All schools in England have a governing body which is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions of the school. A key role is to act as a 'critical friend': to support, challenge, ask questions and represent the school community. Our Governing Body is made up of a range of people from a range of different backgrounds including: parents, staff members, and community representatives. The standard term of office for a governor is 4 years. The Chair and Vice-Chair are elected every year. The structure of meetings across the year are six Full Governing Body meetings. Three of the Full Governing Body (FGB) meetings will focus on curriculum matters and the other three meetings will focus on resources; every governor is invited to attend all six meetings.
Our clerk to the governors is Mr Carsten Kressel.
Role and Responsibilities
- champion vision and strategic direction of school
- hold the headteacher to account for its educational performance
- ensure financial resources are well spent
A robust framework of Governor involves
- setting priorities (SIP and action plan)
- creating accountability through challenging questions
- monitoring progress using an evidence based approach
- mechanisms to listen and respond to every member of the school community
- a creative contribution and independent oversite in a non-executive leadership capacity
Governors Champion the School's Vision:
Working Together The GHPS Governing Body is a team of people where decisions are made as a collective, championing the schools vision and strategic direction. Our members are at different stages in their own professional careers and from a range of different knowledge areas which ensures different angles of conversations as critical friends to challenge and support the senior leadership team.
Excellence At every meeting and during every conversation, the GHPS Governing Body work collaborativelu to achieve ambitious short, medium and long-term goals. We visit thehigh-quality learning-environment and expect excellence in education performance. Staff and governors communicate effectively to evidence outstanding examples of teaching and learning. We closely monitor reporting systems that ensure excellent outcomes for the children at GHPS.
Caring Each Governing Body member has a sincere level of empathy and reflects deeply to ensure the child’s voice is considered in each of the decisions made. The Governing Body listen intently to children and staff at events planned in the calendar and care about all forms of feedback received.
Aspirational The Governing Body has an independent overview that consistently drives a belief in the possibilities that can be achieved at GHPS for all children. Each year has identified priorities that are continuously reviewed, celebrating milestones and continuously seeking progression. The life of the school and the diversity of its community is an inspiration to the Governing Body.
Role Models The Governors are at experienced stages of life! Mike, Claire, Jane and Laura have leadership experience in a range of education settings; Tony has had a successful career in businesses requiring significant finance and IT skills. Each Governor carries out named roles in school focused upon curriculum, inclusion, safeguarding, quality assurance, resources and finance, each linking with school staff to monitor and evidence strategic direction.
Embracing Change The environment at school is a vibrant one. To maintain its energy of excellence, initiatives and resources continuously evolve to achieve the ambitious standards set at GHPS. More than ever, a positive mindset is required when considering finance and resource allocation. Governors bring continuous optimism and depth of consideration to each topic and priority, especially as the school undergoes a periord of growth and change.
Governing Body - 2023/24
Laura O’Callaghan (Chair of Governors): I joined the Governing Body in October 2017. I strive to validate the school’s incredible achievements and bring together the school community to drive forward innovative practices. I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education and conduct Research in Cognition and Movement Science focussing on primary school age children.
Tony Szczepanek (Vice Chair of Governors):I joined the Governing body in May 2019. I have held senior technology, operational and strategic change positions across several industries including financial services and hope to bring some of this business experience to help the school meet its challenges and deliver the best possible outcomes for children, parents and staff. Having originally studied physics at university I have an interest in the sciences.
Claire Lawton: I joined the Governing Body in November 2017 as a Co-opted Governor. I strive to use my knowledge and experience in Primary Education to inform and enhance Governor discussions and decisions. I am currently Deputy Headteacher at another school in Warrington.
Mike Lawton: Before retirement, I taught in secondary schools for 40 years and was a staff governor for 10 of those years. I was previously a governor at GHCPS for 8 years and, after break of 4 years, was co-opted in October 2020 for a second spell and hope that my experience and support can be useful to the school community as we move forward.
Jane Green: I have been a member of the Governing Body for many years as a staff Governor. I have worked in school since it opened and have had the pleasure to watch, all the children blossom over the years at our school. I always try to help make decisions that benefit both the children and the staff.
Andrew Hart: I joined the Governing body in November 2022. I am a Training Captain for a major UK airline and as such have a keen interest in fostering teamwork and collaborative thinking to achieve a common goal. As a local resident and father to a young family who attend the school, I am acutely aware of its importance within the local community. Our collective potential excites me and I am determined to help our children achieve their dreams - in the correct environment, anything is possible.
Sara Lunt: I joined the Governing Body as a Parent Governor in June 2023. I have held leadership roles in secondary education, and my current role as Head of Operations for a local company has provided me with a unique mixture of skills from both the public and private sectors, which I hope will assist me in supporting the school’s vision. I am extremely passionate about ensuring high outcomes for all children and I am excited to help the school respond to the challenges ahead as it expands.
Matthew Royle: I am honoured to have been on the Governing Body since March 2023. My career is embedded in marketing, business development & strategy, primarily in the sports industry. I hope to transfer these skills and passion into my role here. With our two young children beginning their journey at the school, I’m looking forward to being part of the school community for years to come. I want to support the school in delivering their vision for every child, contribute to the development of the school and its enriched curriculum, and help foster an environment where all children can thrive as individuals and be their best selves .
Naomi Ottiwell: I joined Grappenhall Heys in September 2005 and have taught primarily in upper key stage two, in particular, Year 6. I have a genuine passion for maths and have led maths and assessment across the school since I joined. In September 2022, I became one of the assistant head teachers and am committed to supporting the governors and head teacher in implementing the school improvement plan and in ensuring the best outcomes for our amazing children. I am now head of key stage two, lead on the school’s curriculum offer and have responsibility for coordinating the school website.
Sarah Harman: Having started working at Grappenhall Heys this academic year, I am delighted to join the governing body as part of my role. I have taught for thirteen years and was a teaching assistant prior to becoming a teacher. I greatly value the experience I have had of working across all key stages, including Early Years, and am passionate about my professional role. I feel privileged to support Ms Jackson and the governors in delivering on the aims and key priorities of the SIP and will work in my role as one of the assistant headteachers to embed these outcomes across the school.
Governor Voice
July 2023
Governors met with subject leaders and our Curriculum Ambassadors to discuss our curriculum and enrichment opportunities. The children shared their work and thoughts and were asked questions about their lessons by our governors. Learn about what our governors thought about the chance to learn more about our curriclulum...
PE - The children described their role in developing the areas of OPAL.
Art - The subject lead explained how the children research their ideas at the start of projects
Science - The subject lead described how the children were introduced to chemistry, biology and physics rather than just ‘science’..
RE - The children talked to me about their experiences of creating a religion passport, visiting classrooms to learn about different religions.
PSHE - The children explained how the use of a colour monster to describe how they are feeling.
Maths - The children passionately described what they have achieved and their next steps.
French - The subject lead described the use of digital journals which allowed the children to listen back to their recordings.
Science - The subject lead described how the children were introduced to chemistry, biology and physics rather than just ‘science’.
Music - A child described musical vocabulary
English - The children talked about the importance of reading and writing.
Computing - The children described how IPADs aid their work in different ways.
Geography - The children described a comparison they had done between France and the UK in their books.
History - The subject lead described bringing the subject to life through enrichment.
If you are interested in becoming a school governor, please speak to the Headteacher or the Chair of Governors, Laura O'Callaghan, via the school office.
Governors' attendance at meetings and membership details for 2022/23
