Welcome from the Chair of Governors
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On behalf of the Governing Body at Great Sankey High School, I’d like to offer you a very warm welcome.
The Governing Body is made up of 11 members - 2 Staff Governors, 2 Parent Governors and 7 Co-Opted Governors, all of whom bring varying skill sets, experience, and expertise to the role.
As Governors of GSHS, we are fully committed to the ongoing improvement and development of all aspects of the school. We support the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team in delivering the School Improvement Plan and provide challenge and advice across a wide range of areas such as attendance, behaviour, student outcomes, wellbeing and safeguarding.
Governors meet at least once per term as well as carrying out regular formal and informal school visits. The Governing Body has a strategic role in the management of the school, and its responsibilities include:
- Promoting high standards of achievement and ensuring accountability;
- Setting the aims, values and ethos of the school;
- Adopting and reviewing policies for achieving these aims and objectives;
- Planning the school’s long-term future;
- Reviewing the budget to ensure best value for money in line with the Financial Scheme of Delegation.
- Appointment of staff in line with the Scheme of Delegation.
The following pages offer you the opportunity to learn a little more about GSHS’s Governing Body.
I hope you find the information helpful and informative.
Should you have any questions, or wish to get in touch, please feel free to contact me on Danielle.Preston@greatsankey.org
Governing Body Structure
Our current structure of the Governing Body is shown below. You can find more details about each of the members of the board in the ‘Meet the Board’ section.
Co-opted Governors are people appointed by the board and who, in the opinion of the board, have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school. GSHS has 7 Co-Opted Governors on the board.
|
Co-Opted Governors |
Date Joined |
Term of Office |
Lead |
|
|
Danielle Preston |
Oct-17 |
Jan-22 |
Jan-26 |
Chair |
|
John Morris |
Jan-97 |
Sep-22 |
Sep-26 |
|
|
David McClelland |
Dec-15 |
Dec-23 |
Dec-27 |
Vice-Chair / Safeguarding |
|
Matthew Rutter |
May-23 |
May-23 |
May-27 |
|
|
Stuart Ryder |
Sep-16 |
Nov-20 |
Nov-24 |
SEND |
|
VACANT |
|
|
|
|
|
VACANT |
|
|
|
|
Parent Governors are elected by the parents of all students who are registered at the school. When a vacancy occurs, parents are informed by a letter from the Headteacher and nominations are invited. GSHS has 2 Parent Governors on the board.
|
Parent Governors |
Date Joined |
Term of Office |
Lead |
|
|
Jennifer Prescott |
Mar-22 |
Mar-22 |
Mar-26 |
|
| Katie Whitmore |
Mar-24 |
Mar-24 |
Mar-28 |
|
Staff Governors are elected by their fellow members of staff with the Headteacher also being a governor. GSHS has 2 Staff Governors on the board.
|
Staff Governors |
Date Joined |
Term of Office |
|
| Suzanne Giles |
Jan-23 |
Jan-23 |
Jan-27 |
|
Alison Hales |
Sep-24 |
Sep-24 |
Sep-28 |
Great Sankey High School is led by a board of Governors, the Headteacher and the Senior Leadership Team.
Each individual has been chosen on the basis of their experience and expertise, as well as their commitment to achieving the very best results for Great Sankey High School.
Together, members of the Board of Governors for GSHS along with the OMAT Trustees develop policies and strategies for implementation by the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team.
Board Of Governors
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Danielle Preston
Chair, Co-Opted Governor
Appointment to the board: Joined the Governing Body in October 2017, appointed Vice-Chair in September 2019, and as Chair in September 2020.
Career Experience: After leaving GSHS, Danielle continued her studies at The University of Salford, where she obtained a BA (hons) in Advertising Design. Danielle has gained experience carrying out account management and business development roles, and now works at Wesco Anixter, a global supply chain company as Director of Strategic Contracts where she is responsible for overseeing the management and governance of key Defence programmes.
Skills and Experience: Danielle has a wealth of experience in contract governance and implementation/execution of improvement plans. As a former pupil of Great Sankey High School and Barrow Hall College, Danielle has a keen interest in supporting the local community and the success of Great Sankey High School and its pupils.
David McClelland
Vice Chair
Appointment to the board: Joined the Governing Body in December 2015 and previously held the role of Chair of Finance and Resources committee from February 2016. David was appointed as Vice Chair in September 2023, and is also the Link Governor for Safeguarding.
