Shaw-cum-Donnington C.E. Primary

School governors are people who want to make a positive contribution to children’s education.

Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards. The role of the governing body is absolutely key to the effectiveness of a school. Time and time again Ofsted (the national inspection body for schools) has noted that the most effective schools demonstrate effective leadership and management - including by the Governing Body.  

All schools in England have a Governing Body which is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions of the school. A key role is to act as a ‘critical friend’: to support, to challenge, to ask questions, ultimately to represent the school community.

The Governing Body works in close partnership with the headteacher, staff and the local authority. Whilst the headteacher is, of course, responsible for the day to day running of the school, the governors are involved with such things as staffing, curriculum, school buildings and finance. It ensures the school functions well and maintains the proper range of academic and social objectives.

School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability. Governors appoint the Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher.  It is governors who hold the main responsibility for finance  and it is governors who work with the head teacher to make the tough decisions about balancing resources.  Each individual governor is a member of a governing body, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing body. Decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing body.
The role of the governing body is to ensure high standards of achievement for all children in the school, its key functions are: 

• To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
• ​Hold the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
• Oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.
• The Headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing body.

If you would like to use your skills to make a positive impact on the education of our pupils and would like to know more about how you can become a school governor at Shaw-cum-Donnington Primary School, please contact the school office on 01635 40971 or email office@shaw.w-berks.sch.uk

In 2015 the governing body elected to reconstitute, in keeping with statutory guidance from the Department for Education. We took this decision as it allowed us to change the numbers and types of governors we have and to appoint more people on the basis of the skills they could bring.

The governing body now consists of:

• The Headteacher
• One elected staff governor
• One appointed local authority governor
• Two foundation governors
• Two elected parent governors
• Three co-opted governors

The standard term of office for a governor is four years. The chair and vice-chair are elected annually at the first meeting of the academic year.

The chair of governors is Louis Thatcher and can be contacted at - governors@shaw.w-berks.sch.uk   The work of the governing body is carried out at full board level with two focus based (Teaching & Learning and Resources) meetings per term.  There are separate committees dealing with school policies and pay reviews.

Instrument of Governance

 Headteacher - Lindsay Wakefield
The Headteacher is an Ex-officio governor which means they are a member of the governing body by virtue of the position held in school and do not need to be elected.
Positions of Responsibility: Policy Committee, Pay Committee
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 7/7 FGB, 1/1 Pay, 3/3 Policy
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance:  10/10 FGB, 1/1 Pay, 3/3 Policy
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  3/3 FGB, 0/0 Pay, 1/1 Policy
Register of Interests: None

Louis Thatcher - Chair
Category of Governor: Co-opted
(Staff governor from 12/1/2023 to 11/1/2027)
Appointed By: Governing Body
Term of Office: 22/1/2024 to 21/1/2028
Positions of Responsibility: Chair of FGB
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 7/7 FGB,
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance: 8/10 FGB, 2/2 Policy
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  6/6 FGB, 1/2 Policy
Register of Interests: None

Jill Preston - Vice Chair
Category of Governor: Parent
Appointed By: Parents
Term of Office: 6/10/2021 to 5/10/2025
Positions of Responsibility: Vice-chair of FGB
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 4/7 FGB, 1/1 Pay
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance: 9/10 FGB
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  6/8 FGB
2021 - 22 Meeting Attendance:  6/7 FGB
Register of Interests: None

Mary Ayre
Category of Governor: Staff
Appointed By: Staff
Term of Office: 1/2/2024 to 31/1/2028
Positions of Responsibility: Policy Committee
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 7/7 FGB, 3/3 Policy
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance:  5/5 FGB
Register of Interests: None

Neil Brown
Category of Governor: Co-opted
Appointed By: Governing Body
Term of Office: 22/1/2024 to 21/1/2028
Positions of Responsibility: Data Protection & Policy Committee
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 7/7 FGB, 2/3 Policy
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance:  5/6 FGB, 1/1 Policy
Register of Interests: None

Hannah Elder
Category of Governor: Parent
Appointed By: Parents
Term of Office: 6/10/2021 to 5/10/2025
Positions of Responsibility: Development, Safeguarding & Policy Committee
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 5/7 FGB, 0/3 Policy
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance:  9/10 FGB, 2/3 Policy
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  8/8 FGB, 3/3 Policy
2021 - 22 Meeting Attendance:  6/8 FGB,  2/3 Policy
2020 - 21 Meeting Attendance:  7/7 FGB, 3/3 Policy
2019 - 20 Meeting Attendance:  6/7 FGB, 1/1 Pay, 2/3 Policy
2018 - 19 Meeting Attendance:  7/8 FGB, 1/2 Policy
2017 - 18 Meeting Attendance:  4/6 FGB
Register of Interests: None

Revd Raymond Obin
Category of Governor: Foundation
Appointed By: Oxford Diocese
Term of Office: 18/1/2022 to 17/1/2026
Positions of Responsibility: Pupil Premium Grant (PPG)
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 6/7 FGB, 1/1 Pay
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance: 8/10 FGB, 1/1 Pay
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  7/8 FGB, 1/1 Pay
2021 - 22 Meeting Attendance:  5/5 FGB
Register of Interests: None

Margo Payne
Category of Governor: Local Authority
Appointed By: West Berks Council
Term of Office: 6/2/2023 to 5/2/2027
Positions of Responsibility: SEN
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 5/7 FGB
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance:  7/10 FGB
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  4/4 FGB
Register of Interests: None

Glyn Thomas
Category of Governor: Foundation
Appointed By: Oxford Diocesan
Term of Office: 25/5/2025 to 24/5/2029
Positions of Responsibility: H & S, Policy Committee
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 7/7 FGB, 2/2 Policy
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance:  9/10 FGB, 3/3 Policy
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  6/8 FGB, 2/3 Policy
2021 - 22 Meeting Attendance:  7/8 FGB, 3/3 Policy
2020 - 21 Meeting Attendance:  1/1 FGB
Register of Interests: None

Sally Yates
Category of Governor: Co-opted
Appointed By: Governing Body
Term of Office: 14/5/2023 to 13/5/27
Positions of Responsibility: Finance
2024 - 25 Meeting Attendance: 4/7 FGB
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance:  8/10 FGB, 1/1 Pay
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  8/8 FGB, 1/1 Pay
2021 - 22 Meeting Attendance:  8/8 FGB, 1/1 Pay
2020 - 21 Meeting Attendance:  7/7 FGB, 1/1 Pay
2019 - 20 Meeting Attendance:  7/7 FGB, 1/1 Pay
Register of Interests: None

Past Governors

Keith Watts
Category of Governor: Associate
Appointed By: Governing Body
Term of Office: 20/11/2023 to 12/11/2024
Positions of Responsibility: Chair of Policy Committee (with voting rights)
2023 - 24 Meeting Attendance:  3/3 FGB, 1/1 Pay, 2/3 Policy
2022 - 23 Meeting Attendance:  7/8 FGB, 1/1 Pay, 3/3 Policy
2021 - 22 Meeting Attendance:  7/8 FGB, 1/1 Pay, 3/3 Policy
2020 - 21 Meeting Attendance:  6/7 FGB, 2/3 Policy
2019 - 20 Meeting Attendance:  7/7 FGB, 1/1 Pay, 3/3 Policy
2018 - 19 Meeting Attendance:  7/8 FGB, 3/3 Policy
2017 - 18 Meeting Attendance:  5/6 FGB, 1/3 Policy
Register of Interests: Director of Spike Publications Ltd (School vacancy advertising)