Welcome to our Governors’ section.
Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.
The Governing Body
Chair : Jacob Walker Vice Chair: Felicity Somervell
LA (1) | End of Office |
Vacancy |
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Parents (4) | End of Office |
Stephanie Cross | 14th October 2025 |
Angela Dunnett | 14th October 2025 |
Marites Navarro | 13th June 2023 |
Jacob Walker | 13th June 2023 |
Head Teacher (1) | End of Office |
Anthony James | Ex-Officio |
Staff Governor (1) | End of Office |
Dawn Lovett | 12th October 2023 |
Co-opted (5) | End of Office |
Farooq Hussain | 15th September 2022 |
Pally Lashar | 15th September 2022 |
Nadia Nasim | 3rd December 2023 |
Felicity Somervell | 15th September 2022 |
Petra Stanaway | 5th December 2022 |
Meeting Dates 2021/22
Full Governing Board
| Wednesday 15th September 2021 at 6pm (set-up meeting) Wednesday 8th December 2021 at 6pm Wednesday 6th April 2022 at 6pm (budget ratification) Wednesday 6th July 2022 at 6pm |
Finance & Personnel Committee | Wednesday 17th November 2021 at 6.30pm Wednesday 30th March 2022 at 6pm Wednesday 22nd June 2022 at 6pm |
Behaviour & Safety Committee | Thursday 21st October 2021 at 6pm Wednesday 19th January 2022 at 6pm Wednesday 11th May 2022 at 6pm |
Governors’ Statutory Responsibilities and Functions
In all types of schools, governing boards should have a strong focus on three core strategic functions:
Governance Handbook/Competency Framework for Governance
Please refer to the Governance Handbook and Competency Framework for Governance published by the Department for Education. The latest versions are available online below:
Governance Handbook October 2020
Competency Framework for Governance January 2017
Review of committees and delegation
The governing board must review the committee structure, terms of reference for each committee and the membership of each committee on an annual basis.
Terms of Reference
The following committees established by the governing board comply with The School Governance (Role, Procedures and Allowances) (England) Regulations 2013.
The head teacher can attend all meetings of any committee established by the governing board but in some instances this may only be in an advisory capacity. When an issue is being discussed which directly affects the head teacher they must, as with any other governor in a similar position, declare an interest and physically withdraw from the meeting.
In maintained schools the quorum for a meeting of the full governing board and for any vote on any matter at such meeting, is one half (rounded up to a whole number) of the membership of the governing board at the time of the meeting not including any vacant positions. In the event of equal votes the chair has the casting vote.
Virtual meeting arrangements
The Governing Board has approved the use of “virtual attendance” at meetings (approved at FGB meeting on 15th September 2021).
For full details, please refer to the Virtual Governance Policy.
Committees
The legal minimum quorum for committee meetings is three voting governors. The quorum for committees will not include associate members - despite any voting rights they may have been given.
The appointed clerk will undertake the clerking of the committees.
The committee minutes shall be included as an agenda item for consideration/information at the next meeting of the full governing board where appropriate.
All decisions made by committees with delegated powers should be reported to the next full meeting of the governing board. If the minutes are not finalised a brief statement of the conclusions reached should be given.
The chair of the committee will be appointed at the first full governing board/committee meeting of the academic year. Governors who are employed by the school are not eligible to be appointed as chair.
Committees will have delegated powers to approve policies as relevant to that committee.
The governing board cannot delegate any functions relating to:
Associate Members
In maintained schools the governing board can appoint associate members to serve on one or more committees of the board. Associate members can attend full board meetings but may be excluded from any part of a meeting where the business being considered concerns a member of school staff or an individual pupil. They can be appointed for a period of between one and four years and can be re-appointed at the end of their term. Associate members are not governors and they are not recorded in the instrument of government (Extracted from Governance Handbook October 2020 – Page 64, paragraph 53).
NB: Associate members are not governors and therefore do not have a vote in full governing board decisions, but may be given a vote on decisions made by committees to which they are appointed.
