Academy Council

Wicklea Academy is part of the Cabot Learning Federation, a multi-academy trust that is responsible for a number of academies across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Gloucester and Somerset. Governance for a multi-academy trust operates at two levels. At trust level, there is a Board of Directors. The directors are accountable to the Department for Education and external government agencies, including the Charity Commission, for the quality of the education the trust provides and the effective use of the associated academy funding. They are required to have systems in place through which they can assure themselves of quality, financial probity, safety and good practice. The Board is provided assurance on a number of these areas through various sub-committees, as shown in the diagram below. Visit the CLF website for more information about the board.

At a local level, each academy has an Academy Council comprising of up to 9 Academy Councillors. Academy Councils are responsible for holding Principals and their leadership teams to account for the quality and effectiveness of the academic experience of the students under their care with the aim of securing effective school improvement. They do this through monitoring performance against an annual academy improvement plan, through monitoring risks and responses to risks, and by overseeing systems and processes for the safeguarding of children and the health, safety and wellbeing of academy staff.

Chair of Academy Council

, Chair of Academy Council

Academy Council Members

Stephen Pratt, Local Academy Councillor

I am a Parent Academy Councilor for Wicklea Academy, and have the designated area of Safeguarding.

I have worked in charities and support services for the last 17 years, as a support worker and manager, supporting people who experience issues with mental health, homelessness, offending and substance misuse.

I have recently joined as a Local Academy Councilor as my son is a pupil at Wicklea Academy and I wanted to support the school to be able to provide the best possible education for him and all the other pupils that attend.

In my spare time I love to spend time with family, volunteer for a men's Mental Fitness charity, and enjoy playing guitar.

Jamie Conn, Local Academy Council

Harriet Potter,

Chris Evans, Local Academy Councillor

I am a Parent Academy Councillor for Wicklea Academy.

I have worked in higher education for the last 15 years at UWE Bristol, a sponsor of the Cabot Learning Federation, specialising in data analytics.
Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to work alongside various governing boards, both internal and external to the university, and have experienced first-hand the importance of good governance to an organisation. My daughter is currently a pupil at Wicklea Academy, and I have been thoroughly impressed with the improvements made at the school in such a relatively small amount of time. With my son also soon to join the Academy next year, I thought that accepting a role as Parent Academy Councillor would be a fantastic way to try to help contribute to a pillar of the local community.

Outside of working and governing, my spare time revolves around my kids…going on mini-adventures and trying to escape to the South Devon and Pembrokeshire coastlines whenever possible.

Katherine Brockett, Elected Staff Member