St. Luke’s Board of Governors

As governors, we are pleased and privileged to be able to contribute to the success of St. Luke’s. Our role involves working together with Mrs Rogers and the senior management team in the strategic management of the school to ensure that it provides the best possible education for all our children, and a safe and caring environment for everyone in our community. We are actively involved in the school in a variety of ways and always enjoy our visits to share in the children’s many achievements. The role of school governor is very rewarding, as it allows us to make a positive difference to the school by helping to raise standards and serve the wider local community.

What do Governors do?

School governors play an important part in raising school standards and our main priority is to act in the best interests of all the children at St. Luke’s. We are legally responsible for the school, and have final say in policy and budget. The governors work closely with Mrs Rogers, the head teacher, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school, providing both support and challenge to ensure our school provides the best quality education possible.

Governors play an active role in reviewing school achievement and attainment information on a regular basis. This allows us, together with the head teacher, to be actively involved in making decisions regarding the progress towards and setting of challenging targets for better performance. The school governors also approve and monitor the impact of school policies and work together with the head teacher and staff to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the school improvement plan. The governors also approve the school budget and staffing structure in consultation with the head. As governors, we respond to recommendations from both the local education authority and Ofsted, to ensure that every child in our school is able to achieve to the best of their ability. The governing body also holds the head teacher to account for the performance of the school and ensures that parents are involved, consulted and informed as required.

Sub-committees

We have folded the Teaching and Learning sub-committee into the main committee meetings and hold these more often. It used to be 3 main meetings per year, plus meetings for each of the two sub-committees. This year we will hold 6 main meetings and 2 meetings for the Resource Management Committee.

There is a small sub-committee which meets irregularly and usually in response to unusual circumstances, known as the Development Strategy Group, this is formed from the chair, vice-chair plus optionally the head and any other governor who may have relevant knowledge, there are also working groups, who look at Ofsted preparation and the yearly headteacher’s performance management.

All governors agree to abide by our Code of Practice

Meet St. Luke’s Governors

At St. Luke’s all our governors are volunteers who represent those with a particular interest in our school, including parents, staff, the church, local education authority and the community. Our board of governors currently consists of a local authority governor appointed by Derbyshire County Council, three foundation governors appointed by the Diocese of Derby, three parent governors elected by parents with children at the school, two staff governors appointed through election by staff at St. Luke’s and up to six co-opted governors appointed by the governing body. All governors work hard for the betterment of the school, and we are particularly lucky at St Luke’s to have such a dedicated and willing team.

Claire Aspinall

  • Chair of Governors
  • Co-opted Governor
  • Member of the Resource Management Committee
  • Term of Office: Summer 2023 – Summer 2027
  • Attendance 2022/26: Attended 6 out of 6

“Having served on the governing body since 2018, and as Chair last year, I am committed to seeing the school excel. With a background in management consultancy, physics education and teacher education, I have a diverse skillset which I use to serve the school senior management team, its staff and its children to the best of my ability.”

Fiona Hall

  • Co Vice-Chair of Governors
  • Co-opted Governor
  • Named Governor for Safeguarding and Looked after Children
  • Term of Office: Winter 2019 – Winter 2023
  • Attendance 2021/22: Attended 6 out of 6

I have previous school-based experience as I was a teacher for many years, firstly in primary schools before moving on to work in a sixth form college. I now work at Staffordshire University as a senior lecturer and course leader for our Education Studies award. Education is vital to help unlock children’s potential and being a governor means I can be involved in this process in my local community. I have particular interest in safeguarding and SEND but I am happy to represent the governing body wherever it is most needed.

Roger Barrett

  • Co Vice-Chair of Governors
  • Co-opted Governor
  • Chair of the Resource Management Committee
  • Term of Office: Autumn 2020 – Autumn 2024
  • Attendance 2021/22: Attended 6 out of 6

“I have two daughters at St Luke’s and I have seen how they have grown, developed and loved their time at the school. I feel passionately that this school is very special and I want to play a part in making sure every child has an education which encourages and supports them to achieve all they can. To help in achieving this, I am very keen to ensure, alongside the other parent governors, that the Governing Board benefits from a strong parental viewpoint. With over 20 years professional experience as a Chartered Engineer, the last 12 as a Director of Operations within large, multi-national companies, I have the wide-ranging skills and leadership experience to enable me to contribute fully to the St Luke’s Board of Governors in a variety of areas.”

Foundation Governors:

Foundation governors are appointed by the diocese. The inclusion of Foundation Governors on the governing bodies of both Aided and Controlled schools is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a Church school. The Foundation Governors represent the historic link with the original establishment of the school and its distinctive religious ethos.

Zoe Bowers

  • Named Governor for: Collective acts of worship and Character education
  • Named Governor for: Artsmark
  • Member of the Eco & Carbon Neutral Committee
  • Term of Office: Autumn 2022 – Autumn 2026
  • Attendance 2021/22: Attended 3 out of 6

“A St Luke’s parent since 2010 I have come to know many of the children and staff who study and work here. I am passionate about helping our students achieve their personal best, in an environment that is nurturing and supportive. I believe that children learn best when they are happy and feel secure, and when they are able to easily access appropriate resources to support their learning. I value the prospect of working with staff and governors to enhance our school and provide opportunities for our students to grow, both academically and into well rounded members of society. I have a background in outdoor education and experience in both children’s and young peoples’ work in a variety of settings. I attend St Andrew’s Church, Hadfield, with my family.”

