The Work of the Governing Body at Gargrave Primary School.
The role of the governing board is a strategic one, its key functions are to:
- set the aims and objectives for the school
- set the policies for achieving those aims and objectives
- set the targets for achieving those aims and objectives
- monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards the achievement of its aims and objectives
- be a source of challenge and support to the head teacher (a critical friend)
So, how does the governing board go about achieving these critical functions?
The governors meet as a whole board approximately once a month and whilst all meetings have set agenda items, for example, the Head Teacher’s report, some will have an agenda with a particular focus, depending on the point in the year that it takes place. For example, in May, the main focus is to look at the following year’s budget.
A key matter for discussion is always the performance of the school, both in terms of the outcomes for children and the use of the budget available to the head teacher. Governors hold the head teacher to account for the results produced by the pupils, the deployment of the staff and for how money is spent. The Governors act as a “critical friend” to the school, meaning that they must provide challenge to the school leadership to ensure the school delivers the best outcomes for pupils and value for money, but also lend support wherever they can. Examples of support given are governors volunteering in the school to listen to readers or participating in the supervision of annual National tests.
An important role for most of our governors is to act as a “Link governor”, either with a class or for a specific subject. This role is an important part of monitoring, as it means that governors spend time, at least once a term, in the school, either with a class, or looking at a specific subject right across the school. Feedback from these visits is then given to the head teacher (HT), in the form of a confidential report. This gives the head teacher another source of information in addition to her own observations to see what is taking place across the school. This information is also fed back to the GB, either directly by the link governors, or indirectly via the HT’s report.
Before undertaking a visit, governors refer to the areas for development in that year’s School Improvement Plan (SIP) and these form the main focus of the visit. It allows governors to see first hand how the SIP is being implemented. It also allows the school to evidence how information is gathered, acted upon and followed up at subsequent visits. During a governor visit the link governors speak to pupils and staff, and sometimes this can highlight particular issues to the HT.
In addition, every Summer term, a small group of governors go into school and undertake Pupil conferencing. This is to collect information about the pupils’ opinions on a range of subjects, relating to changes that may have been made to school/curriculum in that particular academic year, areas they might like to change/improve, how they feel about the way the school is run. A report is then produced for the HT, and this will form part of the data used to inform the following year’s School Improvement Plan, (SIP), as well as helping to provide evidence of performance of the school against the current year’s SIP.
Other information sources used in the development of the SIP include;
- responses to the parental questionnaire (also sent out in the Summer term)
- data from KS1, KS2 and phonics screening tests
- SIAMs and Ofsted report findings
- Feedback from staff
Additional consultations are also sometimes undertaken with particular groups, for example, parents of pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium funding, or children who have an identified Special Educational Need.
A small group of governors also performance manage the HT, setting targets at the beginning of the year (which are linked to the SIP) and monitoring progress against these.
All governors undertake training as appropriate across the year.
If vacancies arise on the governing board, we shall advertise these through our newsletter and website. Our Governing Board comprises of:-
Co Opted Governors x 2
Foundaton Ex-Oficio x 1
Foundation Governor x 1
Staff Governor x 1
Headteacher x 1
Parent Governors x 2
Local Authority Governor x 1
Please click to see our Instrument Of Government.
The Chair of governors can be contacted by emailing cofg@gargrave.n-yorks.sch.uk or contacted through school.
Meet the Governors

Mrs Jane Ellis
(Chair Including Local Authority, Equality, SEN, Reading & Phonics, HT Performance Management and Apple Class Governor) (Previously Community, Co-opted & Foundation Governor)
Term of office: 3.1.21 – 2.1.25
Business interests: None
Elected by the Governors
Attendance: 19/20 – 9/9 meetings
Attendance 20/21 – 8/8 meetings
At school – I like listening to children read.
Out of school – I like knitting and baking.
Mr Thomas Finch
(Co-Opted, Maths and Ash Class Governor)
Term of office: 25.5.21-24.5.25
Business interests: Teacher at Greatwood Primary School, Skipton
Elected by the Governing Body
Attendance: 20/21 – 2/2
At school –
Out of school –
Vacancy
(Parent Governor)
Term of office:
Business Interests:
Elected by Parents
Attendance:
At School –
Out of school –

Mr Christopher Gormley
(Parent, Health & Safety, Pupil Premium, and Educational Visits Governor)
Term of office: 18.7.19-17.7.23
Business Interests: None
Elected by Parents
Attendance: 19/20 – 9/9 meetings
Attendance 20/21 – 8/8 meetings
At school – I enjoy seeing how passionate the teachers are and recognise the effort they make each day to care for and develop our children.

