Governors
Hello and welcome from the governors of Winnall Primary School.
This page tells you about who we are and what we do.
What is our role in the school?
Working together with the Headteacher, we are responsible for the high-level and long-term decisions about the school to ensure that:
- the school's ethos and ambitions reflect the community's needs;
- high educational standards are set and are achieved;
- the finances of the school are in good order and are focused to benefit the children; and
- everyone is safe.
We also appoint the Headteacher and consider any complaints that haven't been resolved by the Headteacher.
All the day-to-day decisions for the running of the school are undertaken by the Headteacher and staff and all routine enquiries should therefore be referred to them. However, we are always pleased to hear your views about the school. You can contact us via the Headteacher or the school office.
How do we conduct our business?
We oversee the school's business, mainly through a number of formal meetings.
- The Full Governing Body meets each half-term to consider the main business of governors.
- Two committees - Curriculum and Finance & Resources - meet each half-term to look at particular matters in detail.
- The Headteacher's performance and staff pay matters are considered by special committee meetings twice a year.
We also regularly come into school to meet with staff and pupils and have a timetable of monitoring visits. Our link governors meet on a termly basis with the staff member responsible for their area and then report back to the full governing body. These contacts help us consider the school's progress and its future needs. We meet regularly with the Junior Governors (an elected group of pupils) where we discuss the curriculum and wellbeing of the pupils in the school.
We issue a brief report on our recent activities and give our assessment of the school's performance in December and July each year (see below or the Newsletters page).
Each governor tries to attend as many meetings as their other commitments allow and we always seek to ensure our governing body and committee meetings have well over the 50% attendance necessary under our constitution.
We frequently attend training sessions on routine and developing issues including those related to our individual interests and responsibilities, e.g. safeguarding, behaviour management, SEN and finance. These are provided by Hampshire Governor Services. The Full Governing Body also commissions an annual joint training session of wider interest.
A copy of the minutes and other relevant papers from governors' meetings are available on request. In this instance please contact the school office or Clerk to Governors.
Our current strategic priorities
Although we secured a 'Good' rating in our latest Ofsted inspection we are keen that the school develops further and so we have identified a number of actions for ongoing improvement.
- teaching and learning;
- pupil outcomes;
- curriculum development;
- early years and foundation stage;
- behaviour and welfare; and
- safeguarding.
Our Constitution
We have up to 12 official governor positions. These are:
- The Headteacher
- A staff governor who is nominated/elected by the staff
- A local authority governor who is appointed by Hampshire County Council
- Two parent governors selected from the school's pupils' parents. These may be subject to competitive election when there are more applicants than vacancies.
- Seven co-opted governors who are elected by the whole governing body to widen our skills and contacts.
Who are we?
Each governor is appointed for a term of up to four years. We each bring different skills and perspectives from a wide range of backgrounds, interests and involvement in the local community.
Paula Ferguson
Chair of Governors and Co-opted Governor
Date Appointed: 28 April 2020
End Date: 25 March 2028
Responsibilities:
Finance & Resources Committee
Pay Panel (Chair)
EYFS Link Governor
Schools Forum Representative
Governor Recruitment and Induction
Interests:
I am proud to be a Governor of Winnall Primary School and to be able to use the skills, knowledge and experience I have gained in business, in education, as a councillor and as a trustee to help the school offer the best possible educational experience for all the children. Winnall is a fantastic school in a great community, where all the staff really do go that extra mile for the children. The school has a strong, talented and committed Governing Board and I am pleased to be able to volunteer my time to be part of that.
Nicki Elks
Vice-Chair and Local Authority Governor
Date Appointed: 23 March 2021
End Date: 23 March 2025
Responsibilities:
Finance & Resources Committee
HT Performance Review Panel
Development & Training
Safer Recruitment
SFVS Financial Control Checks
Deputy Safeguarding Link Governor
Governor Recruitment and Induction
Interests:
My involvement in Winnall Primary School as a governor seemed like an obvious choice. I am a retired teacher, I have lived in the area for 40 years and I was the local councillor, so I knew what a great job the school was doing and the benefits it was bringing to the community. I am very proud to have been part of the school as it made improvements and I am committed to supporting the future aspirations of the staff and headteacher of Winnall in "achieving our best together".
Callum Barnes
Co-opted Governor
Date Appointed: 27 September 2022
End Date: 26 September 2026
Responsibilities:
Curriculum Committee (Chair)
HT Performance Review Committee (Chair)
Safeguarding Link Governor
Safer Recruitment
Interests:
Having lived in Winchester for over 10 years, I've been very fortunate in how I have been welcomed and made part of the community around me. Through my own job, a teacher at Winchester College, I get to inspire young people and best prepare them for their future lives. I became a Governor to extend this passion to support young people with their educational and pastoral needs whilst giving back to the Winchester Community.
