Our Governors
Find out about our Governing Board and meet the Governors
Governors
Our Governing Board consists of elected parents, members of the local community, Local Authority representatives and school staff. Parents elect our parent governors, the Local Authority (LA) appoints our one LA governor and staff elect the one staff member. The Headteacher is also part of the Governing Board and the school currently has 8 co-opted Governors from the local community.
The Governing Board has the responsibility of monitoring all aspects of school standards. This is a strategic role and we operate and make decisions as a group; no one governor has the power to make decisions.
What is the Governing Board responsible for?
In state schools the Governing Board has responsibility for raising school standards through three core strategic functions of:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
What is the Headteacher responsible for?
- Day-to-day management of the school. The role of the Governing Board is to provide strategic management, and to act as a "critical friend", supporting the work of the Headteacher and other staff.
How does the Governing Board work?
- We have a committee structure to undertake our monitoring and evaluation roles. Membership and Terms of Reference of committees are determined annually in the Autumn term and each committee meets at least once per term. We have three main committees:
- Finance and Premises Committee, which includes Health and Safety matters,
- Curriculum and Standards Committee
- Personnel, Admissions and Pay Review Committee
- The full Governing Board also meets once each term. The agenda usually includes the Headteacher’s Report to Governors, committees reports, presentation of recommendations when approval by the full Governing Board is required, new business to consider e.g. advice from the Local Authority for a school policy and specific governor reports.
What is expected of an individual governor?
The role of governor is largely a thinking and questioning role, not a doing role. In order to perform this role well, a governor is expected to:
- get to know the school, including by visiting the school occasionally during school hours, and gain a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses;
- attend induction training and regular relevant training and development events;
- attend meetings (full governing board and committee meetings) and read all the papers before the meeting;
- act in the best interest of all the pupils of the school; and
- behave in a professional manner, as set down in the governing board’s code of conduct, including acting in strict confidence.
You can contact the Governors via the following e-mail address:
Meet our Governors
Christine Moxham
Position: Chair of Governors & Co-opted Governor
Responsibilities/Committees: Member Personnel, Admissions and Pay Review Committee, SEND & Pupil Premium Governor
Date Appointed: 14 June 2021
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 13 June 2025
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: Grandson attends school
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 100%
I became a governor in June 2021. Having moved to Aston Clinton in February 2021, I wanted to be an active member of the local community. I am a Montessori trained teacher and I have worked in residential social work. I retired from the pharmaceutical industry in 2017 and my roles included training and people management. I hope to use my skills and experience to support the school, its staff and pupils.
Rebecca Taylor
Position: Vice Chair of Governors & Parent Governor
Responsibilities/Committees: Curriculum Governor - Reading
Date Appointed: 2 November 2020
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 1November 2024
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: Children attend school
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 75%
I am a Parent Governor appointed in October 2020. I have taught History in state secondary schools for the last twenty years, including spending ten of these as a Head of Department and I hope to be able to help support Aston Clinton school as it develops over the next few years.
I have two children at Aston Clinton School in Year 2 and Year 4. My motivation for becoming a parent governor was to become more actively engaged with the school as it negotiates the existing challenges of OFSTED targets and the new ones presented by Covid 19. Every child, with no exception, deserves to benefit from that delicate balance of support and challenge which I now hope to play a part in facilitating.
Sue Bradshaw
Position: Co-opted Governor
Responsibilities/Committees: member Finance, Premises, Health & Safety Committee
Date Appointed: 27 September 2023
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 26 September 2027
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: none declared
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 100%
I joined the Governing Board in March 2023. I am also a trustee at Sunnyside Rural Trust. I moved to Aston Clinton in December 2021 to be close to family in the village. I will apply my experience of many years leadership in commercial and HR roles; and I have previously been a governor at Rickmansworth School, and Chair of Trustees at Home-Start Watford & Three Rivers.
Hannah Brunning
Position: Parent Governor
Responsibilities/Committees: Curriculum Governor - Writing
Date Appointed: 5 April 2022
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 4 April 2026
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: Teacher at school and child attends school
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 50%
I am a Parent Governor appointed in April 2022. I am also a Deputy Headteacher in a Primary School in Buckinghamshire and therefore have a keen interest in, and sound knowledge of, primary education. I am passionate about supporting children to maximise their potential academically, but also creating those extra special opportunities which will broaden our children’s experiences at a primary level.
