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:-

Theo Clarke – Chair

I have lived in Burbage since 2019 and have two daughters at the 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.

Jo Brook – Vice Chair

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.

Laura Styles

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.

Anne Thornton

Rebecca Stevenson

I’m delighted to have joined the team of governors at Burbage. We live in nearby Collingbourne, and with our daughter now happily settled at the school, it felt like the right moment to get involved and contribute to the school community.

I run my own consulting business, which I’ve built over the past decade, focusing on foodservice strategy and design for a range of organisations. Alongside this, I recently completed a nine‑year term as a trustee of the national charity Back Up, which supports people affected by spinal injury. I’ve also led DEI programmes, chaired gender networks, and mentored young foodservice start‑ups through the Princes Trust (now the Kings Trust).

I’m looking forward to bringing my experience to the governing body and supporting the school as it continues to grow and thrive.

Sarah Mann

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.