A member of Dales Academies Trust 
Welcome to the section of the website where you can find out more about the school’s governors, and the work that we do. You can also read the minutes of our meetings and the annual statement which we prepare for parents at the end of the school year.
Our main role is to support the Head Teacher and staff. The phrase often used to describe this is ‘a critical friend’. We help them to set and reach targets and to strive for excellence across the whole spectrum of school life. The two key documents used for this are the School Self Evaluation (SEF) where we analyse our effectiveness against national standards and the School Development Plan (SDP) which identifies those areas which require improvement and how we will improve them.
In accordance with the Government’s requirement for all governing bodies, the three core strategic functions are:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Holding the Head Teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
The Governing Body was reconstituted in September 2014. It consists of eleven governors: one Local Authority Representative Governor, two Foundation Governors, four Parent Governors, two Co-opted Governors, the Head Teacher and one Staff Governor. There is one Associate Governors. Associate Governors may not vote.
There are six full Governing Body meetings each year, one each half term and the majority of business is conducted at these meetings. Panels of Governors will deal with duties such as the performance management of the Head Teacher.
All meetings are minuted by the Clerk to Governors, Mrs Val Brown.
In addition governors may take on monitoring roles in school, for example, Special Educational Needs, Safeguarding or a curriculum subject.
Governors attend training sessions to keep up to date with changes in schools and education. They visit school regularly to meet with the Head Teacher, members of staff and pupils.
Experience in education, finance, personnel, management and health are valuable to the Governing Body, however, the key attributes that Governors need are time, enthusiasm and an interest in education.
If you are interested in becoming a school governor please contact the Head Teacher or Clerk to Governors.
Governors
September 2020
| Name | Type of Governor |
Date of Appointment
|
Term of Office | Responsibilities | Business or Pecuniary Interests/ Governance roles in other schools | Relationship to other Governors/ school staff |
| Mrs Alison Russell |
Co-opted Appointed by GB |
September 2020
|
4 Years | Chair of Governors. Link Governor for Healthy Schools, Pupil Premium, Performance Pay and Curriculum | Governor Carnagill Primary School | None |
|
Vacancy
|
Foundation Appointed by Diocese |
|||||
| Mrs Viv Waugh |
Foundation Appointed by Diocese |
December 2017
|
4 Years Became Associate Jan 2020. |
Link Governor for RE and Collective Worship | None | None |
|
Mrs Julia Clarke
|
Parent Elected by parents |
October 2017 | 4 Years |
Vice Chair of Governors Link Governor for Performance Pay, Attainment & Progress and Curriculum |
None | None |
| Vacancy | Parent Elected by parents | |||||
| Mrs Julia Preston |
Parent Elected by parents |
October 2019 | 4 years | Link Governor for English and SEND | None | None |
| Mr Nicholas Potts |
Parent Elected by parents |
October 2019 | 4 years | Link Governor for Computing and Art and Design. Parent Link. | None | None |
|
Vacancy
|
Local Authority | |||||
| Mr Derek Blenkharn |
Co-opted Appointed by GB
|
September 2017 | 4 Years | Link Governor for Buildings, Health & Safety, PE and Sports and Safeguarding. | Architect | None |
| Mr Simon Robson | Headteacher |
January 2015
|
Ongoing | Overarching responsibility for Resources, Pay Performance and School Development | None | None |
| Miss Nicola Bleasby |
Staff Elected by staff |
September 2019 | Annual | Link Governor for Quality of Teaching, Learning and Assessment | None |
None
|
| Rev Jenni Lane |
Foundation Ex Officio Appointed by Diocese |
September 2014
|
Resigned February 2016 | Link Governor for RE and Collective Worship | None |
None
|
| Mr Philip Thompson |
Parent Elected by parents |
September 2013
|
4 Years Resigned August 2016 |
Vice Chair of Governors. Link Governor for Global Dimension. | None | None |
| Mr David Smith |
Parent Elected by parents |
March 2013
|
4 Years Resigned August 2016 |
Link Governor for Special Educational Needs. | None |
None
|
| Ms Susan Thornton |
Parent Elected by parents |
September 2013
|
4 Years Resigned April 2017 |
Link Governor for Quality and Standards of Education. | None | None |
| Mrs Jean Evans |
Associate Governor Appointed by GB |
September 2015 |
4 Years Resigned September 2017 |
Link Governor for Literacy and Early Years | None | None |
| Ms Georgie Sale |
Associate Governor Appointed by GB |
April 2016 |
4 Years Resigned January 2017 |
Co – Chair of Governors , Link Governor for Quality and Standards of Education and Pupil Data. | None |
None
|
| Mr Paul Knapp |
Parent Elected by parents |
September 2014
|
4 Years Ended August 2018 |
Link Governor for Safeguarding, SRE and Drugs Education and PSE | None | None |
| Mrs Kath Jones |
Associate Governor Appointed by GB |
January 2018 |
1 Year Resigned March 2018 |
Link Governor for RE and Collective Worship | None | None |
| Mrs Denise Wilson Bainbridge |
Parent Elected by parents |
September 2016 |
4 Years Resigned January 2019 |
Link Governor for Special Educational Needs, Pupil Premium and Early Years | None | None |
| Mrs Luci Jewkes |
Parent Elected by parents |
September 2018 |
4 Years Resigned April 2019 |
Link Governor for School Improvement | None | None |
| Mrs Gemma McManus (Mr Tony Williams) |
Staff Elected by staff |
September 2013 |
Annual End of term August 2019 |
Link Governor for Quality of Teaching, Learning and Assessment | None |
None
|
| Mrs Michelle Pattison |
Parent Elected by parents |
September 2016 |
4 Years Resigned January 2020 |
Link Governor for Finance, Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare | None | Yes |
Governing Body attendance at meetings 2019 – 2020 (meetings were held virtually after 20.3.20)
| Governor | Full Governing Body (7) |
| Alison Russell | 7 |
| Michelle Pattison | 1 Resigned January 2020 |
| Nick Potts | 7 |
| Julia Clarke | 7 |
| Julia Preston | 7 |
| Derek Blenkharn | 7 |
| Viv Waugh | 1 (Became Associate January 2020) |
| Simon Robson | 7 |
| Nicola Bleasby | 7 |
You can contact the Chair of Governors by email Cofg@croft.dalesmat.org or by post to the school address.
