Karen Bond

Name: Karen Bond

Background:

Karen has been involved in educational governance since 2009 when she was elected a parent governor at her children’s primary school. In 2016, as their Chair of Governors, she helped lead the school through conversion to academy status, where they and six local primary schools formed Crofty Multi Academy Trust. From 2016 – 2018 she was the Chair of their Trust Board. During this time, the Trust grew to a family of nine schools.

As a governor she has served on a variety of governing boards encompassing primary, secondary, and post 16 education, in both the maintained and academy sector.

She was a National Leader of Governance for four years, which involved mentoring Chairs of Governors, working with individual schools and Multi Academy Trust Boards, to support and improve their governance. During this time, she was a Trustee for Falmouth MAT and supported the Board, local governors, staff and the wider community through the re-brokerage process, whereby individual academies were moved to new Multi Academy Trusts. She was passionate in ensuring the schools were placed with Trusts which shared their ethos and values.

She is currently the Chair of Governors at King Charles Primary School in Falmouth.

Karen is an independent member of the Fostering and Permanence Panel for Cornwall Council.

In her spare time, she is studying for a master’s degree in Educational Leadership.

Professional Qualifications:

  • BA Honours Degree in Professional Practice Education.

Governance Experience:

  • 13 years’ experience as a governor.
  • National Leader of Governance (NLG) – Four years (2017-2021).
  • Supporting Governing Boards to develop effective governance.
  • Mentoring Chairs of governors.
  • Carrying out External Reviews of Governance (ERGs) as part of her NLG role.
  • Working closely in partnership with the Diocese, Local Authority, ESFA, Ofsted, and the Regional Schools Commissioner office.
  • Chair of Governors x 2 schools (Currently Chair of a large CoE Primary School in Falmouth. Recent Ofsted (2022) – Good.
  • Director of Crofty Learning Trust (Cooperative Trust) (2016).
  • Chair of Crofty Multi Academy Trust (2016-2018).
  • Trustee of Crofty Multi Academy Trust (2019).
  • Experience of Academy Conversion (Seven schools joining together) / Growth of Trust from seven to nine schools during two-year period.
  • Vice Chair of Falmouth MAT (2019-2020). Experience of re-brokerage process following an inadequate (serious weaknesses) judgement at one of the schools.
  • Ensuring the remaining schools in the Trust joined a Trust that shared their ethos and values.
  • Safeguarding Trustee for two Trusts.

Why a Trustee?

 I am passionate about affording the very best for children. I know that – through my experience of organisational improvement, my track record of providing strong governance and recent experience of inspection – I can support this Trust as it moves forward and enables everyone within this family of schools to flourish.

 

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