Value Who We Are and Who We Can Become
The Governors are a small group of volunteers who are enthusiastic to see the continued progress of The Hendreds CofE School and in ensuring the best possible educational outcomes for the children and staff in our school.
The governors are inquisitive and offer strategic guidance to the school leadership, through ongoing discussion. They are always looking for new recruits! If this is something you are interested in, please speak to our Chair of Governors (email chairofgovernors@hendreds.oxon.sch.uk) for a no obligation chat about the role.
The role of Governors is not about the operational aspects of running the school, instead our governors are established to ensure the good governance of the academy: ensuring statutory duties are met, setting a standard of excellence and focusing on improving teaching and learning outcomes for pupils. This is done through:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff
- Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent
The Governors are supported in their work by a qualified Clerk, currently Keith Bossom, who can be emailed at: clerk@hendreds.oxon.sch.uk
Structure and remit of LGB
The Hendreds CofE School is an academy maintained by the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust (ODST). The Trust is responsible for the school but they delegate considerable autonomy to its Local Governing Bodies (LGBs), who are, effectively, committees of the Board of Trustees – one for every school in the Trust.
The delegated powers of the LGB are defined in the Scheme of Delegation. As Hendreds was previously a VA Church of England School, the majority of the governors are reserved for being “Foundation Governors”, which means they are appointed by the Diocese having been approved by the Board of Trustees. Governors appointed this way need to be endorsed by the local church, and will need to commit to upholding the Christian principles of the school.
The LGB is intended to have 12 members: 7 of which are reserved for Foundation Governors, 1 Community Governor, 1 Staff Governor, 2 Parent Governors and the Headteacher, however co-opted governors can also be adopted by the LGB.
The LGB meets monthly, during term time, with part of the meetings designated for Finance Committee matters in October, February, April and June.
Membership, attendance and pecuniary interests
| Chair of Governors | Susie Morrissey chairofgovernors@hendreds.oxon.sch.uk |
| Vice Chair of Governors | Jenni Dimbylow |
| Type of Governor | Name |
| Foundation | Chris Wheaton
Gillian Jones Kathryn Dawson Susie Morrissey William Luttrell-Hunt Sandra Carr Nikolaj Christensen |
| Parent Governors | Darren Hopgood
Jenni Dimbylow |
| Community Governor | Nicholas Graham |
| Headteacher | Lisa Rees |
| Staff Governor | Karen Jones |
| Co-opted Governors* | Jamie Barton
Louise Feltham |
*Co-opted governors serve for two years and count towards the quoracy of a meeting. Co-opted governors are able to vote on items where there is an overall majority of foundation governors present.
Find out more about our governors here, their declared interests and attendance history.
Lead Governors
To provide resilience and depth to monitoring, each Governor has a lead responsibility as well as a deputy responsibility for an aspect of the work of the Governing Body. The leads are:
| Role | Lead Governor | Deputy |
| Safeguarding | Jamie Barton | Gillian Jones |
| Premises | William Luttrell-Hunt | Jamie Barton |
| Finance and Staffing | Darren Hopgood | William Luttrell-Hunt |
| Progress and attainment | Chris Wheaton | Susie Morrissey |
| Inclusion (Pupil Premium & SEND) | Louise Feltham | Kathryn Dawson |
| SIAMS** / RE | Nicholas Graham | TBC |
| Training | Gillian Jones | Jenni Dimbylow |
| Admissions | Susie Morrissey | Chris Wheaton |
| Whistleblowing | Susie Morrissey |
Jenni Dimbylow |
Lead Governors have a terms of reference clarifying their roles and responsibilities. Governors are also encouraged to participate in regular visits to school to monitor prioritised aspects of the curriculum in line with the school’s development plan.
** SIAMS = Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools
Feedback and complaints
The staff and governors of The Hendreds C of E Primary School welcome feedback and make every effort to address any concerns raised at an early stage. The school operates an open-door policy and encourages parents to discuss any concerns with class teachers, or an appropriate member of the school staff at the earliest opportunity.
There is a formal complaints policy that outlines the process should a parent or third party feel the need to make a formal complaint. Governors are usually the point of escalation if the school is not able to resolve a complaint, unless the issue relates to the Headteacher, in which case please address your concern to the Chair of Governors (email: chairofgovernors@hendreds.oxon.sch.uk)
Safeguarding concerns should always be addressed to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) – who, at The Hendreds, is the Headteacher.