Welcome to our Governors' section. 

Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

Who we are:

Julie Taylor - Chair of Governors

julie.taylor@wigtonmoor.leeds.sch.uk

I have worked in the market research industry for 18 years and am currently employed as a Senior User Researcher at the Department for Work and Pensions.  My day-to-day involves speaking to the general public and DWP staff to understand needs and wants with regards to DWP online systems, analysis and interpretation of data, project management, line management of junior personnel and presenting findings.  Through working in research I have developed skills in leadership, problem solving and strategic planning which I look forward to bringing to my role as School Governor at Wigton Moor Primary School. I passionately believe that all children can achieve great things with the right conditions and with teachers that are able to focus on helping them grow. I am excited about the opportunity to assist the team in securing the best possible outcomes for pupils.

 I live locally with my husband and two young children. Outside of work I enjoy family time, seeing live music and running. 

Nadine Bleasby - Vice Chair of Governors 

I have spent the majority of my career working in the NHS working in various areas including managing student clinical placements for medical students in Leeds and York, working in the National Institute for Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre in Leeds, before moving to become Chief Operating Officer for a regional clinical research network across the North East and North Cumbria, and most recently as Chief Operating Officer for a business support unit in primary care. I have previously held the role of school governor for a primary school in Harrogate where I live, and am looking forward to bringing some of that experience with me as well as learning more about Wigton Moor through working with the governing body and teaching staff. I'm a keen swimmer, walker and avid reader as well as enjoying travel, good food and wine in good company.

Mike Allen - Chair of Resources Committee

I am an experienced finance professional, having qualified as a Chartered Accountant nearly 25 years ago. I have enjoyed roles in private practice and industry, at home and abroad, and have held senior leadership roles in corporate and commercial banking for the last 19 years. I am also a member of the Leeds City Region LEP's Business Investment Panel, advising the West Yorkshire Combined Authority on grant and loan applications. 

I have two children at Wigton Moor and my wife is a former pupil, so as a family we are very invested in the school, hence my desire to use my experience to assist the governing body. My pastimes outside of work and family revolve around sport, playing football and road cycling on a weekly basis.

Jessica Mellor

Chair of Teaching, Learning and Pupil Support

I started my career in Education as a teacher of history and politics before being appointed to various leadership positions across a successful Multi Academy Trust. In my current role as Deputy Head of School Effectiveness and Workforce Development I have the privilege of  working with a wide range of schools in the region and beyond to support school improvement priorities. As the Director of a SCITT I recruit and train teachers new to the profession and support teacher retention through the implementation of the Early Career Framework. As the Director of an Education Endowment Foundation Research School I am committed to supporting teacher development through an evidence informed approach that connects schools with the ‘best bets’ to improve pupil outcomes. I have a Masters in Education with Teacher Inquiry.

I have grown up in the local area and I am delighted to take on the role of Governor at Wigton Moor where I hope to use my experiences and knowledge of the school system to support the journey of the school. 

Outside of work I have two very young children who keep me busy and I enjoy spending time with my extended family and friends.

Bethany Webb

Teacher Governor

I am the staff governor at Wigton Moor Primary School, second year Early Career Teacher (ECT) and a Year 2 class teacher. Before becoming a teacher, I went to the University of Leeds and received a degree in Broadcast Journalism (BA). I then worked in the TV industry as a Researcher for three years, gaining experience working with children on Britain’s Got Talent and The Yorkshire Vet. In mid-2021 I decided to chase my dream of becoming a Primary School Teacher and re-trained through the RedKite Alliance SCITT to become a qualified teacher. Since then I have worked across Wigton Moor Primary School, first as a KS2 HLTA, then as a Year 4 teacher and now as a Year 2 teacher. I also volunteer weekly to teach children as part of the Community Learning After School Study Support (CLASSS) charity on a Thursday evening in Chapel Allerton. I truly enjoy working at our school and am excited to work with the rest of the Governors to continue to strive for excellence.

