Governors
The Governors of the school have responsibility for the strategic management of the school. Working very closely with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), they act to ensure that all aspects of the running of the school are done to a very high standard.
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List of Governors​
Andrew Wild - Chair
Andrew has many years' experience of leadership, teaching, advising and strategy development within education. He has successfully bid and opened new schools with his work for the Diocese of Bristol as their Senior Adviser, and previously Local Authorities where he was a Senior Adviser. Other work has also included a National Challenge adviser and a role within the DfE. His is currently an Education Consultant supporting schools.
Graham Taylor
Graham was Principal of New College Swindon for 21 years with a further 14 years experience in Further and Higher Education. He has an extensive knowledge of quality in education, curriculum, government policies and funding. He led the successful bid for the Great Western Academy.
Michelle Horrobin - Vice Chair and Safeguarding Governor
Michelle has extensive experience in leadership, product development, compliance, data protection and strategy across various sectors including further and professional education. She is head of various departments within the fleet industry and comes from a background of working with certifying professional bodies both in the UK and internationally. She is trained in areas of diversity, inclusion, discrimination and victimisation and has been a speaker for both business and education events.
Mike Smith - Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee
Mike has over 17 years' experience in the passenger transport sector and previous experience in the banking industry. He brings significant business experience to the board gained through successful large-scale bidding, business case development, stakeholder engagement and contract negotiation. Key roles Mike has performed include multi-million pound franchise bids, international transport tenders, strategy development, business performance analysis and improvement, and operations management in complex multi-site businesses with a large workforce.
Serena Hodges - Staff Governor
Serena has worked at Great Western Academy since September 2020 and is Head of the Performing Arts Faculty.
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John Kai Sang Ng
John Kai Sang Ng is a dedicated professional with a passion for education and community service. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the UK, he attended Warminster School and earned a degree in Air Transport Management, followed by a masters' in International Business from Loughborough University. Currently working at Rolls-Royce, John brings valuable insights from the aerospace industry to his role as a governor. He advocates for enhancing educational opportunities and fostering community engagement, believing in the importance of holistic development for young people. A devoted supported of Chelsea FC, John values teamwork and collaboration in achieving common goals. As a governor, he aims to ensure all students have the resources and support needed to thrive.
Natalie Jones, ACMA CGMA, MMath
A CIMA qualified management accountant and civil servant with over 20 years working across a number of sectors including Health and Defence. As an experienced civil servant she is trained across a variety of disciplines and brings a raft of knowledge and experience to the school including, finance, policy, change management and senior leadership skills. Natalies wealth of experience in commercial and HR also help aid the Pupil and Standards Committee.
Natalie chose to be a parent governor at GWA because the school is ambitious, and she believes the children should be given every opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential and she wants to help them and GWA meet those ambitious targets
James Stanford
I feel strongly that education is a team effort between families, caregivers and schools, and a Governor position is a great way of contributing to and, when appropriate, challenging and holding the school to account. Having seen the amount of commitment and dedication that goes into running a school, I see a Parent Governor position as an opportunity to both contribute to the school and pay back some of the incredible effort that goes into the rounded education our children.
I’ve spent 20+ years in the rail industry, where I currently work as a Project Manager, so bring extensive experience in leadership roles, H&S management, budgeting, commercial/contract management, reporting and communications. I’ve also been on the governing body of a local Primary School since 2020, where I have operated as H&S Link Governor and vice chair
Contact
Contact the Chair of Governors by writing to Chair of Governors, Great Western Academy, Tadpole Garden Village, Swindon, SN25 2PP or by emailing office@gwacademy.co.uk
Documents
General
Terms of Office
Attendance at Meetings
Annual Report and Financial Statement
School Benchmarking Service
Information about the financial benchmarking and insights held at gov.uk can be found here
Financial Benchmarking and Insights Summary - Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool - GOV.UK
Documents prior to 2023-24 academic year are available on request by emailing
office@gwacademy.co.uk marking your email for the attention of the Clerk to Governors