Hatton Special School is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Find out how Headteacher Adrienne Wright depends on her governing board for the school’s continued success. “Hatton Special School is a large primary maintained special school in outer London with 191 pupils with complex needs. We had our…
Grace Maryon is a governor at Greatfields academy in Barking, London. Grace talks about her experience as a link governor, and how she helps children with SEND fully participate in the life of the school. “I’m a governor at Greatfields Academy, which is a community school that primarily serves…
Mary Isherwood OBE is the headteacher at Camberwell Park School in Manchester, which is a primary special school. Mary talks about the need for good governors on the board, and the challenges the school faces. “Camberwell Park is a special school for pupils of primary age who…
Mark Twigg is a governor at a special school in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. He shares his experience of joining the board without any specific experience in SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) and the impact he’s had on the children and their experience of education. “I’ve been a governor…
Governors for Schools has this week announced the appointment Hannah Stolton as Chief Executive Officer, following Louise Cooper’s departure in August 2019. Hannah Stolton, who has led the charity as interim CEO since the summer, was appointed as CEO this week. Ms Stolton has been with Governors for Schools since…
This year, Children’s Mental Health Week runs from the 3rd – 9th February. It’s a great opportunity to refocus on one of the reasons many people decide to become governors – to help the next generation of young people to be happy, healthy and well prepared for…
Amanda Timcke is a commercial property solicitor at Birketts, Ipswich. “I became a governor of a primary school in Suffolk in 2012 following a campaign to recruit governors by Suffolk County Council. However, even with my education and law interest, it took me a full academic year to understand…
Concerns over childhood obesity are never far from the headlines. Pupils today experience increasing stress in school from a number of sources – with exams being just one factor. As governors, what part do we play in this? While there isn’t just one simple solution, the School Sport and…
Sally Barrett volunteers as a governor in Wythenshawe, South Manchester. “I recently retired from teaching after 33 years and during my time in education had various roles – working my way up to headteacher. I had experience of being a staff governor and also as the headteacher on the governing…
“I’d been thinking about becoming a school governor for a while. I hadn’t been a governor when my daughters were at school and had always regretted it – but as a single parent with a career, I didn’t have the time. Approaching retirement, I wanted to give something back…
Carol Shutkever is a trustee of a multi-academy trust in Hertfordshire. “Stepping down from my full time role as a lawyer to do part time consultancy got me thinking about local charity work. I’d previously been working very long hours but now with some more time to spare, I…
Multi-academy trusts (MATs) make up an increasingly large part of schools across England. But many people don’t know how MATs are structured, who trustees are, and how they compare to school governors. The education landscape has changed drastically over the last ten years, so it’s not surprising…