Academy Trust
Introduction
Isleworth & Syon School has a long and distinguished history, dating back to 1630, and over time it has been through several different designations. In 2012, the school converted to an Academy, retaining its long-established status as being independent of local authority control.
The Trustees (who are also known as Governors or Directors) of the school have legal responsibilities as set out in the Funding Agreement and in our Memorandum & Articles of Association. Members of the Board of Trustees are comprised of Foundation Trustees (nominated by The British & Foreign School Society [BFSS], Brunel University and The Senate of the University of London); elected Parent/Carer Trustees; Community Trustees; Staff Trustees and Co-Opted Trustees.
The Board of Trustees meets formally throughout the school year, and committees also meet on a termly basis. The duties are varied and include setting an annual budget, ensuring that statutory policies are in place, and providing support and challenge for the school’s Senior Leadership Team.
All trustees can be contacted via the school.
Academy Trust Information
| Academy trust name: | Isleworth & Syon School for Boys |
|---|---|
| Company information: | The Academy Trust is a Company incorporated in England and Wales, limited by guarantee with registered Company number 07962216. |
| Registered address: | Isleworth & Syon School Ridgeway Road Isleworth Middlesex TW7 5LJ |
| Chair of Academy Trust: | Mr Derek Millard-Healy |
| Telephone: | 020 8568 5791 |
| Email: | school@isleworthsyon.org |
Organisational Structure
Introduction
The Academy Trust has two layers of governance – Members and Trustees.
The Members of the trust have ultimate responsibility over the trust and act in a similar manner to shareholders in a company.
Trustees perform the same governance functions as a governing body in a maintained school and focus on the three core areas of governance, namely; ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; holding the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the students and the effective and efficient performance of the staff, and, overseeing the financial performance of the school, ensuring that money is well spent.
The Co-Headteachers and/or their delegates are responsible for all operational matters and for the ‘day to day’ running of the school, with an oversight from the Academy Trust who will act as a ‘critical friend’. Various aspects of governance may be delegated to the Co-Headteachers e.g., the oversight of teaching and learning and the formulation and monitoring of some policies, although in every situation reports will be made to the Trustees to keep them fully informed of the performance of the school and progress with developmental initiatives.
The Trustees are responsible for monitoring the performance of the Academy Trust, including their own governance functions and their own training. The Academy Trust is subject to external review through various means, including Ofsted inspections; financial audits, including from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and organisations with statutory responsibilities e.g., the HSE (Health & Safety Executive), local Fire Service etc.
The Co-Headteachers report to the Academy Trust regularly through the academic year through Full Academy Trust meetings and there are regular communications with the Chair between meetings. Currently there are five full board meetings scheduled throughout the school year. Trustees are also kept informed through the weekly publication of The Isleworthian newsletter, by access to the school website and through social media. In addition, Trustees are invited to school events, activities and training opportunities (e.g., awards evenings; school productions and staff safeguarding training).
The Chair of the Academy Trust is given powers to deal with urgent needs, if required, and will report any significant issues to the Academy Trust as appropriate.
Committees & Panels
In addition, the Academy Trust monitors performance of the school through its committee meetings and through scrutiny meetings.
The current standing committees are the Resources & Audit Committee and the Standards Committee. Both committees meet on a termly basis, or more frequently if required. The Resources & Audit Committee has responsibility for the suitability and compliance of the school’s financial systems and will also monitor the outcomes of financial audits and assess risks to the organisation. The Standard Committee covers a wide brief including educational outcomes and teaching and learning.
In addition, a Pay Committee meets annually to consider staff appraisals linked to pay progressions.
Various other committees or panels will be convened as required and will be formed from three trustees, or two trustees and a non-trustee should a third trustee be unavailable. A Chair will be appointed once the availability of Trustees has been confirmed. The other committees can include but are not limited to:
- Student Discipline
- Appeals & Complaints
- Senior Leadership Appointments
- Staff Grievance
- Staff Dismissal.
