Governors

NUAST is supported by a Local Governing Body.

For further information please visit our Statutory Information page.

Message from Chair of Governors

Good schools have good governance. NUAST is a successful, ambitious and welcoming school and it is supported by a team of committed governors. The role of the governors is to support and challenge the school management team, with the ultimate aim of helping to ensure that every pupil is safe and achieves their maximum potential.

The school is part of the Nova Education Trust (NOVA) which is a group of schools working closely together under a single senior management team. NOVA makes an important contribution to the success of NUAST. Each school within the trust has its own team of governors known as the Local Governing Body or LGB.

The NUAST LGB is made up of people with a broad range of backgrounds – business people, a former teacher, two University Professors, a senior executive from Nottingham City Council, the Research Director for Rolls Royce, two parent governors and a teacher governor. Being a school governor is an unpaid role and governors are motivated by a desire to help young people.

NUAST governors meet every three months at the school to discuss matters such as the school’s finances, predicted and actual examination results, pupil attendance/punctuality, admissions, teacher recruitment and welfare and curriculum changes. The first item on the agenda at these meetings is always a training session on a current ‘hot topic’. Recent training topics have been; changes to the OFSTED inspection criteria, safeguarding, and academic performance data. Additionally, governors complete a wide range of online training courses aimed specifically at school governors, provided by organisations such as the National Governance Association.

Each governor has a special topic in which he/she has some experience, for example, the teaching within a department, safeguarding or the teaching of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Visits are made at least twice a year to receive an update on these activities and the governor writes a brief report documenting the visit and any suggested improvements to procedures. Governors also visit on an ad hoc basis to tour the school, usually with the Principal and observe lessons.

Governors are appointed by and are accountable to senior management at NOVA who have a responsibility to oversee NUAST’s governance standards. During an OFSTED inspection of the school several governors will be interviewed by the inspectors who will want to check that the school has satisfactory governance standards.

Governors also provide a link with the outside world. This will include local residents, other schools, parents, the local authority, local businesses and employers. From its opening in 2014, NUAST has benefitted from the close support of the University of Nottingham. Our pupils visit the university for lectures, to use libraries and resources as well as using its marvellous new sports facility. Academics and university students visit NUAST to deliver one to one and group tutorials on topics such as; university life, applying to university, completing cv’s and job applications. We also enjoy wonderful support from Nottingham Trent University in such areas.

Equally important are our links with prospective employers. NUAST specialises in the teaching of Science, Engineering and Information Technology and its founding aim is to ‘provide the scientists and engineers of the future’. To do this we maintain close links with organisations such as; Rolls Royce, Siemens, Toshiba, Experian and many others, especially local employers.

If you are interested in the work of governors at NUAST please contact the school directly.

John Saunders

NUAST Chair of Governors

March 2024

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