Appleton C of E Primary School

Governors

The School’s governing body is made up of twelve governors, consisting of:-

2 Parent governors

1 LA governor

1 Staff governor

6 Foundation Governors (1 vacancy)

1 exoficio governor (vacancy)

1 headteacher

The governing body also has two associate members appointed for their expertise and experience in the education environment. Associate members within the governing body have no voting rights within full governing body meetings, or on any of the committees to which they have been appointed.

The Vice-Chair of the governing body is Mrs Catherine Mentzel, and to maximise effectiveness the full governing body meets 8 times per year, with a clear focus on strategic issues.

The governing body work strategically, using the school development plan to organise special areas of interest. This streamlined arrangement supports the school in improving, as well as allowing governors to have both a wide-angle view of the school as well as a narrowed, more specialist viewpoint.

To fulfill our responsibilities we have developed sustainable and flexible strategies that are included in an integrated model of governance that is embedded within the school teams, with our principal focus always being the progression, development and safety of children in our care. In support of that, attracting and keeping the best people is at the heart of our recruitment and retention program, ensuring that we understand the school and its needs and make the very best use of our finances so that we know we are getting and offering the best value for money possible. We also recognise that the relationships between parents and school has a direct impact on learning. To be truly successful teams need to maintain a positive two way dialogue and accordingly we continuing to improve and develop effective communication. If you would like to talk to any of our governors then I would encourage you to contact any of us at any time.

The School’s governing body is made up of eleven governors:

Parent governors:

Sarah North

Awaiting bio

Alex Tasker

 Awaiting bio

1 LA governor 

Rebekah White

Rebekah lives in the village and has two children at the school. She enjoys being a part of the school community and loves spending a day in Year One each year teaching the students about Australia. Since completing a DPhil (PhD) in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, Rebekah has continued to work in the University; combining roles in Student Welfare, teaching and research. In her spare time, she loves running and taking photos of beautiful things!

Staff governor

Kate Griffiths

Kate has taught at Appleton Primary school for the last ten years. She enjoys building relationships with children and families and is passionate about inclusion which has led her to her current roles of SENCO and Mental Health Lead. Kate is currently undertaking the NASENCO training at Oxford Brookes University. Before she became a teacher she worked as a hydrogeologist. She has three children and, when she gets chance, enjoys being outside, travel and reading.  

Foundation Governors

Lesley Addison

Awaiting bio

Liz Gilkes

Liz's own four children all attended Appleton School in the past so she knows the school well and value its importance within the community. Her professional background and career was in children's Social Care, which has provided her with valuable insight into the huge importance  of high quality education for every child.

Catherine Mentzel

Awaiting bio

Emma Queralt

Awaiting bio

Lucy Stanley

Lucy is a primary school teacher and parent at Appleton School. Her background is in Psychology and Education. Lucy has taught in a range of schools in Cambridge, London, and Oxford. She is the SEN and Pupil Premium governor and has been on the governing board for 3 years.

1 foundation governor vacancy

Head Teacher 

Amy Carnell

Amy is in her 34th year of teaching. She left her secondary school career as an assistant head in 2010 to follow her passion of working with the younger age range. Amy is an experienced headteacher, her 12th year in headship and her 8th year at Appleton. Amy is also a School Improvement Partner for OCC, supporting other schools within the county.

Exoficio governor: Rector of St Lawrence (vacancy)