Welcome Message

On behalf of the Governors, a very warm welcome to our school web site. We hope you find it easy to use, helpful and that it gives you a taste of the wonderful experiences our school has to offer you and your children.

As Chair of Governors here at South Wilford Primary School I am very pleased to have this opportunity to explain what we do as Governors.

Governors are responsible for making sure the school actively provides the best possible and highest quality education for its pupils, and actively fulfils its role in the local community. The Head Teacher is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school, and the Governors, in co-operation with the Head Teacher, set the school’s aims, strategies and policies. You can find more information on this in the ‘Overall Responsibilities’ section below.

Our Governors meet twice a term to discuss school strategy and policies. We are also responsible for maintaining a Christian Ethos and embedding the school Mission Statement – Discovering Together, Fullness of Life: Confident in Christ, Captivated by Learning, Committed to Excellence. Additionally, all of our Governors enjoy coming into school on a regular basis and involve themselves in different aspects of school life.

Our aim, as Governors, is to provide a safe, caring and nurturing environment where children are encouraged and challenged to reach their full potential. We are proud of our school and feel privileged to support Natalie Aldridge and the staff in delivering a varied and stimulating education for our children.

As a Church of England school our Governing Body consists of representatives from the parents, the South Wilford church community, the Diocese, the Carters Foundation, the staff and the Transform Trust. We also have an independent Clerk who is responsible for taking minutes of our meetings, and oversees our administration. Our Governors bring a wide range of skills and experience to the role.

It is truly a privilege to be part of the highly skilled and dedicated team of professionals and volunteers here at South Wilford Primary School. The children and their learning experience are at the centre of all we do as Governors.

If you have any concerns regarding a school matter the first point of contact is always the school staff, whether the class teacher, office manager, head of Key Stage or Head Teacher. However, if you think there is a matter that cannot be handled in this way we would encourage you to talk to one of us. We welcome all contact,whether it’s something you need assistance with or indeed a positive comment you would like to make and feed back through the Governors. Please see one of us personally (our individual details are all below) or email me.

Emily Pope,
Chair, South Wilford Primary School

Overall Responsibilities of the Governing Body

1. Contribute to the strategic discussions at governing body meetings which determine:• the vision and ethos of the school;

• clear and ambitious strategic priorities and targets for the school;
• that all children, including those with special educational needs, have access to a broad and balanced curriculum;
• the school’s budget, including the expenditure of the pupil premium allocation;
• the school’s staffing structure and key staffing policies;
• the principles to be used by school leaders to set other school policies.

2. Hold the senior leaders to account by monitoring the school’s performance; this includes:

• agreeing the outcomes from the school’s self-evaluation and ensuring they are used to inform the priorities in the school development plan;
• considering all relevant data and feedback provided on request by school leaders and external sources on all aspects of school performance;
• asking challenging questions of school leaders;
• ensuring senior leaders have arranged for the required audits to be carried out and receiving the results of those audits;
• ensuring senior leaders have developed the required policies and procedures and the school is operating effectively according to those policies;
• acting as a link governor on a specific issue, making relevant enquiries of the relevant staff, and reporting to the governing body on the progress on the relevant school priority; and
• listening to and reporting to the school’s stakeholders : pupils, parents, staff, and the wider community, including local employers.

3. Ensure the school staff have the resources and support they require to do their jobs well, including the necessary expertise on business management, external advice where necessary, effective appraisal and CPD (Continuing Professional Development), and suitable premises, and that the way in which those resources are used has impact.

4. When required, serve on panels of governors to:

• appoint the headteacher and other senior leaders;
• appraise the head teacher;
• set the headteacher’s pay and agree the pay recommendations for other staff;
• hear the second stage of staff grievances and disciplinary matters;
• hear appeals about pupil exclusions.

As a CofE school we also have responsibility for ensuring that the ethos and values of a Christian school are maintained and upheld by the school. Our school should be ‘Distinctive, Inclusive, Effective and Rooted’ and this is something the Governors at South Wilford are actively seeking to encourage within the school.

Emily Pope

Chair and Safeguarding Governor

I’ve lived in Wilford since 2009 and am married with two daughters and a stepson. I’m a Civil Servant at the Department for Education, and am responsible for delivering sites and buildings for new schools. Part of my role is to ensure school facilities and environments are able to support high quality teaching and learning. I’m also hugely passionate about opportunities for sport and physical activity, and the benefits of children being active. I previously worked at Sport England and have been involved with local netball clubs since a young age. I love living in Wilford, and South Wilford School provides a great focal point for the community. I feel privileged that my children will grow up in a village which has so much to offer.

Pino De Rosa

Foundation Governor

I have lived in Wilford since 1994 and have 4 daughters who have all been pupils of South Wilford School. I run a rail engineering business which was established in Wilford in 1995 and is now headquartered across the river. Wilford and its community has had a positive impact on me and my family’s life, it is a great place to live and work and has a healthy sense of community. My aim is to use my business skills and community drive to support the children and staff of South Wilford so that we can continue to build on the legacy that has existed within the community over centuries.

Tom McGowan

Foundation Governor

I joined the governing body in 2017 having been a part of St Wilfrid’s church since 2011. My eldest 2 children attend South Wilford already with the third hoping to start in 2022, and I work as a doctor with an interest in the education of medical students. I have a passion for South Wilford School to provide an excellent education for all the children in our community with true Christian distinctiveness and aim to support the school and governing body in achieving this.

Wendy Cranefield

Vice Chair and Foundation Governor

Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
These words have been become an inspiration to me, both as a Primary school teacher and subsequently as a Governor.

I believe that harnessing and nurturing the potential within every child is essential to their primary school life. I am also a parent of the school, and thus felt the call to work as part of a team to create an environment where pupils flourish and develop into the people of tomorrow.

Madeleine Cox

Foundation Governor

I am a Christian, the mother of four children and a local resident. My background is in education particularly modern language teaching in industry and secondary schools. I have experience in pastoral care, the successful transition of children from Primary into Secondary education and the promotion of links with the community.

My many years of association with the Carters Educational Trust together with my absolute belief that every individual child whatever their ability or circumstance must receive the very best education in its fullest sense, led to my acceptance two years ago of an invitation to become a Governor of South Wilford Church of England School.

This is a privileged but very rewarding position of great responsibility and I am proud to be part of a Governing Body which supports, continually challenges and takes a full and active part in the life of the school; I especially enjoy the celebrations of achievement and success of every child and watching them grow in confidence throughout their time in the school. I share the Christian values and vision of the school and I am committed to playing my part in a team striving to ensure continued excellence in a growing and exciting school environment.

South Wilford Endowed CE Primary School Governing Body

Structures

Clerk to Governors: Ruth Palmer c/o South Wilford Endowed CE Primary School ruth.palmer@transformtrust.co.uk