The responsible authority of Godmanchester Community Academy is the board of trustees of The CAM Academy Trust. Responsibilities are delegated to the Local Advisory Board in line with the Trust Scheme of Delegation.
Our LAB is made up of three types of members: staff elected, parent elected and community members.
The LAB must have a good balance of experience and the skills required to monitor and support a school’s performance and to make evidence-based strategic decisions. The LAB act in the following ways:
- Together with the Headteacher, they are responsible for making sure our school provides a good quality education.
- They provide challenge and support to the Headteacher and the Leadership team, drawing on their knowledge and experience outside the school environment.
- They report on school achievements and respond to inspection recommendations.
- They ask searching questions and act as a “critical friend” to the school leadership team.
Our Local Advisory Board members are:
Tess Fielden, Headteacher
Rakhee Easley, Chair, Community member
Amelia Beech, Community member
Stephen Roberts, Community member
Ann Thomas, Community member
Beth Clarke, Parent Elected
Sara Spear, Parent Elected
Michael Gardner, Parent member
Matt Garret, Parent member
Julia Fowler, Community member
| LAB Member | Term Expires | Link Role |
|---|---|---|
| Rakhee Easley | 18/01/2026 (as chair) | Safeguarding and SEND |
| Amelia Beech | 12/02/2024 | PR and Comms |
| Stephen Roberts | 12/07/2026 | Pupil Premium |
| Ann Thomas | 12/07/2026 | Sports Premium |
| Beth Clarke | 18/01/2026 | Data and Assessment |
| Sara Spear | 18/01/2026 |
For more information about the Local Advisory Board, please consult the clerk via e-mail: [email protected]
The Local Advisory Board meets at regular points across the school year. Minutes of all meetings and committees are available in school.
If you would like to contact our Chair of Governors, Theresa Shaw, please email [email protected]
Meet our LAB
Hello! I’m Millie and I am a community governor at GCA. Being a community governor means that I’m a member of the local community but I don’t have any children at GCA at the moment. I joined the governor team in March 2020 and particularly support the school team with website compliance, as well as pupil premium and equality. I became a governor because I really care about supporting all children to reach their full potential and enjoy their time at school.
In my career, I have worked in a range of project management roles so have a good understanding of managing people, reviewing data, and delivering against objectives, all of which help in my governor role. More recently, I’ve specialised in technical project management, and enjoy putting my knowledge about Microsoft Teams and data protection requirements to good use in our virtual meetings! In my spare time, I enjoy reading, running, and spending time with friends
Hello, I am Beth. I joined as a parent governor in December 2021 and have sons who are pupils in key stages 1 and 2 at GCA. I live in Godmanchester and work locally. As an associated member of the Chartered Governance Institute I have extensive experience of working closely with boards of directors and senior management teams across different organisations. Therefore,I know how important a non-executive position is, both in supporting and challenging the leadership team. I am enjoying learning and contributing to the further development of GCA.
Hello, I am Steve. I Joined the Governing Committee in July 2022 – and support the school with a focus on Pupil Premium. I have lived in Godmanchester since 1994 and have 3 children who have been through the local education system in Huntingdonshire and now have 4 grandchildren – 3 whom are in Primary education and 1 who has just entered secondary school.
In my working life I was a Business Consultant for IBM – where my roles were predominantly managing Multi-National Business Change projects across a variety of industries. This experience has meant on any one project managing many people from multiple cultural backgrounds, in UK and overseas, solution delivery to very tight timelines and budgets and having to deal with all levels of employee within an organisation.
Work commitments meant I was away from home – mostly overseas – for significant periods of time and could not be as involved in the local community as I would have liked. The role of school governor is an opportunity to do something positive and give back into the community and an education system that my family have and are benefitting from. I believe every child should have the best education possible in an environment where they can all achieve their full potential, academically, emotionally and socially. All children- regardless of background, – should be nurtured during their school life –with special care given to disadvantaged children so no one is excluded. As a School Governor I will be able to contribute to making this happen.
Hello, I am Ann, a new community governor, with particular responsibility for sports premium and health and safety.
I am a mother of 2 sons, Gareth and Iwan, both of whom attended our school, albeit many years ago. I have 2 grandsons.
I started teaching in 1965 and continued until 4 years ago. I have worked in a variety of schools across the UK and Europe and, for the last 10 years, I was a tutor at Ernulf in St Neots.
Since retiring I have been the Mayoress and am currently an adult participant in the Godmanchester Youth Council.
It is an honour to join the Governing Board and I look forward to hopefully playing a productive role in the GCA.
Hello, I am Michael. I joined as a parent governor in January 2024. My daughter and son both attend GCA in key stage 2 and my wife is a teaching assistant at the school. I am the Global Head of Physical Security for a FTSE 100 financial services company. I produce and oversee the delivery of policies and provide advice and guidance on security matters to staff and country heads, reporting to the Senior Executives and Board.
I firmly believe that a strong grounding at primary school sets children on the right path to develop personally and academically in order to succeed in secondary education and beyond. I look forward to working with the school leadership team and fellow governors, contributing towards the continuing success of the school and most importantly the children who attend.
Hi, I’m Matt and I have been a parent governor at GCA since January 2024. I have a daughter at the school, with two sons due to join her in the next few years. I am a Chartered mechanical engineer working as a project manager for a specialist engineering firm, where I manage the delivery of high-specification projects.
My daughter loves going to school at GCA, and I am glad to have the opportunity to support the school in continuing to provide such a positive learning environment. Since joining as Governor I have been delighted to witness the enthusiasm of both the staff and the other governors towards giving the students the best possible school experience.