Chris Dyson

I am a very proud dad of two little girls at Wigton Moor and am delighted to be a parent governor.  I am a former maths teacher and maths graduate, qualified accountant and chartered quality professional.  My work has mainly been in internal audit and financial controls roles, and I have worked across wide variety of sectors from my time in practice, including education.  Following this my time has mainly been spent in construction and large retailers in senior leadership positions.  I hope I can add value to this great school by sharing some of my knowledge and expertise, bringing ideas and fresh thinking and a little bit of fun, whilst holding the Leadership to account.

Andy Atkins

I have worked in education all my working life and I am dedicated to supporting teachers, children and schools to improve and develop their learning. I trained as a teacher and taught in Suffolk, and then I was a consultant and Lead Advisor for Essex County Council schools where I provided extensive support for schools and professional development and training for teachers. Since 2012, I have worked at a number of universities on their Initial Teacher Training programmes as a Senior Lecturer. I was previously a governor at a primary school in Northampton. I have recently moved to Leeds and am keen to work with the team at Wigton Moor Primary School to support the staff and children, and in my spare time explore the lovely countryside in Yorkshire.

Farheen Azfar

 I have a Doctor of Pharmacy qualification and have clinical pharmacy experience. In the past number of years, I have completed many qualifications specifically focused on safeguarding children. I have completed a parent inclusive program covering Strengthening Families and Communities specialising in Racial Equality and I have specialised in Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health. I have an Advanced Diploma in Child Psychology. I am also a qualified Paediatric First Aider. I am also qualified in Nutrition and Health. I have a BTEC qualification in Essential IT skills, I am also Certified Microsoft Technology Associate MTA. I have a BTEC qualification in Customer Services.

I have 2 lovely children at Wigton Moor Primary School. I have an interest in finding different opportunities to learn and gain experience, thus becoming a Governor at Wigton Moor Primary School has also been a great opportunity for me. I hope this journey of Governance will always be fantastic with the wonderful staff of Wigton Moor Primary School.

Laurence Sacks

I began my career as a criminal solicitor in private practice.  I was then invited to join the judiciary part time in the social entitlement chamber.  A further invitation came to become a Deputy County Court Judge before in 2003 being appointed a full time Immigration Judge.  During my past part time appointments in the judiciary I also work as a part time lecturer in the law department at Park Lane College.  After my retirement in 2015 I was invited by Bradford Council to talk to primary children both in schools and in the synagogue about the Jewish religion.  I am an avid bridge player and cricket spectator.  I am still involved in the education system as I have 6 grandchildren all in various stages of education and the youngest two still live with me.

Eugene Uwagie – Ero (CMgr) 

I’m excited to be part of Wigton Moor Primary School Governors Board, with a responsibility to inspire young pupils within and outside our local community. Through planning , provide an enabling environment for children to flourish. I’m pupil’s manager and currently working for HM Revenue & Customs.  I’m an alumina of Aberdeen business school (Robert Gordon) and an affiliate of the Chartered Management Institute(CMI). With over 20, years working experience across public and private sectors (Banking and Finance, HR Peoples Management, Operational delivery, Projects, and Programmes).

I live locally and have a desire to give back in every little way to the society, role modelling and making positive influence on “ young people’s lives. This has resulted in my volunteering work with numerous government and private organisations i.e., Inspiring the future,  DWP Jobcentre Plus, Askham Byram Colleague, Manchester Academy, Mosaic, Princes Trust and CMI. I’m new to the role of school governance however I’m surrounded with very experienced governors. And I’m confident and looking forward to bringing some of my transferable experience and knowledge. Whilst taking every opportunity to learn about Wigton Moor and governance through collaborative working with staff and governing board members. Ultimately, to deliver a strategy that ensures at Wigton Moor Primary “ Everyone Learns, and Everyone  Achieves! Because Everyone Matters.”      

Linda Feldman

I have worked in the NHS for a number of years, currently with NHS England who oversee the training and development of the health and care workforce.

