Academy Council

Thistley Hough Academy is one of a growing number of schools in the Creative Education Trust family. Creative Education Trust is a non-profit educational charity recognised by the Department for Education as one of the leading multi-academy chains.

The Trust Board

The CET Board is the overall governing body of the Trust and all its Academies. It is charged with the strategic direction of the Trust and is responsible to the Secretary of State for Education for executing its statutory duties. Its main functions are:

• setting annual performance targets
• determining all statutory and other policies
• ensuring that curriculum requirements are met
• setting the budget for the Trust and each academy
• being the employer of all staff
• being the ultimate body of appeal within the Trust
• agreeing all major building work with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)

Creative Education Trust can be contacted at: 67-68 Long Acre, London, WC2E 9JD and through telephone 020 39109200. The following link also contains further information around governance, schemes of delegation and accounts, Creative Education Trust Statutory Information. 

Academy Council

The Academy Council (AC) is a sub-committee of the Creative Education Trust Board of Directors. It is accountable to the Board of Directors and is its local presence. It may include representatives from such groups as the school community, the local community and other local organisations and businesses as appropriate.

The main functions of the AC are:

• supporting CET’s plans for the school as set out in the ADIP, SEF and annual budget
• providing understanding of the local context and the challenge that the local environment presents
• acting as a sounding board for senior leaders, especially the Principal or Head Teacher
• providing regular monitoring of health and safety matters, safeguarding provision, the welfare of looked after children, and provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
• providing hearing panels for pupil behaviour matters
• building and maintaining positive local perceptions of the school
• building and maintaining relationships with the local and regional business community
• building and maintaining relationships with community partners (e.g., health services, police, social services)
• undertaking local fundraising
• the Chair of AC assisting in the recruitment process for Head Teachers and Principals

If you have any questions about the governance of our school, please contact the Academy Council by email via the Principal at the following email address Noel.kennedy@thistleyhoughacademy.org.uk.

Any written correspondence should be addressed to The Chair – Jemma Adlington, Academy Council c/o Thistley Hough Academy, Thistley Hough, Penkhull, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 5JJ.

The table below lists the members of Thistley Hough’s Academy Council.

Member Name	Member Role	First Appointed	Term Start	Term End
Diane Fowles	AC Member	20 May 2022	20 May 2022	20 May 2026
Jemma Adlington	AC Member	01 Sept 2021	01 Sept 2021	20 Oct 2024
Kut Jodiyawalla	AC Member	01 Oct 2023	01 Oct 2023	30 Aug 2026
Maria Malaescu	Staff AC Member	04 Jun 2024	04 Jun 2024	03 Jun 2027
Nicole McCartney	Vice Chair	29 Sep 2019	23 Sep 2019	29 Sep 2025
Noel Kennedy	Principal	03 May 2022	03 May 2022	Ex-officio
Sam Whitaker	Staff AC Member	04 Jun 2024	04 Jun 2024	03 Jun 2027
Sarah Weston	Chair of the AC	04 June 2024	04 June 2024	03 June 2027
Stuart Jenkins	Parent Member	20 May 2022	20 May 2022	20 May 2026

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The Chair of the AC can be contacted in writing via the main office on enquires@thistleyhoughacademy.org.uk