Our school is part of a family of schools supported by the Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET). BPET are responsible for our core educational vision, for setting rigorous academic standards, and for supervising the quality of teaching and the school’s progress.
To assist BPET in these tasks, we have a sub-committee of local advisors called Local Governing Board appointed by the BPET Board of Trustees.
The local board’s main focus is educational strategy, school outcomes and high educational aspirations that meet the needs of our local community. They are responsible for:
- Setting the vision, ethos and strategic direction for our school, within the BPET’s overall vision
- Holding the headteacher and senior leadership team to account for the educational performance of our school, the pupils and the performance and management of staff
- Ensuring investment in educational improvement is value for money and having a real impact.
These functions have been formally delegated to the local board by the BPET Board of Trustees, which is the maintaining authority for our school. The formal delegation for Braywick Court School is set out in the BPET Scheme of Delegation.
Structure of the Local Governing Board
The chair of the local board formally appointed by the BPET Board of Trustees, serving at the discretion of the BPET Board. Together with the headteacher, the chair can appoint local advisers according to the skillset needed in the group. The suggested group size is 6-10 people and there must be a minimum of two parent advisers (no maximum).
The local governors are provided with the BPET Local Governance Handbook which sets out the terms of reference and structure of the group, along with a code of conduct.
Members of the Local Governing Board support the school on a voluntary basis. Do enquire via the school office if you are interested in becoming a local governor of Braywick Court School.
Local Governing Board Members
Chair – Clare Holdway
Clare is a parent advisor having had two children at Braywick Court School, one currently still at school. Clare has been an avid supporter of Braywick Court since her eldest child joined in 2018. She fully embraces the school’s vision and is committed to providing support and challenge to the senior lead team. In a previous life Clare worked on the commercial side of the retail industry and more latterly in sales and marketing in the FMCG sector. She now runs a digital marketing consultancy with her husband.
Vice Chair, Community Advisor – Judith Jeffries
Judith is a retired Headteacher who is an active member of the local community. Judith has been a community advisor since November 2019. She is very active and can often to be seen out and about running with Maidenhead Athletics Club.
Community Advisor – Jonathan Williams
Jonathan has been a community governor at Braywick Court School since 2014. He joined the governing body to help develop an outstanding school that provides children with the best possible start in life and encourages a lifelong interest in learning. His day job is working for a professional services firm in London. During his spare time he enjoys running, reading and spending time with his family.
Parent Advisor – Victoria Morris
As a Parent governor of the school, Victoria is passionate about the quality of the learning, environment and care our children receive.
Having joined the governing body in October 2015, Victoria has one child who has been through the school and moved on to secondary, and her youngest child who currently attends Braywick Court.
Victoria says “In my day job I work for a large business process outsourcing firm where I manage the procurement of learning for major corporates, central government and public sector organisations”.
Parent Advisor – Laura Brown
Laura joined the Governing Board in 2020 when her daughter joined our Preschool. Laura held the position of Early Years Advisor from December 2020 until July 2023, overseeing the successful onboarding of the Preschool. She has a passion for sustainability and green schools and is currently the Advisor responsible for Science and Green Schools.
Parent Advisor – Mandeep Sansoy
Mandeep has joined the Governing Board in September 2024 and has 2 children in the school. Mandeep will be helping with the Opal project to develop the enjoyment of playtime.
BPET trust representative – Mark Greatrex
Mark has been the CEO of Bellevue Place Education Trust since 2015. Mark began his career as a civil servant in the Department of Education, in the Academies division. During this time over 200 academies opened. Mark held Senior Leadership positions withing three MATs before joining BPET. Mark holds a number of non-executive roles: governor in a maintained primary school, Millfields Community School (Hackney, London); trustee of Greenhouse Sports, an inspiring charity which aims to give all children from deprived communities access to sport and develop their skills and confidence.
Headteacher – Michelle Robertson
Michelle Robertson has been a member of the local governing board at Braywick Court School since 2018, when she was appointed as Deputy Headteacher. In September 2022 Michelle was appointed as Headteacher of Braywick Court School. Michelle has over 19 years experience in the primary sector and has been in a senior leadership role for more than 15 years. Michelle has taught across the whole pimrary range, from EYFS to KS2. She is also a consultant facilitator for Best Practice Network, delivering National Professional Qualifications to educators across the South East.
Clerk to the Local Governing Board – Karen Brake
Karen joined Braywick Court school in 2016 as the Office Manager and Clerk to the local board. She currently holds responsibility as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and works alongside the Senior Leadership Team to drive the strategic direction of the school.