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Our Governors

Our School Governors

 

The Governing Body has a range of duties and powers, and a general responsibility for the conduct of the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement. This includes monitoring targets for pupil achievement, managing the school’s finances, making sure the curriculum is balanced, appointing senior staff, reviewing staff performance and pay and deciding how, in strategic terms the school should be run.

 

The Governing Body has considerable discretion as to how to discharge its responsibilities but is required to constitute itself in line with the regulations and to appoint a chair and vice chair. The Governing Body may delegate certain of its responsibilities to individual governors or committees of governors, although in general, it is not compelled to do so.

 

Our Vision

 

The Governing Body supports the vision of Oakley School by ensuring that the school provides a safe, caring and stimulating learning environment where every pupil can realise his or her full potential.

We will achieve this through both an active involvement in the life of the school, and by working closely with the school’s leadership team:

 

  • Setting challenging aims and objectives for the school

  • Agreeing policies, priorities and performance targets for accomplishing these objectives

  • Looking for evidence that these objectives are being achieved, asking challenging questions of the leadership team

  • Ensuring that the pupil premium is used effectively for those pupils it applies to

  • Ensuring that best value principles are followed

  • Actively supporting and promoting the school's fundraising within the local community  

 

Our actions are rooted in the best interests of the school and its pupils, and we are always prepared to explain our decision openly and honestly to staff, parents, pupils, government and anyone else in the wider community with an interest in the conduct and standards of the school.

 

Our Objectives

 

  • To set high standards for all pupils, students and staff and to set clear targets for improvement

  • To be a critical friend in this process

  • To help the school be responsive and pro-active to the needs of parents and the community

  • We are here to ask challenging questions, which are non-confrontational and to work with the Head and the staff

  • Our governors are not involved in the day to day running of the school and respect the professionalism of the Head and the staff

 

How Do We Achieve Our Objectives?

 

The agreed working document for school improvement is the School Development Plan (SDP). The SDP is the mechanism by which we can monitor how well the school is doing its job. The SDP has clear goals and clearly identifies success criteria, which the governors monitor and review, at regular intervals. 

 

Although raising standards is our key objective, governors also monitor many other aspects of school life:

 

  • The achievement of different ethnic groups

  • Attendance of pupils, students and staff

  • Behaviour

  • How our school performs in comparison with other special schools

 

Governors are linked with members of the senior leadership team to regularly monitor and review the four strands of the School Development Plan:

 

  • Quality Education
  • Behaviour and Attitudes
  • Personal Development
  • Leadership Management

 

Each Governor is also linked with a key area of the School and has regular meetings with the leader of that area:-

 

  • Safeguarding & Children in Care

  • Pupil Wellbeing

  • Pupil Tracking

  • Pupil Premium
  • Pupil Voice 
  • Communication (including website & social media)

  • Health & Safety

  • Staff Training & Development

  • Therapy Provision

 

Governors also accompany members of the Extended Leadership Team on Learning Walks, so that they can observe the teaching and learning in our classrooms. Governors are not permitted to make judgments on the quality of the teaching and learning but will report back to their respective committees on any observations.

 

In addition, representatives from our Governing Body attend the majority of school events; primary concerts, Annual Year Leavers' Celebration Evening, Easter Church Service, Christmas Lunch, Summer & Christmas Fairs etc and participate in other fundraising activities throughout the year.

 

Governor Structure 2023 - 2024

 

ForenameSurnameStart of Term DateEnd of Term DateAppointment
LizzieBentley-Bowers15/03/202214/03/2026

Co-opted Governor and Chair of Governors

Finance, Personnel & Resources (FPR) Committee

AlanBernstein04/06/202403/06/2028

Local Authority Governor

Finance, Personnel & Resources (FPR) Committee

David Martin06/12/202205/12/2026

Co-opted Governor and Vice Chair 

Chair of Teaching, Learning & Assessment (TLA) Committee

MaryNewell07/03/202406/03/2028Staff Governor
JoDawson-McNally21/09/202120/09/2025

Parent Governor

Teaching, Learning & Assessment (TLA) Committee

SamPerrymanongoing Staff Governor / Headteacher
Michelle Patterson05/06/202104/06/2025

Co-opted Governor

Teaching, Learning & Assessment (TLA) Committee

NickRalph01/01/202131/12/2024

Co-opted Governor

Finance, Personnel & Resources (FPR) Committee

EmmaSpiers06/07/202305/07/2027

Co-opted Governor

Teaching, Learning & Assessment (TLA) Committee

HannahTatlock30/03/202329/03/2027

Parent Governor

Chair of Finance, Personnel & Resources (FPR) Committee

JonathanVanns15/12/202314/12/2028

Co-opted Governor 

Chair of Leadership and Strategy Committee

     
AdamBlakemore  Clerk to the Governors

 

Governors’ Pecuniary Interests

 

Please find listed below any registered business interest for the Governing Body at Oakley School

 

Name

Governor title

Business Interests

E Bentley Bowers

Co-opted Governor

None

A Bernstein

LA Governor

  None

J Dawson-McNally

Parent Governor

Child at Oakley School

D Martin

Co-opted Governor

  • Trustee of Skills for Independence & Employability Ltd T/A The Oaks College

  • Director of Martinek Ltd, The Business of Drinks, Interpreters Portal Ltd, Interpreters on Call Ltd, Whym Global Ltd

  M NewellStaff Governor  Teacher at Oakley School

M Patterson

Co-opted Governor

Deputy Head at Nexus School

S Perryman

Staff Governor

Headteacher of Oakley School

N Ralph

Parent Governor

  Partner at law firm - Kingsley Napley LLP
  E SpiersCo-opted Governor 
  H Tatlock

Parent Governor

Child at Oakley School

J Vanns

Co-opted Governor

None

All governors can be contacted via the Clerk to the Governors by letter (Oakley School, Pembury Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 4NE), phone 01892 823096 or email office@oakley.kent.sch.uk 

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