The Charity has four 'Members' of the Charitable Trust. 

They have oversight of the Trust and are the subscribers to the Memorandum of Association and have powers to appoint Trustees (Directors) and receive the annual audited accounts.  Their positions are ongoing until resignation:

Mr Andrew Martyr-Icke

Mr Simon Hill

Mrs Julie Bourdon-Pierre 

Mrs Margaret Percival.

Below the 4 Members there is a Board of seven charitable Trustees, who run the Trust under company law as Directors, responsible for the financial performance and added educational value that the Multi-Academy Trust provides to its schools. The Directors oversee the company business carried out by Executive Officers and make the strategic decisions for the future direction of the Multi-Academy Trust.  We call this layer of governance the MAT Board.

The MAT Board has set up a MAT Finance and Audit Committee and various other statutory and special committees, which report back directly to the Board each half term.

Each academy within the Trust has a local School Governing Body which is responsible for overseeing the Quality of Education provided for the pupils and community, reporting back as a subcommittee of the Board of Directors.

Bengeworth Academy is led by a Headteacher and Head of School as there are two sites, and Bretforton Village School is led by a Head of School.  A Heads' Executive Committee operates collaboratively for the benefit of all the children and works closely with the Senior Leadership Team and the Directors, sharing the same vision and values.

Our Trust is committed to recognising the individual character and context of each school, aligning school efficiency and effectiveness and sharing our collective expertise to get the very best outcomes for pupils and the communities in which they live. Each school is individual, with its own identity and a history rooted within the spirit of the local community.

CHANGES TO THE MEMBERS:

The following changes to signatory Members have taken place:

• Mrs Margaret Percival was appointed as a Member by majority vote 1.5.18.
• Mrs Julie Bourdon-Pierre was appointed as a Member by majority vote 1.3.18.
• Mrs Carole Thomson - retired 1.2.18.
• Mr Robert Banks - retired 1.2.18 as LA connected.

There have been no recent changes.

There are seven Directors of the MAT Board (also known as the Trustees) who operate at a strategic level (they are the owners of the company rather like shareholders). They are responsible for quality assuring the aims, policies and outcomes of schools within the Trust, setting and implementing the school budget, and ensuring that the curriculum is taught. The MAT Board meets at least half-termly.

The Trustees are diverse and the Trust benefits from a wide range of backgrounds and strong leaders.  There are representatives from each school in the Trust.  Some have been parent governors in the past, appointed by the parents at school level.  Our Trustees have a wealth of experience and backgrounds in Finance, H&S, Premises Management, HR and Psychology, Worcester Diocese, Education Management and Higher Education, and make a good, strong team.

CHANGES TO THE DIRECTORS:

The company changed name from 1st February 2018 from Bengeworth CE Academy to Bengeworth Mutli-Academy Trust.  At that point the Board was reduced from 11 to 7 Directors.  All the Directors are founding Trustees of the Board, apart from Mr Mealings who joined in February 2018 to represent Bretforton Village School. Any changes to the Directors are approved by the four Members of the Trust.

Mrs French joins the Board as a new Director/Trustee this year from 1st May and comes with a strong legal background.

Mr Nigel Smith resigned as a Director from 22.11.2021.

There have been no other changes since Bengeworth became a MAT in 2018, giving a strong and stable Board for our Multi-Academy Trust, with a very good range of knowledge, backgrounds and a wealth of school experience.

The Directors are dedicated, supportive and forward-thinking and have worked (voluntarily) for the schools and the Trust for many years between them.

Attendance at Meetings of the Board for year 20223/24:

• Mr Andrew Martyr-Icke   6/7
• Dr L Jenkins 5/7
• Mr D Stokes 4/7
• Mr S Hill 5/7
• Mrs C Hill 7/7
• Mr A Mealings 7/7
• Mrs A French 1/2
• Also Present: Mr David Coaché 7/7.

Attendance at Meetings of the MAT Finance and Audit Committee for year 2023/24:

• Mr D Stokes 6/6
• Mrs C Hill 5/6
• Dr L Jenkins 4/6
• Also Present: Mr David Coaché 6/6.

Each school in the Trust has a Local School Governing Body. There are eleven Local School Governors at Bengeworth (who together make up the School Governing Body), and they have responsibilities delegated to them by the Academy Trust. The School Governing Body is composed of representatives from the Church, local community, school and parents. They set targets for the school and ensure the implementation of these targets. They visit the school regularly and act as a link between parents, the Church, and the school. The Governors have regular half-termly meetings and have also formed Working Groups/Committees to focus on specific areas.

The constitution of an Academy Trust is set out in its Articles of Association which are agreed with the Secretary of State.

Bengeworth Multi-Academy Trust has a local School Governing Body set up for each school in the Trust.  The Directors of the MAT Board have the final responsibility for the set up and appointment of local governors at each school but it will always include Staff, Diocese and Parent Governors.

These are the Local School Governors for Bengeworth CE Academy.

You may contact the Chair of Governors or other school governors at any time, see details below:

GOVERNOR CHANGES:

The following School Governor changes have taken place in the last year or so:

• Two new Parent Governors were appointed in January 2024, Mrs Li and Mr Poolton. 
• A new Co-opted support staff governor was also appointed at the same time, Mrs Holder.                   (A Co-opted Governor supports the School Governing Body but does not have any voting rights in decisions).
• Mr Edward Fair and Mrs Sarah Davis ended their terms of office in October 2023 and stood down as they were no longer parents of pupils at the school.
• A new Appointed Governor was approved by the MAT Board from 27th September 2023. Ms Natasha Willings is a qualified teacher with her own tutoring business in Worcester, and will be a great asset to Bengeworth.
• A new Appointed Governor was approved by the MAT Board from 1st February 2022. Mrs Christine Spriggs joined the governing body with a wealth of experience of school governance and a strong educational background.

