Welcome to our Governors’ section. 

At Chopwell Primary School, we have a very proactive Governing Body that is committed to maintaining and raising standards across every aspect of school life.

Chopwell Primary School Governing body regulations (maintained schools) 

As stated in the DfE’s “Maintained schools governance guide”, the core functions of the governing body are as set out in (regulation 6) and include, but are not limited to ensuring:

• That the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school are clearly defined
• that the headteacher performs their responsibilities for the educational performance of the school 
• the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources 

Governors are appointed/elected as follows:

• Co-opted - appointed by the governing body 
• Foundation - appointed by the Diocese (or the PCC if appropriate - there may also be provision in the Instrument of Government for the parish priest to be ex-officio) 
• Headteacher - ex-officio 
• Local Authority - appointed by the governing body, following approval of the 'nomination' by the LA  Parent/Staff - elected by parents/staff respectively 

Governing bodies must have at least seven governors, including the Headteacher; one and only one Local Authority governor; one and only one Staff governor; at least two Parent governors; and for Voluntary Aided schools, there must be exactly two more Foundation governors than all other categories combined.

The total number of Co-opted governors who are also eligible to be elected as Staff governors, when counted with the Staff governor and the Headteacher, must not exceed one third of the total membership of the governing body.

The term of office for any governor shall be four years (unless otherwise stated in the Instrument of Government), save that this time limit shall not apply to any post which is held ex officio.

Associate Members can be appointed for between one and four years. Parent governors may serve out their term of office when their child leaves the school, but Staff governors must resign when they leave the school.

Associate Members and governors who are members of staff cannot be Chair or Vice-Chair. Associate Members also do not count towards a quorum and do not have voting rights for governing body meetings (but can be appointed with voting rights on committees).

The governing body must hold at least three meetings in every school year, and the quorum for a meeting of the governing body and for any vote on any matter at such a meeting, is one half (rounded up to a whole number) of the membership of the governing body, i.e. the number of governors in post at the date of the meeting.

Every question to be decided at a meeting of the governing body is to be determined by a majority of the votes of the governors present and voting on the question, and where there is an equal division of votes the Chair, or as the case may be, the person who is acting as Chair for the purposes of the meeting (provided that such person is a governor), will have a second or casting vote (the governing body may approve alternative arrangements for governors to participate or vote at meetings of the governing body including but not limited to by telephone or video conference).

2023/2024 Register of pecuniary interests

GOVERNOR PROFILES

Mrs Liz Sillence - Chair

I have been a governor at Chopwell for several years, first as a parent governor and now as a co-opted governor. I work in Higher Education and love to see the enthusiasm the children have for learning at Chopwell Primary. As a governor, my role is to provide support and challenge to help continue driving the school forward enabling every child to reach their potential.

Mr Mark Woodhall- Vice Chair

As a newly co-opted governor, I am looking forward to playing an active role in assisting with further development of the school, building on the impressive foundations which have been put in place. 

Having worked for the FA for 17 years across a variety of different roles; from facility development and governance to identifying funding support, I am keen to support the head, staff and governors in any way I can to help the school to move forward positively for the benefit of every pupil. 

Cllr Lynne Caffrey - Local Authority

I've been a member of the Governing Body here at Chopwell Primary for many years. I also serve on the Governors at Rowlands Gill Primary. I'm a Local Councillor which enables me to advise school about borough-wide issues and joined-up thinking to support the local community.

Mrs Kate Kelly - Head Teacher

Hannah Reay Co-opted

I’m primarily a business woman but also a teacher.  I taught in a primary school for 13 years before deciding to start up my own small business making pickles and jams; The Pickle Palace. The production of jars of pickles is now only part of what we do as we’ve become a CIC (community interest company) and we deal with lots of ‘rescued’ food from major supermarkets and feed people with it at various events and venues. This saves the food from landfill as well as the resources used to produce and package it and I’m now using my teaching skills to educate children in schools about the issues around food waste. 

I’ve been lucky enough to work with several local schools and despite the fact I’m no longer a classroom teacher, I’m passionate about education, and really care about how I can make a difference for the children. It’s been a pleasure working with the children and parents at Chopwell and I’m really excited about being a governor and working more closely with the school. Having enjoyed my role as governor at Chopwell I've also joined the governing body of Cumbric Education. 

Susan Wilkinson Co-opted

I joined the governing body in February 2019. I'm a retired primary school teacher, a job I did for over twenty five years. I really enjoyed being a teacher; it is incredibly rewarding being involved in helping children find, and develop their true potential. It is also, some people may be surprised to hear, tremendous fun.

As a governor at Chopwell, I hope to be able to support and encourage both staff and children, in their joint quest to increase their knowledge and expertise across the curriculum, and enable the children to leave the school as excellent representatives of their village.”

Mrs Helen Cookson -Co-opted 

I have been a co-opted governor since February 2018. I am an Accountant and feel I can use my finance background and experience gained in other areas of my work, to provide the right level of support and also to challenge when necessary. I have one child who attends the school and I value the role that the school plays in my child’s life and also how much the school brings to the village as a whole. I became a governor to contribute to the ongoing improvement and leadership of the school and will provide any guidance I can. It is fabulous to see the children grow and become such amazing young people.

Mrs Laura Reavely - Parent Governor

Having been a parent of a child at this school since 2015 I have seen the school develop over the years.  I now have four children attending Chopwell Primary, so the school is a big part of our lives.  I am an Ofsted registered childminder so have knowledge of the EYFS and I’m studying for a business degree in accounting.  I look forward to using some of my developing knowledge to support the school whilst I learn more about being an effective school governor.

Kristy Payne - Parent Governor