Career Experience:David left Great Sankey High School, as a student, in 1993 embarking on a career of supporting businesses in a variety of roles. Starting on an IT support trainee programme with the BBC and then later moving on to support a local government organisation which became privatised in 1995. He has held several posts including system and helpdesk support for a global cinema chain, and business support for a regional waste disposal company, before joining a family logistics business in 2000 (gaining an Institute of Directors Certificate in Company Direction) In 2012, David carried out an acquisition of a logistics business, which in 2018 was acquired itself, and went on to become their Business Support and Project Manager. David is now Business Manager for a Primary School in Runcorn.
Skills and Experience: With over 26 years of business experience gained in a variety of organisations within the corporate area from SME to global brands, as well as his current experience of working in a school setting, David brings to the board a vast range of knowledge and practical experience in a variety of business areas including IT, Finance, HR and Business Administration. He is a valued support to the school from which advice and knowledge can obtained; whilst still being an effective ‘critical friend’ of the school..
John Morris
Co-opted Governor
Appointment to the board: Joined the Governing Body in 1997 and previously carried out the role of Vice Chair for 3 terms 2020-2023.
Career Experience: John is an experienced solicitor, now specialising in criminal law and therefore brings a wealth of legal expertise to the Governing Body.
Skills and Experience: John is an Alderman of Warrington Borough Council and oversaw finances at Warrington for a number of years. He was also the Councillor for Whittle Hall ward for eleven years, and Chair of the Scrutiny Committee at Warrington Borough council which held the Executive of Warrington Borough Council along with the other Stakeholders to account.
Stuart Ryder
Co-opted Governor
Appointment to the board: Joined the Governing Body in May 2016 and is the Link Governor for SEND.
Career Experience: After leaving Great Sankey High School and Barrow Hall College, Stuart went on to gain a BA (Hons) in accounting from the University of Wales before embarking on a career as a practice accountant and becoming a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. After 15 years, the majority of which were spent as a senior manager, at a medium sized practice in Cheshire, Stuart decided in 2012 that the time was right to set up his own practice to provide a more people-orientated approach to the provision of accountancy and taxation services..
Skills and Experience: With over 20 years working in the accounting profession, Stuart has a broad knowledge and understanding of the financial aspects of operating an organisation as well as being able to appraise the financial reports presented.
Matt Rutter
Co-Opted Governor
Appointment to the board: Joined the Governing Body in June 2023.
Career Experience: Matt has 17 years’ experience of working across Further and Higher Education institutions and awarding bodies in England. Matt has held a range of teaching and leadership and Senior Assessment Associate roles including his current role of Associate Dean for the School of Health, Science and Wellbeing at Staffordshire University and Lead Standards Verifier for Pearson. Matt has experience of raising educational standards and achieving better outcomes for learner cohorts through driving several projects around assessment, curriculum design, the use of a range of pedagogic approaches, inclusion planning and embedding employability and career planning.
Skills and Experience: Matt has national qualification writing experience for AQA, City and Guilds and Pearson developing qualifications across levels 2 and 3 and has been given a ‘Services to’ Award by the Joint Council for Qualifications for this work and his examiner work. He is currently engaged in awarding body work for Pearson as a Lead Standards Verifier, International Verifier and Standards Verifier across several subject areas. Previously Matt has held the post of Chief Examiner for AQA and City and Guilds, which required National oversite of exam performance and standards.
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Katie Whitmore
Parent Governor
Information coming soon...
Suzanne Giles
Staff Governor
Appointment to the board: Joined the governing body in January 2023.
Career Experience: Having been to school and college in Swinton near Salford, Suzanne then obtained a BSc (Hons) degree in Applicable Mathematics at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her work history includes working for a bank and solicitors processing mortgages from sale to completion giving her experience of managing a team and speaking to customers over the phone. In 2009 she completed her PGCE at Edge Hill University and was employed in the September at Great Sankey High School as a teacher of mathematics.
Skills and Experience: Having worked at Great Sankey High School for 14 years Suzanne has gained experience in teaching, pastoral care, and behaviour management. As a Subject Mentor she has trained and supported many trainee teachers, and more recently has become a Teacher Educator, and in this role, she has delivered CPD and coached colleagues within the school. Being fully committed to Great Sankey, in becoming a Staff Governor Suzanne aims to support the leaders of the school, bringing a viewpoint from the inside, both from a staff and student perspective.
Alison Hales
Staff Governor
Appointment to the board: Joined the governing body in September 2024.
