Governors

Burbage Governors sit on an Academy Committee (AC), whose purpose is to support and advise the Principal and Excalibur Academies Trust’s Board of Trustees in delivering effective welfare, behaviour and extra-curricular provision. In every aspect of its work, ACs look through the lens of the child, asking: “What is it like to attend this school?”, whilst being mindful to avoid adding to the Principal’s workload.

ACs help shape a school’s vision, build links with local community, provide specialist volunteer skills/knowledge and give vital input to statutory processes (for example complaints, exclusions and recruitment).

The responsibility of monitoring and improving educational outcomes lies with the Trust’s professional Academy Improvement Team.

Responsibilities

To fulfil these functions, the Academy Committee has the following responsibilities:

Culture, vision and ethos
Personal development and staff and pupil welfare
Behaviour and Attendance
Extra-Curricular provision
Safeguarding
Engagement and promotion within local community
Staffing, behaviour and complaints panels
Senior management recruitment/performance management

Governor Roles

The Academy Committee must appoint Governors to the following roles: Health & Safety Governor, Safeguarding Governor & SEND Governor. Depending on the school’s size, additional roles should also be assigned; examples include Education Performance Governor, Pupil Premium & Inclusion Governor and Finance Governor.

Safeguarding & Training

Excalibur maintains a strong safeguarding culture and ethos, with all Governors applying for an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check, in addition to undertaking mandatory safeguarding and cyber-security training. It is the responsibility of the nominated Safeguarding Governor to ensure this is adhered to and the Trust monitors compliance. Supplementary training to support Governors in their role is also available.

All Governors and Trustees must agree to be bound by the Excalibur Academies Trust Code of Conduct, with annual compulsory recommitment and declaration of business interests.

More information

Further information about the Excalibur’s Academy Committees can be found by visiting: https://www.excalibur.org.uk/governance/join-us/ or contacting the Trust’s Head of Governance Cathryn Poole: [email protected]

The governors of Burbage Primary School are:-

David Rose – Chair

I was elected as a Parent Governor at Burbage Primary School in December 2015. I live in Burbage and have three children who have attended the school, I really want to help the school in the governor role and will be working closely with the other governors and staff to continue Burbage Primary School’s success. I am excited about the work that is going on at the school and its prospects for the future.

Jo Brook

With a degree in Geography and Environmental Science from Lancaster University, I trained as a teacher in the north west of England. I have worked at St. John’s, Marlborough, for over 15 years, holding various positions including head of year and head of department. Living in Burbage with my partner and two young children we enjoy getting outside to enjoy the great outdoors.

Theo Clarke – Vice Chair

I have lived in Burbage since 2019 and have one daughter at the school and one at the pre-school.

Since moving to the village I have seen how the school is building a great reputation in the local area and, as a governor, I want to support the school’s growth. I also want to help ensure that all the pupils get the best start to their education and broadest range of experiences whilst at Burbage.

I am a qualified lawyer and chartered governance professional, working for a large financial institution. I also have experience in designing and running board/senior management governance models.

Katherine Clements

I am delighted to have recently been appointed as parent Governor. I am a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, and Assistant Principal at Mary Hare School for the deaf. I have worked at Mary Hare for 17 years, supporting deaf primary and secondary aged pupils develop their language and communication skills. Part of my role as Assistant Principal, is to support families navigate the EHCP process (Education Health Care Plans) and work towards gaining funding for their Special Educational Needs. This often involves attending tribunals as a witness to provide professional expert advice to the judge and panel members.

My son has just completed his first year at Burbage and I am looking forward to supporting the school in my role as Governor over the coming years.

Amanda Black

I am a neuro divergent individual who is passionate about equality, inclusion, and diversity within schools. I work within the voluntary sector supporting bereaved children and young people and I have previously worked to empower and support marginalised families.

I have two children at Burbage primary school. I voluntarily lead an afterschool art club for KS1 students and support with any arts-based activities when able. I am passionate about learning, inspiring thought and encouraging positive problem solving. I recognise the importance of engaging and listening to all members of the school community. It brings me joy to see students feel empowered and to see others succeed especially if this is done by working together.”

Jan Stagg

My name is Jan Stagg, recently retired as a School Business Manager in a local Primary School, I have worked in Primary Education for many years.

I have recently been appointed to the board of Governors as a Community Governor and currently have two grandchildren attending the school. They are at least the fifth generation of my family to have been educated there. I am very passionate about children’s education and intend to serve Burbage Primary School with great enthusiasm

Richard Carpenter

I am a retired company director with previous experience in various roles within a secondary school environment, as a member of both the PTA and Governing Bodies for a number of years. Following my retirement from work I wanted to help and assist in any way possible by becoming a Community Governor at Burbage where I am fortunate enough to have three grandchildren attending

Laura Moore

I live in the village and both of my daughters attended Burbage Primary School from reception to year 6. They had the most wonderful supportive start to their education with the Burbage team.

I was keen to help support the school by becoming a Community Governor now that my children are older. The school is growing in size and has a great reputation which is continuing to build – it is an exciting time to be a part of this team and help support this growth.