Governors

Our Governors

Malcolm Arnold Preparatory Academy is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.

Our governors are:

Jolen Grantham

DRET Appointed Governor (Chair)

Jolen Grantham

Jolen was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 21 June 2018. He is an advocate for equal opportunities through education and has worked within the system as a leader for over a decade. Through his work, he has experience in securing outstanding outcomes across primary and secondary schools, especially in areas of socio-economic disadvantage. Jolen began his governance journey in 2016, supporting a local primary school as their designated governor for effective safeguarding. He is currently the Chair in three schools - primary and secondary - and sits on the governing bodies of a further four schools in Northamptonshire. Through his work in governance, Jolen seeks to inspire the continuous drive to ensure every child receives a world-class education which begins in the classroom and is supported by a full-bodied pastoral provision where opportunities are at the heart. He is interested in reading about developments in education, the outdoors and holidaying.
Genna Whitlock

DRET Appointed Governor

Genna Whitlock
Anna Woroniecka

DRET Appointed Governor

Anna Woroniecka

Anna joined the trust in 2020. She is currently an IT & AI Innovation Lead for the Trust, and is a governor at 4 DRET schools.

She became a governor because of the potential positive impact on the learning, development and wellbeing of pupils and staff within schools. She is particularly passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as attendance and its impacts on education.

Her experience as a DRET primary senior administrator as well as a primary data analyst, allows her to bring unique perspective and understanding of the academies to the ASC.
In her free time she enjoys Dungeons and Dragons, video games, cooking and making art.
Gwennie Lewis

DRET Appointed Governor

Gwennie Lewis

Gwennie was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 3 November 2022. She has also been a governor at another local primary school within the Trust since 18 March 2021. Her aim is to help in providing the students with not only an excellent education but with a sense of self-worth and emotional well-being too. She hopes to have a positive impact on the work carried out by the academy, allowing young people to thrive and grow, both academically and personally. Gwennie is a Therapeutic Counsellor with over 10 years' experience within Safeguarding Children and Adults. As well as being the SEN and Pupil Premium lead, she brings knowledge, skills and experience in mental health, safeguarding, business development and corporate governance. She is also a foster mum, and loves to paint with acrylics and capture photos too. Â
Sarah Wise

DRET Appointed Governor

Sarah Wise

Sarah was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 4 May 2023. Her children attended and completed GCSEs at MAA and she is keen to be part of the ongoing development of both MAA and MAPS. As a former employee working as part of the DRET Music team, Sarah is familiar with DRET as an organisation and supportive of the ‘Broadening Horizons’ ambition. She trained as a primary school teacher with English as her main subject and has over 30 years’ experience working in primary schools in London, West Sussex and Northamptonshire. Over the past 10 years Sarah has built on musical skills and knowledge developed as a child and become a specialist in music education especially within the Early Years and KS1 currently working for Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust. A keen gardener and with an interest in home design and architecture, Sarah supports sustainable and responsible consumption and is often found looking for new homes for furniture and items others have thrown away.
Kim Duff

DRET Appointed Governor

Kim Duff

Kim joined DRET in 2014 as the Principal of Kings Heath Primary Academy and in 2018 became the Trust's lead for developing and implementing the Core Knowledge Curriculum (CKC) within all primary academies. In 2022 Kim became a Regional Director alongside her role as Principal of Kings Heath Primary Academy.

Kim has 22 years teaching and leadership experience within a broad range of settings including; nursery, primary, middle and secondary schools as well as higher education via the University of Northampton. Kim has also worked in America as well as visited and studied some of the very best schools, both in the UK and US. Kim's education experience is enhanced by her keen interest to develop academically, which has resulted in her securing a PGCE in Higher Education, MA in Education and NPQH of which she also facilitates. Kim has led Kings Heath Primary Academy to being ranked in the top 1% for Reading and top 2% for writing progress measures in the county of Northamptonshire in 2018 as well as being a systems leader for the implementation of the innovative schools singing programme.

