Governance Information

Welcome to the Governance Information section of the Parkwood Academy Website. Here, we provide essential details about our financial operations and governance structure, ensuring transparency and accountability within our community. We adhere to the principles set forth by the South Essex Academy Trust, reflecting our commitment to the highest standards of educational management. For additional insights, please explore the provided portals and downloadable resources that outline our governance framework.

Portals & Downloads

The SEAT Board of Directors is accountable for the governance and performance of each of the academies and South Essex Academy Trust as a whole. The Board is comprised of six non-executive Directors and one ex officio Director. The non-executive Directors are all volunteers who are recruited for their leadership experience within a range of sectors in order to ensure a diverse and balanced skillset on the Board.

The Scheme of Delegation for Academy Committees can be found

The Chair of the Directors is Julie Mulchay. She can be contacted at:

Julie Mulchay, c/o South Essex Academy Trust Office, Parkwood Academy, Beresford Close, Hadleigh, Essex SS7 2SU

For more detail about our governance arrangements, please visit

More information about the South Essex Academy Trust can be found here

Academy Committee

Our Academy Committee plays a key role in shaping the vision, values and strategic direction of our school.

Our Academy Committee plays a vital role in shaping the vision, values, and strategic direction of our school.

The Academy Committee has clear roles and responsibilities as outlined in the Scheme of Delegation. The Academy Committee work with the school leadership in supporting and holding to account the performance of the Academy to ensure the best possible outcomes for all pupils.

The Academy Committee meets at least four times a year and attends training and other events throughout the year. They report directly to The Board of Directors ensuring that collaboration and challenge result an environment where each academy thrives, delivering the highest standards of education and nurturing the potential of every pupil. The Directors of South Essex Academy Trust take seriously the need to consult and engage with the stakeholders of each academy.

The Department for Education’s governance handbook 2020 identifies the essentials of effective governance as follows:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

The Board of Directors delegate certain key roles and responsibilities to the school’s Academy Committee and these are set out clearly in our Scheme of Delegation which can be accessed below: