Trustees and Responsibilities

Park View Academy, trading as PARK VIEW SCHOOL, is a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 7709270). Registered address: Park View School, Church Chare, DH3 3QA

The Academy is governed by the Academy Trust, which has been created from existing governors Dr William F Dennison and Mrs Meg Dodd and three Members who are independent from the Board of Trustees Mr David Standish (Interpath Advisory), Mr Andrew Flint (Former Secondary School Teacher) and Mrs Victoria Stevenson (Local solicitor specialising in family law). Members are the guardians of the Trustees of the trust and hold the trust board to account for effective governance and sit at the top of the Trustee structure.

The responsibilities of the Trust Body and the Governing Body are set out in the

Email contact with the Board of Trustees, or any individual member of the Board of Trustees, can be made via [email protected]  Alternatively, mail can be sent to the Board of Trustees, Park View School, Church Chare, Chester-le-Street, DH3 3QA, marked ‘Private and Confidential’.

For general enquiries, please contact Miss Emma Hagar, Company Secretary on [email protected]

Dr William Dennison
Re-appointed on 22/11/2020, Term of office end: 22/11/2024
Appointed by the Full Governing Body (July 2011)

Dr Bill Dennison has been Chair of Board of Trustees for over twenty years. His two daughters both attended Park View. Bill has been a National Leader of Governance and was a member of the DfE’s Bureaucracy Reference Group before it disbanded. He was Head of the Education Department at Newcastle University, specialising in the provision of education leadership for staff in schools and colleges on a national basis. In 2014, Bill was awarded MBE for services to education. 
Committee Membership : Chair of Governing Body / Academy Trust / Finance and Premises / Student Discipline / Review / Personnel / Hearings / Head’s Performance Review
Special Interest Governor : Quality of Education in Sixth Form to include Sixth Form and Academy of Sport

Mr Andrew Finley
Ex-officio Governor
Appointed on 01/09/2019
 
Andy Finley has worked at Park View since January 2002 and has a wealth of experience as a teacher, Middle and Senior Leader at the school. Andy has a BA(Hons) in Business Studies. After graduating, Andy worked in Marketing and Sales for Financial Times Management before studying his PGCE from the University of Manchester in Business and Economics. Andy started his teaching career at Baverstock School in Birmingham before moving to Park View. He has worked as a Business teacher, Assistant Learning Co-ordinator, Subject Leader of ICT and Faculty Leader for Vocational. Senior Management responsibilities have included Teaching and Learning, Head of Sixth Form, Safeguarding and Head of Upper School. Outside of school, Andy is happily married to Dawn and is a proud dad to Molly and Maddie. In his spare time, Andy likes to play football, swim and has a keen interest in technology.

Mrs Meg Dodd – Community Trustee
Re-appointed on: 22/03/2022, Term of office end: 22/03/2026
Appointed by the Full Governing Body(July 2011)

I have 30 years project management experience gained in the commercial, financial and NHS sectors. I have been a school governor since 2010.
Committee Membership : Responsible Officer / Academy Trust / Finance and Premises / Personnel / Appeals
Special Interest Governor : Personal Development

Mr Michael Goulding – Community Trustee
Appointed on 13/02/2023, Term of office end: 13/02/2027
Appointed by Members

I have lived in Chester-le-Street all my life, and attended Park View in the 1960s, when it was Ch-le-St Grammar School. My mother and my 3 brothers also attended the school, and so have my wife and all four of my children. I therefore have a strong bond with the school and an awareness of its heritage and traditions, as well as a vested interest in the quality of its current educational provision. I understand the importance of Park View to the town and its community, and feel privileged to help in any way I can towards securing the best possible future. I am now retired, after spending 40 years working for The Open University – a fantastic organisation, which has inspired and enabled over a million people to literally change their lives through education. My role was primarily in IT and included the training of academic staff in the use of communication technologies. My personal interests are in sport, music, and travel. I’ve recently been learning Italian to try to keep up with my bi-lingual grandkids.

Having lived and worked in Chester-le-Street all my life, I am very proud that our town has provided the backdrop to my whole life. The positive educational experiences I was exposed to as a child, while a pupil of Red Rose Primary School, convinced me that I wanted to be a primary school teacher.

Mr Kevin Reynolds – Community Trustee
Appointed on 17/05/2022, Term of Office until: 17/05/2026
Appointed by Members of the Trust Board

Kevin has held leadership and management positions in industry and education for 35 years. He has been a senior leader in 4 schools and academies and has a track record for improvement taking one from requires improvement (RI) to outstanding, another from RI to good and a third out of serious weaknesses. He has developed and led leadership courses throughout the North East and has spoken at many local and national conferences on transformational leadership and how to create, build and establish a new school. His particular interests are effective school leadership and curriculum design. He is a passionate believer that every young person regardless of background or ability deserves the best educational experience to increase their life chances. He has served as a Trust Member for another MAT in the region since 2017. Last year (2021) he retired from his position of Executive Principal at a local multi-academy trust.

Special Interest Governor : Quality of Education (PP Trustee)

Councillor Craig Martin – Community Trustee
Appointed on 26 November 2020 , Term of Office until: 26 November 2024
Appointed by Members of the Trust Board

I’m the County Councillor for North Lodge in Chester-le-Street and a former student of Park View, I’m serving as a Trustee to ensure our young people get the best possible opportunities going forward in life while encouraging a strong partnership between the school and the community it sits in. I studied Physics at the University of York going on to train as a Physics teacher at Durham University. After 5 years of teaching, I retrained in finance. I’m now working for a further education college, running their payroll, alongside my political work. I also volunteer as a Scout leader in Chester-le-Street.

