Governance sits at the heart of everything Lighthouse Schools Partnership does. It is the system that keeps our schools accountable, our children safe, and our communities connected to the decisions that shape their children’s education.

At Lighthouse Schools Partnership, governance is not a bureaucratic obligation — it is a deliberate, structured and continuously improving framework designed to ensure that every one of our schools can thrive. 

NextGen Governance is an evolution of governance designed for the complexity of modern multi-academy trusts. It shifts governance beyond traditional compliance and towards a model that is agile, evidence-informed and focused on the experience and outcomes of pupils — particularly priority learners and disadvantaged children. 

LSP is now implementing its own NextGen Governance framework: a strategic refresh of how local governance operates across the trust. The framework introduces clearer role expectations, improved meeting structures, refreshed documentation, and new tools that provide real-time oversight of LGB activity and compliance across all schools. 

The NextGen framework is not a reinvention of governance at LSP. It is a commitment to doing what we already do well — with greater consistency, greater rigour, and greater ambition for what local governance can achieve for every child. 

Governance at LSP is characterised by three things: structure, in the form of a clear Scheme of Delegation, standardised frameworks and defined roles; support, through the Lead on Governance, central resources and the NextGen framework; and accountability, via the dashboard, rigorous LGB meetings and regular reporting to the Trust Board. 

Together, these create a governance culture that is both locally rooted — governors who know and care deeply about their school — and trust-connected, operating within a coherent system that protects standards and raises ambition across all our schools. 

Governance rarely makes headlines. But the people who give their time to govern LSP’s schools quietly shape the education of thousands of children. That is what makes getting it right so important — and so worth doing well. 

Each school within LSP is supported by local governance arrangements, with most having their own Local Governing Body and some operating within a federated structure. LGB members are drawn from the school’s community — parents, staff, and local volunteers — and their purpose is to provide focused, school-level scrutiny alongside genuine community connection. They are the governance closest to children. 

LGBs meet regularly throughout the year to a structured agenda covering:

• educational standards and pupil outcomes
• safeguarding
• SEND provision
• health and safety
• financial monitoring
• staff wellbeing
• the voices of pupils and parents.

A particular focus runs through all of this: how well our schools are serving priority learners, including disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs. These are the substantive conversations that hold headteachers to account and ensure strategic decisions remain grounded in the lived reality of each school’s community. 

Local governors do not run their schools. They scrutinise those who do. Their power lies not in what they decide unilaterally, but in the quality of the questions they ask — term after term, year after year. 

Staff governors occupy a distinctive place within LSP’s governance structure. Their role is to bring professional, day-to-day knowledge of school life into the strategic conversations that shape how our schools are led. 

They help the LGB understand: 

• how policies and strategies work in practice — not just how they are intended to work 
• the daily experience of pupils, including those with additional needs or facing disadvantage 
• the realities of workload, wellbeing and staff culture across the school 
• how change lands for teaching and support staff at the point of delivery 
• what is functioning well and what is creating unintended friction 

Why the Staff Governor Role Strengthens Governance 

Governing bodies make better decisions when they hear from those closest to delivery. Data tells part of the story; professional experience fills in what data cannot capture. At LSP, where governance is built on curiosity, connection and context, staff governors help ensure that strategic decisions are tested against the reality of school life before they are finalised. 

What You Gain by Becoming a Staff Governor 

The staff governor role is one of the most substantive professional development opportunities available within a school.Specifically, you will: 

• develop a deeper understanding of trust and school leadership 
• gain practical experience of strategic decision-making 
• build confidence in reading and interrogating data 
• contribute directly and visibly to school improvement 
• expand your professional network across LSP 
• be given full training and support through LSP’s NextGen Governance framework

Who Can Become a Staff Governor? 

Any member of staff — teaching or support — is eligible to stand. Staff governors are elected by colleagues, which means the role carries a genuine mandate from the people it represents. If more candidates stand than there are vacancies, a ballot is held. Elections are typically held at the start of an academic year, though vacancies can arise at any time. 

The Trust Board is the apex of LSP’s governance structure. Trustees carry the highest level of legal and fiduciary responsibility — accountable to the Department for Education and ultimately to the communities we serve.

Trustees set our vision, values and long-term strategic direction, approve budgets, oversee financial performance across all our schools, and ensure the trust meets its statutory obligations under the Academy Trust Handbook. 

Trustees bring a diverse range of professional expertise — in finance, HR, education, law, and beyond. Their perspective is cross-trust: they do not champion individual schools but act in the interest of the whole organisation, making decisions that are sometimes difficult but always focused on outcomes for all children. The Trust Board receives assurance from across the network through structured reporting, including LSP’s assurance dashboard, which provides a consolidated view of LGB activity, compliance and performance across all our schools. 

by Gary Lewis, Chief Executive

Now is an important moment to recognise the remarkable contribution of Adele Haysom (below), who steps down as our Chair of the LSP Trust after eight years in post and more than two decades of service to our schools.

