Governing Board
Chair of Governors – Mandy Watson
The governors’ aim is to enable Newick School to provide the best possible education for the children in a happy, stimulating environment. They work to ensure that the experiences are provided at Newick School to enable every child to achieve their full potential, academically and socially. In the last OFSTED inspection, governance was rated as ‘Outstanding’.
The governors work closely with Miss Alty, the headteacher and her staff. As school governors they are responsible for the strategic direction of the school; monitoring and evaluating the performance and effectiveness of the staff and ensuring that the children make appropriate progress in all areas of their education. They ensure that the budget is managed prudently, act as critical friends to the staff, monitor the school development plan and are involved in OFSTED’s school inspections.
In line with government guidance, the governing board has recently reconstituted. Some categories of governor have disappeared so those governors are now co-optees, to allow the school to retain their skills and experience. Local authority governors are nominated by the County Council; Foundation governors are chosen by the Diocese; parent governors are elected by the parent board (unless there are the same number of candidates as places); and, co-optees are elected by the governing board. Governor terms are usually for 4 years.
Duties of Governors
- To attend FGB meetings and appropriate committee meetings
- To make visits during the school day, regarding the Governors link role at least 3 times a year and to report on their subject/area role to the Governors
- To meet new staff whenever possible after their appointment
- To attend appropriate governor training sessions and keep up to date via The Key for Governors and the VSB
- To read all papers before the FGB and send comments to the Chair in advance, when appropriate
- If you would like to contact a governor or the governing board as a whole, please leave a note in the school office.
Governor Information
| Governor | Appointment & Expiry dates | Committee | Role | Meeting Attendance 2019/20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandy Watson (Local Authority) (Chair) | 4/7/19 – 9/3/24 | Finance and Resources observer | Literacy, History, Leadership, HT PM, Pay | 7/7 |
| Mary Molloy (Co-opted) (Vice-Chair) | 10/7/15 – 10/7/23 | Finance and Resources | SEND & Inclusion, Sport, Pupil Premium, Pupil Outcomes | 5/7 |
| Paul Mundy (Foundation) | (Ex-officio) | Finance and Resources | SIAMS, RE Community, HT PM | 6/7 |
| Rob Boswell (Co-opted) | 18/8/14 – 22/9/22 | Finance and Resources(Chair) | Finance, Pay, Teaching School, Complaints | 7/7 |
| Jane Johnson (Co-opted) | 24/06/08 – 18/10/22 | Finance and Resources | Finance, Pay, Schools Forum | 3/7 |
| Jon Tivey (Associate Governor) | 1/9/20 - 31/8/21 | Health & Safety | 0/7 | |
| Kalpna Robertson (Parent Gov) | 30/4/18 – 19/4/22 | Safeguarding, PSHE, Healthy Schools | 6/7 | |
| Caroline Smith (Foundation) | 01/01/21 - 31/12/24 | SIAMS, Mental Health & Wellbeing, RE, Community | 6/7 | |
| Ian Bellis (Foundation) | 7/6/19 – 6/6/23 | SIAMS, Forest School, GDPR, Maths,IT | 5/7 | |
| Di Reeds (Co-opted) |
15/1/20 - 9/3/24 | Early Years | 2/5 | |
| Natalie Alty |
(Ex-officio) | Headteacher | 7/7 | |
| Amy Clarke (Staff Gov) | 20/4/19 – 8/7/23 | Deputy Headteacher | 7/7 | |
| Chris Barnes (Associate) | 6/2/12 – 30/9/21 | Finance and Resources | STEM, E-Safety | 4/7 |
| Sue Berry (Associate) | 24/11/15 – 9/7/21 | Website, Training Link Governor | 3/7 | |
| Jo Lacey (Parent Gov) | 30/4/20 - 29/4/24 | Finance and Resources | Art and DT, Health and Safety Link Governor | 3/3 |
| John Philpott |
Clerk to Governors |
Governors Who Have Left in the Last 12 Months
None
Governing Board Minutes
Register of Governors' Interests
Jon TIvey, Kalpna Robertson, Ian Bellis, Chris Barnes and Jo Lacey have children who attend the school.
Jon Tivey has declared a business interest as an employee of First Group, Sue Berry as a Director of Timeless Time Ltd, Jane Johnson as the Finance Manager of the English National Ballet School and Chris Barnes as the Chief Executive of Tracsis plc.
