Governors

The Governors in any school carry a great responsibility in ensuring that their school is run properly. They challenge and support the Headteacher in making the major decisions affecting the school and its students. The Governors do not manage the school on a day-to-basis, but focus on strategic and policy matters. We try not to get drawn into operational issues and concentrate on the big picture.

At The Avon Valley School, the Governors share the Head and Senior Leaders’ ethos of always putting the student first. Our decisions will always be based on what is best for our students. We take a long term view and make decisions about the future development of the school.

Governors are volunteers. We give up our free time, and sometimes work time, to fulfil our duties. It is not a role to be taken up lightly. At Avon Valley, we are fortunate to have an excellent board of governors who bring their valuable skills and knowledge to their role. We meet every half term to discuss the matters of the day and make decisions when required. Our decisions focus on ensuring that the Headteacher has the resources needed to give all our students the best opportunity to thrive, and to realise their potential during their time at Avon Valley. Resources alone are not enough. We also challenge and support the quality of teaching throughout the school. We are kept busy!

It is an honour to be the Chair of Governors at The Avon Valley School. The commitment of time and occasionally feeling daunted by responsibility, is far out-weighed by the satisfaction of seeing our students rewarded for their efforts within school, leaving with the skills and qualifications that they need to make their chosen onward journey in life.

 


Current Governor Details

CH = Chair, VC = Vice Chair, FGB = Full Governing Body, P&S = Performance & Standards Committee, RM = Resource Management Committee, SEN = Special Educational Needs, LAC = Looked After Children, H&S = Health & Safety, HT = Head Teacher

Term of office for governors is 4 years.  See Office Ends column for specific end dates.

Governor Types

 Partnership  Partnership Governor - appointed by FGB - nominated by parents and community
 Co-opted  Co-opted Governor - appointed by FGB
 Staff  Staff Governor - elected by staff at the school
 LA  Local Authority Appointed Governor - recommended by Warwickshire County Council
 Parent  Parent Governor - elected by parents at the school

 

Governor Name Type Responsibilities Staff Connections Office started Office Ends Other School Governor Posts Business Interests
Blake Francis Headteacher     01/09/23 n/a    
Jon Patton Staff Governor     01/11/21 31/10/26    
Brian John Cheney Co-opted Governor Headteacher Appraisal, Pay Committee   19/01/15 17/01/27    
Belinda Leslie Co-opted Governor     28/02/22 27/02/26    
Christian Mba Parent Governor     15/03/22 14/03/26    
Sarah Pick Parent Governor     15/03/22  14/03/26    
Natasha Evans Co-opted Governor     15/04/24 14/04/28    
Janet Ruth Gilbert Co-opted Governor,
Chair of Governors
    18/01/23 17/01/27 Rugby High School  
Andrew Mark Jones Vice-Chair of Governors, Partnership Governor Health & Safety   17/09/13 17/09/25   Warwickshire College Employee
David Mark Pearson Associate Member, Deputy Headteacher     19/01/15 17/01/27    
Darren Andrew Thomas Walden Associate Member, Deputy Headteacher     19/01/15 17/01/27    
Tina Raffell Co-opted Governor     15/04/24 14/04/28    
Sarina Mitchell Co-opted Governor     30/01/23 29/01/27    
Sukhraj Barhey Co-opted Governor     13/05/24 12/05/28    
Karen Elizabeth Powell Local Authority Governor

Headteacher Appraisal   18/01/23 17/01/27   Kokoro Y11 Employability Programme

Term of office for governors is 4 years.  See Office Ends column for specific end dates.

 

Historic Members


Name Removal Reason Removal notes Governor Type First Appointed From To Leaving Date
Mrs Patricia Chamberlain Resigned   Co-opted governor 19/01/2015 18/01/2019 17/02/2023 20/09/2021
Mrs Lisa Walker Resigned   Co-opted governor 14/03/2014 26/02/2018 25/02/2022 14/09/2021
Mr Ian Goldthorp Resigned   Staff governor 06/12/2019 06/12/2019 05/12/2023 29/11/2021
Miss Samantha Carney Resigned   Parent governor 02/12/2019 02/12/2019 01/12/2023 04/01/2022
Dr Christian Von Wagner Resigned   Parent governor 06/12/2019 06/12/2019 05/12/2023 28/02/2022
Mr Neil James Owen Term ended   Partnership governor 16/07/2018 16/07/2018 30/09/2022 30/09/2022
Mr Andrew Gabbitas Term ended   Partnership governor   16/07/2018 15/07/2022 15/07/2022
Miss Alison Davies Retired   Headteacher 29/08/2014 01/09/2019 31/08/2023 31/08/2023
Mrs Theresa Silver-Vallance Resigned   Co-opted governor 28/02/2022 28/02/2022 28/02/2026 15/01/2024


Governor Meeting Attendance 

Governor Meeting Attendance