BWMAT Governance

Freshford Church School is a member of the Bath & Wells Diocesan Academies Trust (BWMAT). The accountable authority for the school is the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is the appropriate body for all the schools in BWMAT for the purposes of section 6 of the Education Act 2005 and, as such, is directly responsible, together with BWMAT leaders, for the quality of education and governance provided in the school.

The Board of Trustees of the Trust has identified that each school in the Trust will have a dedicated committee to oversee the governance arrangements of the school on their behalf. This committee is called the Trust Local Committee (TLC) and its members work closely with the Head Teacher and the school’s leaders to achieve the best possible outcomes for all pupils.

The role of the TLC is to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create a robust governance framework that enables oversight and assurance for the school’s safeguarding arrangements and its educational and financial performance.

The TLC meets half-termly and its work reflects the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation that identifies the responsibilities delegated to the TLC by the Board of Trustees. Members of the TLC work very hard to ensure that they know what it is like to be a learner in the school. They undertake a range of activity in relation to the core functions of governance and these activities enable them to understand the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.

Membership type Number of Members Term Election Process
Trust 2 4 years Appointed by the BWMAT
Parent 2 4 years Elected by parents/carers of children at the school
Foundation 1* 4 years Appointed by the BWMAT and approved by the Diocese Board of Education

* For the duration of their terms of office, Freshford Church School TLC retains 2 foundation members, and 1 co-opted member following restructuring of BWMAT Governance

 

 

You can contact the TLC by emailing the School Office office@freshford.bwmat.org marked CONFIDENTIAL for Chair of the TLC. You can also speak to any of us in person or if you would prefer to write, the address is: Chair of the TLC, CONFIDENTIAL, Freshford Church School, High Street, Freshford, Bath BA2 7WE

Freshford Church School TLC Members

More detailed information about our TLC Members can be found below and on the Department for Education’s Get Information About Schools (GIAS) website.

Information on the work of the Freshford TLC can be found here: Freshford TLC Information Term 3 2026.

 

Caroline Ford
Chair of local governing body

Appointed by

Foundation/Trust

Term of office

12/07/23 - 11/07/27

My interest in education began towards the end of my PhD in Molecular Biology when I had the opportunity to supervise a summer school student. After I finished my PhD I started a PGCE to train to be a teacher of Science and my passion for education has grown ever since. I have taught Science, mainly A-Level and GCSE Biology, at Hardenhuish School in Chippenham since 2009. I live in Limpley Stoke and have two children who used to attend Freshford Church School. I have really valued the opportunities my children had to go to both a fantastic preschool and school within our villages. I enjoyed supporting Freshford Preschool as a Chair of the Committee when my youngest child was there and gained a huge appreciation of the value of early years education from this role. Joining the Governing Committee for Freshford Church School was an obvious next step and I feel privileged to be able to support the school in my role as TLC Chair.
About
Chris Cykowski
Governor

Appointed by

Foundation/Trust

Term of office

07/08/23 - 06/08/27

I have lived in Freshford for 36 years. My 3 children, who are in their 30s now, all attended Freshford school and were very happy here. I worked at the school myself for many years, latterly as the SEN support teacher. My interest in specialised SEN teaching started when my son was told, age 10, that he was dyslexic, and I subsequently went on to train with Dyslexia Action and obtained a Practising Certificate from them. After I left the school I worked from home as a private tutor, teaching children mostly from within the primary age range. I currently volunteer as a coach with an Adult Literacy charity. I understand SEN provision from both a professional and parental viewpoint and I hope that I may bring something useful in this role at Freshford School.
About
Penny Murray
Governor

Appointed by

Foundation/Trust

Term of office

15/07/24 - 14/07/28

We have lived in Freshford since the mid-1970s and our children, and some of our grandchildren, attended Freshford School. My connections to the school have remained constant over a number of decades. I am a retired primary school teacher myself and have taught in a number of different schools. I applied to become a foundation governor following the reordering of St Peter’s Church. The work was lengthy and complicated, but it was also a labour of love. We wanted it to be an accessible building for all, in every sense of the word. I hope that as a Christian and in my role as a foundation governor, I will be able to help achieve this. We would love the children and their families to feel that the church building is a place of which they are a part, where they are welcome, both inside and outside school. I very much enjoy participating in collective worship in schools and hope to be able to offer staff help and support in whatever ways I am able.
About
Dudley Hinton
Governor

Appointed by

Parent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidates

Term of office

28/11/25 - 27/11/29

I live in Freshford and am lucky enough to have two children at the school, with a third who has moved on to secondary. I love our school, its values, its outstanding staff, and its vibrant, supportive community. I don't have a background in education (although through work have delivered workshops to children around the country), but I'm looking forward to contributing as a parent-elected TLC member by supporting the school to uphold its vision, while cheering it on. Professionally, I'm a creative producer in theatre and events - and work anywhere and everywhere, in the UK and beyond.
About
Sara Buchanan
Governor

Appointed by

Foundation/Trust

Term of office

13/10/25 - 12/10/29

I have been a governor since 2017 and co-chaired the committee from July 2021 to October 2025. When I moved with my family to Freshford in 2015, our two sons were warmly welcomed into Freshford’s very special school community. Coming from a much larger school in London we were immediately impressed by the dedication and creativity of Freshford’s small staff team, as well as the important contribution of the parent community in enhancing the children’s learning and enjoyment of school. I have worked for 25 years in the voluntary sector in programme delivery and funding roles for international human rights’ organisations and domestic charities, most recently for Power to Change, an independent charitable trust supporting community business. My interest in education stems from five years’ working for a learning disability charity in London and seeing the transformation in the lives of young people when supported to overcome personal challenges to gain skills, qualifications and self-belief. I am delighted to be able to work alongside such a fantastic team of governors and staff to ensure that we continue to deliver a high quality of learning and that every child in our school enjoys the unique and holistic education that Freshford offers.
About
Harriet Olsen
Governor

Appointed by

Parent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidates

Term of office

12/05/26 - 11/05/29

My background is in museums, visual arts and publishing. As well as running my own publishing company, I’m also a volunteer on the parent forum for Child Bereavement UK. I strongly believe in the importance of education and that all children should have the opportunity to learn and grow within a supportive and stimulating environment. I’m really looking forward to joining Freshford Church School as a TLC member to help continue the important work it does for our children and be a champion for its achievements beyond the school gates.
About
Jo Neenan
Governor

Appointed by

Parent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidates

Term of office

20/05/26 - 19/05/29

I have been part of the Freshford School community for the past 10 years, initially as a parent when my eldest child began in Reception. Since then, two of my children have progressed through the school and moved on to secondary education, and I currently have two children still enrolled. I strongly value the school’s ethos, particularly its innovative approach to engaging and motivating pupils through a wide range of opportunities, including Forest School (Let’s explore) and whole-school projects. I have a professional background in early years education, having trained and taught in both Australia and the UK. I currently work within the Early Years team for Bath and North East Somerset Council. I am keen to contribute as a TLC member and to support the school’s continued success.
About