Kim is dedicated to securing sustainable school improvement and able to motivate colleagues to strive for excellence through strong leadership and communication skills so every pupil has high aspirations for their future.
Natalie O'Donnell

Parent Governor

Natalie O'Donnell

Natalie joined the Joint ASC on 18 September 2018 as a Parent Governor. Â She has since been re-appointed a DRET Appointed Governor. Â She is passionate about education, particularly that of her children and the community she lives in. Â The experience for her was so positive when her children joined MAPS that she wanted to be part of helping the school thrive and also understand how big business can best support local schools and grass roots programmes. Â As a result, she has been able to provide matched funding for charitable initiatives at the school as well as establish a coding programme for the children facilitated by Barclays called 'Code Playground'. Â She is passionate about diversifying the ASC, ensuring that all minority groups have a voice in how the school is governed on a day to day basis. Â Natalie is the Head of the Portfolio Control Office in Global Fraud Technology at Barclays Bank Plc. Â She oversees all areas of Controls; Finances, Change Governance, Audits, Resourcing, Vendor Management and Executive MI Reporting. Â Natalie is a passionate advocate of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I). As a Company Director and Senior Leadership Team member on the Barclays Northampton Campus, she utilises her status to 'Lean In' and support others through Mentoring and Coaching Programmes globally. Â She also supports a number of grass roots initiatives and Young Enterprise activities across the County.
Kate Adams

Foundation Governor

Kate Adams

Kate was appointed a Foundation Governor by the Diocese on 8 October 2020. She has been a parent volunteer at MAPS since 2016 and is invested in the school community. Kate saw taking on a Governor role as a way of continuing her support for the school in the years to come. She is a Children's/Youth Pastor at a local community Church 'Central Vineyard Northampton'. Kate is also the Safeguarding Lead for the church. Her skills lie within Religious Education and Safeguarding. Kate is passionate about her faith, craft and spending quality time with friends and family.
Lauren Pheasant

Staff Governor

Lauren Pheasant

Lauren joined the Joint ASC as a Staff Governor on 18 September 2018, and has since been re-appointed for a second term. Â She is a Class Teacher at Malcolm Arnold Preparatory School. Â Her interests are Education and Horses.
Tracey Hudson

Principal

Tracey Hudson
Teresa Elkin

Clerk

Teresa Elkin

Teresa Elkin has been clerking academies within the Trust since 2014. As a former Chair of an Outstanding primary school and part of the governance teams at Northamptonshire County Council and the David Ross Education Trust, she decided to become an independent clerk to support governing bodies. Teresa also supports other maintained schools and academies in the county. Teresa's initial career was in advertising and marketing but a move into education, governance in particular ensured that she had a wide range of skills to bring to governing bodies. Teresa is an experienced governor and Chair, a governor trainer and mentor to individual governors and Chairs. Her passions and interests are the Theatre, literature and international travel.

Governor Assigned Responsibilities

RE, Chaplaincy, Religious Identity and Culture - Kate Adams

Personal Development - Anna Woroniecka

EDI - Anna Woroniecka

Educational Experiences - Anna Woroniecka

Use of Additional Funds - Genna Whitlock

Behaviour and Attitudes (MAA) - Natalie O’Donnell

Behaviour and Attitudes (MAPS) - Jolen Grantham

SEND (MAA) - Natalie O’Donnell

SEND (MAPS) - Jolen Grantham

Effective Safeguarding (MAA) - Gwennie Lewis

Effective Safeguarding (MAPS) - Kate Adams

Attendance (MAA) - Gwennie Lewis

Attendance (MAPS) - Kate Adams

Secondary Curriculum Including Literacy and Sixth Form - Kim Duff

Primary Curriculum Including Reading and Early Years - Sarah Wise

Parent Experience (MAPS) - Natalie O’Donnell

Workload and Wellbeing (MAPS) - Lauren Pheasant

Contacting a Governor

To contact a governor, please contact the Trust Governance Team by emailing governance@dret.co.uk.

If you are looking to contact a Governor to make a complaint or share a concern, please note that as per our Complaints Policy, governors do not investigate complaints at Stage 1 or Stage 2. This enables them to be impartial should a complaint be escalated to a Stage 3 governor panel. If you wish to make a complaint, please complete this form and your complaint will be investigated accordingly.

Scheme of Delegation

Information about the David Ross Education Trust’s scheme of delegation is available here.

Minutes of the Academy Scrutiny Committee

Should you wish to view a copy of the minutes of the ASC at this academy, please contact the Trust Governance Team, who will be able to provide you with an electronic or paper copy of the minutes.

Are you interested in becoming an academy governor?

We are looking for new governors to support our academies. Our governors work closely with their academies to support the Trust’s goal of broadening the horizons of young people through a world-class education, equipping our students with the skills and experiences to become their confident, academic best, no matter what.

If you have an interest in, and commitment to, improving education and would like to make a difference within your community, please register your interest in becoming a governor by completing our governor application form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governance@dret.co.uk or review our information pack below.

governor recruitment booklet summer 2023.pdf

What is it like being a governor with DRET?

To understand what it is like to be a governor with us, take a look at our testimonial booklet and videos which contain insights from serving governors.

governor testimonial booklet.pdf