I have two daughters, one who is at the school, and another who will start school in a couple of years’ time. I believe the school has worked incredibly hard since 2019 and will now bring my support, experience and knowledge to ensure these improvements are monitored, evaluated, celebrated, and of course – built upon.
Katy Coats
Position: Co-opted governor
Responsibilities/Committees: Safeguarding Governor
Date Appointed: 14 June 2021
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 13 June 2025
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: None declared
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 75%
I became a governor in June 2021. I am currently working as a police officer in the Metropolitan Police Service. I have a huge interest in the welfare and education of children and the majority of my police service has involved safeguarding and protection. I feel that education is incredibly important to ensure children are given the best opportunities to grow and develop. I have an understanding of the demands and challenges faced by the public sector and how to overcome these and provide the best possible service.
Katherine Cole
Position: Staff governor
Responsibilities/Committees: member Finance, Premises, Health & Safety Committee
Date Appointed: 02 Nov 2020, Re-appointed 25 Sept 2024
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 24 September 2028
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: member of staff
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 75%
Sophie Roberts
Position: Co-opted governor
Responsibilities/Committees:
Date Appointed: 14 June 2021
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 13 June 2025
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: Effective from 12/10/2022, employed by Aston Clinton School as educational psychologist, trading under the company name of RTE Psychology.
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 100%
I am a newly appointed governor for the school, having been on the board since June 2021. My partner and I moved to Aston Clinton just over a year ago (along with our puppy!), and I am really excited to become involved in supporting the local school. During the week I work as an educational psychologist so volunteering as a governor fits well with my professional role.
I have lived in the village for over 10 years and enjoy being part of the community and church. I became a governor as I wanted to give something back and help the community school.
Sean Hayward
Position: Co-opted governor
Responsibilities/Committees: Member Finance, Premises, Health & Safety Committee, Safeguarding
Date Appointed: 18 November 2019, Re-appointed 27 September 2023
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 26 September 2027
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: Grandson attends school
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 75%
I joined the Governing Board in November 2019. I retired at the end of 2018 from a position of International Procurement and Ship Chartering. I am married to a now retired Maths and Film studies teacher (ex Tring Park). We have lived in Aston Clinton for 30 years and had two children attend Aston Clinton School and now have two grandchildren attending the school, with a third at Aston Clinton pre-school.
My being a school governor is founded on a strong community interest and I hope to be able to apply my business experience to support and strengthen the schools ongoing position and development.
Carol Macdonald
Position: Governor & Headteacher
Responsibilities/Committees: member Finance, Premises, Health & Safety Committee
Date Appointed: 1 September 2020
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: member of staff
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 88%
Jenny Stark
Position: Local Authority Governor
Responsibilities/Committees: Chair Personnel, Admissions and Pay Review Committee, Early Years Governor
Date Appointed: 20 June 2022
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 19 June 2026
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: none declared
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 83%
I have lived in Aston Clinton for 21 years and have 2 grown up children, both of whom were educated locally. I recently retired as Head of Employee Relations at a large housing group. I joined the Governing Board in June 2019.
Previous Governors
Carole Green
Position: Chair of Governors & Co-opted Governor
Responsibilities/Committees: Chair, Finance, Premises, Health & Safety Committee; member Personnel, Admissions and Pay Review Committee
Date Re-appointed: 20 June 2022
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 19 June 2026 (Resigned 31 August 2023)
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: Work as Clerk to Governors in various Bucks schools
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 100%
Louis Redding
Position: Co-opted Governor
Responsibilities/Committees:
Date Appointed: 14 June 2021
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 13 June 2025 (Resigned 5 June 2023)
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: none declared
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 33%
Keith Armstrong
Position: Co-opted governor
Responsibilities/Committees: member Finance, Premises, Health & Safety Committee, Health & Safety Governor
Date Appointed: 14 June 2021
Term of Office: 4 Years, end date 13 June 2025 (Resigned 21 September 2023)
Business, Personal and Pecuniary Interests: none declared
Meetings Attended 2022/23: 81%