Alwoodley Primary School Governing Body

All Governors meet 3 times a year to discuss

•  Resources – finance, staffing, health and safety and buildings

•  Pupil Voice

•  Teaching and Learning

They meet an additional 3 times a year for a meeting which covers all aspects

of school life. They visit school and talk to children so they know the school well.

The Chair of Governors is

Mr Will Ricketts.

He can be contacted at will.ricketts@alwoodley.net

    Vice Chairs is

      Mrs Rebecca Clarke

The constitution of the Governing Body is as follows:

1.  Headteacher

2.  2 elected parent governors

3.  1 LA (Local Authority) governor

4.  1 elected staff governor

5.  7 co-opted governors

Governor Attendance at Meetings 

Y  in attendance

N  not in attendance and no apologies received / accepted

A  apologies received and accepted

X  not in post

FGB  Full Governing Body

COM Committee Meetings

EX   Extra-Ordinary Meeting

NA   Not Appropriate for Staff Governors

Governor Attendance 2020 – 2021

Governor Attendance 2019 – 2020

                        YEAR GROUPS ADOPTED BY GOVERNORS 2020 - 2021

The 3 core functions of our Governing Body are

1.  Setting the school vision. (agreed to remain simple as) 

"Learning Together, Growing Stronger."

2.  Holding the Headteacher to account for the school's educational

performance. (Governors look at data twice a year, visit school to see

children learning, discuss and challenge. This is evidenced in minutes

of our meetings.)

3.  Ensuring money is well spent. (Two governors meet three times a year

with our school finance team to a gain deeper understanding of

our budget and provide challenge.)

Please ask if you would like to know more about the role

of governors or are interested in being one.

Here is an introduction

from some of our Governors

Hi my name is Rebecca Clarke and I am very proud of being a parent governor at Alwoodley Primary School. I have been a governor for a number of years and have

thoroughly enjoyed my role.  Although my husband and I are from Manchester,

we have lived in Leeds since graduating from the University of Leeds (many moons

ago) and have lived in Alwoodley for 10 years.  Both my children have now left

Alwoodley Primary and now attend Allerton High School.  Madeleine is in year 7

and Max is in year 10.  We also a rabbits called Flopsy. Max and Maddy really

enjoyed their time at Alwoodley Primary and still talk about many of the exciting

times and opportunities they experienced here.  School trips were a big favourite!

Although I worked as a UK Marketing Manager for a big European company for

many years, I now work as a teaching assistant at another local primary school. 

I love both my roles as a teaching assistant and as a parent governor because I want to help children to achieve the very best that they can and love their time

at school – just as I did!  I hope that as a governor at Alwoodley I can contribute

to the success and happiness of the children and our school.

My hobbies include listening to music of all types (I play the piano and clarinet),

reading and travel.   My favourite band is The Stone Roses.  I went to see them in

concert in the summer and it was awesome! We love to go to the seaside and are very lucky because my family live on Anglesey.   I also run and have completed

a number of 10K runs.

My name is Harvinder Sehmbey. I have been a Governor since January 2014. I love supporting the school and spending time with the children. I hope that as a Governor at Alwoodley I can contribute to the success and happiness of the children at our school.

I enjoy this role as it helps me to understand the school, and gives me an insight into the teaching and how I can contribute to the running of the school. 

I have two children who attend Alwoodley Primary School and the After School Club. They both love attending the school.

I am a Solicitor and have lived in Leeds and the Alwoodley area since 2004. Most of my family live in Leeds, although I originally was born and brought up in Derby.  

My hobbies include reading, experiencing new places and different types of food, cooking, travelling, going to the cinema, and clothes shopping!

I love visiting new places, and experiencing new things. The last daring thing I tried was paragliding, because I am afraid of heights. However, I loved this experience.

I'm Claire, and have been a governor at Alwoodley for almost four years. It's a fantastic school, with a wonderful ethos of putting the students at the heart of all it does, and it's a pleasure being a very small part of it.
 

Professionally, I'm a communications manager in the financial services industry;

I previously worked in public relations for the NHS, after originally training and working as a journalist for a number of years.

I love reading, writing, socialising and eating out; most of these activities now revolve around my two year old daughter Harriet, who mercifully appears to have inherited my love of such pastimes.

I studied at the University of Leeds many moons ago, and returned to the city with my husband John eight years ago. We've just moved house, so I suspect various renovation jobs and the arrival of Harriet's baby brother or sister in a few months will keep me pretty busy too!

Currently, Jan Linsley works as an independent education consultant to support National Teaching Schools and Initial Teacher Training and is the external assessor for a SCITT. She has supported a number of Erasmus+ projects with

edEUcation over the past 2 years.

Jan Linsley is a community governor and since 2014 has been a co-opted Governor of a primary school in North Yorkshire. She is currently the Chair of the Governing Body, having been chair of the finance and resources committee in the past.

Jan has a keen interest in ensuring all children get the best education they can,

and that they enjoy doing so!

In 2014-2015, Jan was the secondary lead for a SCITT in the North East.

Between 2004 and 2014, Jan Linsley was a Regional Adviser for the DfE and its partner agencies. She has extensive experience in supporting leadership teams in schools in Ofsted category, developed high-quality support materials and a range of strategic approaches to working with schools below the floor target. She has also provided Quality Assurance for Local Authority School Improvement Services

across Yorkshire and the Humber region. Jan has also supported Initial Teacher Training providers and Teaching Schools in Yorkshire and the North East to recruit the best quality candidates to become our next generation of outstanding teachers.

My name is Joanne Hopton. I have been a Governor since October 2017. I am a qualified primary school teacher and currently work in teacher education. Being a Governor will provide me with the opportunity to work closely with school to pass

on knowledge and experience gained from my role and share practice from other settings, helping the children of Alwoodley to be the best that they can be.

Hi, I’m Louise and I joined as a parent governor in March 2018. My husband Neil and I have a son, Julien, who is amazing at playing the flute and is in the school band, and 2 cats Meggie and Poppy.

I am an Associate Professor of Medical Engineering, performing research at the University of Leeds. I develop ways to test medical devices, such as artificial knee replacements and heart valve replacements, to make sure they function as intended before they go into patients.

I am a keen cyclist and runner, and have run the London marathon twice. My other hobbies include reading, going to music concerts, and I am passionate about gender equality. I try not to take life (or myself!) too seriously and have fun – you may have seen me on a scooter wearing a Kermit the frog t-shirt during the Clean Air Day activities this year!

I’m Ian and I joined the governing body of Alwoodley Primary towards the end of 2019. Alwoodley is a wonderful school and I’m so happy to be able to contribute to and be part of the school community. My two children love attending the school and I have been so impressed with how all staff really get to know them so well.

I moved to Leeds from Ireland in the early 2000’s and after completing a masters degree in film music, I embarked on a teaching career that has seen me work in many different types of schools in West Yorkshire. I currently teach music in a local school where I am also the lead for teaching and learning.

I am particularly interested in academic motivation, mindset and resilience. I also have an interest in SEN and LGBT issues.

Outside of education, I love hiking, reading, playing the piano and any outdoor adventures with the kids (except camping!)

Hi, I am Paul and am currently in my first term as a governor at this school and my 24^th year of serving as a governor in three different local authorities in total. I started working in schools as a Teaching Assistant at 18 and trained as a primary school teacher working in Essex and Bradford before taking up my current role as an Advisor for schools for Health, Safety and Wellbeing, and a Senior Advanced TeamTeach Trainer for Leeds City Council in 2009.

I am married to a Secondary School deputy, one daughter is a teacher already and the other is currently at university studying to be a teacher. I’m a new proud grandfather.