Governors

The Governing Body

Stanton in Peak Primary School is a Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School. The school’s ethos is distinctly Christian and these values are embedded in every aspect of church life.

Our vision for Stanton in Peak is to continue to thrive towards the highest standards across all areas of development for our children. We are enormously proud of the children’s positive attitude to learning and to their school community.

The Governing Body is made up of people from the local community. We include parents, a staff representative, people with business experience and representatives of the church. The Headteacher is also a Governor of the school.

Working together, we are responsible for the overall direction of the school but not the day-to-day running of the school. That is the responsibility of the Headteacher and the staff. We are responsible for setting the aims of the school, discussing and agreeing school policies and procedures to meet those aims, monitoring and evaluating the progress. This also includes setting the school budget.

Most importantly, we work with the Headteacher and staff acting as a ‘critical friend’, offering support, advice and - when needed – asking challenging questions to help school achieve the very highest standards.

Each governor has links to responsibilities as set out in the school’s yearly School Improvement Plan. It is important that as governors we are well informed about the school and particularly the areas we are linked to. We find out about the school by attendance at governor and sub committee meetings, by making planned visits to see the school in action. Our visits usually focus on a specific area and we are able to see the children learning and playing, and discuss their school life with them. This monitoring role enables us to contribute fully to the development of the school. It is a rewarding role and a pleasure to see the impact of our involvement on the education provided for the children.

The Chair of the Governing Body is Will Chandler.

Will Chandler - Chair of Governors (Co-opted Governor)

Re-appointed January 2014

Term of office - 4 years

I have a long association with Stanton School, having attended as a pupil, before sending both my children here too.

 I became a parent governor in 2005 and have seen some considerable changes since then. The redevelopment of the schoolhouse had just started, and the only member of staff still here is Hazel Prime.

I became Chair in 2007 , and after my children left to go to Lady Manners I became a community Governor.

 Being the Governor of a small school continues to be a rewarding experience; working with the staff we can grow the school in ways that really do improve the school experience for the children. The school management team are all committed to ensuring that Stanton School provides as good an all-round primary education experience as it can.

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared
 

Alison Carson - Vice Chair of Governors (Foundation Governor)

Re-appointed October 2015

Term of office - 4 years

I am Vice Chair and have been a school governor since 2005, initially I was a Community Governor but am now a Foundation (Church) Governor.   I live in Birchover and have two daughters, one at Lady Manners and one at Stanton.  I am on the Resource Management Sub-Committee and my area of responsibility is RE and Collective Worship.

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared

Dave Findley - Chair of Resource Managment sub committee (Local Authority Governor)

Re-appointed April 2012

Term of office - 4 years

I have been a governor since 2008. I am a Local Authority nominee but it is not a political role. I have worked in education for my whole career and it’s good to be involved with such a lovely school as Stanton-in -Peak.

I am the Chairperson of the Resource Management Committee. We look at the school finances, keep an eye on the buildings and help the Full Governing Body make decisions about spending money. I also support Mrs Poole in ensuring that children are safeguarded while at school.

 I am particularly interested in science and music in the curriculum.

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared

Lisa Stephenson - Chair of Teaching and Learning sub committee (Parent Governor)

Re-appointed October 2012

Term of office - 4 years

I have been parent governor at Stanton since 2008. I am chairperson for the Teaching and Learning subcommittee and named governor for Inclusion. I highly value the experience of being a governor and it has taught me about the dedication and hard work that goes into making the school such a great place for children to learn. As a parent, I feel very very lucky that this is our local school. 

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared

Jimmy Rimmer - Local Authority Governor

Resigned October 2015

 I live in the nearby village of Birchover with my wife and two teenage children and I really enjoy my work as a governor at Stanton-in-Peak Primary School.

For the last 6 years I have been a parent governor at Stanton -in- Peak and then became a local authority governor when my two children moved to Lady Manners Secondary school in Bakewell. I particularly enjoy working with my governing body colleagues and helping to steer the school in the right direction, getting involved with the local community is very important to me and being a governor is a great way to do that.

There is always plenty to learn in how the school operates and I hope I offer an objective viewpoint, when reviewing issues which arise in the day to day running of the school.

Alyson Frau - Parent Governor

Appointed July 2014

Term of office - 4 years

 Despite having been an English teacher for ten years, when my two sons started at Stanton In Peak, I realised that primary education was altogether different and I was keen to become involved in supporting the school as much as possible. I therefore became a parent governor in 2014 with responsibilities for resource management. Part of my role is to ensure funding is spent in a way that benefits the pupils above all else and in my experience so far, the school excels in doing this. I feel extremely lucky that my children attend such a holistically supportive school and through my role as a governor, I hope to help them in doing this for years to come. 

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared

Iain Hegarty - Parent Governor

Appointed April 2013

Term of office - 4 years

I have been a Parent Governor since the summer of 2013. I currently sit on the Teaching and Learning sub-committee. I passionately believe that education is key to a child’s chances in life, widening their opportunities and choices.  The teachers and staff here at Stanton in Peak School are doing a great job in providing our children with an excellent grounding and a special learning environment. 

I feel very privileged to be able to support them in their work.

 
Iain's partner is a part time Midday Supervisor at the school

Adrian Davie-Thornhill - Co-opted Governor

Re-appointed September 2011

Term of office - 4 years

My name is Adrian Davie-Thornhill. I was delighted to have been invited to be, initially, Foundation Governor in 2005 and, more recently, Community Governor. I attended Stanton as a pupil in the early 1970’s since when its already high reputation for combining high standards with a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere has continued to grow. It is a real privilege  to continue to be part of the ongoing development of an exceptional school.

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared

Richard Hall - Parent Governor

Appointed December 2013

Term of office - 4 years

I became a Parent Governor in 2013 as it provided an opportunity to bring both my considerable experience in business and my far less experience of being a Dad to the team of Governors at Stanton School.  I am a parent who is approachable by other parents and from time to time I get the opportunity to hear the vibe at the school gates which when need be I try to feedback to the Governors.  I have lived in the Parish of Stanton for over 10 years now and have 2 children at the school.  Through my various guest lecturing at Universities I get to see the end results of what good education from an early age can help to achieve.  I hope as a Parent Governor in some small way I get to help keep the school and students on that successful path.

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared

Garrie Griffiths - Foundation Governor 

Ex-officio (this post is currently vacant)

Retired April 2016

I'm Vicar of - Youlgreave, Stanton-in-Peak, Birchover, Middleton and one of the Foundation Governors.  

As Vicar of a C of E school I also have a general 'brief' to care for the school's children and staff and to come in regularly to take part in Collective Worship.  I have a personal interest in the place of Music and Arts in school, and think what Stanton School achieves in this area as well as others is brilliant - and that's despite a government emphasis on core subjects which often tries to steal time and resources from both. 

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared

Hazel Prime - Staff Governor

Re-appointed October 2014

Term of office - 4 years

My name is Hazel Prime and I am the non-teaching staff governor and part time teaching assistant.  I have worked at Stanton in Peak school for 17 years and I have been a governor for 8 years.  Over the years I have worked with children in both KS1, KS2 and Early Years.  I am the named governor for Health and Safety.

Hazel is a part time Teaching Assistant at the school and is Chair of Peak Pre School based on the school site

Caroline Poole - Headteacher

The Governors are my 'critical friends' in school. They work alongside me and support me to ensure that the direction I am leading the school in is appropriate and meets the needs of our school community. I sit on each of the committees and am enormously grateful for all that our governors do for Stanton-in-Peak school.

No relevant business or pecuniary interests declared

Sandra Rimmer - Clerk to Governors