meet the governors
John Millar - chair of governors - LA appointed
I currently assess and coach apprentices. Before retraining as a business teacher in further education, I worked for almost 40 years in the UK Civil Service in a variety of policy and delivery roles – mainly covering business support and regeneration programmes. I have lived in Horsforth since 1991 and in my spare time enjoy reading and watching sports & films
Tim Wyatt - vice chair of governors -Parent
I am a qualified Chartered Accountant working for my family’s accountancy practice providing services to front line charities, not for profit organisations, schools, and trustee boards. Prior to this, I was a statutory auditor specialising in auditing school multi-academy trusts in the north of the England. As a family, we carry a passion for school communities and strong relationships between school and parents. I am particularly interested in the work and role schools play with children who have additional education needs..
Chantel Horsbrough - Co-opted
As a Co-opted Governor, I am impressed with the high standards and core values of school. To represent the wider community, as a governor is an honour. As a Horsforth resident, I see this as an opportunity to work in collaboration with school to get the very best provision for all of the children. I am an experienced school leader and hope to use my teaching and school improvement background to actively support and strengthen the partnership between school and the wider community.
Lara rule - co-opted
I am proud to be a co-opted governor at Featherbank Primary. I am currently the Phonics Specialist at Featherbank Primary as well as a Special Education Teacher. I have worked within the community to establish links between schools, children and the local residents through the Horsforth Walk of Art which I established in 2014.
penny pinn - co-opted
I've been pleased to support Featherbank School as a governor since October 2019, with responsibility for monitoring Maths, attendance and wellbeing. During my working life I was involved with young people in different ways, from teaching, working in prisons and running a children's outdoor centre. I'm retired and am involved with many local community groups. I run Horsforth Community Cafe at St Margaret's Parish Centre on Mondays. I have always been passionate about the environment. My 3 grandchildren also keep me busy.
Gemma briggs - co-opted
As the Deputy Headteacher I am proud to also be a co-opted governor. I am passionate about making primary school a memorable, fun and happy experience for all of our pupils through our rich curriculum and inclusive approaches.As a governor I am able to fully understand the monitoring role of our governors, and work in school to support staff with their responsibilities and accountability to the governing body. My areas of leadership mean I am able to respond to governors about key areas of school such as safeguarding, attendance and SEND.
KIRSTEN ELLIS - PARENT
I am a pleased to join as a new parent Governor. I am a mum of two with my eldest a current pupil. In work I am a project manager focusing on public sector leadership programmes. I am excited about the opportunity to support the Governing Board at what is already a fantastic school for all its pupils.
Jody sowden - staff
I have had the pleasure to be at Featherbank Primary since September 2020, originally joining as a part time Year 3 teacher and now a full-time teacher in EYFS. I'm proud to have been appointed a staff governor at Featherbank. As well as teaching in Reception, I am responsible for Computing, Music and Modern Foreign Languages (Spanish) in school. I am new to my governing role and look forward to overseeing school management for it to run as effectively as possible and make Featherbank the very best it can be.
PATRICK BUGGY - co-opted
I am proud to have been a parents and now a co-opted governor here at Featherbank since 2016. Since I joined the board, it's been a privilege to support the school through many changes - even a pandemic! With both my children growing and learning in the care of the brilliant staff at the school. I have the special responsibility for Safeguarding monitoring for the Board, as well as PHSE and Attendance. Outside school I work in Business Support for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and a keen musician.
claire bottomley - parent
I have been a governor at Featherbank, as a parent governor since 2017, currently with responsibility for EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage). I live in Horsforth and run a local magazine. My eldest child attended Featherbank before going to secondary school and my younger two are current pupils. It is really rewarding to see the school’s continual development up close and be a part of it.
amy pickin - parent
I am a parent Governor and a mum of two. I have a background in teaching and school leadership and have worked across a variety of both primary and secondary schools. I hope that this experience will be useful and a good support to the Governing Board and the school. I have particular interests and experience in Special Educational Needs and staff and pupil well-being.
