Waltham School Governors

A warm introduction to the work of our school Governors.

This section gives you an overview of why the Governing Committee exists, who we are and what we do. We welcome any interest in our work and if you would like to know more, have specific questions, or are interested in becoming a school governor then please do not hesitate to get in touch via the school office: office@waltham.risemat.co.uk

We are always keen to hear your views, so please feel free to contact any of us directly in person or via the school office; mark the 'subject' as FAO A. Butler PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL; put your correspondence in an encrypted attachment. Alternatively, post through the school letterbox marking the envelope FAO A. Butler 'PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL'. 

We are a strong team and enjoy working in partnership with Mrs Hopkins and the fabulous staff to ensure everyone flourishes and succeeds.

I look forward to seeing you around school and at our many events.

Anna Butler
Chair of Governors

Governance at Waltham School

Our school is an Academy within Rise Multi-Academy Trust, whose Board of Trustees are ultimately responsible for the school. All local governance committees are de facto committees of the Board of Directors. The members of each local governing committee are referred to as ‘Governors’. Their key responsibilities are to:

• Ensuring there is clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils and the performance management of staff.
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

Governors are not expected to be involved in the detail of the day-to-day management of the school – this is the responsibility of the Executive Headteacher and senior leadership team. The Governors work in partnership with them, acting as 'critical friends', to support and challenge the work of the school. In practice this means there is a continual cycle of  monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school against agreed targets, actions and policies.

New Governance Structure 2022-2023

From the start of the autumn term, our Governing Committee will merge with the Governing Committee of Redmile CE Primary School (one of our close partnership schools within our Executive Headship model) to form a Cluster Governing Committee or CGC.

The Board of Trustees have determined that a CGC may be formed when there is an executive leadership arrangement in place across two or more schools. In these instances, one governing committee has delegated oversight of all schools in the cluster. This avoids duplication of governance where CGCs are in operation. We believe that we will be able to carry out our roles and responsibilities as determined by the Rise Scheme of Delegation more effectively as a two-school CGC rather than a four-school CGC.

Our other two schools, Croxton Kerrial CE Primary School and Wymondham CE Primary School, have been working in a similar way for the past 3-years, as they have a shared Head of School which has worked very successfully so it made perfect sense for them to continue as a CGC. 

Who Are We?

Our governors are representative of all the groups involved in our school: staff, parents, local community and Church. They are all volunteers who give their time, energy and skills free of charge to benefit the children of our school. The number and type of Governor is determined in our Memorandum of Understanding from the Trust. The term of office is four years.

We have a Clerk to Governors who is paid to carry out administrative tasks for governor business. Should you wish to contact her please email ntyers@risemat.co.uk

See below for details of our work so far this year and to read our governor profiles.

What Do We Do?

The Cluster Governing Committee meets twice per term, but we manage a lot of work through our regular visits to each school. Our main work centres around:

• Safeguarding and on-line safety - every time we visit, we consult with children and staff to check that everyone feels safe and secure.  During the course of the year, we review the security measures of the school, Single Central Record, policies and procedures, including Risk Assessments and school safety logs. We review e-safety with leaders and check children understand how to stay safe o the internet.

• Finance - we review staffing, including staff well-being and recruitment when necessary; review the annual budget, sports premium, pupil premium and recovery premiums to ensure value for money. This includes Waltham Pre-school and CReW Club. We remain vigilant of possible funding opportunities (e.g. grants) too.

• Health and Safety - where we check health and safety around the school site, and look at the learning environment for the children, maintenance and development of our buildings. We support the Executive Headteacher in securing S106 funding from local housing developments and Condition Improvement Funds.

• School Focus - we review pupil progress and attainment with staff each term; we monitor school improvement through the  School Strategic Plan, including curriculum development; and consider the church school distinctiveness of our school. 

• Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) - we meet termly with the SENDCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) to review provision and progress, ensuring that effective lines of communication are in place for parents of SEND children.

• Behaviour and wellbeing - we ensure that effective policies are in place and that these areas are prominent within the curriculum and other activities.

• Early Years - to review provision, practice and performance with the Reception teacher and Pre-school manager.

We have governor advocates for each of the above areas who report back to the CGC each half term or term. From time to time, we also form working groups to work on specific strategic projects as they arise, eg. Headteacher recruitment.

How do we achieve this?

School Visits and Learning Walks

Governor visits allow us to see the school at work, gain relevant knowledge and understanding to be able to perform our governing role effectively and fulfil our monitoring functions. We set out a programme of governor visits for every year, each focused on a particular area as detailed above. This might include: discussions with subject coordinators, visits to each class to see how learning takes place and meetings about specific aspects of work, e.g. safeguarding. In practice, many of our governors also frequently attend other activities going on in the school to ensure that they know the school well. They also accompany the staff and children on school visits and trips, including residential visits.

Governor Training

We have a governor responsible for training and development to support us in our role as governors, organised by Rise and within school.

Partnership Links

We work in close partnership with the CEO and central team of Rise who visit our school and offer guidance and support when required. We also work with other governing bodies around our local area which helps to inform our strategic work as well allowing us to broaden our knowledge by exchanging experiences with governors in settings similar to ours.