Finance & Personnel Committee
The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to: | |
Finance:
Staffing:
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Membership | |
Minimum of three members required | |
Chair of Committee | Petra Stanaway |
Clerk | Julie Hayes |
Behaviour & Safety Committee
The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to: | |
Behaviour and attendance:
Premises Health and Safety:
Any item referred by the full governing board | |
Membership | |
Minimum of three members required | |
Chair of Committee | Felicity Somervell |
Clerk | Julie Hayes |
Staffing Committee
The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board for hearing: | |
The committee will consider any issues pertaining to staffing and personnel, in line with HR policies and procedures. This includes but is not limited to;
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Membership | |
Minimum of three members required
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Chair of Committee | To be elected at each meeting |
Clerk |
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Pupil Discipline Committee
The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to: | |
Any item referred by the full governing board
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Membership | |
Minimum of three members required | |
Chair of Committee | To be elected at each meeting |
Clerk |
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Complaints Committee
The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to: | |
Any item referred by the full governing board
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Membership | |
Minimum of three members required | |
Chair of Committee | To be elected at each meeting |
Clerk |
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Appeals Committee
The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board for hearing appeals with regard to: | |
When dealing with an appeal the committee should be equal to or greater than the original committee that made the decision
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Membership | |
Minimum of three members required
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Chair of Committee | To be elected at each meeting |
Clerk |
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Pay Committee
The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to: | |
Committee to meet once per year in the autumn term | |
Membership | |
Minimum of three members required. Cannot be Head Teacher or a governor employed by the school. Any representations made by staff following the initial decision of the Pay Committee must be heard in the first instance by the same members of the committee.
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Chair of Committee | Petra Stanaway |
Clerk | Julie Hayes |
Head Teacher’s Appraisal
The committee has responsibility delegated by the governing board to: | |
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Membership | |
Minimum of two members required | |
Chair of Committee |
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Clerk |
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Selection Panel
The panel has responsibility delegated by the governing board for the: | |
The appointment must always be ratified by the full governing board | |
Membership | |
Minimum number of members as per appointment of staff delegations. All members must be available at all stages of the process
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Chair of Committee | To be elected at each meeting |
Clerk |
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Special Responsibility Governors
Safeguarding/Child Protection Governor * | Chair of Governors |
SEND Governor | Farooq Hussain Petra Stanaway |
Health and Safety Governor |
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Safer Recruitment Governor | Farooq Hussain Felicity Somervell Petra Stanaway |
Pupil Premium | Farooq Hussain |
EYFS Governor | Felicity Somervell |
English Governor | Felicity Somervell |
Maths Governor | Petra Stanaway |
RE / PSHE Governor | Petra Stanaway Jacob Walker |
*In accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021 ‘Governing bodies and proprietors should have a senior board level (or equivalent) lead to take leadership responsibility for their schools or college’s safeguarding arrangements.’ The DfE have confirmed that this can be a member of staff, but that person must be a member of the board as well (for example, the headteacher or a staff governor) and that this must be a separate person from the DSL, in order to ensure there is sufficient challenge to the organisation's safeguarding arrangements and performance.
Items Delegated to an Individual(s)
Delegation of expenditure and virements
That sums below £20,000 be delegated to the Head Teacher.
Disposal of surplus stock
Delegated to Head Teacher with the approval of the chair of the governing board.
Delegation of Suspension
That suspension be delegated to the chair in instances where the Head Teacher is the person in question or involved in the case. That the chair be given delegated powers to lift the suspension after taking advice from LA Human Resources or any other organisation providing the service to the school.
Approval for Expenditure
The chair of governors or chair of the Provisions Committee be given approval for expenditure above the set limit prior to the committee meeting – only in cases of emergency
Appointment of Staff (ensure no appointment is carried out by one person alone)
Lunchtime / Cleaning / Administration Support Staff |
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Educational Support Staff |
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Business Manager |
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Teaching Staff |
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Senior Management Team* * Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher appointments must be ratified by the relevant body. |
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