Governor Profiles
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Mandy Watson
I am very pleased to have become the Chair of Governors at Newick. I have lived in the village for 15 years and have seen three of my grandchildren experiencing all the marvellous opportunities our school has provided for them. I look forward to seeing the school continuing to succeed and develop. I have spent many years as a teacher and Headteacher in England and in Africa and with five grandchildren now I have a special interest in education across all phases. Since 2016 I have worked as a Diocesan Senior Schools Improvement Advisor in Sussex. I was previously an Education Adviser in London for 13 years. I have been a school governor since 2006 in East Sussex and in London. My hobbies are walking, (preferably in the mountains or by the sea) and reading. I am particularly excited about our new school library project!
Chris Barnes
I have been a Governor at Newick since 2012, four years as a Parent Governor and three years as an Associate Governor. Prior to my appointment as a school Governor I was Chairman of the Newick Pre-School. I have lived in the village for 12 years. I have three children the youngest of whom is at Newick School. My two eldest children also both went to Newick School where they had a fantastic time, they are now at local secondary schools. I’m an engineer by professional training and I’m currently the Chief Executive of a software and technology business in the transportation industry. As a result, I’m passionate about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and how we inspire the next generation of children to follow careers in these subjects.
Ian Bellis
I became a governor in June 2019 and am thoroughly enjoying the role. We are lucky to have such a good school in our community and I was keen to get involved. This is my first role within education, though my mum was a teacher and my father a bursar, so I have some knowledge of the inner workings of a school! I have lived in the village for 8 years and both of my children attend the school. Both my wife and I are veterinary surgeons. I work purely with horses and set up a new business 2 years ago. I am passionate about sport and the role that it plays within education and children’s wellbeing. I am also involved in the church and therefore part of my work is to continue the schools Christian values.
Sue Berry
My role is to build a strong governance function to support the Head and the executive team. I live in the village. All three of my children went to Newick School. I was also a Governor of Chailey School for six years. I trained as a teacher in the late 70s at a time when there were too many teachers. I then re-trained in HR. I have led the human resource function in several firms, heading up and driving organisational improvement and change across chemicals, aerospace, education and charities sectors in four continents. Currently I work as a management consultant. I am an alumna of Newcastle University, De Montfort University and the Open University in education, human resource management and psychology & economics. I am a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and have Qualified Teacher Status.
Jon Tivey
My primary role as a Parent Governor is to bring a parental perspective to the issues discussed within the Governing Board. Living in the village and with children at the school, I am wholly committed to helping the school continue to build a safe and creative learning environment that provides children with the opportunity to flourish personally as well as academically. Professionally I am both a Chartered Surveyor and Chartered Environmentalist, and my experience of working in estates management and construction has proven invaluable in my role as Vice Chair to the Finance and Premises Committee, in addition to Health & Safety Lead Governor. As an active member of the community I am passionate about ensuring the work of the Governing Board and the profile of Governors is effectively communicated with parents and the wider community, and am always happy to have a chat.
Rob Boswell
Our three children loved their time at Newick C of E Primary school and being a governor allows me to give something back. I thoroughly enjoy being part of a Board of Governors which helps (and challenges) the School to continue to provide the same experience and opportunities for today’s pupils. It is insightful to see the effort and dedication of the staff and the Parent Community to maintain the School’s standards. My working background is in Finance and Property so the Finance Committee was the obvious sub-committee when I joined over 13 years ago - committee structures have evolved over time and I am Chair of the Resources (Finance, Premises & Personnel) Committee. In my spare time I play golf as much as possible and with a young golden retriever we spend a lot of time on Ashdown Forest.
Caroline Smith
I have lived in Newick for 40 years. I taught within the Primary Sector and in Special Education, including at Chailey Heritage. Our village is a special place and the school is an important part of that. I go into school regularly to volunteer in class and attend collective worship. As well as being a Foundation Governor, I support St Marys Church as the Safeguarding Officer. I have a variety of other interests. I am a member of Newick Badminton Club, the Horticultural Society and Chailey Commons Society. Also, I enjoy walking and support Mid Sussex Healthy Walks, as a participant and Walk Leader.
Diane Reeds
I became a governor in January 2020 so I’m new to this exciting new role. I have been a teacher for 33 years. Firstly in Derbyshire, then moved to Newick 18 years ago where I then taught at Newick Primary School on a supply basis until my retirement 2 years ago. I got to know the school, staff and pupils very well and have seen many changes over the years. I have two daughters who both flourished at Newick. My eldest graduated from university and now has a wonderful job performing at Disneyland Paris. My youngest is currently in her 3rd year at Reading university. I love living in Newick and currently work part time in The Pantry. I am always wanting to support our local community was delighted to be appointed as a EYFS governor at the school.