Governance

Scott Medical and Healthcare College is a college within the Greenshaw Learning Trust.

The Greenshaw Learning Trust is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, with the sole purpose of maintaining and developing academy schools to provide comprehensive and inclusive education for the public benefit. You can find out more about the governance of the trust on the trust website here.

The Trustees of the Greenshaw Learning Trust have overall legal responsibility for all the schools in the trust, but they delegate powers and responsibilities with respect to the governance of each school to its governing body and headteacher. The governing body is formally called a ‘Local Governing Body’, and is a committee of the Board of Trustees that reports to and is accountable to the Board of Trustees under a Scheme of Delegation of governance functions.

The governing body is responsible for the strategic leadership of the school, for oversight of the school’s financial and academic performance, and for holding the Headteacher and school’s senior leadership to account.

Governors are appointed in a number of different ways to reflect the school’s various stakeholders and to bring a range of skills and experience to the governing body:

Trust governors are appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Greenshaw Learning Trust.
A parent governor has to be a parent of a pupil at the school at the time of their election and is elected by ballot of all parents and carers of current students
Only if the school has provision for community governors: Community governors are appointed by the governing body to reflect its community and stakeholders.
A staff governor must be employed by the school as a member of teaching or non-teaching staff and is appointed following a ballot of all teaching staff and/or non-teaching staff as appropriate.
The Headteacher is a governor ex-officio.
All governors except the Headteacher serve for a term of office of four years, but can be reappointed.

Governors act collectively as the governing body and work closely with the Headteacher and senior leadership team of the school. Governors exercise their powers in a primarily strategic leadership role; they should not get involved in the day-to-day running of the school.

As well as attending governing body meetings, take part in governor briefings and development activities, visit the school and meet school staff attend and engage in a range of school activities.

The Headteacher is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school, including the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the direction of teaching and the curriculum, and for the implementation of the policies of the Trust and Local Governing Body.

The Governing Board for Scott Medical and Healthcare College is a joint Governing Board for the Plymouth Secondary Schools within the Greenshaw Learning Trust.

You can find out more about our governors below.

For further information or to contact the governors please email: info@scottcollege.co.uk with Clerk to Governors in the subject line

Link to Department for Education: Governance

Jan Cole

Chair of Governors
Trust Governor
Link Role: HR/Staffing
Overview of HR and PMR matters
Term of Office : 1/1/21 - 31/12/24
Date of appointment : 1/1/21
DBS Current

About Jan:

Spent 23 years with BT managing the communication solutions for SMEs to large Corporate Businesses.
Former Communications Trade Instructor in Royal Auxiliary Air Force and Training Manager for new sales staff within BT.
Four years' education experience within Further Education sector.
Project Manager of Notschool.net Plymouth & Cornwall for eight years, an online learning community, providing alternative education by referral for 14-16 year olds unable to access mainstream education
CIPD Associate since 2015.
Exam Invigilator within Secondary School and Pearson Vue.
School Governor within Plymouth since 2004, experience includes Primary and Secondary governance.
Specific interest in SEN, Inclusion and Safeguarding, former Chair of Pay & Personnel

Sandra Trathen

Trust Governor
Link Role: Standards and Behaviour and Attendance
Overview of educational standards and behaviour and attendance
Term of Office : 1/1/21 - 31/12/24
Date of appointment : 1/1/21
DBS Current

About Sandra:

Interest in mental-health, life challenges and the impact on outcomes for young people.
Committed to the role of governor in supporting the school progress, being ambitious in outcomes for young people and focus on a positive ethos
Director of school-centred teacher training – The Learning Institute South West (retired 2018)
Teacher – Advanced Skills (English) - retired
Specialist Leader of Education – retired
Rock Choir member

Mary Utton

Trust Governor
Link Role: Standards
Overview of educational standards
Term of Office: 1/1/21 - 31/12/24
Date of appointment : 1/1/21
DBS Current

About Mary:

Spent 10 years as Headteacher of Plymouth High School for Girls
Trustee of Charles Causley Trust
Chair of Liskeard Arts Society
Retired headteacher

Colin Searls

Trust Governor
Link Role: Safeguarding
Overview of Safeguarding and child protection
Term of Office: 1/1/21 - 31/12/24
Date of appointment : 1/1/21
DBS Current

About Colin:

Main Skills/experience: Knowledge of Higher Education sector, Art and Design, Education and Teaching/Learning and Assessment.
Former Chair of Governors at Stoke Damerel Community College
Secondary Governor for more than 10 years
Retired University lecturer and former Associate Dean at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities University of Plymouth
Part time consultant for Dartington Hall Trust

Helen Green

Parent Governor
Link Role: SEND
Overview of welfare and
outcomes for SEND students
Term of Office :11/1/21 - 10/01/25
Date of appointment : 11/1/21

Liane Cevtanovic

Parent Governor
Link Role: SEND
Overview of welfare and
outcomes for SEND students
Term of Office : 25/1/21 - 24/1/25
Date of appointment : 25/1/21
DBS Current

About Liane:

Parent Governor for 14 years, first at College Road Primary School and now at SDCC.
Experience of owning a local business and working in retail
Parent of three teenage sons, all educated here at SDCC, which has encouraged me to look at Further Education, University and life after school.
I am now the Sixth form link Governor sharing what I have learnt with the students and listening to their concerns and questions, making sure that SDCC is offering them the transitional education that they need

Richard Blackmore

Community Governor
Link Role: Careers 16-19
Term of Office : 1/7/20 - 30/6/24
Date of appointment : 1/7/20

Jemima Laing

Community Governor
Link Role: Safeguarding Overview of Safeguarding and child protection
Term of Office : 16/01/20 - 15/01/24
Date of appointment : 16/01/20

Mark Rowles

Community Governor
Link Role: Finance & Site/Premises
Overview of budget and resource matters. H&S
Term of Office : 15/10/18 – 14/10/22
Date of appointment : 15/10/18
DBS Current

About Mark:

Professional background in youth work, health and wellbeing and community development
Currently run a business that includes supporting the development of community health initiatives
Working with Argyle in the Community Trust on a variety of programmes including the Mayflower 400 programme
Adrenalin Devon Junior Minor Football League Secretary
Interested in assisting the school in its exciting developments and to support their health and well-being programmes for students and the local community

Matthew Hussey

Staff Governor
Term of Office : 25/1/21 - 24/1/25
Date of appointment : 25/1/21
DBS Current

About Matthew:

Teaching and learning expertise from classroom experience and as manager of Teachmeet for 2 years
Staff voice as a leader and representative of the Maths department
Forensic understanding and ability to analyse and communicate data
Head of Mathematics
Responsible for KS4 outcomes in Maths 17/18
Joined governing body in 2018

Rachel Cousins