Federation Governors
The decisions we make as governors influence a very important stage of the children's learning and development. For me, providing this within small rural church schools that are part of the village community is very important. Decisions we make as governors have significant impact upon all the staff in our schools so consideration for them and their wellbeing is vital to our thought process.
The core functions of a Governing Body are:
- To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Hold the Headteacher to account for the education performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff;
- To oversee the financial performance of the school and to make sure its money is well spent.
You could say that we are providing non-executive leadership in the way that a board of directors does for a limited company.
We are all volunteers and at times the role is demanding and challenging. It has a habit of sucking up too much of your time, but in doing so it provides a great sense of achievement and spending time with the children is just wonderful. Right now we are all on a journey to make see our schools judged as Outstanding by Ofsted, and we are determined to get there.
Sheila Watts
Chair of Governor
SCHOOL GOVERNORS-THE GOVERNING BODY
Catfield Primary, Hickling Infant and Sutton Infant are a Federation of Church Schools and we have one Governing Body. The structure of our governing body was set up in September 2013 when we became a Federation. It is important to us that all stakeholders, the Church, Parents, School Staff and the Community, across all three schools, have a voice at the table and our Governing Body was purposefully structured to give a balanced representation.
Resources Committee-Terms of Reference
Achievements Committee-Terms of Reference
Attendance at meetings
| Attendance 2019-20 |
| Attendance 2020-21 |
| Attendance 2021-22 |
Meeting minutes
SWALLOWTAIL FEDERATION GOVERNORS- WHO'S WHO
Mrs Sheila Watts - Chair of Governors
Hello and thank you for looking at our website. I would like to share a bit of info about me. I have lived in Sutton for 30 years and became a parent governor over 10 years ago when my youngest son was at Sutton infant School, he has just gone to university to study Astro Physics, and I am now Chair of Governors of Swallowtail Federation. Why do I give up my time to be a governor? Two key reasons : I enjoy helping others and love going into school to spend time with the children. Secondly I feel passionately about keeping schools in our communities within our villages and to do this governors are needed to support the staff in the wonderful job they do giving your children the best possible time at school that suits them and enables them to thrive whoever they are and whatever their needs and talents.
It can be hard work being a governor, but it is incredibly rewarding, and I made some good friends and had some good fun along the way. Please get in contact if you are interested in being a governor and would like a bit more info.
There are two committees within the governing body
Resources and Premises: The focus in this committee is on finance; funding and spending. We also monitor the health and safety aspects of our premises.
Achievements and standards: The key to this committee is extensive monitoring of the curriculum and progress of all pupils.
My areas of focus as a governor are:
Equality and diversity: These concepts are central to our school’s ethos and I ensure they are continually addressed in every walk of school life.
Finance: This role involves overseeing the budget of schools to ensure the best use of resources and spending.
Flexi schooling: Swallowtail Federation is proud to offer an option for Flexi Schooling in certain circumstances and as the governor responsible I will monitor to make sure this is working well and delivering the best possible results without any adverse impact.
Mrs Angie Johnson - Vice Chair of Governors
|
I have been a governor since my son was 3, and he is now 27! I am one of the foundation governors for the federation appointed by the PCC of All Saints Church originally for Catfield school. I have been delighted to serve all three schools and see them thrive in a very cohesive federation that fully embraces the core values for life. I work full time from home, am a parish councillor and also an active member of Norfolk Governors Network where I was a member of the Small Schools steering group. All which link positively in enabling me to be as well-informed as I can to do my best for our community and schools. I am passionate about ensuring our children continue to get a good local education from a great immersive curriculum and within an environment where they always feel safe and cared for while they go forward on their learning adventure. It is also a privilege to be part of the journey for the children progressing through our federation, high school and onto achieving their dreams, and some whom now have their own children in the schools. My areas of focus as a governor are: Heads Performance Management - I work with other governors to assess the headteachers annual performance against a set of agreed targets |
Mrs Linda Russell - Foundation Governor
|
I am delighted to be a governor for the Swallowtail Federation of Church Schools. I see being a governor as being a privilege as well as a responsibility. I am a Foundation Governor, appointed in November 2015, which means I value the importance of maintaining and developing our relationship with the local church communities, collective worship and religious education (RE) alongside the drive for very good educational standards and personal wellbeing. I want the best possible experiences and opportunities for all, a curriculum which excites and develops knowledge, skills and attitudes in order for children to flourish, achieve their potential and have a love for learning. I hope my experience as a former headteacher and an inspector can be useful to the governing body. I am currently Chair of the Achievement and Standards committee with a special interest in Mathematics, RE, Humanities (History and Geography) and Forest Schools. My areas of focus as a governor are: Forest schools: In my role as governor, I monitor the forest school curriculum to ensure forest days inspire a deep connection for our children with the natural world around them in line with our school policies and vision. Maths: We strive to continually raise standards in numeracy and regularly monitor the curriculum alongside the leaders within our schools. SIAMS monitoring: SIAMS stands for Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools. Having Governor responsibility for this means highlighting to all governors our Christian foundation ensuring we are upholding, supporting and promoting the Chrisitan ethos in our schools in all that we do. SMSC: This stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural. I monitor the school’s provision for pupil’s development in these areas with evidence provided from our school leaders. Headteacher performance management: I work with other governors to assess the headteachers annual performance against a set of agreed targets |
Mrs Josie Upton - Parent Governor
|
I am a new parent governor for the Swallowtail Foundation. I have three children enrolled in Catfield School. I wanted to join the governing body as I fully believe and embrace the values and ethos of the foundation. I wish to support the staff and other governors in achieving these values in all aspects of school life and for every child in the foundation. My areas of focus as a governor are: PE premium: I monitor PE premium funding. The premium is designed to help children get an active start in life, supporting primary schools to improve the quality of their PE, physical activity/literacy, and sport provision so that pupils experience the benefits of regular exercise. RHSE (Relationship Health and Sex Education) ensuring that this subject is delivered in an appropriate and inclusive way and monitoring progress through the curriculum. Health and Safety: I monitor the school’s practice against its policy to ensure compliance with legislation, good practice, mitigate against risks etc. Mrs Rosie Booker - Co-opted Governor |
|||||||||||||||||
|
I am a new co-opted governor to the ‘Achievement and Standards committee’ since Autumn 2020 and am delighted to be supporting the Swallowtail Federation in this role. I have two children currently attending Catfield School, with a third due to join them in a few years’ time, and I am a Secondary School English Teacher. My reasons for joining the governing body was to gain an opportunity to be more involved in the school community, supporting all the students on their learning journey. As a parent, I have seen the passion, community and familial atmosphere that is evident in school life and I am grateful for this opportunity for me to join this further.
|
|||||||||||||||||
CONTACT US WITH FEEDBACK OR QUESTIONS
We always welcome feedback and comments about school life and would love to hear from you.
Please feel free to contact our Chair of Governors at any time or speak to one of the school secretaries and leave your details so that they can arrange for one of us to contact you.
Chair of Governors – Mrs Sheila Watts
Email: chairofgov@hickling.norfolk.sch.uk
Home phone no: 01692 582711 – evenings only
'Governors want the best for pupils. They work closely with the headteacher to provide high quality education for pupils.’
Ofsted Report, Catfield, December 2015
‘Governors make effective use of their knowledge and skills to provide appropriate challenge and support to you (Head) and your senior leaders.’
Ofsted Report, Hickling, June 2017
‘The governors are well-informed about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievements. They use the school development plan well to measure the impact of the school’s actions.’
Ofsted Report, Sutton, June 2015