I am educated to degree level and qualified in Change Management and Project and Programme delivery. I have led on establishing a self-assessment diagnostic tool to determine current levels of digital literacy within the workforce.

As a Government Digital Service Standard Lead Assessor, I support, promote, and encourage the development of consistent and user-friendly end-to-end government digital services, ensuring recognised standards are achieved.

I am keen to give back to the community and create an impact on the next generation and support them on their educational journey.

My hobbies include swimming having recently swum the distance of the English Channel, Amalfi Coast and Marathon round Athens.

Annual Governance Statement for the Governing Board of Wigton Moor Primary School September 2022-August 2023

1. The Board of Governors September 2022 - August 2023

The Board of Governors maintain a skills matrix which demonstrates the diverse skills held across the Board. This document informs any appointments to ensure the Board of Governors maintain the skills required to be effective. Our governors bring real strength to the strategic leadership of the schools through their skills and experience which include:

• Chartered accountancy
• Budget management
• Education, including school improvement and initial teacher training
• Legal practice
• Governance, through a national leader of governance (NLG)
• Chief operating officer having oversight of HR, finance and IT functions
• Market research solutions including project management
• Project management

There was an in-year change of roles with Kathryn Wilkinson standing down as Vice-Chair and as a full Governor, taking on the position of Associate Governor, and Nadine Bleasby being elected as Vice Chair.

2. Committees

Members of the governing body work through two main committees. Attendance at these meetings and at the full governing body meetings can be seen in section 5 of this statement.

Teaching, Learning and Pupil Support Committee (TLPS)

The Teaching, Learning and Pupil Support committee has delegated authority for monitoring and evaluating the quality of education, including ensuring a broad and balanced curriculum is being taught. The committee holds the headteacher and senior leaders to account for target setting, pupil assessment and outcomes, and the quality of teaching.

The committee also has delegated authority for holding the school to account for pupil behaviour, safeguarding, attendance, children’s spiritual moral social and cultural development, children, parent and staff voice, equality, diversity and inclusion, extra-curricular activities and cluster and other partnership work.

Resources committee

The Resources committee has delegated responsible for staffing including the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) being suitably qualified, staff performance management, finance including assurance that school achieves best value, particularly for service level agreements / other external contracts, property management, health and safety and risk management, including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The committee is also responsible for overseeing the school's financial stewardship, including oversight and approval of the school's budget.  Committee members aim to assist the smooth running of the school's operations, effectively supporting Wigton Moor's strategic priorities.  

Committee membership

The current committee membership is:

Resources Committee:

Governors:  Mike Allen (Chair), Nadine Bleasby, Elaine Bown, Linda Feldman, Sharon Kelly, Laurence Sacks, Eugene Uwagie-Ero.

Associate Members:  Jon Goodall (School Business Manager), Pete Hadfield (Assistant Headteacher).

Teaching, Learning and Pupil Support Committee:

Governors:  Jessica Mellor (Chair), Andy Atkins, Farheen Azfar, Elaine Bown, Linda Feldman, Kat Jury, Julie Taylor,

Associate Members:  Gillian Dudley (Deputy Headteacher), Kathryn Wilkinson

Pay Committee / Performance Management Committee

Governors:  Julie Taylor (Chair), Nadine Bleasby, Kathryn Wilkinson

This academic year governors have also been allocated additional responsibilities according to their skills experience and interests, and the priorities of the school, as below:

3.Training undertaken by Governors September 2022-September 2023

During the academic year Governors have attended training sessions run by the local authority, in person, on-line and e-learning modules. When considering the skills and training Governors require, particular attention is given to three core strategic functions of the Board of Governors:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

The following training has been undertaken:

• Child protection and safeguarding
• Governor induction training
• Preparing for OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) and effective governance
• Asbestos awareness
• Handling complaints
• Health and Safety
• Safer recruitment in education
• Human Resources Training

4. Impact of the Governing Board September 2022-August 2023

We have recruited two new members to the board to replace some of our valued governors who have now left and have provided support and mentoring as needed to help these new governors to fulfil their roles. We are delighted that his takes us to a full complement of Governors for the first time in several years.

