What do governors do?

Governors offer strategic guidance, rather than getting involved in the operational aspects of a school. This involves:

  • Working with other board members to plan the school’s strategic direction.
  • Overseeing the school’s financial performance, ensuring money is well-spent.
  • Holding the headteacher or school leadership to account.

A governor’s relationship with the school’s leadership team involves challenging existing processes to drive school improvement. Governors usually attend around five meetings per year. 

Who are the governors at Holme St Cuthbert School?

Matt Browne is our Chair of Governors and is the LA Governor. Matt works for Cumberand Council. 

 

Keith Baty is our Vice-Chair of Governors. He is a co-opted governor and has previous experience in the Education Sector. 

 

Claire Fleming is the Headteacher of Holme St Cuthbert School. 

 

Emma Wise is our Staff Governor. Emma is a TA in school.

 

Jayne Watson is a Parent Governor. She is the safeguarding, prevent, SEND and online safety governor.

 

Caroline Oldham is a co-opted governor. She is a civil-servant and lives locally.

 

David Park is an Associate Governor. He lives locally and works for a multinational company.

 

Sharron Henderson is our Clerk of Governors. 

 

 

 

GOVERNOR DIVERSITY DATA

As a school, we have a duty to recognise that diverse thoughts, voices and perspectives is essential to good governance and the effective running of any organisation. 

We believe it is important that our Governing Body reflects the diversity of the school communities which we serve. Diverse boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for staff and children. 

The governors are currently gathering data on the diversity of our governors, including data on age, gender and ethnicity. We will use that data to inform recruitment and training needs and ensure there is always a diverse range of perspectives around the table to support robust decision making. 

We do not publish any diversity information that may disclose personal information about individual governors. This is due to our legal obligation to protect their personal data.