Wilby Church of England Primary School

Governing Body

Welcome to our Governing Body from our Chair of Governors.

Welcome to the Governing Body section of Wilby Church of England Primary School's website. Here you will find a brief overview of what the Governing Body does, the various committees it has and what these do. You will also find a brief overview of the people who make up the Governing Body and their roles.

As a school, we strongly believe that each child has only one chance at each day and, therefore it is vital that we make each day the very best it can be and provide the best education that we can for all of the children. 

The Governing Body is always open to any thoughts or feedback that you may have to help us ensure that children who attend Wilby School continue to receive the very best education and experiences we can provide.

Parent Governors (Joe Cordy, Rebecca Spurling and myself) are often found on the playground at school drop off or collection times should you wish to speak to us directly and all Governors can be contacted via the school office who will put you in touch with the Governor you wish to speak to.

To help keep parents and carers informed of the work the Governors are doing, a newsletter is sent out regularly on Class Dojo and/or in book bags. These newsletters are also available on the website (please follow the link from the Governors tab). As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

We hope that you and your child have a very enjoyable time at Wilby school.

With best wishes,
Sally Brightwell
Chair of Governors, Wilby Church of England Primary School

(04/09/2024)

What is the Governing Body for?
The Governing Body’s role is looking at the strategic management of the school and how, as a team, we can best continue to develop our school. This is different to the role of the Headteacher who is responsible for the day to day and operational management of the school with support and input from the all school staff.

Who is on the Governing Body?
The Governing Body is, with the exception of the Head Teacher and Staff Governor, made up from volunteers who represent different parts of our community. The Governing Body for Wilby C of E School is made up of two representatives from the Church – referred to as Foundation Governors, two members of the local community – referred to as Community Governors, the Head Teacher, one member of teaching staff – referred to as the Staff Governor, two parent governors and up to four additional governors that bring their skills and value to the committee. 

Please read on to find out a little more about each of your Governors.

Mrs Sally Brightwell (Chair of Governors & Parent Governor): Having been fortunate enough to grow up in the lovely village of Wilby and attend Wilby Primary School, it was a great honour to be appointed as Parent Governor in January 2020. I have two young children, both of whom attend the school.  I qualified as an accountant in 2005, and have remained working local to the area, where I am also actively involved on our family farm. I feel very passionate that every child should be given the best opportunites to maxmise their full potential. I look forward to bringing my own personal skills and experience to assist and support the school as much as possible as it moves forward and continues to provide the highest quality of learning experiences.

Mrs Rebecca Spurling (Vice Chair & Community Governor): As a parent of two young children, the eldest of which joined Wilby Primary in 2021, I was appointed as a Parent Governor in September 2022. I have been a secondary school English teacher since 2013, working before that as a PA. I am involved in a local community church and hope to contribute to the Wilby Primary community through my role as Parent Governor.

Mrs Sandra Apps (Foundation Governor): I have been associated with Wilby primary School since 1995, when we first moved to Suffolk and my daughter Chloe started in Year 2. My son Ryan followed and shortly afterwards I began working at the school as a TA. I then did an OU degree, followed by teacher training through the Graduate Teacher programme. After qualifying I did some supply teaching and one to one tuition before taking up a post in Beccles. Sadly I had to leave teaching due to ill health and I am now a receptionist at Clarke and Simpson in Framlingham. I feel very strongly that a child's experience in education can colour the whole of their life and that we should do all we can to make their experience positive and successful. I am an active member of St Lawrence Church, Brundish and feel hugely honoured that my role as Foundation Governor allows me to continue my long association with the school.

Mr Joseph Cordy (Parent Governor): I was fortunate to become a Parent Governor in 2023 and was inspired to do so as I strongly believe in the power of a brilliant education to help all children reach their full potential and become the stars of the future. Having grown up in Norfolk, I went to The University of Birmingham and then lived in Warwickshire for my early career before returning to Suffolk when starting a family. I have had a career in various sales, marketing and commercial roles, working for some brilliant brands and businesses and hope that some of the skills and experience I have picked up in those roles will be able to help the governing body.

