Governing Body

We want to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves and the role we play at each school.

The Governing Body has an important part to play in raising school standards. We set the strategic direction for the schools, ensure financial accountability and monitor and evaluate school performance. While the Head teacher and members of SLT are responsible for the day-to-day running of each school, our role is often described as acting as “a critical friend”. We provide strategic governance to ensure that all children get the best possible education, constantly challenging the schools to attain the best possible performance.

We have responsibility together with the leadership teams for agreeing the policies for the general running of each school. We fulfil statutory duties to ensure that each school is a safe, healthy and inclusive environment. We provide support and challenge to the leadership team of each school on all issues that affect the learning and welfare of our pupils. We also have a responsibility to handle complaints, though it is important to note that individual problems should, at the outset, be directed first to your child’s teacher and then to the school’s leadership team.

The Governing Body is drawn from the school staff, parents of children at the schools, the community that our schools serve and people who have applied through – or been nominated by – the Local Authority. The usual term of office is four years but many governors stand for re-election and serve more than one term.

Meet the Governors:

Chair of Governors: Katy Radburn-Smith

Vice Chair: Fiona Henderson
Clerk: Alison MacBride

Head Teacher: Vikki Marsh-Ballard

Local Authority: Fiona Henderson
Parent Governors: Dennis Burson, Chris Norris, Katy Radburn-Smith, David Knights
Staff Governor: Jess Wylde
Co-opted Governors: Fiona Henderson, Stephen Mbuthia, Tyrone Rees, Ian Wallis, Marta Scholfield

Associate:

Governor pecuniary interests

Name	Business Entity	Nature of interest	Date declared
Dennis Burson	Stockham School	Married to employee; parent	October 2022

Fiona Henderson	River Learning Trust	Employee	October 2022
Stephen Mbuthia		None	May 2022
Chris Norris	Stockham School	Married to employee; Parent	February 2023
Katy Radburn-Smith	Stockham School	Parent	October 2022
Tyrone Rees	Stockham School	Married to employee; parent	October 2022
David Knights	Stockham School	Parent	April 2028
Jess Wylde	Stockham School	Employee	October 2022