Governance Structure
Our school is part of the Pontefract Academies Trust.
The Trust was created under the provisions of the Academies Act 2010, as amended by the Education Act 2011. Its structure of governance is constituted under the Articles of Association. The Trust is an exempt charity by virtue of the Charities Act 2011.
The Funding Agreement between the Department for Education (DfE) and the Trust sets out the terms and conditions on which grant is made. The Trust Board is responsible for ensuring that the conditions of grant are met. As part of this process the Trust is required to have in place appropriate arrangements for sound governance, financial management, securing value for money and accounting, and for using public funds for the purposes for which they were intended by Parliament.
This Trust Board is accountable in law for all decisions about its schools. This does not mean that the Trust Board is required to make all of the decisions itself. Some decisions can be, and are delegated, including to SPRB, delegated officers, and other Trust Board established committees. The Scheme of Delegation sets out the framework which the Trust Board has approved.
All governance documentation for the Trust, including the Funding Agreement, Scheme of Delegation and Articles of Association can be found here.
Orchard Head J, I & N and Halfpenny Lane J, I & N Schools Performance Review Board (SPRB)
The Orchard Head and Halfpenny Lane Schools SPRB is a sub-committee of the Trust Board and has various responsibilities delegated to it through the Pontefract Academies Trust Governance Policy and Scheme of Delegation.
The SPRB of Orchard Head and Halfpenny Lane is currently made up of:
| Name | Role | Appointed By | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T Craven | Chair | Trust Board | 17/05/2017 | 16/05/2025 |
| R Grogan | Headteacher, Orchard Head J, I & N School | Ex-officio | 01/09/2023 | Not Applicable |
| C Moore | SPRB Member | Trust Board | 30/01/2014 | 31/08/2026 |
| I Shuttleworth | Headteacher, Halfpenny Lane J, I & N School | Ex-officio | 01/09/2022 | Not Applicable |
| A Small | Vice Chair | Trust Board Appointed Parent | 19/03/2018 | 18/03/2026 |
| C Dawson | SPRB Member | Trust Board | 20/07/2021 | 19/07/2025 |
The Chair can be contacted at the following address:
Orchard Head Junior & Infant School
Orchard Head Lane
Pontefract
WF8 2NU
or by email at tcraven@patrust.org.uk
Our SPRB
I have lived in Pontefract all my life and I am married with two adult sons. I have worked for Wakefield District Housing for over 30 years in a variety of roles – currently working with children and young people, helping them to maximise their potential. I am also a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
I was previously a Governor at a school in Airedale, however, I moved to Orchard Head and Halfpenny Lane in order to work with the community I know best.
I play football every week, enjoy running (having completed the London Marathon and the Great North Run seven times) and I am a keen supporter of Featherstone Rovers.
Having been teaching for over twelve years, five of which as a senior leader, I am delighted to have been appointed Headteacher of Orchard Head and to be part of the Pontefract Academies Trust, a Trust which has a reputation for transforming schools. I strongly believe with the support of the Trust, a strong leadership team and the dedication and commitment of our staff members, Orchard Head will become the exceptional school that the community deserves.
Values are incredibly important to me. Put simply, I want every child at the Orchard Head to flourish; to be safe, happy, to experience a wide range of learning opportunities and to leave our school engaged and confident learners. I want to be firmly rooted in our local community and to make a positive contribution to the lives of others. I want parents to send their children to the Orchard Head with full confidence that they will make excellent progress, be loved and be excited to come to school each day.
Having lived in the Pontefract area for most of my life, I have a real interest in the education and experiences available for the children in our area. I have served on the governing body since 2014 in various roles as Chairs of committees and Vice Chair.
My particular interest is Early Years as I am an Assistant Head and Early Years Leader at a school in the local area and wish to use my expertise to support my children's school as a SPRB Member. In my leisure time, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading and baking.
After 4 years as Headteacher at Larks Hill, I was delighted to be appointed as Headteacher at Halfpenny Lane, another fantastic school that is part of Pontefract Academies Trust. I thoroughly enjoyed performing the roles of Head of PE, Director of Sport and Class Teacher in my previous schools. During more recent times, I performed the roles of Deputy Headteacher and also Headteacher.
My overriding ambition is to raise standards and expectations at the school across the board, and to provide the children and their families with the highest possible standard of academic and pastoral support during their time with us. Ensuring that the children are provided with every opportunity to be the best version of themselves and are able to maximise their potential, is the number one priority of all staff who work at the school.
The power and importance of having high level communication and strong partnerships in place with parents/carers and the local community should not be underestimated and this is something that I always expect to be at the centre of our school ethos. It goes without saying, that we have such a responsibility to provide all our children with the skill sets and life skills which will enable them to be able to access success and achievement as they move through their school journey and beyond.
I have lived in Pontefract for over 10 years. I have two young children at Halfpenny Lane J, I & N School and now that my youngest is at nursery, I have more time to get involved with the schools.
I am a qualified accountant and have worked for the NHS for 17 years in various roles. I currently work at NHS Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group as Senior Finance Manager supporting their NHS contracts.
In my spare time I love spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy swimming, music and theatre.
Coming soon.
SPRB Current Register of Business Interests
| Role | Name of business or organisation/educational organisation | Nature of business or organisation | Nature of interest | Date of appointment of acquisition | Date of cessation of interest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T Craven | Chair of SPRB | None declared | ||||
| R Grogan | Headteacher, Orchard Head J, I & N School | None declared | ||||
| I Shuttleworth | Headteacher, Halfpenny Lane J, I & N School | None declared | ||||
| C Moore | SPRB Member | None declared | ||||
| C Dawson | SPRB Member | None declared | ||||
| A Small | Vice Chair | Halfpenny Lane J, I & N School | Education provider | Parent - 2 children in school years 2 and 5 | 01/09/2014 | N/A |
SPRB Membership & Attendance Summary 2022/23
| From | To | Appointed by | Meetings attended | Out of a possible | |
| T Craven (Chair) | 17/05/17 | 16/05/25 | Trust Board | 5 | 5 |
| C Dawson | 20/07/21 | 19/07/25 | Trust Board | 4 | 5 |
| J Mitchell (Ex Officio: Head of OHS) | 01/09/19 | N/A | Ex Officio | 5 | 5 |
| C Moore | 30/01/14 | 31/08/22 | Trust Board Appointed Parent | 3 | 5 |
| I Shuttleworth (Ex Officio: Head of HPL) | 01/09/22 | N/A | Ex Officio | 5 | 5 |
| A Small (Vice Chair) | 19/03/18 | 18/03/22 | Trust Board | 4 | 5 |
| C Cooper | 0 | 1 | |||
| S McNally | 0 | 2 |