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Red Kite Learning Trust
Whitkirk Primary School (45)

Our School

Local Governing Body

Whitkirk Primary School (14)

We are a Local Governing Body for Whitkirk Primary School, and a proud member of the Red Kite Learning Trust (RKLT). Effective governance is at the heart of any successful school, and we have worked hard to make sure our governance model will deliver this.

Chair of Governors: Ian Foy


Governors:  

Whitkirk Primary School – Red Kite Learning Trust

Local Governing Body Membership – September 2022-2023

Governor Name

Category

Date of appointment

Who appointed

Committee and position of responsibility

Governor at another educational establishment

Relevant business interests

Relationship with members of school staff

Ian Foy

Trust appointed

March 2020

Trust

Chair

None

None

None

Gemma Quarmby

Headteacher

N/A

N/A

Headteacher

None

None

None

Kevin Paynes

Trust appointed

March 2020

Trust

SEND and Inclusion

Temple Moor High School and Temple Learning Academy

None

None

Sarah Parkinson

Trust appointed

May 2022

Trust

Pupil Premium

Gledhow Primary School

None

None

Nichola Welsh

Trust appointed

May 2022

Trust

Safeguarding

Colton Primary School

None

None

Will Sadler

Staff

N/A

N/A

Associate Governor (without voting rights)

None

None

None

Jodie Woodward

Staff

November 2022

Staff election (October 2022)

 

None

None

None

Jennifer Beckett

Parent

November 2022

Parent election

(September 2022)

 

None

None

None

Rachel Turner

Parent

November 2022

Parent election (September 2022)

 

None

None

None


What we do 

School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools. Governors appoint the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In some schools, the site is owned by the governing board. It is governors who hold the main responsibility for finance in schools, and it is governors who work with the headteacher to make the tough decisions about balancing resources. 

The role of the governing board is a strategic one, its key functions are to: 

  • set the aims and objectives for the school 
  • set the policies for achieving those aims and objectives 
  • set the targets for achieving those aims and objectives 
  • monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards achievement of its aims and objectives 
  • be a source of challenge and support to the headteacher (a critical friend) 

Whitkirk Primary logo


Whitkirk Primary School (70)


As school governors… 

We contribute to the work of the governing body in ensuring high standards of achievement for all children and young people in the school by: 

  • Setting the school’s vision, ethos and strategic direction; 
  • Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils; and 
  • Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent. 

We contribute to the strategic discussions at governing body meetings which determine: 

  • The vision and ethos of the school; 
  • clear and ambitious strategic priorities and targets for the school; 
  • that all children, including those with special educational needs, have access to a broad and balanced curriculum; 
  • the school’s budget, including the expenditure of the pupil premium allocation; 
  • the school’s staffing structure and key staffing policies; 
  • the principles to be used by school leaders to set other school policies. 

Whitkirk Primary School (79)

We hold the senior leaders to account by monitoring the school’s performance; this includes:  

  • agreeing on the outcomes from the school’s self-evaluation and ensuring they are used to inform the priorities in the school development plan; 
  • considering all relevant data and feedback provided on request by school leaders and external sources on all aspects of school performance; 
  • asking challenging questions of school leaders; 
  • ensuring senior leaders have arranged for the required audits to be carried out and receiving the results of those audits; 
  • ensuring senior leaders have developed the required policies and procedures and the school is operating effectively according to those policies; 
  • acting as a link governor on a specific issue, making relevant enquiries of the relevant staff, and reporting to the governing body on the progress on the relevant school priority; and 
  • listening to and reporting to the school’s stakeholders : pupils, parents, staff, and the wider community, including local employers. 

We ensure the school staff have the resources and support they require to do their jobs well, including the necessary expertise on business management, external advice where necessary, effective appraisal and CPD (Continuing Professional Development), and suitable premises, and that the way in which those resources are used has an impact. 

When required, we serve on panels of governors to appoint the headteacher and other senior leaders; appraise the headteacher; set the headteacher’s pay and agree the pay recommendations for other staff; hear the second stage of staff grievances and disciplinary matters and hear appeals about pupil exclusions 

Each individual governor is a member of a governing board, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing board; decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing board.   


Governor attendance records 

Whitkirk Primary School is part of Red Kite Learning Trust, a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 7523507, registered office address: Red Kite Office, Pannal Ash Road, Harrogate, HG2 9PH

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