Our Governers
Welcome from the Chair of Governors
As the Chair of Governors I would like to welcome you to King Edward Primary School.
Our children are kind and caring individuals and their achievements are valued and encouraged and we take great pride in our pupils and the education we provide.
Our school is a hive of activity and the diversity in teaching style and opportunities will ensure that your child is motivated to learn and have fun whilst doing so. The amazing staff go above and beyond to ensure that the children have experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. This enables them to challenge themselves and develop a wide range of skills and knowledge that they can be proud of.
As a school we communicate with our parents and carers in a wide range of ways; using social media, our school website and different messaging platforms, so you will always be kept up to date with school life and events and the staff in our school office are highly experienced and available to help with any queries that you may have.
There are many opportunities and events where you will be able to join in and build a relationship with the school, other parents and the children at school and we actively seek to engage with our families on a regular basis.
The school is supported in its goals by a strong and experienced Governing Body and we continue to strive to make the school the best it can be. We make sure that the school’s strategic direction is supported, and that policies and procedures are robust and fit for purpose. We ensure that the school budget and resources are being used in the best way possible for our children. In addition to this we make sure that we have a wide-ranging set of skills and training so that we add value in everything we do.
Our children are our best advert and I would encourage you to visit the school if you can. You will be greeted by hardworking and enthusiastic learners, friendly staff, and a positive and bright teaching environment and will leave feeling the same way about the school as we do. I hope that you will feel that your child would like to join us and we look forward to your family choosing our school.
Chair of Governors
Contact our Governors
Jonathan Heath
Adele Tong
Governing Body’s Annual Statement
The Issues faced and addressed by the Governing Body over the last year were:
- Governing Body working arrangements and preparation for the Ofsted inspection and responding to its recommendations
- Continued to ensure that the Head Teacher and SLT were supported in their roles
- ‘Learning Walks’ to be undertaken by Governors to increase their depth of understanding of the school
- Monitoring the progress of the KEEP
- Restructuring of the Governor’s sub-committees to enable a more responsive approach
- Responses to the changed Ofsted inspection framework
- Investigation and decision making regarding in-term holiday requests
- Major updates and changes to school website
- Communication letters relating to key information sharing
- Homework survey of staff following requests from parents
- Parent and carer survey including clarification of parent/carer views
- Welcoming new Governors including the Head Teacher of John Spence High School and a new parent governor
- A permanent exclusion
The impact of the Governing Body on the school was:
- Governors knowledge of new data and assessment systems enables Governors to provide further support and challenge to school provision
- Updated and redesigned school website will improve already highly effective communications with parents, carers and visitors
- The parent and carer survey had a very high number of returns and confirms the great success of the school and the strength of highly positive views of parents and carers.
- The pupil survey confirmed that children feel safe, and that the overwhelming majority understand the behaviour policy. This process will be repeated.
- As a result of Governors clarifying stakeholders views, Governors are very clear about pupils and parent/carer views, supporting school to target and determine next steps of development.
| Committee | Abrv. | Name of Chair |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing and Finance | S&F | Adele Tong |
| Curriculum and Pupil Outcomes | C&O | Claire Graham |
| Premises and Pupil Safety | P&S | Maria Humphreys |
| GOVERNOR / ASSOCIATE MEMBER | CATEGORY | APPOINTED BY OR ELECTED | START DATE | EXPIRY DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline Afolabi-Deleu | Foundation | Appointed | September 1, 2019 | August 31, 2023 |
| Kate Byrne | Head teacher | Appointed | September 1, 2010 | - |
| Claire Graham | Local Authority | Appointed | July 2, 2018 | July 1, 2022 |
| Jonathan Heath | Co-opted | Appointed | January 21, 2019 | January 20, 2023 |
| Maria Humphreys | Parent | Elected | March 8, 2019 | March 7, 2022 |
| Lucy Laidler | Staff | Elected | September 1, 2019 | August 31, 2023 |
| David Lilly | Co-opted | Appointed | May 24, 2021 | May 23, 2025 |
| Mhairi McGowan | Co-opted | Appointment | September 1, 2021 | August 31, 2025 |
| Berni Miller | Co-opted | Appointed | September 1, 2021 | August 31, 2025 |
| Debra Nichol | Foundation | Appointed | December 5, 2019 | December 4, 2023 |
| Adele Tong | Co-opted | Elected | October 5, 2020 | October 4, 2024 |
| Sarah Parnaby | Clerk/Admin | - | ||
| Paul Truscott | Clerk/Support | - | ||
| Parent Vacancy |
Strategic Governance
The purpose of a Governing Body is to support leaders in school by providing confident, strategic leadership and upholding robust systems of accountability for educational and financial performance. Governors are not involved in decisions around the day-to-day operational running of the school.
In order to perform this role well, a governor is expected to:
- Get to know the school, including by visiting the school occasionally during school hours, and gain a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses
- Work in partnership with the Headteacher, Senior Leadership Team and other governors to raise standards and improve outcomes for all children
- Attend induction training and regular relevant training and development events
- Attend meetings (full governing body meetings and committee meetings) and read all the papers before the meeting
- Act in the best interest of all the pupils of the school
- Behave in a professional manner, as set down in the governing body’s code of conduct, including acting in strict confidence.
Governors now play an even more vital role in the leadership of the school in relation to the new Ofsted inspection framework. It is important that a Governor understands their role within this and that they have a good level of understanding of the inspection framework and where the school currently sits within this and its plans for the future.
They must be comfortable to question and challenge within meetings and also be aware that their name may be reflected in the minutes when doing so.
