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 Titilola Kehinde (titilola.kehinde@arkonline.org). Please contact her if you have any governance-related queries, or would like to contact one of the governors.
Our Governors
David Sharples
David qualified as a teacher in 2006 and taught secondary English in schools at home and overseas. He holds a Masters degree in Education from UCL and is particularly interested in ensuring that children from all backgrounds have access to a curriculum that will enable them to flourish. He now works for the Department of Education. Originally from Lancashire, David settled in Greenwich in 2014, where he is also a governor at a local primary school.
Alia Azmi
Alia is an experienced corporate lawyer, having worked at a “Magic Circle” law firm, global Big Four professional services firm and in-house at a global technology company. Alia has a long-standing interest in education and its ability to transform lives. Since its foundation, Alia has been keen to get involved with Ark Blake Academy and was pleased to present an assembly during the first year of the school on being a student at Cambridge University, with the hope of demonstrating to the children that such elite higher education institutions are for them as much as for anyone else.
Ramona Beckford
Ramona is mother to a current pupil of Ark Blake Academy who is passionate about the education of young people its impact on their lives. She believes it is important that children are equipped with the necessary tools and opportunities to meet their full potential. Ramona has been a Croydon resident for more than twenty years and works for the NHS.
Dann Cleveland
Dann has 20 years experience working as a Finance professional in the City. He currently works for the National Citizens Service whose mission is to inspire generations of citizens through shared experiences that develop character and bridge social divides. He is passionate about enrichment activities, social action and commercial ability to support young people in being work ready and world ready. He is keen to bring his experience of finance, governance, risk & commercial to support the Ark Trust and Ark Blake Academy in his role as governor.
Julie Hillier
Julie is a recently retired HR professional who has worked in Education for the past 16 years. She has also been involved in Scouting for over 20 years and is an active member of her local church, helping in a host of roles including the youth church, when needed. She feels the school’s vision and values are something she holds close to her heart, with respect, diversity, equality, inclusion and safeguarding being core aspects of school life. Julie is passionate about education and believes that in a supportive, learning environment, each child will have the opportunity to succeed and excel.
Tireni Ladega
Tireni Ladega is a Warwick Business School MBA graduate with an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Sheffield. With over nine years of experience working at companies such as Amazon, Jaguar Land Rover and Kingfisher Plc, Tireni has developed a strong background in business, project management and operations.
Born and raised in South London, Tireni enjoys playing tennis, rugby, padel and golf in his spare time. Tireni is deeply passionate about social mobility and improving educational outcomes for all students, which has driven his motivation to become a school governor and make a positive impact in education.
Ruby Nightingale
Ruby works in higher education policy at University of the Arts London. Previously, she worked at the Sutton Trust, a charity which works to improve social mobility. Ruby has also been involved in work with the Oak National Academy and the National Tutoring Programme, both developed in response to the impact of the pandemic on education. She is committed to working with her local community to ensure that young people of all backgrounds are supported and able to achieve the best outcomes possible.
Loney Robinson
Loney is a teacher of science and Head of Year 10 at Ark Blake Academy. He holds a Bachelor of Education: Science, and a M.Sc. in Occupational, Environmental, Safety and Health. Loney is particularly interested in ensuring students from all backgrounds have access to quality education that enables them to flourish. Prior to this he has worked in various school setting leading on initiatives to develop and promote excellence in raising standards of progress, conduct and achievement. Loney is keen to ensure his role as staff governor contribute positively to Ark Blake Academy’s school improvement and strategic direction.