Stautory Guidance for Governors
School Governors have an important and responsible role in the management of schools. The Governing Body meet regularly to discuss issues and plan strategy for the school. The “behind the scenes” roles are vital for the school to progress and improve.
All governors are encouraged to play an active and participating role. The governors are drawn from all walks of life and represent the local community, parents and political parties.
The structure of the Governing Body is as follows:
| Category | No. of Seats | Appointed | Vacancies |
| Co-opted Representatives: | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Headteacher | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| LA Representatives | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Parent Represntatives | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Staff Governor Representative | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Governor Visiting Policy and Guidelines
Horsforth Featherbank School Governing Board
Chair: John Millar
Vice Chair: Tim Wyatt
The constitution of the governing board is:
- Headteacher
- 1 x Local Authority (LA) governor, recommended by the LA and approved by the governing board
- 4 parent governors, formally elected through a ballot of parents unless the election is uncontested
- 5 co-opted governors, nominated and appointed by the governing board
- 1 staff governor, formally elected by staff employed at school
The governing board operates with the following committees:
Resources committee - responsible for staffing including the appointment and role of the SENCO, equality and diversity, finance, property management, health and safety and nutritional standards.
Committee chair: Tim Wyatt
Teaching and learning & Pupil support committee - responsible for teaching and learning matters including target setting, standards and achievement, SEN (including reporting annually on the success of the SEN policy), monitoring teaching and learning and curriculum provision and ensuring that the governing board is represented at school improvement. Also responsible for behaviour, safeguarding, attendance, children’s spiritual moral social and cultural development, children, parent and staff voice, extra-curricular activities, cluster and other partnerships.
Committee chair: Chantel Horsbrough
Pay Review committee – responsible for ensuring the implementation of the school Pay Policy and Teacher Appraisal Policy (responsibility delegated to Headteacher through Resources committee)
Pay Appeal committee – responsible for hearing pay appeals and ensuring a fair and proper process has been followed.
Current Governors
Current and recent (in the last 12 months) governors and business/other interests declared are provided in the table below.
| Name of governor | Category of governor & committees served | Date appointed & term of office | Relevant financial interests | Personal interests (relationships with school staff) | Governance interests | Date declaration signed |
| John Millar | LA appointed governor - Chair of the FGB; member of the resources sub-committee | 24/12/2017 4 years | N/A | N/A | N/A | 06/10/2020 |
| Lorraine Scudder | Head teacher | 01/01/2020 4 years | N/A | N/A | N/A | 06/10/2020 |
| Gemma Briggs | Co-opted governor, appointed by the governors - | 24/05/2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Lara Rule | Co-opted governor, appointed by the governors - member of the TLPS sub-committee | 15/05/2018 4 years | N/A | N/A | Organiser of Horsforth "Walk of Art" | 21/01/2021 |
| Patrick Buggy | Co-opted governor, appointed by the governors - member of the TLPS sub-committee - member of the TLPS sub-committee; pay appeal sub-committee member | 19/01/2018 4 years | N/A | Partner of LSA | N/A | 06/10/2020 |
| Claire Bottomley | Parent governor, appointed by parents - member of the TLPS sub-committee | 19/01/2021 4 years | N/A | N/A | Distribution of "Families" magazine | 21/10/2020 |
| Penny Pinn | Co-opted governor, appointed by the governors - member of the TLPS sub-committee. | 15/10/2019 4 years | N/A | N/A | Member of Horsforth in Bloom and Real Junk Food Project | 11/10/2020 |
| Chantel Horsbrough | Co-opted governor, appointed by the governors - Chair of the TLPS sub-committee; pay appeal sub-committee member | 01/01/2018 4 years | N/A | N/A | N/A | 12/10/2020 |
