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.

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.

Directors of the TKAT Board

Governance information relating to TKAT

Key Documents of 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.

Pluckley Impact Statement

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 Constitution for Pluckley

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
  • Interim Chair of Governors
  • Parent Voice
  • Safeguarding
  • GDPR
  • Wellbeing

 

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
  • RE
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
  • 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

 

  • Health and Safety
  • Premises
  • Finance
  • Parent Voice
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
  • Attendance
  • SEN
  • Pupil Premium
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
  • Curriculum Outcomes
  • Leadership & Management
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
  • Chair of Governors
  • Curriculum Outcomes
  • Assessment
  • Leadership & Management
 
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.