Trustees and Members

School Governance

The Leeds Jewish Free School is an ‘academy school’ directly funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).  The School is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is legally refereed to as an “Academy Trust”.  It is required to comply with charity and company legislation, the school’s foundation document (referred to as the funding agreement) issued by the Secretary of State for Education as well as regulations issued by the ESFA in the Academies Financial Handbook.  The Funding Agreement and Financial Handbook specifies the governance structures required within the academy and how the persons charged with controlling the academy are expected to carry out their responsibilities.  There are two classifications of people who over see the governance of the school; Trustees and Members.  (In the context of an academy school  trustee, company director and governor are all interchangeable terms.)

Trustees

Trustees are accountable to parents, the wider local community, the ESFA and the Department for Education for:

  1. Clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school.
  2. Holding senior executive leaders to account for the school’s academic performance.
  3. Overseeing financial performance and that money is well spent.

There are currently ten trustees serving on the Board of Trustees.  The Board meets regularly to implement the responsibilities listed above.  Trustees support and challenge the academy’s senior managers to deliver high quality teaching and learning, ensuring pupils are kept safe, ensure value for money, all within a Jewish ethos and the strategic direction they have set.  Brief biographies of the trustees and are shown below.

Members

Members who have a similar role to shareholders of a company limited by shares.

As responsibility to conduct the trust’s business sits with the trustees, members are ‘eyes on and hands off’ and avoid compromising the board’s discretion.  However, members are kept informed about trust business so they can be assured that the board is exercising effective governance. This include providing the members with the trust’s audited annual report and accounts.  A list of the current members is shown below.

Governance Structure

The Board of Trustees have delegated some of there responsibilities to committees of Trustees.  These are:

  • Teaching, Learning and Inclusion Committee
  • Finance and Resources Committee
  • Community Engagement Committee

These committees report back to the Trust Board at each meeting.  A fuller discussion of the academy’s governance arrangements is available in the most annual report and financial statements. Annual Reports and Financial Statements

Our Trustees

Cllr. Dan Cohen (Chair)

Dan is a Trustee and member of Leeds Jewish Free a director of Friends of Brodetsky, and a governor at Brodetsky Primary School. He is also a governor at two other local schools. He has over 25 years’ experience of working with schools and school governance.

Dan is a father to four young children, and is fully committed to ensuring that the young people of the Jewish community in Leeds have access to high quality local Jewish education.

In 2001 Dan was elected as the Leeds City Councillor for Alwoodley, the ward in which LJFS is located. He is the Shadow Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Skills.

Dan is the trustee responsible for performance management, inclusion and attendance, race equality, he also sits on the teaching and learning committee.

Contact details: Email admin@LJFS.org clearly marking your message for the attention of Mr Cohen

Alex Abrams (Vice Chair)

Alex is a Trustee and Member of Leeds Jewish Free School and is currently Vice Chair of the Trust Body.

He is also the Operations Director at Madison Hosiery Ltd , and previously was Director of Youth Services at BHH Synagogue, and a leader of a local Beaver troop

Originally from Birmingham, Alex has lived in Leeds for the past 20+ years. Alex has been married for 21 years to Louise and has two children Zack & Georgia, both attended LJFS in previous years and have both moved onto further/higher education.

Alex is the Trustee responsible for SEND for LJFS and is also linked to Arts and PE.

Henry Cohen

Henry is a Trustee of LJFS, a Director of Friends of Brodetsky as well as being a governor of Brodetsky Primary school. He has been involved in many major community projects over the years. He is a life patron of Leeds Jewish Welfare Board, a patron of St Gemma’s Hospice, a patron of Brodetsky and an honorary life vice president of the Zone.

Now enjoying retirement, Henry chairs the LJFS’s Finance and Resources Committee and is a member of the Brodetsky Finance committee.

Rabbi Jason Kleiman

Rabbi Kleiman is a Trustee at the Leeds Jewish Free School as well as Chaplain at LJFS and Brodetsky Primary School.

Rabbi Kleiman has served congregations in Reading, Catford, and Ilford and was the Headteacher of the Hebrew Schools in these communities. He is currently the Minister of the Beth Hamidrash Hagadol Synagogue in Leeds.

Rabbi Reuven Cohen

Rabbi Reuven Cohen is a Trustee of Leeds Jewish Free School, and Director of the Chabad Lubavitch Youth Organisation since 1980. As a community Rabbi he has over 40 years’ experience in the delivery of informal and formal Jewish education, and pastoral care within the Leeds community.

Rabbi Cohen is the Trustee responsible for Limmud Kodesh.

 

Dr Jason Broch

As well as a Trustee and member of LJFS, Jason is a partner in a busy GP practice, which covers a wide range of patients from all sections of the community. He Chairs the board of an NHS Clinical Commissioning Group. He has additional strategic roles in the public sector in Leeds. Jason is also Chair of the Brodetsky Primary School Governing Body.

At LJFS, Jason is the Trustee responsible for child protection and safeguarding.

 

Emma Wisnia

As well as being a Trustee of LJFS, Emma is the Financial Controller at Bayfields Opticians and Audiologists; a highly acquisitive healthcare and retail business.
Emma is married to Richard, and is also mum to Jack and Josh, who both attend LJFS. Emma is passionate about supporting the school and using her expertise as an accountant in her trustee role.
In her spare time, Emma can be found at karate, where she is a black belt, or supporting her kids on the sideline at Leeds Maccabi football matches.
Emma is a member of the committee for Finance and Resources at LJFS.

 

Lisa Baker

Lisa has lived in Leeds for nearly 20 years and always been actively involved in the Jewish Community. Previously a governor at Brodetsky Primary School she has now joined us as Governor with responsibility for Safeguarding. Lisa works as a self employed barrister specialising in cases involving children whether private disputes or involving the local authority. In her spare time Lisa is an avid reader and enjoys baking and cooking.
Richard Bentley 

David is a great member of the community and forms part of the teaching and learning work completed at the school.

Our Members

Alex Abrams

Dan Cohen

Jason Broch

Alan Dunwell

Louisa Simons

Paul Gross

Colin Glass