Every state school must have a Governing Body. It is made up of individuals from different walks of life who come together, along with the Head Teacher, to form the Governing Body.
Governors play an important role in the school community, they help to lead the school and evaluate its progress. Much of the work of the Governing Body focuses on the strategic leadership of the school and evaluating the impact of the teaching and learning.
Brabin’s Governors support the school leadership team in making good financial decisions and ensuring that the correct decisions are made about the children’s education. We monitor the progress of the school and evaluate the impact of those decisions. This means we look at how well our children are performing in their education and extra-curricular activities. As individuals, it is important that Governors know the school well, so we can frequently be seen around school and at school events. Governors set high expectations and ask challenging questions of the school leadership team. We do not make day to day decisions about how the school is run, that is the job of the Head Teacher and senior staff.
The majority of the work a Governor does at Brabin’s Endowed is divided across two committees which meet once every term. Governors are part of one or the other of the following committees:
- Standards and Effectiveness, and
- Resources and Management
The Full Governing Body also meets once a term.
Copies of the minutes of these meeting are available for parents to read from the school office. Our meetings are clerked by Lancashire County Council who also provides our school with an advisor.
Governors typically get involved get in:
- deciding how the budget should be spent and ensuring good value for money;
- making sure the curriculum provides for and stretches all pupils;
- making sure the school buildings are welcoming, safe and well used;
- setting and monitoring the school’s values, aims and policies;
- appointing staff and making sure the right development and reward arrangements are in place for those staff.
- visiting school to oversee their area of responsibility.
There are several categories of governors, as follows:
- Parent Governors are voted onto the Governing Body when a vacancy arises. This is usually at the end of a four year term of office.
- Co-opted governors are individuals who have a particular skill or experience useful to the Governing Body.
- Foundation Governors are drawn from Brabin’s Trust and St Bartholomew’s Church, this reflects our history and Christian Ethos principles.
- The local authority can also appoint a governor to the school.
- There is a staff governor who is elected from within the employees of the school.
School Governors
The following is a list of our school governors, their category, term of office, any business interests which may impact on their role as a governor, the roles they have on the Governing Body and a short piece about why those governors have the right skills to hold their position at our school.
Name: Judith Case
Category of Governor: Community
Roles: Chair of Governors
Member of Standards and Effectiveness Committee
Special Educational Needs & Disability Governor (SEND)
ICT Governor
Term of Office: 30th October 2017 – 29th October 2021
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 5/6
Register of Interests (as at October 2019) None
Why is Judith Case one of the ‘right people around the table’?
Judith has worked in the Education sector for 23 years. During her time in school Judith had responsibility for developing effective Teaching & Learning with teachers, newly qualified teachers and trainee teachers. She worked alongside Cumbria University to monitor quality assurance of trainee teacher placements. Judith has formerly been a parent governor and was also a staff governor for 12 years.
Since her appointment she has attended training on SEN, interpreting school data and preparation for the SIAMS inspection.
Judith feels passionate about education and wishes to support Brabin’s Endowed School Community.
Name: Maxine Selby
Category of Governor: Parent
Roles: Member of Resources Committee
Pupil Premium Governor
Child Protection Governor
Website Governor
AGT Governor
Term of Office: 8th January 2019 – 7th January 2023
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 6/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2019) None
Why is Maxine Selby one of the ‘right people around the table’?
A full time mum to three young girls, two of whom attend the school, Maxine was appointed as a parent governor in December 2014. In addition to the parental perspective, Maxine brings a wealth of experience from her previous working life; having been a Chartered Recruitment Consultant in Manchester and working at management level in retail. Maxine works well in a team environment and is an effective communicator; not afraid to speak up or give her opinion! Since appointment to the Governors, Maxine has attended training courses to develop her skills as a governor and volunteered her time to help out at school events.
Name: Clare Compton
Category of Governor: Co-opted
Roles: Brabins Curriculum
Science
Member of Resources and Management Committee
Member of Standards and Effectiveness Committee
Term of Office: 23 February 2015 – 23 February 2023
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 5/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2019)
Longridge High School, Parent Governor (and current Chair) since November 2014. Trustee of Chipping Village Hall since January 2017.
Why is Clare Compton one of the ‘right people around the table’?
Clare has more than 20 years’ experience in waste management both in the public and NGO sector. This means that she brings to the Governors skills in budget management, human resources management, data monitoring and evaluation, and in developing complex strategies. She has sat on national government advisory bodies for waste management, sat on government and national lottery funding panels and been part of the board of a number of national environmental and social charities. Clare has been a governor since 2010 and has taken an active part in numerous training courses and attends all governors meetings. In November 2014 she was also appointed a parent governor at Longridge High School, where she is Vice-Chair. With three sons, all of whom have been pupils at Brabin’s, Clare takes part in lots of sporting and outdoor activities and is Group Scouts Leader in for Chipping Group.
Name: Grace Hore
Category of Governor: Authority
Roles: Chair of the Resources and Management committee
Computing Governor
Term of Office: 29 July 2016 – 28 July 2024
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 5/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2019) None
Why is Grace Hore one of the ‘right people around the table’?
Grace has worked in all areas of Finance for over 40 years and is currently a Finance Manager in a small charity locally. She is responsible, along with the treasurer, for the budget planning, preparation and monitoring and presents management accounts monthly to a Finance Committee. Grace also does all aspects of payroll and HR.
