Governors & Governance

Meet Our Governors

Governance at Elmsleigh and Being Part of the Esteem Multi Academy Trust

Elmsleigh Infant and Nursery School is part of the Esteem Multi Academy Trust. Strong and effective governance was an important building block when Esteem was formed back in 2018 and continues to be an important factor of the Trust’s continued success. Having local governing boards (LGBs) in place at the schools within Esteem is a key part of the Trust’s governance structure.

Trustees and Governors

The Trust ‘Esteem’ has a Board of Directors, known as the Trust Board. The Trust Board, led by their Chair, has legal responsibilities and is the accountable decision making body of Esteem. The Trust Board is responsible for all the schools that sit within the Trust. LGBs work as part of the committee structure of the Trust Board and the Elmsleigh LGB sits as part of this local tier of governance . We are proud that Elmsleigh has had an experienced and well established local governing board in place for many years. The LGB meets regularly, and our governors are part of the fabric of our school and work together to fulfil their governance role making a positive impact on our school, our pupils and the communities we serve.

Our Governance Structure

Please click here to see more information about the structure and the register of interests for The Esteem MAT Members, Trustees, Executive Team and Accounting Officer Central Governance Documents | Esteem MAT

Please click here to access the Esteem Multi Academy Trust central governance and financial information. This includes the Esteem MAT Articles of Association, Funding Agreement, our audited accounts and Annual Report. Statutory Documents | Esteem MAT

What Do Our Governors Do?

Our governors , pictured above, are all volunteers. They come from different walks of life, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience. Our governors work collectively and meet as a board every half term.

Our governors often hold link roles which means they have strategic monitoring and reporting responsibilities that are aligned to specific areas for example safeguarding and keeping our pupils safe, SEND, wellbeing and school improvement priorities.  

Our governors work together to:

• develop a vision and strategy for the school.
• oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.
• hold the school and its leaders to account to ensure that every pupil has the best possible education.
• engage with pupils, staff, parents and the school community to understand their views.

Our Governance Key Roles

At Trust Level ;

Chair of Esteem Trust Board – Mark Emly

Vice Chair of Trust Board and Link Trustee for Elmsleigh – Dawn Butler

Safeguarding Link Trustee – Martin Finch

SEND Link Trustee – Craig Kennady

Trust Accounting Officer – Julian Scholefield (CEO)

At Local Governing Board Level;

The roles carried out by our governors include;

Overall Effectiveness – G.Bettany

Outcome for Pupils, Behaviour and Attitudes – D.Symons

Health and Safety – P.Lush

Safeguarding – K.Peace

EYFS – M.Whyatt

Quality of Education – B.Blanche

Personal Development – T.Arckless

Please see some links below that take you to more information about being a governor and a video that tells you about what the role entails. To express an interest and to get in touch please email us at enquiries@elmsleigh.derbyshire.sch.uk

Click here for a video about the role of a governor https://youtu.be/mRqJ_bFipHk

EMAT Role of Academy Governor.pdf

Resources for volunteers wishing to become a school governor;

Governors for Schools – Effective Governors, Excellent Schools

Become a school governor – Inspiring Governance