It is a great privilege to serve as the chair of the local academy governing body at Noel-Baker Academy. Our local academy governing body is committed to being actively involved in the life of the academy. This is so that we can best serve our staff, pupils, parents, and the local community. We are determined that every pupil receives a high-quality education which will in turn lead to future academic success.
Our academy’s core principles of ‘lead, empower, achieve, drive’ will help our pupils develop the attributes they need for their future while emphasising the importance of being caring and compassionate towards others.
To ensure that the academy’s vision is realised and that our pupils’ best interests are factored into every decision we make, the local academy governing body supports the Trust by acting as a “critical friend,” holding the academy to account for pupil outcomes as well as the quality of educational provision provided. We will also help to define the strategic direction of the academy to ensure that resources are optimised and that all pupils are fulfilling their potential.
Noel-Baker Academy faces a wide variety of exciting challenges. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that the combined experience, skills and knowledge of our local academy governing body, leadership team and staff we will ensure that we offer the very best to all members of our academy community.
The L.E.A.D. Academy Trust and board of trustees are the proprietors of the trust and help set the overarching vision and strategy for all the L.E.A.D. Academy Trust academies.
Each academy within the trust is governed by the L.E.A.D. Academy Trust board and members.
To help discharge these duties successfully, the Trust Board has delegated some of these responsibilities for governance to executive leaders and local academy governing bodies (AGBs) (see scheme of delegation for more information).
Our governance structure ensures that there are clear lines of accountability, overview, and scrutiny at three levels for each of the academies: These are:
Trustees’ and governors’ main responsibilities are the three core governance functions of:
Noel-Baker Academy has a committed team of governors who are actively involved in academy life. They successfully represent the local community and bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise from a variety of professional backgrounds. Governors include parent and staff representatives.
AGB’s are an integral part of the trust’s governance structure. They are the eyes and ears on the ground at academy level. The AGB supports the trust board by adhering to their core governance functions and by holding the academy to account for performance and development. In addition, they support academy leaders by acting as their ‘critical friend’.
The Trust’s scheme of delegation, AGB terms of reference and articles of association can be accessed on the Trust’s Governance webpage by clicking on the link below. These key documents set out in more detail the function and role of the AGB.
Below you will find information for AGB attendance, Declaration of interest and Term of office for our Governors.
| Name | Governor Category | How Appointed | Date of Appointed | Term of Office | AGB Attendance: Academic Year 2023-2024 |
| Maria Adeseun | Community Governor | Appointed by Trust | 7/19/2022 | 4 years | 2/3 |
| Joe Glynn | Community Governor | Appointed by Trust | 10/2/2020 | Resigned 17 February 2025 | 1/3 |
| Tom Howell | Community Governor | Appointed by Trust | 3/22/2022 | 4 years | 2/3 |
| Carolyn Marriott | Community Governor | Appointed by Trust | 20/05/2024* | 4 years | 3/3 |
| Olu Oparinde | Community Governor | Appointed by Trust | 3/6/2024 | 2 years | 2/2 |
| Christine Bower | Community Governor | Appointed by Trust | 30/9/2024 | Resigned 8 June 2025 | n/a |
| Kate Richardson | Headteacher | Ex-Officio | N/A | N/A | 3/3 |
| Ben Saunders | Parent Governor | Elected by Parents | 9/20/2023 | 4 years | 1/3 |
| Karlana Diedrick | Parent Governor | Elected by Parents | 9/4/2024 | 4 years | n/a |
| Amy Ainsworth | Staff Governor | Elected by Staff | 10/4/2023 | 4 years | 3/3 |
| Debbie Broadhurst | Staff Governor | Elected by Staff | 12/15/2023 | 4 years | 2/2 |
| Nat Pitt | Community Governor | Appointed by Trust | 02/04/2025 | 4 Years | n/a |
*Chair of AGB: Carolyn Marriott
Safeguarding Link Governor: Carolyn Marriott
Email: [email protected]
The DfE encourages maintained schools and academy trust boards to collect and publish diversity data about their boards and those of any local committees. Information should be widely accessible to members of the school community but schools and trusts must make sure that individuals cannot be identified through the publication of the data, particularly when board member levels are low. We are currently using GovernorHub to collate diversity data however Governors submit their data on a voluntary basis. At this moment in time, we are unable to publish an anonymised report but will continue to review this position.
For full details about Trust governance including Financial Accounts, Members and Trustees, Articles of Association, Funding Agreement and Memorandum of Association, please visit the Trust website using the link below.
Contact our chair of the Local Academy Governing Body
The chair of the Local Academy Governing Body is Carolyn Marriott who can be contacted by emailing [email protected].
Should you wish to contact the Chair of the Local Academy Governing Body (AGB) please contact the Trust’s head of governance, Mr Simon Hudson, via email [email protected] or by post, addressing any correspondence for the attention of Mr Simon Hudson at the Ropewalk L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, 5a The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU
Please note that any complaints regarding the academy must be raised in line with our complaints policy and procedure and cannot be raised directly with the local academy governing body or Trust governance team.
Why become a governor at Noel-Baker Academy?
Make a difference in your community, develop your professional skills and support children and young people by volunteering as a governor at Noel-Baker Academy in Derby.
What do governors do?
Our governors have delegated responsibility for a range of areas outlined in the scheme of delegation. These include, the quality of education and standards, safeguarding, special educational needs and/or disabilities and vulnerable pupils.
In short, Noel-Baker Academy governors are the eyes and ears on the ground at academy level who support the Trust Board in adhering to their core governance functions:
The AGB meets formally three times a year (termly). They also meet informally each term through engagement meetings.
There are many benefits to becoming a governor:
As well as looking at our governance page, you might also be interested in exploring governance in more detail by clicking on the links below.
National governance association
If you would like to apply, please contact [email protected] who can put you in touch with our Chair of Governors, or apply via our vacancies page.