Adele was awarded an MBE in 2021 for services to education and governance. She has exemplified what great governance looks like: strategic clarity, rigorous but constructive challenge, and an unwavering focus on improving opportunities for young people. She is also formidable in the chair and runs her meetings with thorough preparation and tight timing. As one of our founding trustees her leadership has helped shape both the direction and the culture of our Trust in ways that will endure. I am delighted to say that she will be staying with us on the board.

Message from Adele:

"As I hand over the role of Chair, I want to reassure you that the Board is fully and confidently supportive of Mark as the newly elected Chair.

This decision reflects a strong consensus among trustees and a shared belief in the leadership qualities and values Mark will bring to the Trust.

 I am proud of the culture of thoughtful, principled governance we have built together, and I know it will continue under his leadership. The Board is united, committed, and ready to support Mark as he guides LSP into its next phase.

Our community can be assured that the Trust remains in capable and trusted hands. "

We're very pleased to welcome our new Chair of Trustees, Mark Blackman.

You will see that we have some words from Mark below, introducing himself.  Mark has deep experience in our sector, having served as a Secondary Head, Trust CEO and LA Education Director, and has already made a great contribution in his short time on the board. The strategic impatience of our board will keep pushing us forward.

Colleagues who have worked within LSP for a few years will remember that we usually hold staff surveys annually in Term 5.

We have reflected on the best timing of this and Staff Surveys will now take place in Term 2 each academic year, giving us more time to review staff feedback and implement any required changes within the academic year.

Surveys will be sent directly to your work emails and will be gathering staff feedback on topics such values, behaviour, workload and equality for all staff. The aim is for the survey to be as accessible and succinct as possible, whilst also allowing you all to provide key feedback to leaders.

We also plan to survey our Governors as well, for the first time!

We wish to congratulate and thank the following people for the contributions they have made to our Trust:

25 years' service

Abigail Murray - Grove Juniors

Alison Clegg - St Peter's Primary

Isabelle Nicolas - Chew Valley

Tony Pinner - Backwell School

Adam Snow - Gordano School
 

25 years' service & Retired

Lorraine McKay - Churchill Academy

Rosie Nunes - Backwell School

 

20 years' service & Retiring 

Kate Woodfine - Churchill Primary

We're very pleased to welcome the following Headteachers, who will be taking on their new roles in September!

• Carl Hornsby will be joining Horfield CofE Primary School as Headteacher (Carl was previously Head at Whitchurch Primary)
• Holly Cefai will be the new Headteacher at Whitchurch Primary School
• Hannah Neilan joins us as Headteacher at Blagdon Primary School
• Abby Murray will be the new Headteacher at SMRP and has been there already on secondment from Hannah More and Grove

We'd like to say a big “Thank You” to all our Lighthouse Business Partners who have supported us this year! As always, your support is very much appreciated and we look forward to working with you next year! 

By Gary Lewis, CEO of LSP

One of the saddest experiences that I have had as a Trust Chief Executive has been to have initiated and seen through the closure of Wraxall CofE Primary School.  Wraxall’s school dates back to the very early nineteenth century when a Dames’ school was set up in the churchyard to teach children their basic alphabet and some reading. Like so many of our schools, it was born from the concern for ‘the poor of the parish’ and benefitted from the philanthropy of local landowners. The present school site was donated by the Greville Smythes of Ashton Court and the building was paid for by the Gibbs of Tyntesfield. Both families had every selfish interest in making sure that their future estate workers were literate.

The school has thrived for generations while the world changed around it.  Nailsea seemed further away in the 1800s but has since sprawled into Wraxall. Estate workers are very few now (!) so the school has most recently served families choosing it for its church ethos or small scale. It also benefitted from the shortage of school places in Portishead and Nailsea. Times have changed again and we now face a shrinkage in the school population. We have surplus places in both Portishead and Nailsea and by 2025 demand for Wraxall had all but disappeared.  Unlike many rural communities, Wraxall is not remote.

Our Operation Away Day was held on Thursday 9 July at Leigh Court.

It was a mix of presentations from external providers/contractors as well as sessions with colleagues on key updates and changes coming up over the next academic year or so.

This day would not have been able to happen without the sponsorship of the following companies, who covered the cost of the event, food and activities. Thank you so much to:

• Aspens
• Shine
• Regency Uniform
• Affinity Workforce Solutions (AWS)

Thank you to the wide range of our support staff who attended (including SBMs, OMs, HR Administrators, Cover Managers and Central Team Colleagues). It was an impactful day, and a great opportunity to see each other, in person.