Revd. Andrew Steer
(Ex-officio, Religious Education and Willow Class Governor)
Term of office: 28.11.19
Business Interests:
Elected by the Diocese
Attendance: 19/20 – 4/7 meetings
Attendance: 20/21 – 6/8 meetings
At school – I enjoy talking to the children, helping with activities and school trips.
Out of school – I enjoy walking, running and cooking.

Mrs Nicola Abbey
(Sycamore Class Teacher and Staff Governor)
Term of office: 28.9.16 -27.9.20
Business Interests: None
Elected by the Staff
Attendance: 19/20 – 9/9 meetings
Attendance: 20/21 – 8/8 meetings
At school – I enjoy helping children learn.
Out of school – Spending time with friends and family and playing rounders.

Mrs Sarah Peel
(Headteacher Governor)
Term of office: 1.9.08 – Permanent
Business Interests: Dales Heating, Family Business
Attendance: 19/20 – 9/9 meetings
Attendance 20/21 – 8/8 meetings
At school – I love seeing the pupils grow educationally and emotionally into young people excited for their next stage of learning.
Out of school – I enjoy watching pupils playing sport and music and walking on the hills.

Sallie Wareham
(Clerk to Governors)
Clerk since 1.11.20
Business Interests: Employed as Clerk and RFO for Addingham Parish Council.
My name is Sallie and I have worked as a Clerk for 3 years. I enjoy visiting schools and working closely with governors and school leaders.
Outside of work I am kept busy with my family. I have 4 lovely children ranging in age from 19 to 5 – our house is always noisy and the fridge is always empty!. We keep chickens and have just added a puppy to our menagerie!

Mrs Jane Dallas
(Foundation and Writing Governor)
Term of office: 20.5.20 – 19.5.24
Business Interests: Education Consultancy
Elected by the Diocese
Attendance: 19/20 – 1/1 meetings
Attendance 20/21 – 8/8 meetings
At school – I like hearing children read and seeing them flourish.
Out of school – I enjoy walking, cycling and gardening.
Mrs Sam Harrison
(Co-Opted Governor)
Term of office: 19.5.22 – 18.5.26
Business Interests:
Elected by the Governing Body
Attendance 21/22 –
At school –
Out of school –
Previous Governors (2015-2020)
David Atkinson (LA Governor) Term of office 22.9.10-21.9.18 (Resigned 22 July 2016)
Claire Cadman-Bond (Parent Governor) Term of office 24.9.13-23.9.17 (Resigned 29 September 2016)
Helen Wilson (LA Governor) Term of office 1.9.13-31.8.17 (term of office ended)
David Houlton (Foundation Governor) Term of office 15.7.13-31.12.17 (ceased to be vicar of Gargrave)
Stephen Alford (Parent Governor) Term of office 10.11.16 – 9.11.20 (Resigned 17 April 2018)
Maxine Roberts (Parent Governor) Term of office 21.10.14-20.10.18 (term of office ended)
Linda Wall (Foundation Governor) Term of office 10.11.16 – 9.11.20 (Resigned 26 September 2019)
Steve Aldous (Co-Opted Governor) Term of office 17.7.15 – 16.7.19 and then 16.7.19-14.1.20 (Resigned)
Patsy Simpson (LA Governor) Term of office 23.11.17-22.11.21 (Resigned 17.1.20)
Julian White (Parent Governor) Term of office 4.12.18-3.12.22 (Resigned 22.6.20)
Sharon Aldous (Clerk to Governors) Term of office 10.2.10-28.10.20 (Resigned)
Joanne Ackroyd (Foundation Governor) Term of office 27.2.20-26.2.24 (Resigned 7.10.21)
Michael Smith (Parent Governor) Term of office 8.11.20-17.11.24 (Resigned 11.3.22)
Full Governor Meetings 2020/2021
- Minutes 23rd September 2020
- Minutes 21st October 2020
- Minutes 18th Nov 2020
- Minutes 16th December 2020
- Minutes 3rd February 2021
- Minutes 17th March 2021
- Minutes 27th April 2021
- Minutes 8th June 2021
- Minutes 15th July 2021
- Minutes 7th October 2021
- Minutes 25th November 2021
- Minutes 10th February 2022
School Improvement Plan