable environment for pupils and staff.