Career Experience: Originally from Essex, Alison joined the Royal Navy at 18 and served for 9 years. On leaving the service she worked with several companies as a PA/Office Manager, before taking a 5-year break to have her son. During this time, she retrained as a teaching assistant and worked with SEND children aged 3 to 18 for several years. After being offered a temporary admin role within a school that eventually lasted 3 years, she decided to leave the classroom behind her. Alison started working at Great Sankey High School in 2020 as the Attendance Officer.
Skills and Experience: Having worked within a school setting for the last 12 years with 5 of them being at Great Sankey, Alison has gained a great deal of experience working with children of all ages. She brings working knowledge of safeguarding and pastoral care as well as an in-depth knowledge of Attendance. Alison is passionate about supporting Great Sankey, its students, staff, and parents.
Gillian Magowan
Co-opted Governor
Information coming soon...
Felicity Hannah
Parent Governor
Information coming soon...
The Omega Multi- Academy Trust Master Funding Agreement provides the framework within which the Trust operates.
Each school within the Trust has a separate Supplemental Funding Agreement.
Click here to view the Trust Master Funding Agreement
Click here to view our Supplemental Funding Agreement
Associated Documentation
Click here to view the Trust Articles of Association
Click here to view the Local Governing Body Code of Conduct
Click here to view the Local Governing Body Terms of Reference
Click here to view the Trust Scheme of Delegation
Click here to view the Trusts' Audited Financial Statement
How to become a Governor
Could you be a school governor at Great Sankey High School?
- Do you want all of our children to get the best from school?
- Do you have the time and commitment to get to know the school, go to meetings and read papers?
- Do you want to put something back into your local community?
- Are you interested in people?
- Are you prepared to work as part of a team?
- Are you comfortable asking challenging questions?
- Are you open to new ideas and ready to learn?
Making a difference
Governors are people like you. You don’t need specific qualifications, just the desire to make a difference - approximately 2-6 hours spare time a month including some time to visit the school occasionally during the school day. All governors must be 18 or over.
New governors are often surprised at how their experiences can be used to help solve problems at their school. You don’t have to be a specialist; just think about the skills you use in everyday life. Being a school governor is a big responsibility but can be one of the most rewarding ways of contributing to your local community.
As a school governor, you have real opportunities to:
- Raise educational standards in your local school
- Help children achieve their full potential
- Identify and develop the school’s management team
- Identify where the school can improve and help make it happen
- Improve the school’s financial efficiency and effectiveness
- Engage parents, pupils and the local community to benefit the school
- Develop an environment which promotes learning
- Share in and celebrate the success of children, staff, teachers and the school as a whole
How much time will it take?
Being a governor means making yourself available for some evenings each term and occasionally during the day.
The Governing Body usually meets once or twice a term, usually in the evening and on average meetings last for about 2 hours. You will also need some time to read papers, prepare for meetings and to attend training. The amount of time varies widely, depending on how involved you become and what needs doing, but schools do need governors who are fully committed.
You have a legal right to ask your employer for “reasonable” unpaid leave or flexible working, and some employers offer limited paid leave for this as it constitutes a public duty. What is considered reasonable will vary according to the nature of your job and your employer.
Are governors paid?
All governors are volunteers and there is no payment for carrying out the role. The school has a policy in place that can cover some expenses to reimburse governors for necessary expenses such as care for children or dependent relatives or travel.
Restrictions
Almost anyone over 18 can serve as a governor but there are some understandable restrictions. No one can serve if they:
- Are barred from working with children or vulnerable adults
- Are subject of a bankruptcy restriction order or similar
- Have certain criminal convictions, depending on the nature of the offence and sentence and how long ago it was
How can I become a governor?
You can become a school governor by:
- Being appointed by the other governors as a co-opted governor.
- Being elected by parents as a parent governor, if your child attends the school.
- Being elected by the staff, if you are a member of the teaching or non-teaching staff.
If you are interested in joining the governing body, please check our “Current vacancies” section and email our Chair of Governors, Danielle Preston - Danielle.Preston@greatsankey.org with an expression of interest.
Vacancies
We currently 2 Co-Opted Governor vacancies.
We currently have a vacancy for one parent governor and are seeking nominations for an enthusiastic and committed parent or carer to join the Local Governing Board of Great Sankey High School.
You can find the documents that have been sent to parents and carers below.
Letter to Parents/Carers 4/10/24
Parent Governor - Candidate Information 15/10/24
Ballot Paper (Word) / Ballot Paper (PDF)
