Governors

Our Governors

Abbey CE Academy is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.

Our governors are:

Deborah Godfrey

Principal

Deborah Godfrey
Sol Johnson

DRET Appointed Governor (Chair)

Sol Johnson

Sol Johnson has been involved in education for around 30 years. He leads two very well-regarded village schools and is a Visiting Fellow for the NPQH programme. Prior to his career in education, Sol had a variety of jobs including H M Forces, catering and pub management. When not working Sol enjoys family time, socialising, gaming and cinema.
Angela Watts

Trust Senior Link

Angela Watts

Angela is the Headteacher at The Arbours Primary Academy, and was appointed the Trust Senior Link on the Abbey CE ASC on 27 June 2019. As a Headteacher, she is fully aware of the need to have a governing body who provide challenge and scrutiny to the Senior Leadership Team. She is pleased to be able to offer this to Abbey CE Academy as part of their ASC. As an experienced Headteacher, she brings the first-hand knowledge of school leadership and developing school improvement. All things education! She is an avid reader and enjoys Zumba. Angela also enjoys travelling abroad and spending time on holiday with her family.
Ignacio Bas Soria

DRET Appointed Governor

Ignacio Bas Soria

Ignacio was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 9 June 2022. He believes education is one of the most relevant aspects of a society and a way to solve many of the problems that affect people today. Countries need good and sound educational system to prepare next generations for the future challenges, and he would like to personally contribute to that goal. Ignacio, being born and raised in Spain, can bring his experiences of multicultural aspects to the ASC. With more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry he has a major exposure to finance and budgeting, controls, process improvement, change management and governance. Ignacio enjoys reading history books, watching documentaries, and cooking for friends and family.
Jackie Hibbert

DRET Appointed Governor

Jackie Hibbert

Jackie was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor in March 2023. Jackie was Chair of Governors at Welton CE Academy from June 2017 to June 2020. She started teaching in 1973, working initially in a deprived area of South-East London. She continued in Education until her retirement working in Nursery, Primary and Special education and was a Primary Headteacher from 1995 to 2005, when she took up a post with Leicestershire County Council as a Local Authority Inspector and Adviser. Following her retirement in 2012, Jackie worked as a free-lance Adviser and Ofsted Inspector for a few years. When she is not looking after her grandchildren, she enjoys Botanical Painting, Researching Local History, Gardening, Volunteering for the Welton Good Neighbour Scheme and continuing to learn.
Julianna Hall

Staff Governor

Julianna Hall

Julianna joined the ASC on 17 November 2021 and has been teaching at the academy since 2019. She leads on Maths and Science, and has been teaching years 4 to 6. Julianna has been a staff governor in her previous settings, and has also been a member of SLT and a Headteacher. This experience has equipped her to support the ASC. Julianna's interests include reading, visiting the theatre and cinema. Travel is another passion of hers. She enjoys spending time investigating other cultures and the history of the places she visits.
Miroslaw Malinowski

Parent Governor (Vice Chair)

Miroslaw Malinowski

Miroslaw was elected and appointed a Parent Governor on 26 October 2020, and he has since been appointed Vice Chair. Â His son has been attending the academy since September 2020. Miroslaw is a Senior Cyber Security Specialist at the University of Warwick and brings to the committee valuable skills and IT knowledge. His passions and interests include CrossFit and Football.
Jacek Karus

Parent Governor

Jacek Karus

Jacek was appointed a Parent Governor on 10 November 2021. He wanted to join the ASC to obtain an understanding of how the academy operated within the Trust and become more aware of the future strategies. Jacek is currently working in Cummins Engine Plant in Daventry as a Quality Engineer in Metrology Laboratory. His daily duties involve making important decisions based on data analysis, which is a useful skill to have on the ASC. Jacek enjoys DIY, reading books and travelling.
Emma Cadle

Staff Governor

Emma Cadle
Nicola Shaw

Foundation Governor

Nicola Shaw

Nicola joined the ASC in October 2023 as she is interested in education and is keen to promote awareness of spirituality and social and environmental responsibility in young people. Nicola has a degree in physics and across her career has spent time as a research scientist in photonics, as an A Level Maths teacher and is currently a driving instructor.

Outside of work, Nicola enjoys running, gardening and live music.
Teresa Elkin

Clerk

Teresa Elkin

Teresa Elkin has been clerking academies within the Trust since 2014. As a former Chair of an Outstanding primary school and part of the governance teams at Northamptonshire County Council and the David Ross Education Trust, she decided to become an independent clerk to support governing bodies. Teresa also supports other maintained schools and academies in the county. Teresa's initial career was in advertising and marketing but a move into education, governance in particular ensured that she had a wide range of skills to bring to governing bodies. Teresa is an experienced governor and Chair, a governor trainer and mentor to individual governors and Chairs. Her passions and interests are the Theatre, literature and international travel.

Governor Assigned Responsibilities

Safeguarding - Miroslaw Malinowski

SEND - Miroslaw Malinowski

SLT Mentor - Angela Watts

ICT - Miroslaw Malinowski

Contacting a Governor

To contact a governor, please contact the Trust Governance Team by emailing governance@dret.co.uk.

If you are looking to contact a Governor to make a complaint or share a concern, please note that as per our Complaints Policy, governors do not investigate complaints at Stage 1 or Stage 2. This enables them to be impartial should a complaint be escalated to a Stage 3 governor panel. If you wish to make a complaint, please complete this form and your complaint will be investigated accordingly.

Scheme of Delegation

Information about the David Ross Education Trust’s scheme of delegation is available here.

Minutes of the Academy Scrutiny Committee

Should you wish to view a copy of the minutes of the ASC at this academy, please contact the Trust Governance Team, who will be able to provide you with an electronic or paper copy of the minutes.

Are you interested in becoming an academy governor?

We are looking for new governors to support our academies. Our governors work closely with their academies to support the Trust’s goal of broadening the horizons of young people through a world-class education, equipping our students with the skills and experiences to become their confident, academic best, no matter what.

If you have an interest in, 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 governor application form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governance@dret.co.uk or review our information pack.

governor recruitment booklet summer 2023.pdf

What is it like being a Governor with DRET?

To understand what it is like to be a governor with us, take a look at our testimonial booklet and videos which contain insights from serving governors.

governor testimonial booklet.pdf