Governors

• Our Governing Board consists of parents, staff, appointees of the Local Authority and members co-opted from the local community and church.

 How do I contact the governors?

• In order to contact the governors you will need to get in touch with the school in the first instance and they will make the contact on your behalf. You will not be able to contact the governors directly, but the school will treat your contact in confidence where appropriate and act as a mediary. If you need to make a complaint about the school and involve governors you will need to follow the school's complaints procedure.

The role of governors 

• Governors serve for four years and the best way to sum up the role of the Governing Board is ‘eyes on, hands off’ and it is carried out through three main approaches:

• being strategic – for example target setting, agreeing the ethos of the school, setting the priorities in the School Development Plan (SDP), ensuring that the standards of teaching and learning are as high as possible, setting the budget to support the SDP and approving policies.
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• being a critical friend – including understanding school self-evaluation, monitoring and evaluating school performance, delegating decisions, recognising and celebrating the achievements of the school, being prepared to ask challenging questions in a supportive way, thereby securing improvement and being an ambassador for the school in the local community.
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• being accountability – this includes being prepared to account for the school's overall performance and to explain its decisions and actions to anyone who has a legitimate interest, ensuring that all statutory obligations are met and reporting to parents and others on the work of the school including the achievements of the pupils.
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• The chair and vice-chair are elected annually by the governors at the first meeting of the autumn term.  The full Governing Board and its two committees: Resources and Teaching and Learning, meet every half term.  Minutes of these meetings are available from the school office.  The Headteacher Produces a written report for the governors each term.
• Our Governors are fully involved in the school's self-evaluation and use their knowledge gained to challenge the school, understand its strengths and weaknesses and shape it's strategic direction
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Erica Swales

Chair of Governors

• I was delighted to join the Governing Body as Foundation Governor and Chair in March 2022.
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  During my thirty five year career ,I have held senior operational leadership and Operations Director positions in large corporate organisations in the private sector , in both the Financial Service and Outsourcing markets . I have achieved great success in coaching and developing people to achieve  results to reach their full potential and  I am really looking forward to utilising these skills in the school community.
  
  Since taking early retirement and graduating  from the Leading Leeds Governor programme I have held Governor positions in two primary schools in the Leeds area and am currently chairing an Interim Executive Board for a school that requires rapid improvement .
  
  I am passionate about driving improvements in education to improve lives and firmly believe that every child counts and that  children should be placed at the centre of all decisions made in schools.
  
  I am really looking forward to working with the whole school community to ensure all children at Lady Elizabeth Hastings’ are given educational opportunity to optimise their individual potential .
  
  Please contact me via the school office should you wish to discuss anything with me

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• I was very happy to join the governing body in February 2021 as a foundation governor. I have worked in primary education for over 26 years, with 17 years as a primary headteacher, and recently joined the Education Team at the Diocese of York as a School Development Adviser. I am a registered SIAMS inspector, a member of North Yorkshire SACRE and am also a trustee for a Multi Academy Trust. I feel privileged to be working in education and am passionate about using my experience to ensure our children receive the very best.  

• Clair Graham-Brown
• Governor
• I’m very grateful for the opportunity to join the Governing Body as a foundation governor from September 2021 and look forward to supporting all that the school does for the benefit of its children, staff and wider community. I joined the Diocese of York’s Education Team as Deputy Director of Education in 2014, to provide guidance and support to Church of England schools on principally governance and related matters. Prior to taking up my role at the Diocese, I gained experience as a solicitor, initially in private practice and latterly in house, most recently at Imperial College London. I’m looking forward to using my skills for the good of the school and those it serves.

Mr Mark Wake 

LA Governor

Mrs Joanna Davies

Foundation Governor

Mrs Amy Surtees

Parent Governor