Attendance at School Governing Body Meetings last year 2022/23:

• Mrs Hayley Potter    6/6
• Mrs Kirsty Shaw       5/6
• Mrs Alison French    6/6
• Mr Simon Hill           5/6
• Mrs Catherine Hill   6/6
• Mrs Sarah Davis   6/6
• Mr Edward Fair  5/6
• Mr Andrew Martyr-Icke   6/6
• Rev Andy Smith  0/5
• Mrs Christine Spriggs (new) 6/6

Staff also present: Mr David Coaché, Executive Head 3/6, Mrs Sian Harley-Preller 4/6 and Mrs Natalie Snowdon 5/6.

For the Bengeworth MAT Board:

The MAT Board has set up the following Committees which report directly to the 7 Directors:

• MAT Finance and Audit Committee (Chair - Mr David Stokes, Finance Director)
• MAT Strategy Working Group
• MAT Risk and Assurance Committee
• MAT Hearings Committee
• MAT Appeals Committee (staffing)
• MAT Pupil Discipline Committee (statutory)
• MAT Head's Performance Review Panel
• MAT Performance Management Committee.

For Bengeworth School Governing Body:

The local School Governors have regular half-termly Local School Governing Body meetings and have the following Working Groups/Committees which report back:

• Environment, Safeguarding, Health & Safety (Chair - Mrs Catherine Hill)
• Achievement, Behaviour, Vision and Values (Chair - Mr Simon Hill).

Bengeworth Multi-Academy Trust is a Charitable Trust and a private limited company registered at Companies House (No. 08943457) and therefore must publish audited Annual Accounts and Financial Statements every year. 

If, as a parent of a pupil attending this school, you require a paper copy of the information on this website, we shall provide this free of charge.

Annual Accounts 

Please see the links at the bottom of this page for the past three years' Annual Accounts which show that the Trust is a good ongoing concern.  The Accounts Reports give much information about the operation of the Trust and the aims and vision for the future.  There is a Trustees Report with a section on pupil outcomes and a finance section and then the auditor's report and accounts statements for the business, eg Balance Sheet, Cashflow, with notes.

Statutory Information

1.  The Trust must also publish its Memorandum of Association, Articles of Association and the Supplemental Funding Agreement with the DFE and there are links to these documents below.

2 . Pay and benefits above the notifiable limit of £100,000 (including ER pension payments and taxable benefits) for employees of Bengeworth Multi-Academy Trust in 2023/24 were:

DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS

Trustees/Directors/Members declare the following interests:

-    Mr Simon Hill works for the Diocese of Worcester and is appointed by the Diocese. The Diocese oversees our ‘Church of England' Academy and appoints one Trustee, one Director and two Foundation Governors (one of whom is the local vicar).  Mr Hill is appointed as Trustee, Director and Governor. He is a Director of YMCA Worcestershire and a Director of First Class Nursery and Little Treasures Nursery, both under YMCA ownership.  He is Chair for Young Solutions Charity.  Mr Hill's wife Mrs Claire Hill, works as a self-employed counsellor at various schools including Bengeworth.-  

-    Mr Anthony Mealings is a Director of the Trust and has previously been Chair at Bretforton Village School.

-   Mrs Alexandra French is a new Director of the Trust from 1st May 2024 and is also a Director of Havelock House Management Limited.

-    Mrs Julie Bourdon-Pierre became a Member for Bengeworth MAT from March 2018.  She is a Lead Reviewer for Challenge Partners and the School Improvement Partner for Harvington First School and was previously the Headteacher at Bengeworth until 2016.

-   Mr David Stokes is a Director of the Trust and is also Chair of the Appeals Committee at Chipping Campden School.  He is a Director of DA Owen Financial Services Ltd in Leamington Spa.

Staff declare the following Interests:

-   Mr David Coaché (Executive Head) is a Trustee of Castle Phoenix Multi-Academy Trust; a Trustee of the National Rock and Pop Festival Trust; Solihull Music Hub Advisory Board Vice Chair; Challenge Partners senior partner, West Shires Hub. 

-    Mrs Hayley Potter (Headteacher), King's Road) has a partner who is Head at Churchdown School Academy in Gloucester. Her sister-in-law, Faye Potter, is the owner of The Every Thought Group, which provides Wellbeing Consultancy and Support for the Trust.

-   Mrs Kirsty Shaw (Head of School, Burford Road) is a Trustee of the Feckenham Education Endowment Foundation.

School governors declare the following interests: 

-   Mrs Christine Spriggs is a School Appointed Governor for both our Bengeworth and Bretforton Village Schools, and joined us last year after moving to the area.  She is now the Chair of the Bengeworth School Governing body and was previously Chair of Governors at Braunston Primary School in Northants. 

-   Mr Andrew Smith is the Curate in Charge at St Peter's Church, Bengeworth and is Chair of the PCC (parochial Church Council).  He is also an ex-offico governor for St Richards CE First School.

-   Ms Natash Willings is a School Appointed Governor at Bengeworth and has her own business called Limitless Learning UK which offers tutoring for students.

-  Mrs Louise Li (school governor) has a partner who works as an IT Consultant for the DFE.

-  Mrs Katie Holder (school governor) has a partner who works for Travis Perkins.

-  Mr James Poolton (school governor) has a partner who is a Teacher for the Trust.

Other Interests:   

There are no other Interests to declare, but Trustees, Directors and Governors are asked at every meeting. The Academy Trust Handbook has strict guidelines about transactions with any related parties and the regulations are always closely followed.