Our Governors
Below is a list of our current Governors. If you need to contact us please either email office@sandalprimaryschool.co.uk or write to us at the school. Any communication will be passed directly to us.
About The Governing Body
Every school must have a governing body which is made up of volunteers from different walks of life and who bring different skills and qualities to the role. Sandal’s Governing Body includes parents, individuals appointed by the Local Authority, members of the community and teaching and non-teaching staff.
Together with the Headteacher, who is responsible for the day to day management of the school, and with other staff, the governing body carries out a number of duties to ensure that our children get the best possible education during their time in school.
The role of governor is largely a thinking and questioning role, not a doing role. Some of the key duties governors have include:
- Helping to shape the vision, ethos and direction of the school. That is not to take on the role and responsibilities of the Headteacher and Senior Staff but Governors are expected to have a clear vision for the school’s development and an understanding of how change can be used to improve the school.
- Promoting standards of educational attainment by having a good understanding of the strengths and development needs of the school and being familiar with performance data and how our pupils are achieving compared with similar schools whilst also looking at trends.
- Ensuring all children, including those with special educational needs, have access to a broad and balanced curriculum;
- Approving the school’s budget and staffing structure.
- Challenging and supporting the Headteacher and senior staff (often referred to as being a ‘critical friend’) by asking questions about why decisions are made, their advantages and how they fit in with the school’s priorities and, importantly, how decisions will impact on the teaching and learning of our children.
- Ensuring that the school fulfils its statutory duties in particular by regularly reviewing school policies and ensuring safeguarding duties are met.
Please do contact us via the school office if you have any thoughts, ideas or questions.
Ray Tate
Chair of Governors
Ray Tate
Chair of Governors
Type of Governor: Co-Opted
Appointed by: Governors
Term of Office ends: 15/9/2027
Committee Membership: Finance & General Purposes
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: Vice Chair of Finance & General Purposes Committee, EYFS, HT Performance Management
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: All Saints C of E, Ilkley.
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years: 2019/20: 5/7, 2020/21: 4/7, 2022/23: 5/9
(at 27th September 2023)
Karen Jones
Vice Chair
Type of Governor: Co-opted
Appointed by: Governors
Term of Office ends: 11/01/2025
Committee Membership: Quality of Education
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: Looked After Children, Quality First Teaching, Curriculum Development
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: K E Jones Education, Red Kite Learning Trust, Red Kite Alliance, Association of School and College Leaders.
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meeting Attended: 7/8
Catherine Berry
Type of Governor: Parent
Appointed by: Parents
Term of office:11/07/2026
Committee membership: Quality of Education Committee
Any special roles or chairing responsibilities on Governing Board: Vice-Chair Quality of Education Committee, PE/Sports Funding, Curriculum Development, HT Performance Management
Other educational institutions at which a governor: None
Business Interests and Date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years 2018/19: 4/4, 2019/20: 7/7, 2020/21: 5/7, 2022/23: 9/9
(at 27/9/2023)
Jane Collett
Type of Governor: Co-opted
Appointed by: Governors
Term of Office ends: 23/11/2024
Committee Membership: Finance & General Purposes
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: SEND, Personalised Learning
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings Attended: 2020/21 – 5/5, 2022/23 – 8/9
Laura Cooper
Type of Governor: Co-opted
Appointed by: Governors
Term of Office ends: 29/9/2026
Committee Membership: Quality of Education
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: Science Leader, Reception Teacher
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years 2016/17: 6/8, 2017/2018: 4/10, 2018/19: 9/9, 2019/20: 7/7, 2020-21: 2/7, 2022/23: 7/7
(at 22/9/2023)
Paul Douglass
Type of Governor: Head Teacher
Appointed by: Governors
Committee Membership: Quality of Education & Finance & General Purposes
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: Head Teacher
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years 2020/21: 7/7
Ewen Gordon
Type of Governor: Parent
Appointed by: Parents
Term of Office ends: 30/9/2027
Committee Membership: Finance & General Purposes Committee
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: Vice Chair Finance & General Purposes, GDPR, EYFS
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years: 2019/20: 4/4, 2020/21: 4/7, 2022/23: 8/9
(at 22/9/2023)
Mark Gregson
Type of Governor: Parent
Appointed by: Parents
Term of Office ends:30/9/2026
Committee Membership:
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities:
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years: 2022/23: 3/7
(at 22/9/2023)
Kate Hoe
Type of Governor: Parent
Appointed by: Parents
Term of Office ends: 30/9/2027
Committee Membership: Quality of Education
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: Pupil Premium, Outdoor Learning
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None.
