Governing Body
Local Governance at Unity Schools Partnership
The UnitySP Trust Board, through the Articles of Association, has committed to Local Governing Bodies to work in partnership with the Executive and Leadership Teams to fulfil the three core responsibilities of Governance.
These are:
- Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
We have married these to our Governance Charter and our Scheme of Delegation. These documents, together with the USP Handbook for Local Governance, clearly set out the role and responsibilities of our Local Governing Bodies (LGBs). You can access these documents from the links below or directly from the Unity Schools Partnership website.
Our Governing Body
The governing body is responsible for ensuring that the school provides good quality education by making key decisions about the school together with the Head Teacher who is responsible for the school’s day to day management.
The governors meet regularly to agree on a number of issues including school policy, set targets and review the work of the school. Governors bring many different skills to the school which can help with developments and planning facilities.
Our Governors
Parent Governors
- Helen Sowerby (Chair)
Community Governors
- Martha Hughes
- Gil Turner
- Hayley Sykes
- Margaret Culpin
Staff Governors
- Georgie Bateman
Executive Headteacher
- Ben Jeffery
Headteacher
Steve Palmer
In the interests of transparency, we must publish here up-to-date details of our governance arrangements.
- the structure and remit of the governing body, and the full name of the chair,
- for each governor who has served at any point over the past 12 months, their full names, date of appointment, date they stepped down (where applicable), and relevant business and pecuniary interests including governance roles in other educational institutions, and
- attendance records at governing body meetings over the last academic year.
Please see our attached Governance Transparency Information document for these details.
If you would like more information about becoming a school governor, or have matters that you may wish to raise with the governing body, you can contact us through the school office or by writing to the Chair of Governors care of the school
Please follow the ‘Get Information About Schools’ link below for additional governance information.
Further information

Unity Schools Partnership
We are proud to be part of the Unity Schools Partnership.
The Unity Schools Partnership is a partnership of schools located on the Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire borders. We share the same values, face similar issues and are geographically close enough to support and challenge each other.
Unity Schools Partnership is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 07400386.
The registered office is at Unity Schools Partnership, Park Road, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7YD.