Governance
ESA has implemented an innovative and unique governance structure which is new. ESA joined Danes Educational Trust in April 2021 and we were keen to ensure that our success and uniqueness as a specialist school for the creative industries was maintained and furthered as part of the Danes Educational Trust. Therefore, we developed a symbiotic governance structure where two boards support the development and growth of this specialist school.
The Danes Educational Trust Board has responsibility for the operation of the Trust, but delegates some of the responsibilities to a local level. Therefore, each school within the Trust has a School Board, comprising local Governors. The ESA School Board holds 4 meetings per year and has an Admissions Committee and a Senior Staff Pay and Remuneration Committee. The ESA Partnerships Board meets once a term to ensure that our curriculum is industry credible, that our technical facilities are relevant and that our partnerships, placements and traineeships are suitable to support our creative industry specialism.
Further information about the Danes Educational Trust governance structure is available on the Trust website.
Elstree Screen Arts Academy School Board.
Chris Mitchell - ESA principal | Dola Oshisanya - Governor (Inclusion and Safeguarding) | Cath Heslop - Clerk | Lewis Barton - Governor (Health & Safety and Premises) | Roger Morris (Specialism) | Lauren Rubin (Parent Governor) | Bethany Hughes (Staff Governor).
Lewis Barton
Lewis is an experienced school governor. At ESA, he is responsible for Health & Safety and Premises. He was appointed in July 2021. Lewis grew up in Watford and he remains a local resident committed to improving life chances and educational experiences for young people within his community. Lewis is is a trainee solicitor at a commercial law firm.
Dola Oshisanya
Dola is our governor for safeguarding. She was appointed in July 2021. is a mother of 2 teenage boys. She is a business owner and a professional Certified Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience within a corporate environment. Dola strongly believes in the value of good education at a young age to enhance and prepare a young person to become an astute, kind adult in whatever field the person wants to achieve, particularly in the current ever-changing world. Children of all ages and backgrounds should have access to a good education. At ESA, Dola has a governor focus on inclusion, and educational provision for students facing disadvantage including those with Special Educational Needs and those in receipt of Pupil Premium.
Roger Morris
Roger Morris has been a governor at ESA since its opening in 2013. He was reappointed in July 2021 when ESA joined the Danes Educational Trust. As the former Managing Director of Elstree Film and TV Studios, Roger was one of the founding sponsors of the academy. He has a great deal of experience working in film and HETV production. As governor at ESA, Roger has a particular focus on the school’s specialist industry curriculum. He is also the chair of ESA’s partnerships board.
If you wish to contact the Governors of the School, please email the clerk to governors at cheslop@danesedtrust.org.uk
If you wish to write directly to the chair of our school board, please email chair@esa.ac
ESA Partnerships Board
ESA’s partnership board is made up of industry partners from across the creative industries. Our partnerships board has a unique remit to focus on the school’s specialism in this sector and to support highly relevant vocational training and work experience in the film, TV and theatre industry, and the associated production trades and technical disciplines. The chair of the Partnerships board is Roger Morris who was a co-founding sponsor of ESA as former Managing Director of Elstree Film and TV Studios. He also convenes VOCAT - a collective of creative industry trades, studios, producers and technical specialists who support ESA to train the creative professionals of tomorrow.
Elstree Screen Arts Academy joined the Danes Educational Trust in September 2021. The school board for ESA has been in place since September 2021. Attendance records will be published from September 2022. Danes Educational Trust is a private company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. Registered Number: 07671949 Registered Office: Chenies Road, Chorleywood, Hertfordshire WD3 6EW