Her daughter attended Brabins School from 1992 to 1998 and during that time, Grace worked in the school office as an administrator helping to set up the new computer systems and balancing accounts. She also was a NTA working with the children which she loved. Grace was an LEA Governor from 2006 to 2010, when she took a break to support her husband as Deputy Mayor, then Mayor of the Ribble Valley. She returned to the post in 2012/13 and although things have changed in that time, Grace has undertaken the necessary training to bring herself up to date.
As for why Grace is one of the ‘right people around the table’, apart from the skills and experience outlined, she cares about the school the staff and fellow governors and wants to achieve the best for Brabin’s Endowed School.
Name: John Stott
Category of Governor: Staff
Roles: Member of Resources and Management Committee
Sustainability Governor
Term of Office: 23 February 2019 – 23 February 2023
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 6/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2019) None
Why is John Stott one of the ‘right people around the table’?
John is an ex-pupil of Brabin’s Endowed School, also his late father was a governor of Brabin’s when John was at school. When John started as a parent governor a couple of years ago, he had two children at Brabin’s and was interested in the running of the school they attended. John is an active part of the team, that brings local knowledge and his own experiences, and is interested in taking on many roles from looking at various figures to school maintenance .Now with one child at the school, he wants to see the school keep performing well into the future.
Name: Fiona Jenkins
Category of Governor: Foundation (ex officio)
Roles: Member of Standards and Effectiveness Committee
Mathematics Governor
RE Governor
Term of Office: 1 December 2015 – 30 November 2023
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 5/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2019)
Vicar of St Bartholomew, Chipping and St Michael, Whitewell
Why is Fiona Jenkins one of the ‘right people around the table’?
Fiona has previous experience of being a governor at two village primary schools in the Yorkshire Dales. Before becoming a Vicar, she had over 20 years’ experience in commercial insurance, including the management of complex legal liabilities and specialist insurance portfolios.
Fiona has degrees in both zoology and theology and is well placed to bridge the (alleged) gap between science and religion. She is passionate about wanting children to learn to think and explore the world for themselves.
Fiona and her husband Stan have two adult children, two grandchildren, two dogs, three cats, one tortoise and a tank of tropical fish.
Name: Rachel Wallace
Category of Governor: Head Teacher
Roles: Head Teacher
Member of Standards and Effectiveness Committee
Member of Resources and Management Committee
Term of Office: Ongoing
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 9/9
Register of Interests (as at July 2019) None
Name: Jacquie Garth
Category of Governor: Staff
Roles: Member of Standards and Effectiveness Committee
Term of Office: 07 November 2016 – 06 November 2020
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 6/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2019) None
Name: David Marsden
Category of Governor: Parent Governor
Roles: Member of Resources and Management Committee, Health and Safety Governor
Term of Office: 23/2/2019 to 07/01/2023
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 5/6
Register of Business Interest (As at July 2019): None
Why is David Marsden one of the ‘right people around the table’?
David has strong connections to Chipping; he has been a resident of the village all his life, is a former pupil of Brabin’s and has a son who attends the school. He has devoted time to various village committees in the past including Young Farmers, Chipping Show and the Village.
A time-served joiner, David is now employed as a Building Contracts Manager, responsible for Site Management, Labour, Contract Negotiation, Finance and Health and Safety on projects throughout the North West region.
Away from work, he is a Coaching Assistant with Chipping Junior U7’s football team and is also studying towards an FA Level 1 Coaching Badge.
Name: Caroline Bretherton
Category of Governor: Parent
Roles: Member of Resources Committee
English Governor
Term of Office: 5th July 2019 – 4th July 2023
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 4/6
Register of Business Interests (as at July 2019): Brethertons Gold Line Tours Ltd (Coach Hire)
Why is Caroline one of the ‘right people around the table?’:
Caroline lives in Chipping and has been heavily involved in her local community for many years. She is a mum to 3 children who have all attended Brabin’s school, the youngest still in KS2.
She has a wealth of experience running a local coach business where she has a wide range of responsibilities covering staffing, finance, marketing, bookings and administration and customer service.
Name: Rachael Stott
Category of Governor: Parent
Roles: PSHE Governor
Term of Office: 19th July 2019 – 18th April 2024
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2019/2020: 1/1
Register of Business Interest (As at July 2019): None
Why is Rachael one of the ‘right people around the table?’:
Rachael is mum of 3 children who have all attended Brabins School , with her youngest still at Brabins. Rachael is also chair of Friends of Brabins and previously the Chair of the charity which managed the pre-school. During her time involved with FOB she has been keen to initiate sporting events like the triathlon and tough mudder. Rachael works in Local Government and manages the housing service which includes homelessness and affordable housing developments. This involves lots of multi-agency working with social services and other health providers. Rachael also sits on the Brabins Trust a local charity who own the school and other assets in the village. Her nomination as a governor is through her position with the Brabins Trust.
Name: Lucy Doorbar
Category of Governor: Parent
Having moved to the area in 2020, Lucy was appointed as a parent governor in January 2020. Lucy has two daughters, one currently attends Brabin’s school.
Lucy is a director of a medical market research company which she set up 10 years ago after spending several years working for consultancy firms in London. Lucy brings a diverse set of skills from her position as a company director alongside her wealth of experience of working in marketing and research.