The trustees will also undertake scrutiny visits (e.g., health & safety visits; safeguarding meetings) as required and as appropriate, in order to inform their role or specialist area on board of the Academy Trust.
Committee Chairs
- Pay – Dr Emily Tomlinson
- Resources & Audit – Mr Martin Garthwaite
- Standards – Mr Chris Couch
Link Trustees
- Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance – Mr Chris Couch
- Health & Safety – Dr Derek Millard-Healy
- Special Educational Needs and Disability – Dr Derek Millard-Healy
Trustees
The Trustees of Isleworth & Syon are responsible for the overall decisions made with regards to the school.
List of trustees
| Designation | Appointed by | Name | Term of office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Trustees | British & Foreign School Society | Mr David Grindley | 6 September 2022 – 5 September 2026 |
| Mr Jonathan Haines | 25 February 2025 – 24 February 2029 | ||
| Brunel University | Dr Derek Millard-Healy | 22 June 2021 – 21 June 2025 | |
| Parent/Carer Trustees | Parent/Carer Election | Mr Chris Couch | 16 June 2022 – 15 June 2026 |
| Mr Mohammad Rahman | 3 June 2023 – 2 June 2027 | ||
| Staff Trustees | Elected by school staff | Mr James Barry | 1 September 2024 – 31 August 2028 |
| Mr Michael Mullins | 1 September 2025 – 31 August 2029 | ||
| Co-Opted Trustees | Foundation/Trust | Ms Bandna Chopra | 15 April 2024 – 14 April 2028 |
| Ms Jacque Field | 5 March 2025 – 4 March 2029 | ||
| Mr Martin Garthwaite | 10 December 2023 – 9 December 2027 | ||
| Mr Stephen Hurton | 12 December 2024 – 11 December 2028 | ||
| Co-Headteachers | Ex officio by virtue of office as Headteacher | Mr Simon Fisher | 1 September 2022 – tbc |
| Ms Jo Higginbottom | 1 September 2022 – tbc |
Interests
Register of Pecuniary Interests 2022-23
Register of Pecuniary Interests 2023-24
Register of Pecuniary Interests 2024-25
Attendance
Attendance at Meetings 2022-23
Attendance at Meetings 2023-24
Attendance at Meetings 2024-25
Members
The Members of the Academy trust are the guardians of the governance of the trust. They are essential to the integrity of an Academy trust, although it is the Trustees, not the Members, who are the organisation’s key decision makers. While Members have no day-to-day or week-to-week role, they have a key responsibility on the appointment/removal of Trustees.
List of members
| Appointed by | Name | From |
|---|---|---|
| By original (signatory) members | Mrs Vanessa Smith | 1 March 2012 |
| By members of the Academy trust | Mr Euan Ferguson | 3 March 2025 |
| By members of the Academy trust | Mr Dwight Lawrence | 16 June 2022 |
| By members of the Academy trust | Ms Emily Tomlinson | 7 April 2025 |
Statements by members
Diversity
We endeavour to ensure that our Trustees and Members represent the school community and encourage involvement from people to meet this ambition.
Currently, those serving as Trustees or Members have declared the following ethnicities:
| Ethnicity | Count |
|---|---|
| Bangladeshi | 1 |
| Black – Caribbean | 1 |
| White English | 5 |
| White – Irish | 2 |
| White – Scottish | 1 |
| White – Western European | 1 |
| Prefer not to say | 2 |
Annual Report & Accounts
Academy Trusts are independent charitable companies and are required to produce an annual report and financial statement at the end of every academic year, this being the same as our financial year. These accounts are audited by independent auditors and once approved, are submitted to the Education and Skills Finding Agency (ESFA) usually by the December following the latest academic year. They are also filed with Companies House.
Our latest accounts, along with the accounts for the previous three financial years, will always be available on the school website. This webpage will normally be updated by the January following the latest financial year.
Annual Report & Accounts 2021-22
Annual Report & Accounts 2022-23
Annual Report & Accounts 2023-24
