Governors
Active – Aspire - Achieve
At Amotherby School, Governors, staff, families, children and the community work together in ensuring our values under pin everything that we do.
The Governing Board is involved with our school at every level and provide strategic leadership and accountability. We have three core functions:
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
Governors are volunteers who meet at least once per ½ term as a full board. In addition, each Governor may have keys areas that there are linked to. Through our meetings and regular visits into school we have strategic oversight of safeguarding, curriculum, performance, finance, premises management and senior staff appointments. Governors consider our most important role to be the education, safety and welfare of our pupils.
We monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the school, its budget and its policies; and hold the school to account for the educational performance of our learners. Our role is to support and encourage Mrs Wanless our Headteacher, subject leaders and all staff to ensure that every one of our children has access to an enriched, highest quality education, a safe and nurturing learning environment and to all the opportunities that they deserve.
We are a happy school filled with smiling, confident children. The children achieve high standards across the curriculum. We are justifiably very proud of them and would encourage anyone considering a place at Amotherby School for their child to make an appointment to discover for yourself everything we have to offer your child.
We are all committed to ensuring that a young person’s school day at Amotherby School is positive and fulfilling and to provide the opportunity for our young people to develop to their full potential.
If you wish to contact me, my email is cofg@amotherby.n-yorks.sch.uk
Stewart Morris
Chair of Governors
Who are our Governors
Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and short introductions to our Governors.
Name |
Appointment Type |
Appointing Body |
Additional Responsibility |
Mrs Lucy Brazier |
Head Teacher |
Ex-officio by virtue of office as HT |
|
Mrs Kelly Richmond |
Staff governor |
Staff |
|
Mrs Sophie Jillings |
Co-opted governor |
LGB |
SEND & Vice Chair
|
Mr Jonathon Trowsdale |
Co-opted governor |
LGB |
Attendance & Safeguarding |
Mr Keiran Owen |
Co-opted governor |
LGB |
Resources & Maths |
Mr Stewart Morris |
Parent Governor |
Parent Body |
Chair of Governors
|
Mr James Owen |
Parent governor |
Parent Body |
Curriculum |
Mr Paul Frith |
Co-opted governor
|
LGB | School Improvement |
Vanessa Baxter
|
Authority Governor | LGB | English |
Lydia Waites |
NYCC Clerk |
|
Sophie Jillings
Sophie was appointed as a co-opted governor in June 2023. She has worked in leadership roles within database and digital technology companies for 20 years and is looking forward to bringing her understanding of data to her governor role, carefully reviewing school metrics.
Sophie lives in Amotherby village and has 3 children, including a son in Year 2 at Amotherby School, and is keen to foster an ongoing close relationship between the school and the local area.
Stewart Morris
Stewart joined the governing board as a parent governor in November 2021 and is chair of Governors. He has three children at Amotherby Community School, with a fourth at secondary school.
He has over 20 years experience in criminal justice, both on the front line in prisons and more recently in the Ministry of Justice, developing evidenced-based national policies and supporting prison governors and probation leaders to develop and improve practice.
Keiran Owen
Keiran was appointed as a co-opted governor in October 2022. He is an accountant who has worked in local government for over 10 years and uses this experience to assist Amotherby School and the Governing board.
Keiran has a daughter in Year 3 and a son in Year 1. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, running and watching football.
Vanessa Baxter
Vanessa was appointed as the local authority governor in October 2023 after moving to Swinton. Previously she was a governor for ten years at the primary school in Colchester that her children attended.
She is a health and social care researcher at York St John University and has previously worked for Essex County Council in a range of areas including the Schools, Children and Families Service where she carried out research and analysis projects to benefit children and young people.
James Owen
James was appointed as a parent governor in July 2024. He works as a Territory Sales Manager for the UK subsidiary of an international company and is looking forward to utilising his skills to support the school and give a parental viewpoint to the governing board.
He has a son in Year 1, in his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking and running.
Paul Frith
Paul joined the Governing Body in May 2024 after relocating with his family from London in 2023. He has one child at Amotherby and another at Malton Secondary School.
Paul was a secondary school teacher specialising in Physical Education and Religious education, and also spent much of his career as a senior leader and ultimately as a Headteacher. He took early retirement in 2022 but remains interested and involved in matters relating to education. He enjoys watching and playing a range of sports, primarily cricket and golf, and has a keen interest in music.
Governor categories in Amotherby School
The governing boards of maintained schools must be made up of specific types of governors. Understand what all of the different categories of governors are and the roles they play in school governance.
The headteacher
The headteacher is automatically a governor because of their position as headteacher – sometimes referred to as an 'ex-officio' governor. Headteachers can resign their position on the governing board if they choose, but the role can't be filled by any other staff member.
Their role
To implement the governing board's strategy in practice, and provide information to the governing board as requested. A governing board or committee meeting is the primary forum where the headteacher reports to the board.
Parent governors
Parent governors are elected by other parents in the school.
All parents or carers of registered pupils at the school are eligible to stand in a parent governor election. Once elected, parent governors may continue to hold office until the end of their term of office even if their child leaves the school .
The DfE defines parents as:
- All natural (biological) parents, whether they are married or not
- Any person who, although not a biological parent, has parental responsibility for a child or young person (this could be a step-parent, guardian or other relative)
- Any person who, although not a biological parent, has care of a child or young person. This means they are the person with whom the child lives and who looks after the child, irrespective of what their relationship is with the child
Grandparents would only be eligible to be parent governors if they care for the child on a full-time, settled basis or if they are the legal guardian of the child.
Their role
A parent governor's role is the same as other governors on the board, but they provide a 'parental viewpoint' to the governing board. They're not there as a parent representative nor as an advocate for their own child.
Staff governors
Staff governors are elected by other staff members.
All staff who are employed to work at the school at the time of election are eligible to stand for election as the staff governor. This includes teaching staff, support staff, senior leaders and part-time staff.
Staff governors should be elected for the skills they can bring to the governing board, rather than their position within the school.
Their role
Staff governors have the same role as other governors on the board, but they bring a unique staff perspective to the governing board. They don't represent the staff and are not there to be held to account by the board.
Local authority governors
Local authority (LA) governors are nominated by the LA. LAs set their own eligibility criteria, but the governing board can either accept or reject that nomination based on whether they have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.
Their role
LA governors must govern in the interests of the school and not represent or advocate for the political or other interests of the LA
Co-opted governors
Co-opted governors are appointed by the governing board.
Anyone is eligible to become a co-opted governor and governing boards are free to decide which skills they're looking for. This can include parents.
Their role
Co-opted governors are appointed by the governing board if it believes they have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. They'll often have specialised knowledge in subjects like:
- Management
- HR
- Finance
- Data
- Law
- Education