How Ark's governance works
Every school in the Ark network is the legal responsibility of the Ark Schools Board. This board focuses on statutory duties and delegates most day-to-day responsibilities to each school’s individual Local Governing Body (LGB).
This means that our Academy's governors are able to concentrate on the things that really matter – educational strategy, school outcomes and aspiration.
The Ark Schools Decision Making Framework outlines where responsibility and accountability sits for the key functional areas within Ark Schools between the ‘tiers’ of governance.
Our Local Governing Body
Our Local Governing Body (LGB) is made up of 6-10 members – usually people with a local connection or interest who are committed to supporting educational opportunity in the area. The board generally includes:
- Academy Principal
- Up to two Parent Governors
- One Teaching Staff Governor
- One Non-teaching Staff Governor
- One Local Authority representative
We aim to create a balanced group that will have the right skills, connections and dynamic for the LGB to work well and support the school in achieving exceptional performance. Attributes we look for include:
- Good insight into the specific challenges at the school and the general challenges of operating top-quality schools
- Excellent community links
- Specific skills as needed by/relevant to the school
- A link to the senior executive team of Ark Schools
All appointments are made by the Director of Governance for Ark Schools. The term of a governor is three years, except for the Principal, who remains a governor for the duration of his or her time in post. Governors may be reappointed for further terms.
The LGB meets four times a year.
Becoming a governor
If you have an interest 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 online Governor Application Form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governance.team@arkonline.org
A full programme of induction, training and support is provided. You can see more information, including role specifications here.
Contacting the governors
The current Clerk to Governors is Fleur Sifford (fleur.sifford@arkonline.org). Please contact them if you have any governance-related queries, or would like to contact one of the governors.
Our Governors
Liz Dawson
Liz is the Director of Governance for Ark and Ark Schools and leads on governance, legal and compliance activities. She has worked in governance in education, charities and professional bodies and as well as being a company secretary has a law degree which she studied for part-time as a mature student. Liz has also trained in arbitration, as an adviser for Citizen's Advice Bureau and is a mentor with The Girls Network.
Rita Barratt
Rita has previously worked at Ark Boulton following a long career in Retail Management. With a wealth of Operational and HR experience she has already supported improvements to the buildings, systems and processes used within the academy to support efficiencies. Being part of the Ark Boulton community, Rita understands the obstacles schools face, and knowing there is still and will always be further improvements to make, She is keen to continue to support the community with guidance and support as part of the Governance team.
Usmaan Akbar Butt
Usmaan works for the UK's leading provider of support services to the legal sector where his role is to ensure his clients are getting the most out of their business operations. A passion for people and development led Usmaan to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in HR management in 2019. Becoming a governor in 2020, Usmaan hopes to work with the LGB in continuing to make Ark Boulton a success for the local community where he himself grew up and remains based.
Jamal Ismail
Jamal has a range of experience supporting young people with additional needs and is currently Special Educational Needs (SEN) Team Lead for a college in Warwickshire. Jamal currently volunteers supporting young people transitioning out of care with Volunteering Matters. He is keen to work with the LGB to continue supporting educational journeys for young people in the community that he grew up in.
Barbara Opala
Barbara is originally from Poland and came to England 13 years ago, where she has qualified as a solicitor. Barbara has previously volunteered at Coventry Citizen Advice Bureau, and currently works as a volunteer mentor with The Girls Network. She is keen to contribute to the community and brings enthusiasm and commercial skills to the governing body.
Sara Shaheen
Sara is a parent of two children. She was previously the Chair of a PTA for five years at a primary school and has raised over £10,000 for charities over the years. Sara is a qualified mentor and Life Coach and before Covid she volunteered for Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid. Sara has also helped children with reading in primary schools as volunteer. Sara believes growth and progress is key for anyone and is looking forward to the challenge of being a parent governor at Ark Boulton Academy and learning about the school.
