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Governors

The school governors work together with the Head and other teachers to ensure that Long Wittenham School provides the best possible education for all our children. In particular, governors are responsible for:

  • The overall direction of the school – including the steps it needs to take to continue to develop and improve.
  • The teaching and learning – making sure that the curriculum is broad and balanced and that all pupils are given the opportunities to achieve their potential.
  • Monitoring the progress and achievement that children make.
  • The school’s finances – making sure that the budget is monitored and the money well spent.
  • Appointing staff, overseeing safeguarding, health and safety and ensuring that the school is inclusive for all pupils and staff.

The role of governors is largely a thinking and questioning role, not a doing role. It is their role to set the school’s strategic framework and to ensure all statutory duties are met. They work to support and strengthen the leadership of the headteacher, and hold them to account for the day-to-day running of the school, including the performance management of teachers. Governors must maintain a strategic view, and not get involved in the day-to-day management and operational responsibilities within school. The headteacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing board.

The Governing Body

Chair: Catherine Harrison
Vice Chair: Fay Read

There are six Full Governing Body meetings each year, one every half term.

The Full Governing Body is chaired by Catherine Harrison

There are 2 committees:

Teaching, Learning & Pastoral Care committee

Chair: Lyndi Feather / Christina Warren

Teaching, Learning & Pastoral Care responsible for looking at:

  • Outcomes for pupils including pupil progress, attainment, health and wellbeing
  • Achievement of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
  • The curriculum taught at Long Wittenham
  • The effectiveness of the school safeguarding policy
  • How the school is performing against the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) framework

Finance, HR and Health & Safety Committee

Chair: David Lowe

Finance & HR responsible for looking at:

  • Setting the school budget and monitoring spend against the agreed budget
  • Staff recruitment, discipline and appraisal
  • Health, safety and welfare

Each committee meets three or four times a year. Each governor sits on one of the committees.

The governing body is made up of representatives of the parents, community, church, staff and local authority. A list of current governors can be found below.

Governors can be contacted through the school office or via their email governor.3233@long-wittenham.oxon.sch.uk.

Current Governors, and their attendance

NameAppointedType of GovernorTermAppointed byBusiness or financial interestsGovernor role in another educational institutionMaterial interests FGB Attendance (2021/22, 2022/23)Committee Attendance
Malcolm Banfield16/01/23AssociateTBCGoverning Body MembersNoneNoneNone0/0, 1/10/0
David Lowe05/01/23Parent4 yearsParentsNoneNoneParent0/0, 1/10/0
Fay Read01/11/22Parent4 yearsParentsNoneNoneParent0/0, 2/20/0
Amy Clark06/06/22Co-opted4 yearsGoverning Body MembersNoneNoneStaff2/2, 3/31/1
Clare Winterbourne06/06/22Staff4 yearsSchoolNoneNoneStaff2/2, 3/31/1
Gillian Fraser01/01/22StaffPermanentEx-officio by virtue of office as headteacherStaffNoneStaff4/4, 3/34/4
Lyndi Feather10/11/21Parent4 yearsParentsNoneNoneParent5/5, 3/33/3
Christina Warren09/11/21Co-opted4 yearsGoverning Body MembersNoneNoneFamily5/5, 3/33/3
Mark Warren13/07/21Co-opted4 years Governing Body MembersNoneNoneParent6/7, 3/32/3
Paul Wignall18/03/21Ex-Officio Foundation  4 years DioceseNoneNoneNone3/7, 0/30/3
Catherine Harrison08/03/21Parent4 years ParentsNoneNoneParent7/7, 3/32/3
Judith Baldwin15/05/19Foundation4 years, reappointed for 4 years (13/4/21), then swapped roleDioceseNoneNoneNone7/7, 2/33/3

Governors with associate positions will not have voting rights in governing body meetings or count towards a quorum. 

Previous governors

NameAppointedType of GovernorTermAppointed byBusiness or financial interestsGovernor role in another educational institutionMaterial interests FGB AttendanceCommittee Attendance
Alistair Higginbottom06/10/20Parent16/01/23SchoolNoneNoneParent5/62/3
Emilio Lastra-Gill01/09/19Co-opted4 yearsLANoneNoneNone5/62/3
Tom Richardson20/11/18Parent20/11/22SchoolNoneNoneParent6/63/3
Elizabeth Atherton (term ended)10/10/15Co-opted19/07/22SchoolNoneNoneParent4/42/2
Catherine McLachlan (resigned)09/02/21Staff08/04/22School StaffNoneStaff4/62/2
Andrew Bayly (resigned)06/10/20Parent08/04/22SchoolNoneNoneParent5/63/3
Gillian Seymour (resigned)01/09/21Staff01/01/22LAStaffNoneStaff3/32/2
Ross Parnell
(resigned)
09/03/21Parent30/07/21 SchoolNoneNoneParent2/30/1
Richard Bellingham
(resigned)
01/12/20Associate (no voting rights) 10/06/21SchoolNoneNoneSpouse of Head2/32/2
Julia Preston
(resigned)
30/10/18Co-opted01/01/22SchoolNoneNoneParent5/6
Peter Jones
(resigned)
26/09/17Co-opted13/07/21LANoneNoneNone3/52/3
Philippa Purvis
(resigned)
08/11/16Staff08/02/21SchoolStaffNoneStaff2/22/2
Alison Bellingham (resigned)01/09/16Staff31/08/21LAStaffNoneStaff4/63/4, 2/3

Minutes of Governors meetings

Minutes of the governors meetings are published on this page.