St. Luke’s Board of Governors
As governors, we are pleased and privileged to be able to contribute to the success of St. Luke’s. Our role involves working together with Mrs Rogers and the senior management team in the strategic management of the school to ensure that it provides the best possible education for all our children, and a safe and caring environment for everyone in our community. We are actively involved in the school in a variety of ways and always enjoy our visits to share in the children’s many achievements. The role of school governor is very rewarding, as it allows us to make a positive difference to the school by helping to raise standards and serve the wider local community.
What do Governors do?
School governors play an important part in raising school standards and our main priority is to act in the best interests of all the children at St. Luke’s. We are legally responsible for the school, and have final say in policy and budget. The governors work closely with Mrs Rogers, the head teacher, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school, providing both support and challenge to ensure our school provides the best quality education possible.
Governors play an active role in reviewing school achievement and attainment information on a regular basis. This allows us, together with the head teacher, to be actively involved in making decisions regarding the progress towards and setting of challenging targets for better performance. The school governors also approve and monitor the impact of school policies and work together with the head teacher and staff to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the school improvement plan. The governors also approve the school budget and staffing structure in consultation with the head. As governors, we respond to recommendations from both the local education authority and Ofsted, to ensure that every child in our school is able to achieve to the best of their ability. The governing body also holds the head teacher to account for the performance of the school and ensures that parents are involved, consulted and informed as required.
Sub-committees
We have folded the Teaching and Learning sub-committee into the main committee meetings and hold these more often. It used to be 3 main meetings per year, plus meetings for each of the two sub-committees. This year we will hold 6 main meetings and 2 meetings for the Resource Management Committee.
There is a small sub-committee which meets irregularly and usually in response to unusual circumstances, known as the Development Strategy Group, this is formed from the chair, vice-chair plus optionally the head and any other governor who may have relevant knowledge, there are also working groups, who look at Ofsted preparation and the yearly headteacher’s performance management.
All governors agree to abide by our Code of Practice
Meet St. Luke’s Governors
At St. Luke’s all our governors are volunteers who represent those with a particular interest in our school, including parents, staff, the church, local education authority and the community. Our board of governors currently consists of a local authority governor appointed by Derbyshire County Council, three foundation governors appointed by the Diocese of Derby, three parent governors elected by parents with children at the school, two staff governors appointed through election by staff at St. Luke’s and up to six co-opted governors appointed by the governing body. All governors work hard for the betterment of the school, and we are particularly lucky at St Luke’s to have such a dedicated and willing team.
Claire Aspinall
“Having served on the governing body since 2018, and as Chair last year, I am committed to seeing the school excel. With a background in management consultancy, physics education and teacher education, I have a diverse skillset which I use to serve the school senior management team, its staff and its children to the best of my ability.”
Fiona Hall
Roger Barrett
Foundation Governors:
Foundation governors are appointed by the diocese. The inclusion of Foundation Governors on the governing bodies of both Aided and Controlled schools is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a Church school. The Foundation Governors represent the historic link with the original establishment of the school and its distinctive religious ethos.
Zoe Bowers
Local Authority Governors:
Local Authority (LA) governors are appointed by the local authority that maintains the school. They are volunteers from the local area who would like to be a governor. All such governors are primarily appointed with a view to their commitment to raise standards at the school concerned.
Co-Opted Governors:
A “co-opted governor” means a person who is appointed as a governor by the governing body and who, in the opinion of the governing body, has the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.
Heidi Page
Mark Smitham
Chika Jones
Scott Hoyle
Parent Governors:
Parent governors are parents of pupils at school, and are elected by other parents. However, a parent governor is a representative and not a delegate of parents. They are there to work in partnership with the headteacher, senior leadership team and co-operatively with other governors to raise standards and improve outcomes for all children.
Staff Governors:
Staff Governors are elected by the staff. As an employee, the staff governor has a unique insight into the activities of the school. The staff governor brings to the governing body an understanding of the school’s ethos and culture as well as a close, professional knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses. Staff must have a voice on the governing body so that they can contribute, in partnership with other governors, to the strategic development of the school. The staff governor serves as a useful link between the staff and the governing body.
Jakki Rogers
Chris Holt