Our Governing Board
Our Governing Board provides strategic leadership and accountability across our school
Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre’s Governing Board is composed of a group of committed volunteers drawn from the community, each bringing a range of skills, expertise and professional experience. Our Governors provide essential links between the school and its parents, carers and local community and is ultimately responsible to the Department of Education for the performance of all the school.
Our Governing Board collaborates closely with staff, parents, and carers to create the best possible framework for educating our pupils. Actively engaged in all aspects of school life, the Governors meet regularly with the Senior Leadership Team to support and challenge the school’s direction and progress.
They carry out their responsibilities by holding school leaders to account for both educational outcomes and financial performance. This involves thorough analysis of performance data and financial reports to ensure robust accountability for the leadership team. The Governors also play a key role in setting the school’s vision and the strategy for achieving it. With a focus on pupil progress and achievement, they work alongside senior leaders to identify priorities and establish key performance indicators that enable effective measurement of progress.
In addition, the Governing Board is responsible for ensuring the school’s financial success and integrity. They oversee the effective management of the school’s budget, making sure that all spending delivers value for money and supports the school’s long-term goals.
Governors are appointed by the Governing Board with the exception of Parent Governors, who are elected by parents and carers, and Staff Governors, who are elected by school staff.
Circle Governance Structure
Unlike most schools, Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre operates a Circle Governance Structure.
Instead of delegating decisions to committees, all decisions are made collectively by the Governing Board.
Monitoring specific areas is delegated to individuals or pairs rather than committees. These individuals or pairs provide feedback to the Governing Board.
Our Circle Governance Structure is outlined in the graphic below.
Members of our Governing Board
| Full name | Position | Term of office ends | Date of appointment | Appointed by | Voting rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joanne Batten | Partnership Governor | 14.10.2027 | 14.10.2015 | Governing Board | Yes |
| Sarah Cooper | Staff Governor | 01.09.2026 | 01.09.2022 | Staff | Yes |
| Andrea Dalton | Parent Governor | 10.10.2029 | 10.10.2025 | Parents | Yes |
| Victoria Herbert | Co-opted Governor | 04.02.2029 | 04.02.2025 | Governing Board | Yes |
| David Millington | Co-opted Governor | 04.10.2027 | 04.10.2023 | Governing Board | Yes |
| Paula Murgatroyd | Chair of Governing Board and Partnership Governor | 27.11.2028 | 15.09.2008 | Governing Board | Yes |
| Timothy Nutley | Vice-chair of Governing Board and Co-opted Governor | 11.02.2028 | 12.02.2020 | Governing Board | Yes |
| Michael Scott | Ex-officio by virtue of office as Head Teacher | - | 01.09.2019 | Ex-officio by virtue of office as Head Teacher | Yes |
| Gideon Smith | Co-opted Governor | 10.12.2025 | 10.12.2021 | Governing Board | Yes |
| Matthew Taylor | Parent Governor | 10.10.2029 | 10.10.2025 | Parents | Yes |
| Tracey Walker | Local Authority Governor | 04.10.2027 | 04.10.2023 | Governing Board | Yes |
| Diane Murdoch | Governance Professional and Clerk to the Governing Board | - | - | - | No |
Governor Categories
The role of a Parent Governor is to bring a parental perspective to the issues discussed and help the Governing Board to understand a parent’s viewpoint. This will assist the Governing Board to make good decisions and maintain a link between governance and the parent community.
A Co-opted Governor is a person appointed by the Governing Board and who, in the opinion of the Governing Board, has the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. As Co-opted Governors, they will act in the school’s and wider community’s best interests.
Local authority governors are nominated by the local authority (LA). They aren’t political appointees but serve as the link between the LA and the school.
Partnership Governors only exist in Foundation Schools. Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre is a Foundation School. Partnership Governors are appointed by the Governing Board and, in the opinion of the Governing Body, have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. As Partnership Governors, they will act in the school’s and wider community’s best interests.
Contacting our governing board
If you have any matters that you wish to raise with the school, our Complaints Procedure details how to do this.
If you would like to contact a member of our Governing Board, you can send written correspondence to our Clerk to the Governing Board at the school address. Our contact details can be found here.
