Who are Urmston Primary School Governors?
The Governing body of Urmston Primary School is made up of a group of extremely dedicated, supportive and challenging members.
7 co-opted governors – Rev Stephen Smith (Chair of Governing Body), Mrs Karen Smyth (Co Vice Chair), Mrs Julia Crawford, Mrs Suzanne Knights, , Ms Amber Wilson, Ms Louise Banahene, 1 Vacancy.
(Co-opted governors are people who in the opinion of the governing body have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.)
3 parent governors – Mrs Heather Lindley-Clapp, Mr Matthew Roberts (Vice Chair), Mrs Sue Yardley
1 Local Authority governor – Mr Colin Mills
1 staff governor – Ms Yasmine Ahle
1 headteacher – Mr Simon Parker
We are all volunteers and do not get paid for being a Governor. We come from all walks of life and bring a range of skills to the governing body. We are all passionate about education and are willing to commit some of our free time to work with the school.
Message from our Chair of Governors.
I’m Rev Stephen Smith and I’m Chair Of Governors here at Urmston Primary School. I’ve been a governor here since 2015 (in what was Urmston Infant School), before the Infant and Junior schools amalgamated in 2017 to form Urmston Primary School. I was elected as chair of governors in the autumn last year. In my “day job” I’m minister at Greenfield Baptist and Congregational Church in the centre of Urmston, where I’ve been since 2008; and it’s a real privilege to be able to serve this wonderful community both as a minister and school governor.
The governors are here to support the school and especially Mr Parker, as well as to work with him and challenge him about things that still need to be improved. We look at things from a strategic point of view, making sure that every area of school life works to make UPS the best school it can be. Our board of governors does a fantastic job in this, and every member of the board works to help make this school the best place it can be; I’m really glad to be chair of such a comitted group of people.
Urmston Primary is a really special school. Since the old infant and junior schools amalgamated in 2017 to form UPS Mr Parker, all the staff, governors, pupils and parents/carers have worked so hard to make it a place with the ethos of wanting the best for every child – academically, socially, spiritually and culturally. The school values aren’t just words on a piece of paper or a slogan on a wall: everyone seeks to make them a reality in every part of school life, helping to make the children here people who will make a positive difference in the community and in the world. I see this every time I come into school, and I hope any time you’re around the school you do too. The OFSTED report we received last year shows just how much work so many people have put in to make this a reality.
If you ever need to contact me about anything related to our work, then I’m more than happy to hear from you. Please do so via the school office in the first place and they’ll make sure your message gets to me. And thank you for all your support and help in making this such a special school!
Membership of Urmston Primary Board of Governors
What do school governors do?
The governing body is the strategic leader of our school and has a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education. The purpose of the governing body is to ‘conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement at the school’. The governing body has a strong focus on three core functions:
- ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school
- holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
- overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
- An effective governing body is a source of tremendous strength for the school and helps its leaders cope with major issues and handle change
The Governing body does not…
- inspect the school
- have involvement in the day-to-day running of the school
- authorise all expenditure
- decide which pupils will be admitted to the school
- decide how pupils are taught individual subjects
Governors need to…
- be fully committed to the role
- be discreet, open minded and fair
- be willing to raise questions constructively and participate in discussion and decision-making
- be prepared to participate in the life of the school
- have the time to attend governors meetings and training
- be open to new ideas and ready to learn
- act at all times with honesty and integrity and be ready to explain their actions and decisions to staff, pupils, parents and anyone with a legitimate interest in the school
What role do we play in the UPS governing body?
We all play a part based on our interests and abilities and are members of the following committees:
Governor Committee Membership
Committee Remits
We are also links for each subject area within the curriculum, and we liaise termly with subject leaders about how their subject is developing:
Link Governors
Also see how often we've been meeting...
Governor attendance 23-24
Governor Declarations of Interest