Debbie Seel

  • Term of Office: Autumn 2022 – Autumn 2026
  • Attendance 2021/22: N/A

“I was a maths teacher in secondary schools and have granddaughters at St Luke’s school. I was asked to be a Foundation Governor as a result of my commitment to both St Luke’s Church and the children in Glossopdale.”

Local Authority Governors:

Local Authority (LA) governors are appointed by the local authority that maintains the school. They are volunteers from the local area who would like to be a governor. All such governors are primarily appointed with a view to their commitment to raise standards at the school concerned.

Co-Opted Governors:

A “co-opted governor” means a person who is appointed as a governor by the governing body and who, in the opinion of the governing body, has the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.

Heidi Page

  • Term of Office: Autumn 2019 – Autumn 2023
  • Attendance 2021/22: Attended 6 out of 6
  • Other roles: Chair of Governors of Glossopdale School

“I have served on St Luke’s governing body since 2013 as a Co-opted Governor. I have one child at St Luke’s and another child at Glossopdale School where I am also a Co-opted Governor and the current Chair of Governors. I work at The University of Manchester as a Student Admissions Officer with responsibility for training, policy and governance. I am passionate about the importance of a good education for children and it is this reason that I am proud to serve St Luke’s and Glossopdale as a School Governor – my aim is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential regardless of their background. I am proud that St Luke’s is a creative and inclusive school, a school that supports and encourages children to achieve all they can.”

Mark Smitham

  • Named Governor for: Maths
  • Term of Office: Autumn 2019 – Autumn 2023
  • Attendance 2021/22: Attended 6 out of 6

“Having served on the governing body since 2010, and as Chair for six years, I have a vested interest in seeing the school excel, and with a background in IT and business intelligence I am well versed in reading figures and charts and knowing which questions to ask. I believe that every single penny the school receives should be spent on the betterment of the children, and I work hard alongside the senior management team and the governing body to ensure that happens.”

Parent Governors:

Parent governors are parents of pupils at school, and are elected by other parents. However, a parent governor is a representative and not a delegate of parents. They are there to work in partnership with the headteacher, senior leadership team and co-operatively with other governors to raise standards and improve outcomes for all children.

Scott Hoyle

Chika Jones

  • Named Governor for: SEND and Chair of PTA
  • Member of the Eco & Carbon Neutral Committee
  • Term of Office: Autumn 2020 – Autumn 2024
  • Attendance 2021/22: Attended 6 out of 6

“I have two children at St Luke’s school and have been an active part of the school community since 2016. I’m currently the Chair of the Parent Teacher Association and love meeting new parents and students. I run the Parent Toddler group at school which is a lovely way to introduce prospective parents to the school. I am the named governor for Special Education Needs and also working to help the school meet it’s target to be carbon neutral by 2030. I’m very happy to be involved with such a lovely school as a parent and now as a governor. I look forward to working with the governing body to ensure all the children have the best opportunities that we can offer. I’d like all the children to go to school excited to learn and feel safe and supported in their environment.”

Staff Governors:

Staff Governors are elected by the staff. As an employee, the staff governor has a unique insight into the activities of the school. The staff governor brings to the governing body an understanding of the school’s ethos and culture as well as a close, professional knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses. Staff must have a voice on the governing body so that they can contribute, in partnership with other governors, to the strategic development of the school. The staff governor serves as a useful link between the staff and the governing body.

Jakki Rogers

  • Headteacher
  • Term of Office: N/A
  • Attendance 2022/23: Attended 3 out of 6 (as a guest)

Chris Holt

  • Class teacher
  • Term of Office: Autumn 2021 – Autumn 2025
  • Attendance 2021/22: Attended 6 out of 6

“I am the current year 5 teacher and lead the school’s computing and PE curriculums. I have been working within education for over 20 years, with a wide range of ages. I have been at St Luke’s for five years and think it is really lovely place to work and learn.”

Clerk to the Governors:

Jill Hukin

  • Term of Office: N/A
  • Attendance 2022/23: Attended 6 out of 6

Jill can be contacted via the school office.

Declared Interests

At the start of each governors meeting, there is a requirement that each governor declares in writing any conflicts of interest they may have with any agenda items for that meeting. In this way they can be excused from the discussion and any vote. This includes any business interests (for example if you run a stationery company, you might exempt yourself from a discussion about where the school gets its paper supplies from), or any other governorships held elsewhere.

The Governing body must now make details of any “declared interests” public.

Please see below the declared interests for St Luke’s Governors for the academic year 2020-22

  • Summer 2020: No interests declared
  • Autumn 2021: No interests declared
  • Autumn 2022: No interests declared

Meetings in 2023/2024

The following dates are for governors’ meetings:

  • 19 September (extra-ordinary meeting)
  • 12 Oct 2023
  • 07 Dec 2023
  • 1st Feb 2024
  • 14th March 2024
  • 9th May 2024
  • 11th July 2024

Ex-Members’ Attendance

Governors are required to publish attendance figures for the previous school year, even for governors who have since left the board. The following people were governors during the previous academic year:

  • Steve Davies, Parent Governor, Attendance 2022/23: Attended 4 out of 6
  • Laura O’Keefe, Parent Governor, Attendance 2021/22: Attended 4 out of 6

Governor Training

Click here for details of governor training.