Governor Profiles

Mrs Anna Butler (Chair of CGC)

I moved to Waltham with my family 6 years ago.  I have worked in education for 20 years; initially as a maths teacher and now as a member of the school improvement team for a multi-academy trust, overseeing outcomes and professional development. Prior to this, I was Vice Principal at a secondary school in Nottingham.  I am passionate about ensuring all children have access to a quality education that allows them to flourish and achieve their potential.  It is a privilege to be Chair of Governors at our school where this is achieved by a team of such dedicated staff. 

Reverend John Barr

We moved to Waltham in April 2017 from Great Malvern in Worcestershire, when I became Rector of the Ironstone Villages - a family of seven churches - at the same time as my wife Mary became Vicar in the Melton Mowbray Team. I am delighted to be involved with Waltham School which I look across at every day from the other side of the Melton Road! As a parent of two (now adult) children who both went to their local Church of England Primary School, I fully appreciate the value of a church school education in those formative years and the opportunities to build good community links. I look forward to continuing to work with others in developing the already strong links between school, church, and wider community, and to contributing in whatever way I can to the flourishing life and Christian ethos of this lovely village school.

Mrs Briony Cheeseman

My husband Ben and I moved to Waltham in 2013 from Reading to be closer to our family. We renovated our current house and live here with our two children.  Both our children now attend Waltham School and really love it. I wanted to get more involved with the school, so I became a parent Governor in November 2020. I currently work part-time as a Transport Planner in Nottingham, and I have previously worked for Sustrans. I have a keen interest in sustainable travel and developing sustainable travel habits. I am looking forward to working in partnership with pupils, parents, staff and other governors to support the school and help it grow.

Mrs Alexandra Wilson

I arrived in Waltham in early 2020 after spending a year in the Arctic, studying the effects of global warming and climate change in these regions, as part of an Arctic research project at UiT (the Arctic University in northern Norway).

However, prior to this, much of my working life has been spent in a variety of educational settings, including the University of Nottingham and twelve years as a residential housemistress at Eton Collage, Windsor.  I am now working locally in a supervisory capacity at Stapleford Park Country House hotel and I feel honoured to be able to serve as governor at Waltham school.

Miss Lucy Dobson

I have recently taken up my position as Year 1 teacher and LSA at Waltham-on-the-Wolds CE Primary School having been at the school for the past year. I have love for sports in particular football, playing for Sleaford Ladies in my spare time; this love of football is something I hope to continue to bring to school to inspire our youngsters. I have developed a particular interest in the teaching of Art and have recently taken on the role of Art/DT coordinator. I am hoping to contribute more widely to the school as a governor too.

Mr Jamie Key

I live in Barkestone with my wife Kerry and our three children. Two of our children attend Redmile School and we expect our third will follow. We have lived in Barkestone for around 5 years and feel fortunate to be able to enjoy the benefits of the area.

I became involved as a governor of the school with the hope I can help contribute positively in the running of the school. In my professional life I am solicitor and would hope some of the skills from that role could help the school continue to flourish. 

Mrs Kate Willey

I have lived in Woolsthorpe by Belvoir for almost 5 years with my husband and little boy. My son attends Redmile School and absolutely loves it.  Professionally I work in the Arts, Choreographing for various shows and companies, facilitating and leading dance/drama workshops and classes to all ages and abilities. I also work as a character actor for various companies and events across the world. 

I am delighted to have been appointed as a Parent Governor at Redmile School allowing me to have an input into its future development and giving me the opportunity to support the school, it's teaching staff, pupils and parents. 

Mrs Joanne Berridge

I have lived in Barkestone with my husband Mark and two sons for just over three years. My eldest boy started Redmile school in September. I am a qualified doctor who specialised in Paediatric medicine for four years before taking a career break to have my boys. I still locum in Paediatric Accident and Emergency department when possible. I became a parent governor in October 2019 and am looking forward to helping support the parents and school. As my background is medicine, I am keen to develop the love of science and sustainability.

Mr Richard Bingham

Having moved to Redmile village recently, my family and I are keen to be involved in the local community. Professionally I have held various positions in enterprise software development over the last 25 years and have a long-standing passion for education of all types. I have some experience in primary school governance and am therefore very excited to be part of the team.

Mr Jamie Cope

I began my position as the Year 5 and 6 class teacher at Redmile CE Primary School 7 years ago, having studied Primary Education at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. During this time, I have developed skills beyond the classroom, leading English across Redmile and our Vale Cluster, completing both a Maths and Reading TRG and achieving the National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership (NPQML) in 2022. Coming from a drama and musical theatre background, I have developed my participation across the school, singularly directing whole school and KS2 musical productions and am dedicated to the wider life of the school as the Wellbeing lead (for both staff and pupils) and Mental Health First Aider, ensuring our children receive the best possible outcomes, ready for life outside of Primary.

Our Cluster Governing Committee

Dates of Meetings 2022 - 2023

12th September at Waltham

28th November at Redmile

6th February at Waltham

24th April at Redmile

12th June at Waltham