Wolsey House Staff

Headteacher - Mrs H King
Deputy Head - Mr S Powell
       Senior Assistant Headteacher - Mrs J Cooper - Marsh

Other members of the Senior Leadership Team:

Assistant Headteacher - Mr Y Ismail

Assistant Headteacher - Mrs R Wells

Assistant Headteacher - Mrs M Green

                                              School Business Manager - Mrs G Southwell

Governors

At Wolsey House Primary, we believe that school is a place of learning for everyone and that people learn best when they feel safe, and when we work as a team.  Good relationships and friendship are important to us, and we strive to build effective learning partnerships with our parents and carers to help us reach the best possible outcomes for all of our pupils. We recognise that we are all on a journey of learning. We want our pupils to enjoy coming to school and we want them to be challenged and inspired to learn. The work of our Governing Body helps realise these aims and ensure our school sets itself even higher goals on its journey of improvement. 

The Governing Body

What is the role of the Governing Body?

Governing Bodies exist so that schools are publicly accountable to local people for what they do, for the results they achieve, and for the way in which the resources are allocated.

Each year the Governing Body produces an Annual Report which is sent to all parents, and there is an opportunity for parents to discuss the report and raise other issues with the governors at the annual general meeting.

What are the duties of a school governor?

Governors are expected to:

1. Establish and agree the aims and values of the school

2. Establish and agree policies relating to the aims, purposes and practices of the school (e.g. National Curriculum, SEND, Safeguarding, Behaviour, Attendance, Sex Education, e.t.c.)

3. Influence and approve the school improvement plan, and monitor and review the school's progress

4. Ensure delivery of the National Curriculum and R.E.

5. Advise and monitor the school budget

6.Ensure individual pupils’ needs are met, including those with additional learning needs e.g. those with special needs

7. Assist in the recruitment and selection of staff

8. Give parents information about the school

9. Produce action plans for improvement following school inspections

10. Establish and maintain positive links with the local business community

11. Support the day to day operational decisions taken by the headteacher

12. Promote the effectiveness of the governing body

13. Provide and external perspective, advice and skills

14. Appoint and support staff

15. Deal with complaints and exclusion appeals

School Governing Body Information

All state maintained schools, whether they are primary, secondary or special schools, are accountable to their Governing Bodies. They in turn are accountable to parents and the community. Parent and staff representatives are elected to the governing body; the local authority may appoint governors to the governing body and faith bodies appoint foundation governors in faith schools. Whatever the background or reason for appointment for individual Governors, the Governing Body as a whole fulfils a critical role in the effective leadership and management of a school.

The governors' role is vitally important. It is not about rubber stamping decisions or about fundraising. School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability. Governors appoint the head teacher and are responsible for the performance management of the head teacher.  It is governors who are responsible for the finances in schools and in ensuring that these are used to the maximum benefit of all pupils.

Governors have three key roles in raising and maintaining standards in school:

1. Setting strategic direction.

Responsibility for the day to day management of the school lies with the Headteacher or Principal. The Governing Body is responsible for working with the leaders in school to ensure there is a longer term view, or strategy, for school improvement.

2. Ensuring accountability.

The Governing Body holds the school to account via:

1. Undertaking the Performance Management of the Head teacher. This is normally allocated to three Governors who carry out a review in the autumn term (beginning of the academic year) often with external professional support. An over-view is reported to the full Governing Body.
2. Referring to the Headteacher’s Report to Governors. This is normally a termly agenda item and will follow a set format. It is an opportunity for Governors to then seek clarification, offer challenge and refer information in the report to the School Improvement/Development Plan. The report should contain information on school developments; any staffing changes; assessment procedures, test and exam results; records of bullying and any safeguarding issues.

3. Monitoring and evaluating school performance.

Our Governing Body has assigned  Governors to  specific curriculum areas. These are split into two groups.

There are a number of ways that monitoring can take place:

• Observing lessons during a Learning Walk

• Meeting with subject leaders and teachers

• Looking through examples of pupils’ work (work scrutiny).

