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Our governors

Meet Sandown School’s Governing Board

Find out about the school’s governors and the work that we do.

Our commitment: to ensure that all at Sandown reach its aspiration of being: ‘The best that we can be’.

Our main role: We act as a ‘critical friend’ to the headteacher and the staff. We provide support and positive challenge as they work to improve the school. In this way we aim to achieve high standards and excellence across every aspect of school life.

Our main duties include:

  • ensuring the school’s vision and ethos are clear;
  • ensuring the school meets its statutory obligations and duties;
  • setting strategic direction for school, overseeing the school self-evaluation and targets for improvement;
  • approving the school’s budget and overseeing its financial performance to make sure its money is well spent;
  • reviewing progress against the school’s budget and targets;
  • appointing, and holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.

Our organisation and working structure:-

Our Governing Board operates through a ‘circle’ structure. It is dynamic, efficient and an effective way of working. We meet and work as a whole governing board across the school year.

Our meetings are at school in the late afternoon and last around two hours. We attend training sessions and seminars. These help us keep up to date with changes in schools and education and to help us do our job effectively.

Individual governors are linked to particular areas of school life. We regularly visit the school and liaise with staff and meet with pupils. This helps us find out how the school is progressing towards its targets. We may set up working groups to look at issues or aspects of school life; such as pay, staff appraisal, buildings development.

There are several categories of governor, appointed by different groups that have an interest in the school. These are:

  • co-opted governors,
  • the Local Authority (“LA”),
  • parents and
  • staff.

All governors have equal status.

If you have any questions or an interest in becoming a school governor, please contact one of the following:

  • Clerk to Governors, Sue Poole at finance@sandown.school
  • School Office on 01424 436983 or office@sandown.school

Further information about our Governing Board can be viewed here:

Meet our current governors

Jignash Patel
Role: Co-opted Governor - Data, Pupil Premium & Sports Premium
Appointed on: 07 Mar 2024
Appointing body: Governing Board
Term: 07 Mar 2024 to 06 Mar 2028
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Parent of Pupil

Other governance role:

 

Attendance record last year: 0%
Phil Smith
Role: Co-opted Governor - Health & Safety
Appointed on: 28 Sep 2023
Appointing body: Governing Board
Term: 28 Sep 2023 to 27 Sep 2027
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Grandparent of pupil(s)

Other governance role:

Pay & HTPM Panel

Attendance record last year: 0%
Sara Parker-Lusted
Role: Co-opted Governor - SEND
Appointed on: 28 Sep 2023
Appointing body: Governing Board
Term: 28 Sep 2023 to 27 Sep 2027
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Parent of Pupil

Social worker for NHS CAMHS and Childrens Services

Other governance role:

Hearing & Appeals Panels

Attendance record last year: 0%
Grace Wicks
Role: Co-opted Governor - Early Years
Appointed on: 16 Nov 2023
Appointing body: Governing Board
Term: 16 Nov 2023 to 15 Nov 2027
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Nil return

Other governance role:

Hearing & Appeals Panel

Attendance record last year: 0%
Becky Williams
Role: Co-opted Governor - Health & Wellbeing
Appointed on: 28 Jun 2021
Appointing body: Governing board
Term: 28 Jun 2021 to 27 Jun 2025
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Member of nursery staff

Other governance role:
Attendance record last year: 100%
Peter Chowney
Role: Local Authority Governor - Finance & Information Governance
Appointed on: 24 Jun 2021
Appointing body: Local Authority
Term: 24 Jun 2021 to 23 Jun 2025
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Nil Return

Other governance role:

Hearing & Appeals Panel

Attendance record last year: 100%
Hayley Cross
Role: Parent Governor - Vice Chair - Safeguarding
Appointed on: 24 Jun 2021
Appointing body: Parents
Term: 24 Jun 2021 to 23 Jun 2025
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Parent of pupil(s)

Spectrum Practitioner for East Sussex County Council

Other governance role:

Pay & HTPM Panel

Attendance record last year: 88%
Kerrie Muchmore
Role: Parent Governor - Chair
Appointed on: 12 Jan 2023
Appointing body: Parents
Term: 12 Jan 2023 to 11 Jan 2027
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Parent of pupil & relation of a member of Friends of Sandown

Other governance role:

Pay & HTPM Panel

Attendance record last year: 75%
Kelly Apps
Role: Staff Governor - Equality & Diversity
Appointed on: 17 Mar 2022
Appointing body: Staff
Term: 17 Mar 2022 to 16 Mar 2026
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Member of school staff

Other governance role:
Attendance record last year: 100%
Charlie Lindsay
Role: EX-officio Governor - Headteacher
Appointed on: 26 Apr 2011
Appointing body: Ex-officio Governor
Term: to
Business, pecuniary or personal interests:

Member of school staff

Other governance role:
Attendance record last year: 100%
Sue Poole
Role: Clerk to Governors