Our Governors
Pluckley Church of England Primary School is an academy as part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT).
TKAT is a multi-academy trust, which was established on 1st September 2010. Its constitution is set out in the Articles of Association and this is shared with individual academies via the Scheme of Delegation. TKAT have established Local Governing Bodies for each of the Academies through the Scheme of Delegation.
The Local Governing Body of each of the Academies is responsible for fulfilling the strategic and operational governance role in the conduct of the Academy.
Governance information relating to TKAT
Pluckley Church of England Primary School Local Governing Body (LGB)
Mission Statement
The aim of the Governing Body is to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for education and financial performance at the school. The three core functions of the Governing Body are:
- Ensuring 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
The ethos of our school is captured in our motto “Enjoying, Learning, and Achieving Together” and in the REFLECT values: Respect, Enjoyment, Friendship, Leadership, Endeavour, Cooperation, and Trust.
As governors, we are committed to this ethos, and to making sure that our school promotes British values of equality, freedom, democracy, tolerance, personal responsibility, and the rule of law.
In addition, we promote and encourage the distinctively Christian character of Pluckley, as a Church of England school.
Governors are critical friends to the schools’ leadership team. By undertaking regular monitoring of all aspects of school life, we should not only discover progress and achievement, but also lack of progress and underachievement, if and where it is occurring. On this basis we can provide challenge, as well as support, to the senior leadership team, as appropriate. Monitoring visits and regular meetings of the Governing Body are reinforced by regular training and extensive support from TKAT (the academy chain to which our federated schools belong).
Each year the LGB produces a Governance Impact Statement, summarising their activities and achievements over the previous academic year.
Membership
There are several categories of governor. Parent governors and staff governors are elected by the parents and staff respectively to offer their particular skills and perspectives. Appointed governors are drawn from other parts of the Pluckley communities to provide connections with the wider world and additional professional skills and experiences, while Foundation governors have particular responsibility for the Christian ethos of the school at Pluckley, and the ‘REFLECT’ values across the school.
We currently have 8 governors:
- 1 Headteacher
- 1 Staff governor
- 2 Parent governors
- 1 Foundation governor
- 3 Appointed governor
Vacancies:
- 1 Foundation governor
Chair of Governors: Interim Chair - Mrs J Alexander, an elected parent governor joanne.alexander@pluckley-tkat.org
Vice-Chair of Governors: Vacant position as VC is currently Interim Chair
Current LGB members 2024 - 2025
Name | Type | Responsibility |
Attendance % Ac Yr 23-24 |
Joanne Alexander joanne.alexander@pluckley-tkat.org Interim Chair 08.01.2024 to Current term: 15.10.2020-14.10.2024 Start date: 15.10.2020 |
Parent - elected by parents |
|
100% |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 | None | ||
Rev. Elizabeth (Sandra) Marsh Current term: 29.04.2022-28.04.2026 Start date: 29.04.2022 |
Foundation - appointed by Diocese |
|
50% |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 |
Foundation Governor at Charing Primary School and Egerton Primary School since September 2021 Member of the Diocesan Board of Education Committee since September 2024 |
||
Lorraine Smith Start date: 25.09.2019 |
Head Teacher | 83.3% | |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 | None | ||
James Setchell Current term: 31.08.2024-30.08.2028 Start date: 31.08.2020 |
Staff - elected by staff |
|
100% |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 | None | ||
Ciara Jones Current term: 29.04.2022-28.04.2026 Start date: 29.04.2022 |
Parent - elected by parent |
|
66.7% |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 | None | ||
Sharon Simpson Current term: 13.05.2024-12.05.2028 Start date: 13.05.2024 |
Appointed by LGB | 100% | |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 | None | ||
Isabelle Ardizzone Current term: 13.05.2024-12.05.2028 Start date: 13.05.2024 |
Appointed by LGB | 50% | |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 | None | ||
Evelyn (Evie) West Current term: 04.07.2023-03.07.2027 Start date: 04.07.2024 |
Appointed by LGB |
|
83.3% |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2023 |
Owner of The Country Blush - Wedding & Event Planning since July 2023 |
||
Jennifer Old | Business Manager | N/A | |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 |
Business Manager for Napier Primary Academy, Ore Village Primary Academy & Smarden Primary Academy Director - Avenida Solutions Ltd (Educational & IT Solutions) since 22.02..2024 |
||
Sam Yacomine | Clerk to Governors | 83.3% | |
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2024 |
Employed by TKAT and Rainham School for Girls since 2015 Staff Governor at RSG since 2023 |
Leavers/Previous LGB members 2023-2024 & 2024-2025
Name | Type | Responsibility |
Attendance % Ac Yr 22-23 |
|
|||
Maurice Tunney Current term: 12.06.2023-11.06.2027 Start date: 12.06.2023 Resignation date: 05.11.2023 |
Appointed |
|
0% | ||
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2023 |
None | ||||
Amanda Stevenson Current term: 12.06.2023-11.06.2027 Start date: 12.06.2023 Elected as Chair: 17.10.2023 Resignation date: 08.01.2024 |
Appointed |
|
100% | ||
Declarations of Interest including transactions to 31st August 2023 | None |
Structure
There are five meetings of the full Local Governing Body each academic year. They receive reports on the performance of the school from the Head Teacher, and consider monitoring reports produced by individual governors on all aspects of the life of the school, including pupil progress, attainment, behaviour, and wellbeing, as well as the ethos and values of the school.
The governors are judged by Ofsted, alongside the Head Teacher and her team, for the quality of Leadership and Management at the school.
All governors are volunteers and give up a considerable amount of time in the service of the schools.