Meet our Governors

	Name	Role	Bio
	Louise Howe	Chair of governors	Hello, I am the chair of Governors and co-opted governor for Chuter Ede Primary School.  I joined the governing board as a parent in 2016 when my two daughters attended the school.  I am the SEND link governor and Safeguarding link governor.  I am an occupational therapist by profession and currently work in higher education
	David Lees	Vice Chair	Hi!, I'm David Lees and I am a parent Governor here at Chuter Ede.  I have a daughter who attends the Fernwood site.  I have been a governor since 2021 and am currently vice-chair of the governors and chair of the sub-committee.   In My day Job, I am the higher education manager at a large Russel Group research-intensive university.  I am passionate about excellent education, and I work closely with the chair of governors, the wider governing body and the leadership team to ensure all pupils have an excellent experience at Chuter Ede.
	Bernadette Hunter	Senior Headteacher	Hello, I am Bernadette Hunter the Senior Headteacher across both school sites.
	Sarah Garland	Parent Governor	My name is Sarah Garland, and I am a parent governor for Fernwood.  My children are in years one and six.  I am an assistant headteacher at a school in Grantham and have been in education for 20 years. Giving children opportunities, enriching their lives and developing them to be the best they can be is a passion of mine.  In my spare time I like cooking and being with my friends and family.
	Richard Thompson	Co-opted Governor	I am a Chartered Accountant working on regenerative soil solution start-up.  I am a father of four and a grandparent to seven.  I live in Balderton.
	Jess Mitchell	Parent Governor	Hello, I am Jess, I am a parent governor.  I have one daughter in Year one and my son starts school in September.
	Marion Fox-Goddard	Co-opted Governor	I have worked in local government for over fifteen years and currently work for Balderton Parish Council.  My role there involves ensuring the council effectively managed and delivering services such as the allotments, Balderton lake, Mount Rd cemetery, Coronation Street park and Village centre. I am dedicated to support the local community so I became a school governor in 2022.  I hope to support Chuter Ede to provide a safe, supportive and inclusive education space for children to develop in their early education, to set them up for their future.  The Challenges and demands faced by schools have never been greater, but it is a privilege to be able to work with the other governors and the school staff who are continually working on improvement tot he school's curriculum ana management.
	Rev Louise Holliday	Co-opted Governor	I have been the vicar of St Giles church for seven years and during that time I have loved building the connection with the school.  I am delighted to serve on the governing board and enjoy playing my part in supporting the children, staff and parents of our amazing school.
	Cath Bolland	Parent Governor	I am a Parent Governor.  I joined the Governing Board at Chuter Ede in 2019 and have enjoyed learning about different aspects of the school and being involved in its continued development and success.  In my free time I enjoy watching my children play football and walking my dog.
	Dom Lynad	Co-opted Governor	I am Senior Assistant Head, Behaviour and attainment lead at the Suthers School.  I previously worked at Toot Hill School in Bingham.  I am a PE teacher with a passion for all sports.  I am still playing football for a veterans team! I enjoy regular holidays in Britain and further afield with my wife and eight year old son.
	Sam Oliver	LA Governor	I work at Barnby Road as Safeguarding and Welfare Manager.  I am passionate about supporting the needs of all pupils.
	Rebecca Pennick	Teacher Governor	I am a teacher at the Fernwood site. I have three children, one of which is ready to go to university.  My youngest child is still at Primary School.
	Douglas Asante	Parent Governor	I am a parent of three girls.  I am a published author.
	Rachel Revill	Associate member	I am Head of school for the Fernwood site.  I am a keen runner.
	Tim Head	Associate member	I am Head of school for the Balderton site.  I enjoy walking with my dog

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School governors are members of their school's governing body, which is known as a 'corporate body'. A corporate body has a legal identity that is separate from its members and as a result, individual governors are generally protected from personal liability as a result of the governing body's decisions and actions provided they act honestly, reasonably and in good faith.

Individual governors have no power or right to act on behalf of the governing body except where the whole governing body has delegated a specific function to that individual or where regulations specify a function is to be exercised in a particular way.

School governors are drawn from different parts of the community and can be parents and staff or from the LA, the community and other groups. This helps ensure the governing body has sufficient diversity of views and experience but does not mean governors of a particular category represent that group on the governing body. For example, parent governors do not represent the parents at the school and do not report back to them.

Responsibilities

The governing body has a range of duties and powers and a general responsibility for the conduct of the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement. Its responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• setting targets for pupil achievement
• managing the school's finances
• making sure the curriculum is balanced and broadly based
• appointing staff
• reviewing staff performance and pay.

The governing body has considerable discretion as to how to discharge its responsibilities but is required to constitute itself in line with the regulations and to appoint a chair and vice chair. The governing body may delegate certain of its responsibilities to certain governors or committees of governors, although in general, it is not compelled to do so.

Roles and actions

There are a range of roles and actions the governing body or individual governors need to consider:

• Constitution of the governing body – the governing body must be constituted in line with the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2003. These regulations cover the number and type (category) of governors that make up the governing body.
• Terms of reference of the governing body – more information can be found on this website about the different categories, roles and committees that can be involved with being a governor. In brief, the different categories are:

1. parent governors: selected by election (or appointment if insufficient people stand for election) and drawn from parents and carers of children at the school
2. staff governors: selected by election from teaching and support staff paid to work at the school
3. community governors: appointed by the governing body to represent community interests
4. authority governors: appointed by the local authority
5. foundation governors (not community schools): appointed by the school's founding body, church or other organisation named in the school's instrument of government
6. partnership governors (foundation schools only): replace foundation governors if the school does not have a founding body
7. sponsor governors: discretionary category appointed by the governing body from individuals who have made significant (financial) contributions to the school
8. associate members (not governors): appointed by the governing body to attend committee meetings and/or full governing body meetings due to their particular skills or experience.

• Roles of governor – the governing body must appoint a chair and vice-chair and may wish to make a number of other specific appointments to lead on certain aspects of the school.
• Committees of the governing body – the governing body can delegate certain of its responsibilities to committees or individual governors.

Information from DfE Website http://www.education.gov.uk/a0056694/categories-and-roles-of-school-governors