Thomas’s Academy
Part of the Quality First Education Trust
Company number: 07768645
Registered office: Belleville Road, London SW11 6RP
Effective governance is crucial to the success of schools and academy trusts. The Governance Guide sets out the key elements of effective governance as:
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Strategic leadership that sets and champions vision, ethos and strategy;
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Accountability that drives up educational standards and financial performance, and effectively manages risk;
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People with the right skills, experience, qualities and capacity;
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Structures which reinforce clearly defined roles and responsibilities;
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Compliance with statutory and contractual requirements; and
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Evaluation to monitor and improve the quality and impact of governance.
Our Local Governors
Sam works in Venture Capital having founded, run and exited successful businesses in the UK and USA. Amongst a number of roles, he is currently a Mentor at the Founder Institute and a Venture Scout at Backed VC. He started his career as a lawyer for the magic circle law firm, Allen & Overy LLP, having been educated at Durham University, BPP Law School and the College of Law. Sam joined as a Governor of New King’s in 2012 and is now a local governor of Thomas’s Academy.
Dr Charlotte Vidal-Hall
(Vice Chair)
Charlotte joined Thomas’s Academy in May 2023. She was a governor at a primary school in Hammersmith and Fulham for 15 years and was chair of governors for 5 years. Charlotte has lived in Hammersmith and Fulham since 1979 and has 4 grown up children who attended primary school in the borough. She was an early years and primary school teacher in nursery and primary schools in Hammersmith for 15 years before becoming an educational researcher.
Alka was born in Mumbai and grew up in India. She moved to London with her husband and worked in Investment Banking in London for over 30 years. In 2014, she became Governor of a secondary school in Ealing which grew into a multi-academy trust of which she was also a trustee until 2023. In 2017, Alka decided to leave Investment Banking, to train as a maths teacher and completed her Post Graduate Certificate in Education. She is currently a volunteer maths tutor and works with students who need help with their GCSE exams. She is also a director of their family-owned hotel management business. She has two grown-up sons and has lived in Fulham for more than 25 years.
Karen Carpenter is an Elected Staff Local Governor.
Cem Dedeaga is a Partner at Oliver Wyman, a leading global management consulting firm. Born in Cyprus and educated in the United States, Cem has built his career in the United Kingdom, starting at Goldman Sachs before joining Oliver Wyman. With a deep commitment to education as a catalyst for social mobility, Cem is passionate about creating equal opportunities for all students. Outside of his professional endeavours, Cem is the proud father of two daughters and resides in the vibrant neighbourhood of South Kensington. Cem's personal experiences and values shape his unwavering dedication to fostering an inclusive and enriching educational environment for all students. As a newly elected governor in 2023, Cem brings his extensive expertise in finance and his passion for education to the school community.
Aliya Hershi is an Elected Parent Local Governor.
Jenny is an Elected Parent Local Governor. Jenny has a BSc Biological Sciences from Imperial College London as well as an MSc Public Health Administration from University of Montreal. She has worked in public health for over 20 years, both within the NHS and its compliance and regulation, and in management consulting at Deloitte, where she led national digital transformation programmes. She now manages her own consultancy business that focuses on clinical safety and digital technology assessments for the wider healthcare ecosystem.
Jenny is passionate about ensuring that Thomas’s Academy provides an inclusive, supportive, and high-quality learning environment for children; and her family has been a part of the Thomas's Academy community for over 6 years. Her main areas of focus are sustainability as a Climate Ambassador and safeguarding.
All company documents for the Quality First Education Trust can be found here.