Committee Membership: Finance & Premises / Audit & Risk
Special Interest Governor : Quality of Education

Mr Ken Reed – Parent Trustee
Appointed on 01/02/2021, Term of Office until: 01/02/2025
Appointed by Parental Election 

I am very delighted to be a Trustee at Park View school. I am a retired police officer having lived and worked in the Durham area for many years. For my last 10 years of police service I was attached to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the Home Office as a lead inspector. I have in-depth experience in corporate governance, strategic management, and in the delivery of performance outcomes, all of which is relevant and transferable to the education sector.
I am currently chair of Trustees at Woodlea Primary School which has had strong links with Park View for many years. I am also a Trustee at Eden Learning Trust, a multi academy trust incorporating 5 schools in County Durham.
As the parent of a child at Park View, I am passionate about helping to improve education and always seek to contribute positively to support the headteacher and his leadership team to achieve the best possible outcomes for our children.
I have a Masters Degree in Business Administration and have a keen interest in cricket and technology.

Committee Membership: Finance and Premises / Audit & Risk
Special Interest Governor : Behaviour, Safety and Attitudes

Mr Mark Henry – Community Trustee

Appointed on 01/03/2023, Term of Office until: 01/03/2027

Appointed by Members of the Trust Board

I am privileged to be invited to be a Trustee at Park View School. I have lived in Chester-le-Street for 15 years now, after moving here to raise my young family. My wife (a former pupil) and I always hoped our children would attend ParkView and we are proud that we now have two sons that do, and they are extremely happy here.

I am currently employed as an Engineering Contracts Manager and have worked in the Construction Industry for over 30 years. The majority of my contracts have been within the education and health care sectors, managing the installation of mechanical services within schools, universities, student accommodation and hospitals etc. As a trustee I am looking forward to working with the other trustees, Head Teacher and staff and hope that my experience will enhance the expertise of the governing body, in particular the maintaining of the school estate.

Committee Membership : Finance and Premises / Audit & Risk

Mrs Corina Pentland – Community Trustee

Appointed on 01/03/2023, Term of Office until: 01/03/2027

Appointed by Members of the Trust Board

I currently work as a manager in the accounting and financial reporting team at RSM, I have been a qualified chartered accountant for over 20 years, working in practice and industry. I have experience in a wide variety of roles, including the preparation and review of charity and academy accounts. I achieved a degree in management from the University of Warwick and I obtained a PGCE from the University of Sunderland in 2009. With over 6 years experience of teaching management, accounting and finance, I understand some of the challenges facing teachers with first hand experience as well as many of the complexities of academy accounting.

I attended Park View school myself, alongside my sister, nephew and niece. My son and goddaughter also joined year 7 in September 2022, so I have a long-term interest in the success of the school and its pupils. As a parent and community trustee, I hope to provide support to the finance and audit function, alongside providing a challenge to the leadership team in respect of areas identified for improvement.

Committee Membership : Finance and Premises / Audit & Risk

Governors’ Meetings

Register of Governor Interests

Dr W F Dennison : Director of Arcadia Learning Ltd (Education Consultancy) (date of appointment 01 April 2002) / Trustee of PVCC (facility for community use) (date of appointment 01 September 2015).

Mrs M Dodd : Trustee of PVCC (facility for community use) (date of appointment September 2015). Meg also has association with Eric Dodd (husband), Governor at Eskdale Academy and South Stanley Junior School. Director of Stanley Learning Partnership (date of appointment 2018).

Mrs C Pentland: RSM UK (Audit, Tax and Consulting Services)

Mr C Martin : North Lodge County Councillor, Volunteer with 2nd Chester-le-Street Scout Group (date of appointment 2006), Member of Unison (from 2018), Finance Assistant at Bishop Auckland College (date of appointment 2018), County Councillor and Chair of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board at Durham County Council (since 2017), Member of Scrutiny Committee at North East Combined Authority (since 2021), Member of Scrutiny Committee at Joint Transport Committee (since 2021), Local Party Chair for Liberal Democrats (since 2007), Member of Alliance of Liberal Democrat Councillors (since 2017), Member of Unison (since 2018), Mr Martin’s partner is also a Senior Practitioner at Clever Clogs Day Nursery (since 2011).

Mr P Adamson : Head Teacher at Woodlea Primary School (date of appointment 01 April 2008), Trustee of PVCC (facility for community use) (date of appointment 01 September 2015)

Mr M Malik : Head Teacher at Harlow Green Primary School (date of appointment 01 September 2017), Secretary for NAHT (Gateshead), Chair of Gateshead Association of Primary Headteachers.

Victoria Stevenson : Director of Iain Nicholson & Co (Law Firm) (date of appointment 04 December 2015)

Mrs Claire Francis : Teacher at Woodlea Primary School

Mr David Standish : Partner at KPMG

Mr Kenneth Reed : Director of Ken Reed Consultancy LTD, Chair of Governors at Woodlea Primary School, Trustee of Eden Learning Trust

Mr Andrew Finley : No pecuniary interest

Mr M Goulding : No pecuniary interest

Mr Kevin Reynolds : Member at ALP (since 2015), Trustee at Gilligate Trust (since 2020)