Sam Feltham
Parent Governor
Date Appointed: 28 September 2021
End Date: 27 September 2025
Responsibilities:
Curriculum Committee (Chair)
HT Performance Review Committee
Junior Governors
Interests:
I became a parent governor because I wanted to contribute to my local community and ensure that my own children had a great school to go to - which they absolutely do!
Clive Gosling
Co-opted Governor
Date Appointed: 23 March 2021
End Date: 22 March 2025
Responsibilities:
Health & Safety Governor
Interests:
Having been Chair of the Community Centre for 16 years and seeing my 4 children flourish at Winnall Primary School I am very much part of the local community and know how important the school is for local people. Being a governor means that I can contribute to making our school the very best it can be.
Andy Keenan
Co-opted Governor
Date Appointed: 5 December 2023
End Date: 4 December 2027
Responsibilities:
Finance & Resources Committee
Pay Panel
Pupil Premium Link Governor
Interests:
I am Head of Equity, Community Engagement and Outreach at Winchester Science Centre. I am also an ex senior leader at a school and I have a love of the wonder of finding out about something new, or learning how to do something I haven't done before. I have been involved with visiting the school for a year before becoming a governor and have always been impressed by how welcoming the school has been and how supportive of it's children. The opportunity to be a part of the together in "achieving our best together" was very exciting for me.
Joanna Robinson
Co-opted Governor
Date Appointed: 12 July 2022
End Date: 11 July 2026
Responsibilities:
Finance & Resources Committee (Chair)
Pay Committee
Interests:
I first joined the governing board in 2021 when my older child jointed Winnall Primary School in Year R. I was really interested to find out more about how the school works and whether I could help with the school mission for all children to achieve their best together. It's been a pleasure getting to know the school better and see how much all the school staff care about each and every child.
My current role as governor is chairing the Finance and Resources Committee. We meet twice a term to discuss how to ensure the school funding can best support all our children. This is something the school and governors think about really carefully.
I now have 2 children attending the school and am really pleased that Winnall offers some of the most flexible wraparound provision in Winchester - a real bonus for anyone needing help with before or after school childcare. I've certainly found it a great help!
Sara Syed
Governor
Date Appointed:
End Date:
Responsibilities:
Interests:
I am excited to have the opportunity to be part of the governing body at Winnall Primary School - a place that I have seen up close as a parent and a place in which my child has thrived. I have spent the past 18 years working in the Communications industry in multiple countries and wish to bring that varied experience to help showcase the wonderful work of the school and its wider community.
Carol Rees-Williams
Co-opted Governor
Date Appointed: 3 December 2024
End Date: 2 December 2028
Responsibilities:
Curriculum Committee
Interests:
Having lived and worked in Winchester for most of my adult life, I was so pleased to be asked to be a governor at Winnall Primary School to give something back to the community. My background is in Higher Education, working with deaf and neurodiverse students. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to get more involved with the school and working with the staff and headteacher so that we are all "achieving our best together"!
Sally Peckett
Headteacher
Date Appointed: 1 January 2024
End Date: N/A
Responsibilities:
Curriculum Committee
Finance & Resources Committee
Safer Recruitment
Interests:
Victoria Sanchez
Staff Governor
Date Appointed: 3 October 2023
End Date:
Responsibilities:
Interests:
Vicky Marr
Clerk to Governors
Date Appointed:
End Date:
Responsibilities:
Interests:
I started working with the Winnall Primary School governors in Spring 2024 and am delighted to join the team. The school itself is lovely and I enjoyed a very warm welcome from the children and teachers on my tour of the school. The Board of Governors includes a diverse range of skills and experience and with new Headteacher, Miss Peckett at the helm I'm looking forward to supporting the Board as well as I can. I myself grew up and live locally to Winchester and have two daughters currently at secondary school. I have worked mainly as a marketing professional in local government, with local small businesses and charities. I am currently working towards my clerking accreditation qualification.
Governors Who Resigned in the Last 12 Months
Lady Rosemary Walker
Associate Member
Appointed: 12 July 2022
End Date: 3 October 2024
Laure Gournay
Parent Governor
Elected: 23 March 2021
End Date: 2 July 2024
Jamie Gough
Co-opted Governor
Appointed: 4 July 2023
End Date: 24 June 2024
Register of Governor Interests
The governing body is required to publish a listing of any business interests of the governors relating to the school, details of any other educational establishments they govern and any relationships with members of the school staff including spouses, partners and relatives.
