Local Advisory Board

Governance for Deer Park School

In September 2018, the Local Governing Board was replaced with a Local Advisory Board following a review of the Governance structure across all schools in the Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET).

Deer Park School’s local governance is overseen by the Local Advisory Board (LAB) which has a strong focus on three strategic functions:

  • Setting the vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school, within the overall vision of the Trust.
  • Holding the Headteacher and senior leadership team to account for the educational performance of the school, its pupils and the performance management of staff; and
  • Ensuring investment in educational improvement is value for money and having an impact.

These functions have been delegated to the LAB by the BPET Board, which is the maintaining authority for the school.  Visit the BPET website for information on BPET’s governance structure and how this oversees the strategic governance of Deer Park School.

Free Schools are schools funded by the government with the freedom to govern independently – but all are accountable to the Secretary of State for Education. To share resources and best practice, Deer Park benefits from the Trust – a network of schools under one legal body.

BPET responsibilities are set out in the two key following documents that are contracts between BPET and Secretary of State for Education:

  • Master Funding Agreement – a contract with BPET, as a multi academy sponsor
  • Supplementary Funding Agreement– a sub contract of the above for Deer Park School

The delegation for Deer Park School is set out in the BPET Scheme of Delegation.  To support BPET Local Advisers, all are provided with the BPET Local Advisory Board Handbook that sets out the terms of reference and structure, along with a code of conduct for BPET Local Advisers.

This means that Deer Park School’s Local Advisers are able to concentrate on the things that really matter – educational strategy, school outcomes and high educational aspirations to meet the needs of the local community.

In keeping with the BPET vision of developing autonomous schools, there is extensive local choice about the structure, size and operation of each LAB. The following decisions set the limits on this local choice:

  • The LAB must operate within the BPET structure, and must remain within the overall vision, ethos and strategic direction of the Trust
  • The Chair of each LAB is appointed by the BPET Board, serving at the pleasure of the BPET Board
  • The Chair and Headteacher together use a skills-based approach to appointing the local advisers, each to serve for a four-year term.
  • There must be a minimum of two parent advisers, but there is no maximum
  • The suggested size of an LAB is 6-10

The LAB meets four times a year.

Register of Interests

All Local Advisers are required to complete a declaration of pecuniary and personal interest every academic year.  For the current summary of declarations click here.

Local Adviser Appointment and Attendance Record

All schools are required to publish for each local adviser their appointment date, type of adviser, term of office and attendance record.  The table below shows the appointment and attendance record for Deer Park’s local advisers for 2023/24.

LAB MemberTypeDate appointed/resignedMeetings attendedOut of a total of
Triin Edovald (Chair from 1/9/23 to present)LAB Chair22/01/2021 to present22
Simrith AroraParent Member1/9/22 to present22
Nicola BeharellParent Member1/9/22 to present12
Isabel PollenParent Member1/9/22 to present22
Ann HinesCommunity Member7/5/21 to present22
David PhillipsCommunity Member1/9/22 to present22
Mark FinnemoreCommunity Member1/1/24 to present11
Victoria CowardStaff (Teacher) Member17/11/21 to present22

The clerk to the LAB is Beryl Hawkins

To contact any of our advisers please email labchair@deerparkschool.org.uk

Below is a table of the Deer Park local advisers and their attendance record for 2022/23.

LAB MemberTypeDate appointed/resignedMeetings attendedOut of a total of
James Boyle (Chair 1/9/18 to 31/8/23)Parent Member1/9/18 to 31/8/2344
Patrick AnimParent Member17/11/21 to 13/09/2314
Simrith AroraParent Member1/9/22 to present44
Nicola BeharellParent Member1/9/22 to present34
Triin EdovaldParent Member22/01/2021 to present44
Isabel PollenParent Member1/9/22 to present44
Ann HinesCommunity Member7/5/21 to present34
David PhillipsCommunity Member1/9/22 to present44
Victoria CowardStaff (Teacher) Member17/11/21 to present44

Minutes

Approved Local Advisory Board meeting minutes are available here.

For copies of Local Governing Body Meeting Minutes from 2015 – August 2018 please email the Clerk to the LAB  b.hawkins@deerparkschool.org.uk

Local Advisory Board Portal – protected area