Academy Councillor Election

Dear Parent/Carer,

We currently have a vacancy for an Academy Councillor and you, as a parent of a child attending this academy, are very welcome to put your name forward should you wish to stand for election. Much like a Governing Body, the Academy Council’s role is to ensure your children learn in a safe environment and to the maximum of their ability.

What does being an Academy Councillor involve?

You don’t need to be an experienced professional to be a brilliant Academy Councillor – it’s about attitude and your personal skills as much as it is professional experience.

Our Academy Councils normally meet five to six times a year, although there may be occasions when an extraordinary meeting is convened to discuss urgent business.  Councillors are encouraged to link up with a specific part of academy life.  This might be taking a special interest in a subject area, such as English, or having a focus on a group of students, such as those with special educational needs.

It is important that Councillors attend Council meetings regularly; this is where key decisions are made and where the Council have a good opportunity to challenge the academy teams. Councillors will receive the meeting agenda and associated papers in advance of the meeting and are expected to spend some time preparing for the meeting.  Councillors are also required to complete core training on an annual basis via the online Nimble training platform.

Councillors are regularly invited into academies; these visits are valuable opportunities to learn more about the academy and provide another perspective to the information received at Council meetings.

Parent Councillors are not elected to represent parents. Rather, they are representative of the parent body; they are able to bring a parent’s perspective to discussions and decisions being made by the Academy Council.

All parents and carers are eligible to stand for election, except:

Persons subject to a bankruptcy restriction order, interim order or debt relief order.
Persons disqualified under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986; Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 2002, or an order made under the Insolvency Act 1986.
Persons that have been removed from the office of trustee for a charity by an order made by the Charity Commission or Commissioners or High Court on grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity, or under section 34 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 from being concerned in the management or control of anybody.
Persons included in the list of people considered by the Secretary of State as unsuitable to work with children or young people.
Persons barred from any regulated activity relating to children.
Persons subject to a direction of the Secretary of State under section 142 of the Education Act 2002 or section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008.
Persons disqualified from working with children or from registering for child-minding or providing day care.
Persons disqualified from being an independent school proprietor, teacher or employee by the Secretary of State.
Persons (subject to certain exceptions for overseas offences that do not correlate with a UK offence) that have:
Been sentenced to three months or more in prison (without the option of a fine) in the five years ending with the date preceding the date of appointment/election as a governor or since becoming a governor
Received a prison sentence of two and a half years or more in the 20 years ending with the date preceding the date of appointment/election as a governor
Received a prison sentence of five years or more
Persons that have been convicted and fined for causing a nuisance or disturbance on school or educational premises during the five years ending with the date immediately preceding appointment/election or since appointment or election as a governor.
Persons that refuse a request by the clerk to make an application to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a criminal records certificate.

If you would like to put your name forward, please complete the tear-off slip at the foot of this letter and return it to the Academy by Friday 4^th April 2025.

You will need to write a brief factual statement about yourself (not exceeding 100 words) and return it with this form. You might like to include a little about your background and why you want to be a Councillor. Should an election be necessary your statement and those of other candidates will be circulated so that parents can vote. Please do take a look at the Academy Council section of the website for information about our Council. If you have any questions about the role, please feel free to contact me: [email protected]

Sue Burns

Clerk to the Academy Council

Academy Councillor Election – Uphill Village Academy

I wish to serve as a Parent Councillor and confirm I am eligible to stand. I enclose a brief statement about myself for circulation to voters should a ballot be necessary.

Full name (Forename/s) __________________________ (Surname)_____________________

Email Address: __________________________________

Tel No: ______________________

Name and DOB of children: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________

Signed: ________________________________ Date: ________________________

This form should be returned to the School Office by Friday 4^th April 2025.