Revd. Richard Court (Foundation Governor): I am married with two adult children and two grandchildren. I am still active in ministry helping out at various churches in the area. I enjoy walking, running, swimming and cycling having completed several triathlons and run half marathons. I was a school Governor for ten years whilst ministering in Worcestershire.  Having now retired from full time ministry in the Church of England and returned to Suffolk, I was approached to become a Foundation Governor, a role I was happy to accept. I think that education is the fundamental building block for the whole of our lives and am happy to offer my experience to Wilby School.

Mrs R. Wiseman (Headteacher): being a member of the governing body provides me with an excellent opportunity to ensure that our governors are kept up to date with current and planned actions to ensure that they are able to provide the school with the correct level of challenge and support. I have been at Wilby School since 2000 now but remain as passionate about our wonderful school as I did when I first arrived. I have two children and enjoy spending as much time with my family as possible. Every minute of our children’s education counts and I feel privileged to still be so actively involved in making sure that their experiences at Wilby are the best that they can be.

Charlotte Atkinson (Community  Governor): I moved to Wilby with my husband in September 2016 and established ‘Charlotte’s Wood’ as a centre for Forest School sessions, Forest School Leader training, woodland activities and Nordic Walking.  I was born in Suffolk and am a former primary school teacher and headteacher with over 25 years’ experience of working in schools, with children and families.  In addition to my Forest School activities, I work with schools in Suffolk, delivering training for governing boards and as an external adviser for headteacher appraisal.  I am also a member of the Wilby Coronation Hall Committee and volunteer regularly at local events.  I am passionate about the importance of connecting people (especially children) with nature and hope that this passion, along with my educational experience, will be of value to the governing board.

                                                           ----------------

What does the Governing Body do?
The whole Governing Body meets every half term. Some governors are also involved in smaller committees which meet in-between times to look at specific areas of school management, for example finance. Governors also formally visit the school to look at particular areas that the school is focusing on at that time to see how well we are achieving our aims. I would like to reassure everyone that at no point do governors ever judge the quality of teaching within the school - we are not qualified to do so.

Who does what on the Governing Body?
Each Governor has a range of responsibilities. These may change from time to time, depending on the needs of the school and the individual. The current roles and responsibilities for other Governors are listed below:

Mrs Sally Brightwell: Chair of Governors, Chair of the Finance/Personnel Committee.  New Governor Mentor. Policy and Resources Governor.

Mrs Sandra Apps: Foundation Governor. Named Governor for Teaching Learning and Assessment, Pupil Premium Governor. CiC Governor and SEN Governor.

Revd. Richard Court: Foundation Governor - Safeguarding Governor-Well-being Governor

Mr Joseph Cordy: Parent Governor. Member of of the Finance/Personnel Committee. GDPR Governor,  Website and Health and Safety Governor

Mrs Rebecca Spurling: Parent Governor. SRE Governor.

Charlotte Atkinson: Governor.

Mrs Wiseman: Head Teacher - Membership of Finance/Personnel. Named Governor for Ethos, Learning and Achievement. New Governor Induction Governor. Policy and Resources Governor.

Jane Balls: Additional governor to work within the Finance/Personnel Committee. Clerk for WGB Meetings. 

Can I find out what goes on in Governing Body meetings?
Yes - the minutes of Governing Body meetings are available for you to look at. The only exception to this is where confidential matters including involving an individual are discussed; these notes are kept away from the main minutes and are not available to be viewed. Should you wish to see the main minutes please ask in the School Office for a copy.

Legal Information
The Governing Body is legally required to publish in the School’s website a list of pecuniary interests declared by the Governors and also a list detailing the attendance of governors at whole Governing Body meetings and also Governor Committee meetings. This information can be found here or by returning to the “Governors” tab on the website home page and selecting the appropriate choice from the drop down list.