• Analysing relevan test results (attainment).

• Analysing and discussing the progress pupils make from their starting points (achievement).

The Governing Body also holds the school to account via:

Using the School Improvement Plan to monitor developments and ensure actions are carried out on schedule. This should be referred to regularly in Governing Body meetings

Monitoring and checking the budget and allocation of funds. Often a sub-committee will have an over-view of finances and will report to the full Governing Body.

Visiting the school to monitor the work that goes on, normally with a focus on specific issues linked to school improvement.

Using data produced by the school and from RAISE online to compare attainment and achievement against national standards.

The Governing Body plan to further develop our methods of communication with parents/carers by sharing information about our work and respond to their concerns or ideas:

• Regular newsletter

• Governing Body page on the school website, perhaps with minutes of meetings

• Governor presence at events such as parental consultation evenings, school productions, sporting events and assemblies

• Twitter or Facebook account

• Posters around school about any major developments

Governors’ duties towards children with SEND

Legal duty

The Education Act 1996 s. 317 requires Governing bodies of schools to use their best endeavours to: 

• Ensure that for any pupil who has SEND the special educational provision which his/her learning difficulty calls for is made.

• Ensure that where a pupil has special educational needs, those needs are made known to all who are likely to teach them

• Ensure that the teachers in the school are aware of the importance of identifying and providing for, those registered pupils who have special educational needs

• Designate a member of the staff at the school (to be known as the “special education needs co-ordinator”) as having responsibility for co-ordinating the provision for pupils with special educational needs and make sure they are suitably qualified

• Consult the local education authority and the governing bodies of other schools to ensure co-ordination of Special Educational Provision

• Inform the child’s parent that special educational provision is being made for him/her there because it is considered that he has special educational needs.

• Shall secure, so far as is reasonably practicable and is compatible with – 

a. the child receiving the special educational provision which his/her learning difficulty calls for,

b. the provision of efficient education for the children with whom he/she will be educated, and

c. the efficient use of resources ensure that the child engages in the activities of the school together with children who do not have special educational needs.

 Governor conduct and the Nolan Principles

The Nolan principles

The 7 principles of public life, also known as the Nolan principles, apply to anyone who has been elected or appointed to a public office, including those in the education sector. Under legislation, Governors should be guided by the Nolan Principles. These are:

• Selflessness
• Integrity
• Objectivity
• Accountability
• Openness
• Honesty
• Leadership

Governors should:

• Act in the best interests of the school
• Be open about the decisions they make
• Be prepared to explain their decisions and actions to interested parties

Governors should be aware of and accept the principles. They are set out below:

Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life/the-7-principles-of-public-life--2

Chair of Governors - Matthew Peatfield

My name is Matthew Peatfield.  I‘ve been an elected Parent Governor at Wolsey House Primary School since 2017. Both of my children have attended the school, with my eldest recently finishing year 6 and moving on to secondary school. I live in the local community and I’m passionate about improving the outcomes for the local children and making the school the best that it can be.

I’ve worked within the scientific teams at the University Hospitals of Leicester for 20 years and currently work full time as the General Manager for Cellular Pathology. I have always had a keen interest in science and I hope to encourage the children at Wolsey House to pursue careers in scientific and healthcare fields.

Being part of the Wolsey House Governing Body has given me the opportunity to contribute to the educational outcomes of the local children and I am very proud of what Wolsey House Primary School achieves.

Helen King - Headteacher Governor 

My name is Mrs Helen King. I have been headteacher of Wolsey House Primary School since August 2014 and sit on the Governing Body as a Headteacher Governor. Prior to working at Wolsey House I was a Headteacher in South Wales for 5 years.  Part of my role as headteacher is to work closely with the governors. I report important updates about attainment and progress of the children. I make sure that I let them know of the wonderful things we do in school, as well as let them know about things we need to do to improve further. The governors read the information I give them and they ask me many questions about the information. This is all recorded and the minutes are given to the Local Authority. I talk to the children about the governors and their role regularly. I plan for the governors to come into school to visit the children and see what their learning experiences are like. I am proud to work with the governing body to make our school as special as it is.

