Active – Aspire - Achieve

At Amotherby School, Governors, staff, families, children and the community work together in ensuring our values under pin everything that we do.

The Governing Board is involved with our school at every level and provide strategic leadership and accountability. We have three core functions:

• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
• Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.

Governors are volunteers who meet at least once per ½ term as a full board. In addition, each Governor may have keys areas that there are linked to.   Through our meetings and regular visits into school we have strategic oversight of safeguarding, curriculum, performance, finance, premises management and senior staff appointments. Governors consider our most important role to be the education, safety and welfare of our pupils.

We monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the school, its budget and its policies; and hold the school to account for the educational performance of our learners. Our role is to support and encourage Mrs Wanless our Headteacher, subject leaders and all staff to ensure that every one of our children has access to an enriched, highest quality education, a safe and nurturing learning environment and to all the opportunities that they deserve.

We are a happy school filled with smiling, confident children. The children achieve high standards across the curriculum. We are justifiably very proud of them and would encourage anyone considering a place at Amotherby School for their child to make an appointment to discover for yourself everything we have to offer your child.

We are all committed to ensuring that a young person’s school day at Amotherby School is positive and fulfilling and to provide the opportunity for our young people to develop to their full potential.

If you wish to contact me, my email is cofg@amotherby.n-yorks.sch.uk

Stewart Morris 

Chair of Governors

Who are our Governors

Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and short introductions to our Governors.

Name	Appointment Type	Appointing Body	Additional Responsibility
Mrs Lucy Brazier	Head Teacher	Ex-officio by virtue of office as HT
Mrs Kelly Richmond	Staff governor	Staff
Mrs Sophie Jillings	Co-opted governor	LGB	SEND & Vice Chair
Mr Jonathon Trowsdale	Co-opted governor	LGB	Attendance & Safeguarding
Mr Keiran Owen	Co-opted governor	LGB	Resources & Maths
Mr Stewart Morris	Parent Governor	Parent Body	Chair of Governors
Mr James Owen	Parent governor	Parent Body	Curriculum
Mr Paul Frith	Co-opted governor	LGB	School Improvement
Vanessa Baxter	Authority Governor	LGB	English
Lydia Waites	NYCC Clerk

Sophie Jillings

Sophie was appointed as a co-opted governor in June 2023. She has worked in leadership roles within database and digital technology companies for 20 years and is looking forward to bringing her understanding of data to her governor role, carefully reviewing school metrics.

Sophie lives in Amotherby village and has 3 children, including a son in Year 2 at Amotherby School, and is keen to foster an ongoing close relationship between the school and the local area.  

Stewart Morris

Stewart joined the governing board as a parent governor in November 2021 and is  chair of Governors.  He has three children at Amotherby Community School, with a fourth at secondary school. 

He has over 20 years experience in criminal justice, both on the front line in prisons and more recently in the Ministry of Justice, developing evidenced-based national policies and supporting prison governors and probation leaders to develop and improve practice.

Keiran Owen

Keiran was appointed as a co-opted governor in October 2022. He is an accountant who has worked in local government for over 10 years and uses this experience to assist Amotherby School and the Governing board.

Keiran has a daughter in Year 3 and a son in Year 1. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, running and watching football.

Vanessa Baxter 

Vanessa was appointed as the local authority governor in October 2023 after moving to Swinton. Previously she was a governor for ten years at the primary school in Colchester that her children attended.

She is a health and social care researcher at York St John University and has previously worked for Essex County Council in a range of areas including the Schools, Children and Families Service where she carried out research and analysis projects to benefit children and young people.

James Owen

James was appointed as a parent governor in July 2024. He works as a Territory Sales Manager for the UK subsidiary of an international company and is looking forward to utilising his skills to support the school and give a parental viewpoint to the governing board.

He has a son in Year 1, in his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking and running.

Paul Frith 

Paul joined the Governing Body in May 2024 after relocating with his family from London in 2023. He has one child at Amotherby and another at Malton Secondary School. 

Paul was a secondary school teacher specialising in Physical Education and Religious education, and also spent much of his career as a senior leader and ultimately as a Headteacher. He took early retirement in 2022 but remains interested and involved in matters relating to education. He enjoys watching and playing a range of sports, primarily cricket and golf, and has a keen interest in music. 

Jonathan Trowsdale

Jonathan was appointed co-opted Governor in July 2024. He works in HR for the Local Authority. In his spare time he plays hockey and badminton and also enjoys reading and enjoying the local area. 

Governor categories in Amotherby School

The governing boards of maintained schools must be made up of specific types of governors. Understand what all of the different categories of governors are and the roles they play in school governance.

The headteacher

The headteacher is automatically a governor because of their position as headteacher – sometimes referred to as an 'ex-officio' governor. Headteachers can resign their position on the governing board if they choose, but the role can't be filled by any other staff member.

Their role

To implement the governing board's strategy in practice, and provide information to the governing board as requested. A governing board or committee meeting is the primary forum where the headteacher reports to the board. 

Parent governors

Parent governors are elected by other parents in the school.

All parents or carers of registered pupils at the school are eligible to stand in a parent governor election. Once elected, parent governors may continue to hold office until the end of their term of office even if their child leaves the school .

The DfE defines parents as:

• All natural (biological) parents, whether they are married or not
• Any person who, although not a biological parent, has parental responsibility for a child or young person (this could be a step-parent, guardian or other relative)
• Any person who, although not a biological parent, has care of a child or young person. This means they are the person with whom the child lives and who looks after the child, irrespective of what their relationship is with the child

Grandparents would only be eligible to be parent governors if they care for the child on a full-time, settled basis or if they are the legal guardian of the child. 

Their role

A parent governor's role is the same as other governors on the board, but they provide a 'parental viewpoint' to the governing board. They're not there as a parent representative nor as an advocate for their own child.

Staff governors

Staff governors are elected by other staff members.

All staff who are employed to work at the school at the time of election are eligible to stand for election as the staff governor. This includes teaching staff, support staff, senior leaders and part-time staff.

Staff governors should be elected for the skills they can bring to the governing board, rather than their position within the school.

Their role

Staff governors have the same role as other governors on the board, but they bring a unique staff perspective to the governing board. They don't represent the staff and are not there to be held to account by the board.

Local authority governors 

Local authority (LA) governors are nominated by the LA. LAs set their own eligibility criteria, but the governing board can either accept or reject that nomination based on whether they have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.

Their role

LA governors must govern in the interests of the school and not represent or advocate for the political or other interests of the LA

Co-opted governors

Co-opted governors are appointed by the governing board.

Anyone is eligible to become a co-opted governor and governing boards are free to decide which skills they're looking for. This can include parents.

Their role

Co-opted governors are appointed by the governing board if it believes they have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. They'll often have specialised knowledge in subjects like:

• Management
• HR
• Finance
• Data
• Law
• Education