| Kirsten Ellis | Parent governor, appointed by parents member of the Resources sub-committee; r | 01/09/23 4 years | N/A | N/A | N/A | 01/09/2023 |
| Amy Pickin | Parent governor, appointed by parents member of the TLPS sub-committee; pay appeal sub-committee member | 19/01/2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 18/01/2022 |
| Timothy Wyatt | Parent governor, appointed by parents member of the resources sub-committee | 06/01/2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 05/01/2022 |
| Jody Sowden | Staff governor, appointed by staff - member of the resources sub-committee | 24/05/2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Previous Governors
| Name | Role | Term of Office |
| Jordan Young | Co-opted Representative | 19/04/2017 - 28/11/2018 |
| Darren Rose | Co-opted Representative | 19/01/2017 - 01/11/2017 |
| Julie Moss | Co-opted Representative | 19/01/2017 - 28/09/2017 |
| Gill Cook | Co-opted Representative | 15/09/2016 - 31/07/2017 |
| Cllr Brian Cleasby | Co-opted Representative | 01/04/2015 - 19/01/2017 |
| Polly Hutton | Parent Representative | 05/12/2012 - 04/12/2016 |
| John Siddall | Co-opted Representative | 01/04/2015 - 01/11/2016 |
| Sherrie Morgan | Co-opted Representative | 01/04/2015 - 31/07/2016 |
| Sharmin Khan | Parent Representative | 14/10/2015 - 30/06/2016 |
| Phil Stewardson | Parent Representative | 12 /12/2013 - 11/12/2017 |
| Simone Si Mohamed | Co-opted Representative | 01/11/2017 - 01/06/2018 |
| Elana Shalkowski | Co-opted Representative | 01/11/2017 - 01/09/2018 |
| Adrian Stocks | Co-opted Representative | 26/09/2018 - 29/11/2018 |
| Becky Hayes | Co-opted Representative | 26/09/2018 - 11/02/2020 |
| Carlie Newton | Parent Representative | 19/01/2017-18/01/2021 |
| Esther Patterson | Co-opted Representative | 17/01/2018 - 01/09/2021 |
| Marc Eatough | Co-opted Representative | 01/11/2017-01/06/2021 |
| Carol Jackson | Staff Governor | 01/03/2014 - 24/05/2022 |
| Sharon Banks | Parent Representative | 09/02/2021 - 31/08/2023 |
ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS 2023-24
Y - in attendance
N - not in attendance & no apologies received / accepted
A - apologies received & accepted
X - not in post / not a member
| Name of governor | TLPS 19/09/23 | FGB 12/10/23 |
Resources 21/11/23 |
TLPS 16/01/24 | FGB 22/02/24 | Resources 19/03/24 | TLPS 30/04/24 | Resources 07/05/24 | FGB 23/05/24 |
| John Millar | X | Y | Y | X | Y | ||||
| Lorraine Scudder | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| Gemma Briggs | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | ||||
| Chantel Horsbrough | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | ||||
| Lara Rule | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | ||||
| Claire Bottomley | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | ||||
| Patrick Buggy | Y | Y | X | Y | A | ||||
| Penny Pinn | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | ||||
| Tim Wyatt | X | Y | Y | X | Y | ||||
| Jody Sowden | X | Y | Y | X | Y | ||||
| Amy Pickin | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | ||||
| Kirsten Ellis | Y | Y | Y | X | Y |
Attendance at meetings 2022-23
Y - in attendance
N - not in attendance & no apologies received / accepted
A - apologies received & accepted
X - not in post / not a member
| Name of governor | TLPS 29/09/22 | FGB 18/10/22 |
Resources 29/11/22 |
TLPS 26/01/23 | FGB 21/02/22 | Resources 14/03/23 | TLPS 02/05/23 | Resources 09/05/23 | FGB 25/05/23 |
| John Millar | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Lorraine Scudder | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Gemma Briggs | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y |
| Chantel Horsbrough | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y |
| Lara Rule | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y |
| Claire Bottomley | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | X |
| Patrick Buggy | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y |
| Penny Pinn | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y |
| Sharon Banks | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Tim Wyatt | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Jody Sowden | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Amy Pickin | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y |
