Message
Please Look Around Our Amazing School – Open Day is Every Day. Phone 01672 870482 to book an appointment.

Academy Committee & Governors

Welcome to the Academy Committee for Great Bedwyn Church of England School. The Academy Committee have key responsibilities that help and support the Principal and her team and enable the Excalibur Trust Board to understand in more detail what is happening in their school.

  • We help to shape the culture, vision and ethos of the school
  • We discuss personal development, welfare and safeguarding of students and staff welfare
  • We look at the impact of behaviour and attendance in supporting good learning, wellbeing and inclusion
  • We look at extra-curricular provision and ensure it is inclusive, appropriate and of good quality
  • We provide links between the community and the school and help to find skills within our community to support school initiatives

Each Academy Committee works differently but most meet formally 4 times a year, and then spend additional time in school talking to pupils and staff. The Committee is made up of Community, Foundation (Church), Parent and Staff Governors who bring experience from different career paths. The Academy Committee sets a different scheme of work for each year based on the priorities of the school.

On our visits, Governors also look at areas of equality, inclusion and diversity within our school and we review certain policies including Behaviour, School uniform and Relationships and Sex Education during the year. Some Governors have specific areas of responsibility which ensure compliance with statutory procedures and include Safeguarding, Education, SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), and Finance & Health and Safety.

In 2022/23 the Academy Committee work gave special focus to Communication, Wellbeing of all, Christian Vision & Values and ‘The journey of the child through Great Bedwyn school’.

From September 2023 we are going to continue exploring ‘The life of the child’ but by looking more closely at Personal development, our After school Red Kite club and extra curricular activities, the wellbeing of our staff and our school’s relationship with the community in which we are located.

As Governors the wellbeing of our pupils and staff is our single and most important goal. We volunteer our time to ensure our school helps our children succeed, and have a fulfilling, happy and healthy journey through Great Bedwyn.

Many individuals have knowledge and insights that would be highly valuable to the school, and Governors find the work valuable and rewarding. The Great Bedwyn Academy Committee is made up of 8-12 Governors and usually meet on a Wednesday evening at 6pm for 2 hours between 4-6 times a year. If you would be interested in becoming a Governor or have skills that you think may support the work of the Academy Committee, please contact the Chair of Governors [email protected] or the school office.

Introduction to becoming a governor 

Great Bedwyn – Excalibur AC Governance information

Academy Committee Self-evaluation

 

The governors of Great Bedwyn CofE School are:-

Gill Mortimer – Chair, Foundation Governor

Gill worked for major high street retailers in stores and head office; she has worked as a consultant and change manager in process improvement and business restructuring. Her governance experience includes being a member of the Wiltshire Police Authority, a trustee of various local charities and has been a Foundation Governor at Great Bedwyn School since 2015, becoming Chair in 2017. Prior to an MA in Retail & Marketing Management Gill graduated in Music and continues to be an active musician; conducting the Marlborough Choral Society and accompanying choirs and soloists. 

Richard Barker – Community Governor

Raised in Liverpool after graduation Rich joined the RAF as a pilot in 1987. Based in Saudi Arabia during the spring of 1991, he flew during the first Gulf war and thereafter on operations over the former Yugoslavia. He then spent 3 years as a flying instructor before returning back to front-line flying. In 2000 he attended the Empire Test Pilots School for a year and spent the remainder of his RAF service as a test pilot. In 2005, he joined British Airways as a long-haul pilot. He is married with a daughter in secondary school and enjoys running, hiking, and community work where he supports scouting, church and school as a Community Governor.

Jeremy Baker – Community Governor

Jeremy has over 30 years experience in industrial design, manufacturing and management. 15 years based in the Middle East as GM for a Swiss owned manufacturering group. He is passionate about education and eager to support Great Bedwyn CE School and its community. Jeremy is married with two daughters in secondary education. He enjoys walking, art, design and leisure time with family and friends.

Rachael Williamson – Community Governor and Safeguarding Governor

Rachael has lived in Marlborough and the surrounding area for around 10 years she was appointed to the local governing body as a community governor in 2021. She is the link governor for finance, health & safety, risk and P.E.
Rachael works as an HR Business Partner and is passionate and excited to use her skills and experience to support the local community, school and LGB in encouraging the children to have the best start to their education and to reach their full potential.

Fran Winn – Governor

Frances was born and raised in Yorkshire, and moved to Great Bedwyn in 2012. She is the fourth generation of her family to live in the village and lives here with her husband and two young children.
Frances started her career in the advertising industry; working with everyday brands, largely in the grocery sector, developing TV and print campaigns. In 2017 Frances and her husband established a Stategic Communications Consultancy based in London. They help business (and other organisations) solve complex challenges using a combination of communication strategy, public affairs, media relations, reputation management and digital engagement.
Frances has a degree in Philosophy and History of Art from St Andrews University (and she uses her Philosophy every day of her working life!) and also has a diploma in Food and Wine from Leiths culinary school in London.

James Eadie – Governor

James currently manages infrastructure development and construction for Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, Oxfordshire. Previous to this he was in the Corps of Royal Engineers for 15 years, reaching the rank of Major. His service included deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, and overseas postings to Germany and Northern Ireland. Prior to completing an MSc in 2018, James was seconded to civil engineering company, John Holland in Australia where he built road and rail bridges. In 2019 he was overseas operations officer for the Royal Engineers and in 2021 he chaired a team of experts in Counter-Mobility for NATO. He is a chartered civil engineer, keen sailor and married with three daughters, the eldest who is in Reception year at Great Bedwyn.