During the autumn term, the Full Governing Body (FGB) held a group development session considering the school’s vision, “Everyone learns and everyone achieves because everyone matters” and what school would look like if this was achieved. This interactive exercise provided the opportunity to reflect on our understanding of the vision and describe both a detailed and broad picture of success and the myriad ways in which this could be achieved. Our responses were themed, enabling us to identify 7 objectives to be delivered over a 3-year period, our monitoring and success criteria involves triangulation with the School Self-evaluation form (SEF) and School Improvement Plan (SIP).

The school priorities in the improvement plan are discussed regularly and governors monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the school improvement plan. The priorities for the academic year were as follows:

1. 1. Continue to aim for exceptional standards in English: oracy, reading & writing
   2. Continue to implement a high-quality curriculum and increase independence and effectiveness of subject/aspect leadership
   3. Remind and refresh everyone’s understanding of equality & inclusion
   4. Demand and achieve absolute excellence in behaviour and attitudes
   5. Fully embed the new EYFS Curriculum and associated systems

The FGB strive to support the school in a strategic role in ensuring that the fulfilment of these priorities. Examples include:

• At the start of the academic year each governor was given responsibility for the oversight of a specific curriculum area and asked to provide a headline summary presentation at FGB as to the way in which Intent, Implementation and Impact of the curriculum were executed for their subject, thus collectively broadening the Board’s understanding of the curriculum more generally across additional subjects
• Subject Leader presentations on the curriculum at each TLPS meeting (and open to all Governors via MS Teams for that section, with presentations uploaded to DB Primary, school’s online learning platform) enabled regular engagement of Governors with the school’s wider leadership team and the opportunity to ask questions directly of Subject Leaders
• This knowledge is further supplemented by Governor visits to school, spending time with teaching staff and in conversations with pupils to see the curriculum in action and how learning is acquired, retained and recalled. Visit reports are circulated to all Governors and uploaded to DB Primary with the opportunity for further discussion at FGB meetings. Over 20 visits were undertaken over the course of the year, maintaining the high level of engagement seen the previous year, once in-person visits were made possible again.

Governors have articulated how this multi-faceted approach has increased their knowledge and confidence of the subjects they are linked with as well as awareness more broadly across other subject areas and school priorities. In particular, conversations with staff and pupils provide an excellent opportunity for them to demonstrate this and for all parties to grow in confidence in preparation for Ofsted. Governors are confident that school ensures the curriculum is accessible for all pupils as far as is possible and that there is no ceiling differentiation. Discussions with Subject Leaders automatically include detailing how this is managed for Pupil Premium, SEN pupils and those not making age related progress and where possible evidence is shown for plans to dimmish the gap. Targeted interventions such as the use of the tutoring and inclusion teams continue to be successful as demonstrated in relevant assessment data. 

The SATS (Standard Assessment Tests) results achieved this year were excellent once again and pupils and staff across the school are to be congratulated on the outcomes particularly in achieving such fantastic results after facing the challenges posed by the pandemic. Even though this academic year has not been subject to the level of disruption, the impact of those years on pupils’ education is not to be underestimated.

Following a substantial undertaking of ‘deep dives’ into subject areas last year, the process of ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement has continued, and observations and feedback are now planned and led by directly by Subject Leaders, thus further developing leadership skills across school. These are supported by the Senior Leadership Team where appropriate. Updates from these exercises are routinely reflected in discussions at Governor visits and subject presentations at TLPS (see above). Collectively this ensures the curriculum content is kept under appropriate levels of scrutiny.

With the new phonics scheme (Essential Letters and Sounds) and EYFS curriculum now both in their second year, statutory data for pupils working at the expected level shows a modest improvement, supporting the anecdotal evidence that both the new system and new curriculum, which staff feel enables them to spend more dedicated time with children and goals easier to assess, This is also reflected in the observations feedback to FGB from the designated governors responsible for early reading and phonics and EYFS.

