Ark Walworth Academy and Ark Schools Governance Arrangements

Academies are schools funded by the government with the freedom to govern independently – but all are accountable to the Secretary of State for Education. To share resources and best practice, many are part of multi-academy trusts – a network of schools under one legal body.

Ark Walworth Academy is part of Ark Schools - a leading education charity and one of the country’s top-performing academy operators. Ark is non-denominational and does not make any profit from running its schools.

Ark’s relationship with the Secretary of State is set out in the master funding agreement. There are also supplemental funding agreements for each individual school in the network, including Ark Walworth Academy.

Every school in the Ark network is the legal responsibility of the Ark Schools Board. This board focuses on statutory duties and delegates most day-to-day responsibilities to each school’s individual Local Governing Body (LGB). This means that Ark Walworth Academy's governors are able to concentrate on the things that really matter – educational strategy, school outcomes and aspiration.

PDF iconArk Schools Master Funding Agreement.pdf

Ark Walworth Supplemental Funding Agreement

 

The Ark Schools Articles of Association and Decision Making Framework scheme of delegation can be found on the Ark Schools website here.

 

Contacting the governors

The LGB meets four times a year.

The Clerk to the Governors is Titilola Kehinde (titilola.kehinde@arkonline.org). Governors can be contacted through the Clerk.

If you are interested in becoming a governor, please see here. If you have any governance-related queries, please contact the Clerk.

Ark Walworth Academy Local Governing Body

Ark Walworth Academy's LGB is made up as follows:

  • Six to 10 members appointed by Ark, to include the Chair - usually people with a local connection or interest who are committed to supporting educational opportunity in the area.
  • The Principal
  • Two parent governors
  • One teaching staff governor
  • One non-teaching staff governor
  • One local authority representative from the London Borough of Southwark

Ark aims to create a balanced group that will have the right skills, connections and dynamic for the LGB to work well and support the school in achieving exceptional performance:

  • Good insight into the specific challenges at the school and the general challenges of operating top-quality schools
  • Excellent community links
  • Specific skills as needed by/relevant to the school
  • A link to the senior executive team of Ark

The LGB meets four times a year.

Ark Walworth Academy Governors

 

Anthony Williams (Chair)

Anthony Williams is Chairman of Bluefield Partners, a specialist asset manager for solar infrastructure, and a former Partner of Goldman Sachs & Co. During his time at Goldman Sachs, he was involved in building the firm's Fixed Income Arbitrage and Swaps businesses and served as Global Head of Fixed Income Arbitrage, Global Co-Head of Swaps and as Chair of the Risk Committee for the Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities Division. Anthony previously held a Research Fellowship in Radio Astronomy at St John's College, Cambridge and has a BA and PhD in Physics from Cambridge University and a BA in Philosophy from London University.

Ian Anderson (Ark Appointed Governor; SEND Link Governor)

Ian works at ARK's International team as Head of Education Ventures, supporting a range of new education projects in India and Africa. He previously spent five years at the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, managing development programmes in East Africa to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, before which he was a management consultant. He has lived in Ghana and India, and returned from two years living in Tanzania to take up the role with ARK. Before moving to Tanzania, Ian was a governor at his local primary school in Tottenham, and he has done a range of volunteering work - including a year's teaching - for Restless Development, a UK education charity working in Africa. He lives in south London and is passionate about improving education outcomes both in the UK and abroad.

Carl Fazackerley (Staff Governor)

Carl has been teaching at Ark Walworth Academy since 2016 returning to teaching after a number of years in the healthcare, management and the third sector. In his current role Carl leads the sixth form and has whole school responsibility for careers education. Outside of education he is an active member of St John Ambulance holding the role of Area Manager (Universities South London) and Emergency Ambulance Crew.

