Our Governing Body

Governors work closely with headteachers, school staff and representatives from the local authority (LA).

The Governing Body meet once per term and are responsible for appointing staff, setting targets for improvement, reviewing school policies, monitoring and evaluating the performance of the school, and overseeing the school budget. Mrs Michelle Radford is the Chair of the Governing Body. Correspondence for the Chair can be sent to:

c/o West Pelton Primary School
West Pelton
Stanley
DH9 6SQ

REGISTER OF BUSINESS INTERESTS

From 1 September 2015, governing bodies are under a duty of publish on their website their register of interests. The register includes relevant business interests of governors and details of any other education establishments they govern. The register also sets out if there are any relationships between governors and members of the school staff including spouses, partners and relatives.

Governing Body Committee Structure for West Pelton Primary School member of The Acorn Federation

The Governing body consists of:

Name	Representing	Term of Office	Committee	Responsibilities	Register of Interests	Relationship to Staff
Ms Deborah Ainsworth	Co-opted	19/01/2022 - 18/01/2026	Finance and Premises	Child Protection / LAC	HLTA at West Pelton Primary School	None
Mrs Michelle Radford (Chair)	Co-opted	19/01/2022 - 18/01/2026	Finance and Premises HT Performance Staffing (Chair) Curriculum (Chair) First/Pay Review (Chair)	Children Looked After Safeguarding SEND	None	None
Cllr Danny Wood	Local Authority	19/01/2022 - 18/01/2026	Appeals HT Performance		None	None
Mrs Alison Whelan (Vice Chair)	Parent Elected	19/01/2022 - 18/01/2026	First/Pay Review Curriculum Finance and Premises (Chair) Staffing	Cultural Education	None	None
Ms Victoria Hewison	Head Teacher	19/01/2022 - ongoing			Head Teacher at West Pelton and Cassop Primary School	None
Mrs Christine Baxter	Co-opted	19/01/2022 - 18/01/2026	Staffing		Deputy Headteacher at West Pelton Primary School	None
Mr Andrew Fletcher	Co-opted	19/01/2022 - 18/01/2026	Finance and Premises First/Pay Review HT Performance		None	None
Mrs Helen Atherton	Staff	19/01/2022 - 18/01/2026	Finance and Premises Staffing	EYFS	School Business Manager at West Pelton and Cassop Primary School	None
Mr Michael Summers	Parent Elected	19/01/2022 - 18/01/2026	Appeals Review		Durham Music Service Trustee. Education Durham	None
Dr Rachael Kirkley	Co-opeted	16/02/2023- 15/02/2027	Appeals Curriculum Finance and Premises		None	None
Mrs Alice Butler	Co-opted	24/10/2024 - 23/10/2028			Deputy Headteacher at Cassop Primary School	None

How To Become A School Governor

If you require further information on the roles and responsibilities of School Governors or you are interested in becoming one, visit the Durham County Council website School Governor section.

Statutory Guidance for Governing Bodies

West Pelton Primary School adhere to the statutory guidance from the Department for Education. This means that governing bodies must have regard to it when carrying out duties relating to the constitution of governing bodies in maintained schools. For further information please view or download the full document below.

The Constitution of Governing Bodies of Maintained Schools (2017) Privacy Notice for Governors and Volunteers Governor Code of Conduct Policy

Governor Attendance

Schools are now required to display a record of Governor attendance at meetings for each school academic year.

KEY
✓ – Attended meeting
A/A – Apologies sent and accepted by meeting
N – Did not attend
n/a – Not a member of the committee

Record of Attendance 2024-2025

Name	Finance and Premises Committee Meeting Wednesday 23.10.2024	Curriculum Committee Meeting Friday 08.11.2024	Full Governing Body Committee Meeting Thursday 14.11.2024
Ms Deborah Ainsworth	A/A	N/A
Mrs Helen Atherton		N/A
Dr Rachael Kirkley		N	N
Mr Michael Summers	N/A	N/A
Mrs Christine Baxter	N/A	N/A	A/A
Ms Victoria Hewison
Mrs Michelle Radford		Chair
Mrs Alison Whelan	Chair		A/A
Cllr Danny Wood	N/A	N/A	A/A
Mr Andrew Fletcher	N	N/A

Archived Attendance

You can also view previous years attendance on our website.

Committee Terms of Reference

We will be adding this information soon.

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