My vision is to ensure that the school is a warm, welcoming place where every child can reach their full potential and every member of staff can develop and thrive professionally. I want our children to be excited, challenged and for learning to be fun and purposeful for them.  

Steve Powell - staff governor, Deputy Headteacher

My name is Steve Powell. I have worked at Wolsey House as a teacher since 2001 and been the deputy Headteacher since 2010. For the past 3 years, I have been the staff elected governor at Wolsey House. Its staff and pupils hold a very special place in my heart.  Consequently, I feel passionately about the development of the school and take a great deal of pride in my role as staff governor, supporting the Headteacher and governing body to make decisions to enhance the lives of our school community.  In my free time, I enjoy cycling, football, squash and spending time with my family.  I am originally from Nottingham but have lived in Leicestershire for over 25 years. 

Salma Manzoor - Vice Chair of Governors - Parent Governor

I have been a Parent Governor since 2016, as I was passionate about supporting the children and the staff where my son attended school.  I am a solicitor with over 15 years’ experience and I wanted to use my skills and experience to a community setting.  I believe giving your time, knowledge and experience is a great way of giving back to the community.

I had no previous experience as a governor but I am enjoying the challenge of development and learning from the training courses that have been provided by the Council and school. These courses have enabled me to understand what is expected of a governor and how a school should adhere to policies and run effectively.  I feel that as a governor I can cast an independent eye over the workings of the school for example, through the learning walks and I can bring additional challenge to decisions made in the governors meetings.

I am very proud to be a governor here and just like every parent at any school, I want the very best for my child - I like to bring a parent’s perspective but also an independent voice to every meeting.

My name is Janette Shardlow. I live in East Leake with my husband Phil. I have two grown up sons.  

I have been pastor of the Community of Christ church on Abbey Lane in Leicester since 2003, but have been very much a part of this church since I moved to the Leicester area in 1990. We are a church which enjoys being involved in our local community. A number of our youth group members have in the past or currently are pupils at Wolsey House School and it would be wonderful for me to expand those links.

Before my retirement five years ago I was a secondary school Mathematics teacher. For the last 21 years of my teaching career I taught at The City of Leicester College in Evington, Leicester, being head of the Maths Faculty for some of that time.

I am passionate about creating partnerships and improving relationships within the community and, as a parent and teacher, would want the very best for every child, particularly when it comes to their education. For these reasons, I am excited about the prospect of becoming a governor at Wolsey House.

My name is Bhavini Raikundalia and I’m a newly elected Parent Governor. My 5-year-old attends the school, has been there since 2022 and thoroughly enjoys it.

I graduated from the University of Derby with a BSc Hons and Post-grad in Human Resources. I am a Northern girl, born in Manchester but moved to Leicester nearly 8 years ago. I have 2 children and when I get some free time which is very rare, I enjoy baking, experimenting with new recipes and keeping fit.

I’ve worked in the NHS delivering big transformation projects and programmes for over 10 years and I would like to use my skills, passion and dedication to be part of the positive change for Wolsey by being that “critical friend”. I am extremely keen to give something back to Wolsey and like any parent or carer, I want the school that my child attends to achieve its strategic direction.

I am hoping that I can support in improving the outcomes and vision for the benefit of the school and ultimately for the children.

My name is Munir Suleman. My three daughters attend Wolsey House Primary school. 

I am delighted to be a Governor at Wolsey House Primary School. It’s a fabulous school, with an amazing team of staff who work incredibly hard to provide a high quality learning experience for our children. 

I consider that the Governors have a vital role to play in the school community, working closely with the Senior Leadership Team to set the direction of the school, as well as to provide challenge and ensure accountability.

Volunteering as a school governor is a wonderful and unique opportunity, and I feel very privileged to make a positive contribution to the future of so many talented children.

I am passionate about education for people of all ages and feel everyone deserves access to a stimulating and enjoyable way of learning, in a way that is suited to their individual needs so they can reach their full potential.