Following an inspection in May 2026, Chew Valley School celebrates the recent Ofsted report.

The inspection team identified a strong caring culture where pupils are “happy and enjoy their learning. Friendships span year groups and older pupils provide advice and guidance to younger ones in the mixed-age tutor groups. Pupils feel safe”. Staff knowledge and expertise further support pupils as staff “know them (pupils) as individuals and there are warm relationships. Staff provide effective support with learning or wellbeing challenges. As a result, pupils feel cared for”.

Following publication of the report, Headteacher, Mr Gareth Beynon, said, “I am pleased that the inspection team observed our commitment to providing a safe, inclusive and enriching environment where every individual can thrive. I am incredibly proud of our staff and students, whose dedication and enthusiasm make our school such a special place.”

Following an inspection in March 2026, Churchill CofE Primary School celebrates their glowing Ofsted report.

The inspection team identified a strong inclusive culture where “pupils love coming to this welcoming and inclusive village school” and staff “know pupils’ strengths and quickly identify any barriers to learning”. The report highlights the school’s commitment to personal development of the children which means that “they are extremely well prepared for life in modern Britain.”

It was noted that the “school’s values of ‘love, respect and hope’ come through in the way pupils treat each other” and that the pupils feel safe and well cared for. They also “enjoy learning through a well-organised and ambitious curriculum that builds their knowledge and skills over time and exhibit high levels of resilience and self-control.”

Year 13 Business and Economics students from Gordano School undertook an unforgettable five-day visit to New York City in February 2026 — a trip that truly captured what it means to Dream Big, Do Your Best and Give Back at Gordano School. 

Blending academic insight with cultural exploration, the visit gave students the opportunity to experience first-hand the pace, ambition and diversity of one of the world’s most dynamic cities — all while representing Gordano with maturity and pride. 

Students began by taking in New York’s iconic skyline from the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock. A behind-the-scenes tour of Madison Square Garden offered students a fascinating look at how one of the world’s most famous arenas operates as a global entertainment brand. The group also explored Wall Street, standing in the heart of the world’s financial centre and connecting their classroom learning to the institutions and history that shape global markets. A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge rounded off the experience with spectacular views across the skyline.  

Charlotte Thomas, Assistant Head said: 

“This trip was about far more than sightseeing. It was about giving our students the confidence to step into the wider world, to see their studies come alive beyond the classroom, and to realise the scale of opportunity available to them. They conducted themselves with maturity, curiosity and kindness throughout — they were a real credit to Gordano School."

Flax Bourton Primary School’s cheerleading group, the Fireflies, celebrated a successful competition at the University of Worcester Arena during May half-term. The day saw entries from full team performances to stunt groups and solos from teams across the country. The highly dedicated team, made up of 20 year five and six children, practised every Friday after school to learn a complex routine. They did themselves proud by scoring in the 'excellent' range and performing their routine with zero point deductions!

The children represented the school so well and they truly embodied the school’s vision statement of ‘growing together towards life in all its fullness’. A year six pupil, said: 'It was so much fun to hear the crowd roaring and I felt really confident afterwards. I thought if I can do a cheerleading routine in front of all those people, then I can do anything!'.

In May, Bishop Sutton Primary School proudly celebrated Mental Health Awareness Month by embracing a wide range of fundraising activities and initiatives. Some of these included a Crazy Hair Day, an Art Auction showcasing the incredible talents of our pupils, and sponsored physical challenges, with one class completing a marathon and another taking on a half-marathon, each child contributing a section of the distance through teamwork and determination.

These events not only raised valuable funds but also encouraged conversations around wellbeing and reinforced the message that looking after our mental health is just as important as our physical health. We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm and commitment shown by our pupils, staff and families, whose support helped make the month such a success.

Well done all! 

At the end of April 2026 an article appeared on Facebook encouraging teams of workers to take part in a May Walking Challenge.  Always keen on a challenge, Julie at St Andrews popped the information onto a staff WhatsApp group to gauge any interest. Immediately 10 keen people came back and the team agreed on a daily target of 13,000.

What a month it was! The group shared daily steps, walks and photographs.  Family were encouraged to join walks, staff met for walks before school, group evening walks were arranged - including a walk in South Africa for one staff member! 

The group had lots of fun and even though it was a team effort, everyone's competitive sides definitely came out, with Gina ending the month with a 30k walk for the Mendip Challenge. 

Out of 19 team entries, St Andrew's came first for the amount of steps recorded at 4,705,792. 

The whole event saw 40 million steps counted: equal  to walking the length of Britain 23 times.