Attendance at meetings 2021-22
Y - in attendance
N - not in attendance & no apologies received / accepted
A - apologies received & accepted
X - not in post / not a member
| Name of governor | TLPS 23/09/21 | FGB 05/10/21 | Resources 25/11/21 | TLPS 27/01/22 | FGB 8/2/22 | TLPS 5/5/22 | Resources 9/5/22 | FGB 24/5/22 |
| John Millar | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Lorraine Scudder | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Marc Eatough | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y | X |
| Chantel Horsbrough | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Carol Jackson | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y | X |
| Lara Rule | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Claire Bottomley | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Patrick Buggy | X | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Penny Pinn | A | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Sharon Banks | X | Y | Y | X | Y | X | Y | Y |
Attendance at meetings 2020 - 21
Y - in attendance
N - not in attendance & no apologies received / accepted
A - apologies received & accepted
X - not in post / not a member
| Name of governor | FGB 06/10/20 | Resources 19/11/20 | FGB 15/12/20 | TLPS 21/01/21 | FGB 09/02/21 | Resources 04/03/21 | TLPS 29/04/21 | FGB 25/05/21 |
| John Millar | Y | Y | Y | x | Y | A | x | Y |
| Lorraine Scudder | Y | Y | Y | Y | A | Y | Y | Y |
| Marc Eatough | Y | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Chantel Horsbrough | Y | X | A | Y | Y | X | Y | A |
| Carol Jackson | Y | Y | Y | X | Y | A | X | Y |
| Esther Patterson | Y | Y | A | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Lara Rule | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Claire Bottomley | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Patrick Buggy | Y | X | N | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Carlie Newton | Y | Y | Y | X | X | X | X | X |
| Penny Pinn | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Sharon Banks | X | X | X | X | Y | X | X | Y |
Attendance at meetings 2019-2020
Y - in attendance
N - not in attendance & no apologies received / accepted
A - apologies received & accepted
X - not in post / not a member
| Name of governor | FGB 15/10/19 | Resources 12/12/2019 | TLPS 26/09/19 | FGB 11/02/20 | Resources 03/03/20 | TLPS 23/01/19 | FGB 16/06/2020 |
| John Millar | Y | A | X | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Lorraine Scudder | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Marc Eatough | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | A |
| Chantel Horsbrough | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | A |
| Carol Jackson | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Esther Patterson | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Lara Rule | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Claire Bottomley | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | A |
| Patrick Buggy | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Becky Hayes | Y | X | Y | X | X | X | X |
| Carlie Newton | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Penny Pinn | Y | X | A | Y | X | Y | Y |
Attendance at meetings 2018-2019
Y - in attendance
N - not in attendance & no apologies received / accepted
A - apologies received & accepted
X - not in post / not a member
|
Name of governor |
FGB 26/09/2018 |
Resources 29/11/2018 |
TLPS 21/01/2019 |
FGB 06/02/2019 |
Resources 07/05/2019 |
TLPS 30/04/2019 |
FGB 22/05/2019 |
| John Millar | Y | A | X | A | A | A | Y |
| Lorraine Scudder | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Marc Eatough | Y | Y | X | A | Y | X | Y |
| Chantel Horsbrough | Y | X | Y | Y (Chair) | X | A | Y |
| Carol Jackson | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y |
| Esther Patterson | Y | X | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Lara Rule | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Claire Bottomley | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Patrick Buggy | Y | X | Y | Y | X | A | Y |
| Becky Hayes | Y | X | Y | Y | X | Y | Y |
| Carlie Newton | Y | Y | X | Y | Y | X | A |
| Adrian Stocks | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |