Welcome to the Whitecote Governing Body

I am delighted to welcome you to our governing body and to our school. At Whitecote Primary School we are very fortunate to have a dedicated team of governors.  We believe that effective school governance is at the centre of a good school.  We do all we can to promote and develop our governors to be skilled in their role as key strategic decision makers and vision setters.

Motto, Vision and Ethos

Our school motto is INSPIRE, NURTURE and ACHIEVE.  The governors believe that our vision is reflective of our pupils, families, staff and wider community and we are proud to be developing a curriculum that encompasses the ethos and values of our school.

At Whitecote, our pupils know that success comes with hard work and perseverance.  Through teaching that goes beyond the curriculum they are able to fulfil their potential and achieve.  Once a Whitecote pupil, you are always a part of the Whitecote family.

Learning is at the very heart of everything we do at Whitecote Primary School and we work really hard to make sure that all our children are excited and curious about the world about them and develop the life skills they will need to be happy, successful, confident and resilient young people. 

Parents and Community

I am extremely proud of the school, its pupils and staff.  Expectations of standards at Whitecote have risen over the past couple years due to a tenacious approach in improving the quality of teaching, learning and pastoral support for our children.  The children are well behaved and keen to learn as they feel safe, supported and secure in our school.  Parents and Carers understand they have an important role to fulfil in supporting our aims and aspirations for their children ad are encouraged to play an active part in school life.  We work closely with the Bramley Cluster and other agencies to provide support for children and families who need it.

Exciting new opportunities to become involved with school life include our new Community Group which has some fun and interesting events coming up!  They have hosted the first annual Whitecote Festival and meet regularly to discuss ideas for how the community and school can work together.   The Friends of Whitecote group has seen numbers grow and lots of ideas for fundraising are coming from the important and valued group.  This year, the focus for the group is “Making Whitecote Beautiful” and we cannot wait to see what they do!

Meet the Governors

The Governing Body of Whitecote Primary School have an important role to play in supporting the strategic direction of school. The Governors act as a critical friend, whilst providing challenge and facilitating debate with School Leaders to ensure children at Whitecote achieve the best possible progress in their learning.  We have professional curiosity and interest in the curriculum and how the school delivers high quality learning to our pupils.

Our governing body consists of 11 governors and they serve a term of office for four years. The main aim of our governors is to ensure that school provides an outstanding education and progress to all its children and to improve standards. 

We have wide range of skills and backgrounds which makes the governing body an interesting mix of people who all share the same drive to support school improvement.

The Governing Body constitution consists of 11 Members:       

• Headteacher
• 2 Parent representatives
• 1 Local Authority representative
• 1 Staff representative
• 8 Co-opted representatives

Chair:                                                Mrs Suzanne Hawkshaw   

Headteacher:                                  Ms Frances Stead                ex-officio

Parent Representatives:                Mr Dan Marcus

                                                          Mrs Katie Nield

                                                            Vacancy

Staff Representative:                     Mrs Helen Burling

Co-opted Representatives:           Mrs Sue Hawkshaw

                                                          Mrs Anessa Rush

                                                          Cllr Kevin Ritchie

                                                          Mr Jonathan Graham

                                                          Ms Suzi Delahunty

                                                          Mr Jake Wilmott

                                                          Mr Jason Askham

LEA Representative:                         Vacancy

Areas of Monitoring Responsibility

The governors share the responsibility to monitor key areas of school.  Feedback is given at committee and full governing body meetings regularly.  Governors regularly visit school and speak with staff, children and parents.

*    Complaints - Sue Hawkshaw
*    Child Protection/Looked After Children - Anessa Rush

*    SEND - Anessa Rush

*    Attendance - Jason Askham

*    Equalities - Sue Hawkshaw

*    Health and Safety - Jonathan Graham

*    Bramley Cluster - Cllr Kevin Ritchie
*    Training - Sue Hawkshaw
*    Pupil Premium - Suzi Delahunty
*    Sports Funding - Jake Wilmott

*    Website Compliance - Sue Hawkshaw

*    Parental Engagement - Sue Hawkshaw
*    Early Years Foundation Stage - Kevin Ritchie

Governors' Declaration of Interests

Sue Hawkshaw – Governor at The Farnley Academy and The Stephen Longfellow Academy.  Business Owner; Leeds Governance for Growth.

Kevin Ritchie - Elected Member of Leeds City Council

Committees

The governors have three committees which allow for further in-depth discussion on key areas of the school.  The governing body is split into three committees, who undertake projects under delegated authority from the main body.

The committees are as follows:

• Resources (Finance, Personnel and Buildings)
• Teaching and Learning
• Pupil Support

Committee Members

Teaching and Learning

Frances Stead

Dan Marcus (Chair)

Kevin Ritchie

Sue Hawkshaw

Helen Burling

Jake Wilmott

Katie Nield

Pupil Support 

Frances Stead

Katie Nield (Chair)

Anessa Rush 

Helen Burling

Kevin Ritchie

Sue Hawkshaw

Jake Wilmott

Suzi Delahunty

Resources

Frances Stead

Suzi Delahunty (Chair)

Jonathan Graham

Katie Nield

Sue Hawkshaw

Kevin Ritchie

Helen Burling

Our governing body is supported by a local authority clerk.

Attendance

The Governing Body visits school regularly to look at various lines of enquiry, we also attend regular meetings.