Governors

School Governors

At Penwortham Primary School, our Governing Body plays a vital role in ensuring the school provides the best possible education, care and opportunities for all pupils. Governors work strategically with the Headteacher and senior leaders to set the direction of the school, hold leaders to account and ensure that resources are used effectively to improve outcomes for children. Their work supports our vision of happy children who achieve.

The Role of the Governing Body

The Governing Body has three core functions:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Holding school leaders to account for educational performance, safeguarding and wellbeing
Overseeing the financial performance of the school to ensure money is well spent

Governors do not manage the day‑to‑day running of the school. Instead, they provide appropriate challenge and support, acting as a critical friend to school leaders and ensuring high standards are maintained.

How Governors Support the School

At Penwortham Primary School, governors:

work closely with school leaders to monitor standards and progress
support and challenge leaders through focused questioning
ensure safeguarding arrangements are effective and regularly reviewed
oversee provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
monitor attendance, behaviour and wellbeing
ensure statutory duties are met
support school improvement priorities

Governors bring a range of skills, experience and perspectives and work together as a team to support the school and its community.

Committee Structure

The Governing Body carries out its work through two key committees:

Standards & Achievement Committee – chaired by Miss A Flint, focusing on curriculum, teaching, learning and pupil outcomes.
Finance & Resources Committee – chaired by Mr N Wright, overseeing finance, premises, health & safety and staffing.

A full breakdown of committee membership and responsibilities can be found in the documents below.

Link Governor Roles and Responsibilities

To ensure effective oversight and accountability, governors hold specific link roles. These roles enable governors to monitor key priorities, fulfil statutory duties and support school improvement.

Safeguarding Governor

Governor: Mrs P Jones
Ofsted Area: Behaviour & Attitudes / Leadership & Culture
Focus: Safeguarding procedures, statutory compliance, child protection, CLA and Prevent
School Link: Miss Penarski and Mrs J Cunningham (DSL)

SEND and Inclusion Governor

Governor: Mrs K Anderton
Ofsted Area: Inclusion
Focus: SEND provision, outcomes and support for vulnerable pupils
School Link: Mrs J Cunningham (SENDCo)

Pupil Premium / Disadvantaged Governor

Governor: Mrs M McAuley
Ofsted Area: Quality of Education / Leadership
Focus: Monitoring Pupil Premium funding and impact
School Link: Miss K Penarski

Health & Safety / Premises Governor

Governor: Mr N Wright
Ofsted Area: Leadership & Culture
Focus: Site safety, risk assessments, compliance and premises
School Link: Mrs Dearden ( Office Manager)

Early Years Governor

Governor: Mrs J Wilson
Ofsted Area: Early Years
Focus: EYFS provision, outcomes and transition into Key Stage 1
School Link: Mrs L Barlow

Curriculum, Standards and Assessment Governor

Governor: Mrs P Jones
Ofsted Area: Quality of Education
Focus: Curriculum implementation, assessment and pupil achievement
School Link: Senior Leadership Team

Wellbeing, Mental Health, Behaviour and Attendance Governor

Governor: Mrs P Jones
Ofsted Area: Behaviour & Attitudes / Personal Development
Focus: Pupil and staff wellbeing, behaviour, attendance and mental health
School Link: Mrs L Barlow

Extra‑Curricular, Enrichment and Cultural Capital Governor

Governor: Mr C Page
Ofsted Area: Personal Development
Focus: Enrichment, wider opportunities and cultural capital
School Link: Mrs Lambert

Finance and Resources Governor

Governor: Mr N Wright
Ofsted Area: Leadership & Culture
Focus: Financial oversight, value for money and resource allocation
School Link: Miss Penarski

Training and Development Governor

Governor: Mrs R Duke
Ofsted Area: Leadership & Governance
Focus: Governor training, development and effectiveness

Working with School Leaders

The Headteacher works closely with the Governing Body as its principal professional advisor. Governors receive regular reports on:

teaching and learning
pupil outcomes
behaviour and attendance
safeguarding and wellbeing
SEND provision
finance and staffing

This ensures governors are well informed and able to make strategic decisions in the best interests of pupils.

Training and Support

Governors are supported through:

ongoing training and development
guidance from Lancashire County Council Governor Services
regular updates on statutory responsibilities and best practice

This ensures governors remain confident, knowledgeable and effective.

Governance and School Improvement

Governors collectively oversee the priorities within the School Improvement Plan, ensuring that progress is monitored and reviewed throughout the year. Online safety oversight is supported through dedicated leadership and strengthened through re‑established working groups.

Governance effectiveness is reviewed regularly to ensure strong leadership, accountability and continuous improvement.

Governance Impact Statement

The Governing Body works closely with school leaders to provide appropriate challenge and support. Through regular monitoring, focused questioning and review of school information, governors ensure leaders are held to account for:

the quality of education and pupil outcomes
safeguarding and child protection
SEND provision
behaviour, attendance and wellbeing
effective use of financial resources

Governors use a range of evidence, including reports, external advice and first‑hand knowledge from visits and meetings. Their work contributes to:

maintaining a strong culture of safeguarding
ensuring resources support vulnerable pupils
strengthening curriculum and teaching
supporting leadership and accountability

Governors remain committed to ongoing training and reflection to support the school’s vision of happy children who achieve.

Governing Body Membership

The term of office for each governor is four years. Details of our current governors, including their roles and responsibilities, are provided in the documents below.

Contact the Governing Body

The first point of contact for the Governing Body is the Chair of Governors, Mrs Patricia Jones, via the school office. Mrs Jones will contact you directly if appropriate.