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended over academic year 2019/20: 5/6, 2020/21: 7/7, 2022/23: 9/9
(at 22/9/2023)
Sarah Lester
Type of Governor: Associate – School Business Manager
Appointed by: Governors
Committee Membership: Finance & General Purposes
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: School Business Manager
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years 2020/21: 7/7
Lora Nevison
Type of Governor: Parent
Appointed by: Parents
Term of Office ends: 3/10/2026
Committee Membership:
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities:
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years: 2022/23: 6/7
(at 22/9/2023)
Paul Sharkey
Type of Governor: Local Authority
Appointed by: Governors
Term of Office ends: 8/2/2025
Committee Membership: Quality of Education
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: Chair of Quality of Education Committee, Safeguarding/Child protection, Looked after Children, Personalised Learning, HT Performance Management
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years 2016/17: 4/5 ,2017/2018: 6/10, 2018/19: 5/9, 2019/20: 5/7, 2020-21: 4/7, 2022/23: 5/9
(at 22/9/2023)
Olivia Spivey
Type of Governor: Staff
Appointed by: Staff/Governors
Term of Office ends: 9/9/2025
Committee Membership: Quality of Education Committee
Special Roles or chairing responsibilities: Year 1 Teacher
Other Educational Institutes at which a governor: None
Business Interests and date notified: None
Relationship to any member of the school staff including spouses, partners or relatives: None
Meetings attended out of a total number of applicable meetings over academic years: 2022/2023: 8/8
(at 22/9/2023)
Govening Body Meetings 2022-23
| Meeting | FGB (Tuesdays 6pm) | Quality of Education, Tuesdays 6pm | Finance and General Purposes, Monday 6pm |
| Autumn 1, 2022 | 13 September | 4 October | 10 October |
| Autumn 2, 2022 | 4 December | ||
| Spring 1, 2023 | 10 January | 23 January | |
| Spring 2, 2023 | 21 March | 13 March | |
| Summer 1, 2023 | MONDAY 8 May (One item agenda for the budget approval) 16 May (full meeting) |
25 April | 8 May |
| Summer 2, 2023 | 11 July | 4 July |
Committees
We currently have two committees:
Quality of Education
Members of the committee meet at least termly and it has the following key areas of focus:
Overall Roles of the Committee
- To assist the Governing Body to ensure the overall aim and focus of the school is to provide the highest quality of provision, both human and physical, to support the development of students in school.
- To assist the Governing Body in fulfilling its school curriculum responsibilities and its responsibilities in relation to the implementation of any nationally agreed curriculum and other associated courses.
The full remit of this committee can be downloaded below.
Finance & General Purposes
Members of the committee meet at least termly and it has the following key areas of focus:
Overall Roles of the Committee
- To assist the Governing Body in fulfilling its statutory responsibilities for all staff employed in school and to generate the best possible professional environment, within which all staff can contribute to the raising of pupil performance and attainment.
- To assist the Governing Body in directing the management of the school budget in support of the School Improvement Plan and ensuring sound financial management practices.
- To assist the Governing Body: to fulfil its responsibilities in providing the best possible physical environment within which students learn, and to ensure all the Governing Body’s statutory responsibilities for the health and safety of all students and adults on site are met.
The full remit of this committee can be downloaded below.