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
Behaviour Principles Statement September 2023
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
Safeguarding Governor
Pre school Committee Governor
Special Educational Needs & Disability Governor (SEND)
ICT Governor
Term of Office: 30th October 2017 – 29th October 2025
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023/2024: 5/6
Register of Interests (as at October 2022) 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 the Resources and Management committee
Pupil Premium Governor
EYFS Governor
Website Governor
Term of Office: 12th January 2023 to 12th January 2027
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023/2024: 6/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2022) – Barrow Primary School, Barrow, Clitheroe
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:
Member of Standards and Effectiveness Committee
Brabin’s Curriculum
Term of Office: 23 February 2023 – 27 February 2027
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023/2024: 5/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2021)
Longridge High School, Parent Governor (and current Chair) since November 2014.
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
Pre School Committee Governor
Term of Office: 28 July 2024 – 28 July 2028
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023/2024: 6/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2022) 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 2023 – 27 February 2027
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023/2024: 5/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2022) 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: 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 2023/2024: 9/9
Register of Interests (as at July 2022) None
Name: Jacquie Garth
Category of Governor: Staff
Roles: Member of Standards and Effectiveness Committee
Term of Office: 07 November 2016 – 06 November 2024
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023/2024: 6/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2022) None
Name: David Marsden
Category of Governor: Parent Governor
Roles: Member of Resources and Management Committee
Health and Safety Governor
Term of Office: 12/01/2023 to 12/01/2027
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023/2024: 5/6
Register of Business Interest (As at July 2022): 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: Wilma Colley
Category of Governor: Diocesan
Roles:
Term of Office: 5th September 2022
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023/2024: 5/6
Register of Interests (as at July 2022) None
Why is Wilma Colley one of the ‘right people around the table’?
Wilma has recently moved up to Chipping with her husband Noel and golden Labrador puppy Rosie, to take up the role of Vicar of St Bartholomew’s Church. An important part of her ministry is to sit as a governor on the school governing body.
Prior to her Ordination as a vicar Wilma was a General Practitioner in the midlands for many years.
Wilma has been a school governor for two years in her previous benefice and during that time has done part 1 and part 2 of the governor’s training course, a course on school finance and a course on preparing for Ofsted.
Wilma will be going into Brabin’s school regularly to lead an assembly and is really looking forward to getting to know everyone.
Name: Richard Chadwick
Category of Governor: Co-opted
Roles: Member of the Standards committee/Science Governor
Term of Office: 7th December 2023 to 7th December 2027
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2023 – 1/1
Register of Interests (as at October 2022) None
Why is Richard Chadwick one of the ‘right people around the table’?
Richard has worked in the Education sector for 15 years and is currently a working as a Head of Department at Lancaster Royal Grammar School. Having worked in an special educational needs schools in Manchester, an Independent boarding School in the South East, a coeducationally selective Grammar School in the North East and currently at Lancaster Grammar School; he has a developed a broad understanding of educational settings across the country.
Richard has previously served as a governor at Thomas Walling Primary Academy, Newcastle Upon Tyne where he took responsibility for curriculum design and review. He looks forward to being able to build upon these prior experiences to enhance and assist the The Brabins Endowed School in this area also.
Richard is keen to provide support to the Brabins School community, using his current experience and knowledge in the education sector, whilst understanding more about primary education.
Name: Catherine Platt
Category of Governor: Community Governor
Roles:
Term of Office: 5th December 2024 to 4th December 2028
Attendance at Governor Meetings 2024/2025:
Register of Interests (as at July 2022) –
Why is Catherine Platt one of the ‘right people around the table’?
Catherine has been a resident of Chipping with her husband Julian and two daughters Isabel and Olivia for the past 22 years. Both her daughters attended Brabin’s Endowed Primary School.
Catherine previously served as a uniformed Police Inspector with Lancashire Constabulary for 30 years where she held several Inspector roles including neighbourhood policing, and operationally commanding football matches and events. She therefore has vast experience of working with partner agencies, managing resources, safeguarding, problem solving and dealing with fast moving incidents.
Since finishing her policing career, Catherine works with her husband running their own consultancy. She now has the capacity to devote time to serving the local community in other ways.
As a community governor, Catherine has a keen interest in ensuring the best educational standards are achieved alongside community engagement and protecting the public.