Governors have a key role to play in ensuring pupil attainment is monitored and maximised. Teaching, Learning and Support Committee have termly access to pupil outcomes, progress and predictions by year group, including predictions for specific cohorts and groups including SEND, pupil premium and EAL (English as additional language). There has been regular data provided and good use of assessment this year from a variety of formal sources including SATs and NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research), Phonics screening as well as teacher formative assessments.  Triangulation of evidence has been supported by presentations led by Subject Leaders alongside the insights captured through frequent visits to school. The committee explores all aspects of the distinctive characteristics of teaching and learning at Wigton Moor including what happens in the classroom and other wider initiatives.

Safeguarding visits have been conducted throughout the year. Checks have been made on the recruitment and selection of staff through the single central record and staff personnel files. Any discrepancies in paperwork have been followed up quickly and addressed by the school Business Manager. The leadership of Safeguarding is strong under the direction of the deputy headteacher and designated safeguarding lead (DSL), Gillian Dudley and Caroline Lee, Learning Mentor and deputy DSL. It is clear from talking to staff and the children that there is a strong whole school approach to safeguarding which is interwoven through the curriculum. Following the latest publication of Keeping Children Safe in Education, the Safeguarding governor will be working with the DSL and deputy DSL to ensure the strength of online safety and the filtering and monitoring systems are as strong as they could be. The DSL already forwards a regular newsletter to parents about keeping their children safe online and was approached at the end of term by a number of parents seeking advice on how to limit their child’s access to the internet during the summer holidays.

The link governor for Equalities has made visits to school throughout the year and meetings this have focussed on phase 1 submission for the RED Award and subsequent feedback and actions. The RED (Respect, Equality & Diversity) Award, developed by the Red Kite Alliance is intended to support schools to review, strengthen and celebrate provision in terms of equality, diversity, respect for individuals and community cohesion. This has traditionally been an area of strength for Wigton Moor and was reflected in the complimentary feedback received and the award of Certificate of Commitment to Equality & Diversity after completing the first phase of the award which included a self-assessment exercise. One of the helpful actions to arise from the feedback was the opportunity to refresh school’s Equality Objectives and ensure they were SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely. Other areas of strength include

• A proactive Equality Council
• Regular celebrations of equality, diversity and inclusion in school
• A strong reputation for supporting SEN children based on a principle of inclusion by default (as referenced elsewhere)
• PSHE / RSHE (relationships, sex and health education)  is embedded throughout the curriculum from Reception to Y6
• Following best practice with regards to recruitment

As a governing body, we continue to review policies and procedures to ensure that these are fit for purpose and meet not only our legal responsibilities but also our vision and aims for the school and our pupils. The children and staff remain at the forefront of our decisions as we endeavour to provide the best educational environment for them.

This year the Resources Committee continued to challenge and monitor the school budget, helping to balance the inevitability of ongoing rising costs with the need for capital investment into significant projects such as long overdue refurbishment of some of the school's toilet facilities, an upgrade to Audio Visual equipment in the main hall and installation of LED lighting in school, all of which have been delivered. Part of the business case regarding the latter was a predicted beneficial impact on utility costs longer term and we will keep this under review.

The Committee has helped to ensure that advantage has been taken of available specified grant funding along with sports and pupil premium increments which continue to help delivery of the curriculum and also a wider, positive and healthy school environment.  

The school ended the accounting year with a robust financial surplus, and, as highlighted in this years' Schools Financial Value Standard self-assessment, we consider internal controls and experience and ability of Committee members along with the School Business Manager as strong. We continue to monitor the shape of human resources across school as well as Health & Safety and the school's built environment. 

As we look forward to the 2023/24 academic year, our focus will be on continuing to deliver our three core responsibilities:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.
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5. Governor Attendance

Governor Meetings Attendance Records

The minutes of Governing Body meetings can be read by contacting the office.