On Thursday 13 June nearly 60 Lighthouse Schools Partnership (LSP) professionals/colleagues gathered together at the LSP Governance Conference

Hosted at Backwell School, one of the Trust’s four secondary schools, the group focused on Stakeholder Governance and featured a key note presentation from Joy Harcup regarding her research into managing and developing successful management boards.

Each school within the Lighthouse Schools Partnership (LSP) has a Local Governing Body (LGB) which provides vital roles in the functioning, direction and development of the school. Our LGBs provide strategy, accountability and assurance to ensure robust and effective oversight of the schools' operations and performance. We also have a Trust Board who operates at a strategic level and is the responsible body for the performance, achievement, and overall direction of the LSP.

As a large multi-academy trust we have 26 LGBs and this Conference was an opportunity to gather our Governance Team of Chairs, Governors, Trustees and Clerks together and allow them to share ideas between school boards and network together.

Gary Lewis, Chief Executive of the LSP explains why Joy was asked to come and speak to our Governance Team: “Joy served for 13 years as a Governor at schools in the Chew Valley area and is also a very well-known and high regarded speaker and writer on corporate governance.  She brilliantly applied the research from her recent book to our context in both the LSP and the wider educational landscape”

The LSP is blessed to have so many committed volunteers on our schools’ local governing bodies and on our Trust Board. These individuals offer challenge and support to our schools, bringing a wide range of professional knowledge and expertise as well as personal experience, to ensure that as an organisation we are serving our pupils, staff and wider communities.

Adele Hayson, Chair of Trustees, reflected on the successful event “It was wonderful to see the power of collaboration and discussion in the room, considering the group was only about one fifth of our Governance Team it highlights the number of volunteers working together for the greater good of the Trust. Thank you to all those who attended and contributed to the evening.”

The LSP is currently reviewing and refocussing LGB responsibilities to ensure that their expertise are used effectively that the voices and views of our stakeholders are heard and schools are both supported and challenged on their progress and plans to deliver the highest quality education to our pupils.

We are currently looking for Governors and Trustees to join our Trust; Click here to find out more about this rewarding role.