Sonia Krylova (Ark Appointed Governor; Finance Link Governor)

Sonia works for the government on reducing carbon emissions from manufacturing. She has previously worked for the European Union in Brussels, as well as the Treasury and other government departments. Sonia is particularly interested in helping schools to use resources in the most effective way, getting great outcomes for pupils as well as value for the taxpayer. She served as a governor in a primary school in Ealing for three years, chairing the finance committee for one year. She was born in Moscow and studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.  

Penny McCormack (Ark Appointed Governor)

Penny has been an at home mother to her 4 now grown up children. Her first career was in HR, but in the past several years she has been Chair of the Friends association of a central London school; chair of a local fundraising branch of a national medical research charity, which has involves event planning. Penny is passionate about giving all young people access to the best education possible regardless of background, in order that they can realise their full potential.

Daniel Morris (Local Authority Representative) 

Daniel is a senior leader in the voluntary sector with over 15 years of experience in delivering services for young people. His experience ranges from frontline youth work roles across a variety of communities in London to designing and managing services.  Daniel holds a BA Hons in Youth & Community work and an MSc in Gender, Sexuality & Society. Daniel is passionate about young people having opportunities to fulfill their potential. 

Saidat Oketunde (Parent Governor)

Saidat has been a school governor for more than a decade in Primary school at The Mayflower Federation School (Phoenix & Ilderton). She was a member of both curriculum/Finance Committee and her interests are included inclusion and safeguarding students. Currently, Saidat is active committee member as vice chair of Southwark Governor Association (SGA) and at Walworth Academy has a parent governor since 2016. Saidat has been a school parent council at Walworth Academy since 2012 and works voluntarily as a volunteer assistant. A Southwark community Secretary at Astley & cooper`s TRA Saidat Oketunde gained her degree in BSc Hon in Psychology (Child Development) from London Southbank University and She is currently studying her Postgraduate Degree master’s in education Autism at LSBU London. Saidat has worked for over a decade as Parent Mentor and Youth co ordinator.

Victoria Nkwo

Victoria is a parent governor.

Simon Rew (Ark Appointed Governor)

Simon Rew is a Senior Partner with IBM Consulting.  He has worked with and for major Public Sector organisations in the UK and abroad for more than 30 years, including secondments to HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office.  He was a Governor of North Westminster Community School (2000 pupil Comprehensive) in the early 2000s.  Simon originally trained as a teacher (science/biology) and has a life-long interest in education.  

Jan Scibor-Kaminski (Ark Appointed Governor)

Jan has held several leadership roles within technology and data businesses, ranging from Data to Automotive to Financial Services.  He started his career with Fortis Investments, based in both Paris and Brussels, before joining Goldman Sachs’s Asset Management Division in London. Jan attended Westminster School in London and graduated from Oxford’s Trinity College, with degree in Modern Languages (Spanish and French).  Jan is a former Army Officer, where he served as part of the Royal Green Jackets Regiment.  He has lived in Brazil and travelled extensively throughout Latin America and beyond, and now lives locally in south London with his wife and children of mixed heritage. 

Josie Verghese (Ark Appointed Governor; Safeguarding Link Governor)

Josie has been a Governor since 2010 and as a Southwark resident she is particularly committed and keen to support Ark Walworth Academy’s students, staff and wider community at a local level.  Josie works for the BBC where she is Planning Producer for BBC News School Report, a project working with young people to develop their understanding and engagement in journalism and media literacy. Her BBC career began 12 years ago as a secretary and she has worked in a number of roles and departments including BBC Sport and CBBC Newsround. She has a BA Hons English and Psychology from Cardiff University and MA in Children’s Literature.  Josie also sits on the Curriculum Committee and her particular education interests are inclusion and student voice. Away from work she loves to travel.

Jessica West (Principal)

 

The Register of Interests 2022-23 for Governors and Attendance Information 2021-22 can be found here:  

PDF iconArk Walworth Academy - Governor Register of Interests 2022-23.pdf

PDF iconArk Walworth Academy LGB Attendance Log 2021-22.pdf

All appointments are made by Ark's Director of Governance.  The term of a governor is three years, except for the Principal, who remains a governor for the duration of their time in post.