Welcome to FHS’s Academy Committee
Academy Committee Information and Attendance
“WE STRIVE FOR OUR GOVERNORS TO BE AS UNIQUE AND DIVERSE AS OUR OWN SCHOOL COMMUNITY, FOR WHICH WE ARE VERY PROUD”
WELCOME FROM THE CHAIR OF GOVERNORS
Dear Parents and Carers,
Few parents or carers come into contact with the Academy Committee of the School so this is just a short description of what we do.
As part of the Excalibur Multi-Academy Trust most of the day to day management of finance, buildings and infrastructure is handled by a professional team based in Marlborough and in the School itself.
Governors have standard areas of responsibility which include:
- Helping to shape the culture, vision and ethos of the school
- Personal development, welfare and safeguarding of students and staff welfare
- Behaviour and attendance
- Extra-curricular provision
- Engagement and promotion of the school within the local community
We carry out these tasks by a mix of regular formal meetings held four times a year, visits where we see what is going on in the classroom, and discussions with members of the leadership team responsible for the vast range of things that schools now do inside and outside the classroom.
The Board is made up of parent, staff and community governors. The latter group is made up of people from the local area who want to support the School and what it stands for. Please keep an eye out for some upcoming vacancies on the ‘Becoming a Governor Page’.
If you want to know more please email me direct at [email protected]
Best Wishes
Jeremy
Mr Jeremy Benson, Chair of the Academy Committee, Fairfield High School, Bristol
Jeremy Benson
Community Governor
Chair of Academy Committee
Jeremy joined the Academy Committee as a community governor in 2016 as part of Fairfield’s business partnership with Burges Salmon solicitors. He has been link governor for Careers and Employability, Finance and Health and Safety and was appointed Chair in September 2022. A qualified solicitor, Jeremy currently works for DEFRA as a senior policy advisor. His children attended Fairfield between 2015 and 2024.
ANNIE WHITE
Staff (Teaching) Governor
Annie is a staff governor at Fairfield and plays an active role in the school community. Alongside her teaching responsibilities, she holds the positions of Head of House and Assistant Director of Humanities. She contributes to the governing body by sharing staff insights, supporting informed decision-making, and helping to monitor the school’s progress and direction. Annie is committed to working closely with the committee to champion and embed the school’s values. In her role as a governor, she also helps ensure accountability and effective communication between staff and leadership.
Mohamed Osman
Community Governor
CERI SHAW
Staff Governor
JEAN LEE-WRIGHT
Community Governor
Jean is a Caribbean trained Tertiary Educator with 27 years of classroom and middle management experience. A great passion for volunteering in Education, she has been serving as Governor since 2019 and is currently employed in the role of Literacy Intervention Lead at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College. As a Governor, Jean applies her Educational and Human Resource Management training to focus her attention on: Staff /Student Wellness, Processes & Systems to ensure a meaningful educational experience for all stakeholders.
AMELIA HANDOLL-CLARK
Community Governor
Amelia joined the Academy Committee as a community governor in 2019, having reconnected with the school on her return to Bristol following some years working in London. Formerly a pupil of the school’s old Montpelier site (during which she particularly enjoyed studying modern foreign languages), Amelia believes it is a credit to the school that there remains at least one teacher from her era still teaching! She has been link governor for Pupil Premium and Inclusion, Quality of Education and has recently taken up the role of link governor for Safeguarding. Amelia is a practicing solicitor, working at an international law firm. She is passionate about keeping equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) a positive focus within the industry and society, and helped develop her law firm’s DEI program. If she is not talking DEI initiatives, Amelia will happily chew your ear off about the need for greater post-partum support in Bristol and/or the state of her fantasy football team.
Sarah Bentley
Parent Governor
Communications professional working in the cultural and voluntary sector, Sarah brings experience in campaigns; engagement and management. Alongside this Sarah has experience of navigating the SEND system. Sarah also likes to play netball.
Conor McCormack
Parent Governor
Conor is a psychoanalyst with extensive experience of working in the NHS and in private practice with both adults and adolescents. He teaches in psychotherapeutic institutions across the UK and his work has been published in international clinical journals. Prior to this Conor was a documentary filmmaker.
Jessica Spedding
Parent Governor
Jessica is a parent to two pupils at Fairfield, and keen to support and provide opportunities for the highest quality education for all children, in the most enriching environment as possible.
Jessica works locally as a Paediatric Medicine Consultant and, as such, has transferable skills in terms of governance, maintenance of standards, child safeguarding processes and the holistic care of young people.
As a Governor, Jessica is dedicated to supporting the school and thereby holding it to account in its duty to provide a fantastic education to all.
