Millfield Primary School Governing Board

The School governors are a team of people who work closely with the head teacher to make the major decisions vital to the successful running of the school. The governors appoint the head teacher and make decisions that directly affect the education and well-being of the children. 

School governors have three main roles:

To ensure clarity of vision and strategic direction for the school;

To hold the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school;

To oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.

We ask the “Ten Essential Questions for Governors” from the Norfolk Governors’ Toolkit.

These questions are used to guide the governing board meetings and to review our governing board performance and test the effectiveness of delegated structures and operations:

• What is the vision for our school?
• Have we developed long-term aims for our school with clear priorities in an ambitious school development plan which is regularly monitored and reviewed?
• Do we understand the school’s data well enough to hold our school leaders to account and manage performance?
• Are our financial systems robust enough and do we ensure best value for money?
• How do we know what pupils, parents and staff think of our school and how do we meet their expectations?
• Does every governor contribute and how do we know we are effective?
• Is our governing body helping the school to improve?
• Are we working with others to give all of our children the best chances in life?
• Has our governing body got the right skills to do the job?
• Is the size, composition and committee structure of our governing body conducive to effective working?

The governing board was reconstituted in 2012 in accordance with regulations from the Department for Education (DfE) and consists of 12 governor positions.

There are 7 co-opted governors, who are selected by the governors from the local community for their skills and relevant experience. There are two parent governors who are required to have children at the school when they are elected by the other parents. One governor is nominated by Norfolk County Council. There is one staff governor elected by the school staff. The headteacher is also a governor.

The governing board fulfils its duties through formal meetings of the whole board and three sub-committees. The sub-committees comprise: the Strategic Leadership Committee (Chair: Alex Robinson) which sets the overall direction and priorities for governors each term; the Pupil Learning Committee (Chair: Gordon Woolcock) which scrutinises academic performance, teaching and learning and the curriculum; and the Staffing and Resources Committee (Chair: Kerry Porteous) which oversees all financial matters, human resources (personnel) and premises. There are a number of other committees which meet for specific activities during the school year, for example Headteacher Performance Management. The full “operating model” and terms of reference for the committees can be read in the document attached below.  All governors are committed to a governor’s code of conduct which can be read in the other document below.

Individual governors visit the school frequently. Some governors are parents and others have previously had children at the school. During the year there are two or three formal “governors in school” days when several governors visit together to monitor aspects of the school improvement plans and to meet pupils and staff.

Governors contribute to the wider local education system through participation at cluster events, training sessions and conferences and through involvement with other schools’ governing boards. The chair of governors is a member of Norfolk Schools Forum, the National Governors’ Association and Norfolk Governors’ Network. 

You can contact the governors by sending an email, letter or message marked "for the attention of Chair of Governors" via the school office ( office@millfield.norfolk.sch.uk  or phone 01692 403172).

Meet the Governors

Nick Clancy

Co-opted governor, 19/09/2016 - 18/09/2020.
Responsibilities: 
Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 2 out of 3 full governing board meetings.
Register of interests: Previous Town Clerk, North Walsham Town Council

Jan Harazdiuk

Headteacher governor, permanent member of governing board.
Responsibilities: member of all committees.
Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 4 out of 4 full governing board meetings, 3 out of 3 strategic leadership committee meetings, 3 out of 3 staffing and resources committee meetings, 3 out of 3 Pupil Learning Committee meetings.
Register of interests: None

Sarah Lanchbury

Staff governor, 19/11/2013 - 17/11/2017
Responsibilities: member of Pupil Learning Committee.
Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 4 out of 4 full governing board meetings, 2 out of 3 Pupil Learning Committee meetings.
Register of interests: None

Kerry Porteous

Co-opted governor, 01/03/2017 - 28/02/2021
Responsibilities: Chair of Staffing and Resources Committee, member of Pay Committee, member of Strategic Leadership Committee, link governor for Safeguarding.
Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 3 out of 4 full governing board meetings, 3 out of 3 staffing and resources committee meetings.
Register of interests: None

Alex Robinson (Chair of Governors 2017-18)

Co-opted governor, 04/12/2016 - 03/12/2020

Responsibilities: Chair of the Governing Board, Chair of Strategic Leadership Committee, link governor for training / skills, member of Staffing and Resources Committee, member of Headteacher Performance Management Committee, member of Pay Committee, link governor for SEND.

Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 4 out of 4 full governing board meetings, 3 out of 3 strategic leadership committee meetings, 2 out of 3 staffing and resources committee meetings.
Register of interests: director of Ortoo Technologies Ltd, which provides a website called GovernorHub to a number of schools including Millfield. National Leader of Governance providing school governance advice to other schools in England. Director of the Viscount Nelson Education Network CIC which provides school improvement services to schools including Millfield.

Other Governing Boards: also a governor at North Walsham High School; academy trust Member at Ad Meliora Trust and academy trust member at ieTrust.

Anne Saunderson

Co-opted governor, 15/09/2014 - 14/09/2018
Responsibilities: member of Staffing and Resources Committee (SRC).
Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 2 out of 4 full governing board meetings; attended 2 out of 3 SRC meetings.

Register of interests: None

Roger Smith

Local Authority governor, 23/03/2015 - 22/03/2019

Responsibilities: Vice Chair of governing board, member of Staffing and Resources Committee, link governor for Health and Safety.
Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 4 out of 4 full governing board meetings, 3 out of 3 strategic leadership committee meetings, 3 out of 3 Staffing and Resources Committee meetings.

Register of interests: spouse works as a Teaching Assistant at the school.

Ian Symonds

Co-opted governor, 19/09/2016 - 18/09/2020.
Responsibilities: member of Pupil Learning Committee (PLC).
Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 3 out of 3 full governing board meetings. Did not join PLC until 2017-18.
Register of interests: None

Other governing boards: North Walsham High School

Caroline Thomas

Parent governor, 23/02/2017 - 22/02/2021.
Responsibilities: member of Pupil Learning Committee (PLC).
Meeting attendance 2016-17: attended 2 out of 2 full governing board meetings. Did not join PLC until 2017-18.
Register of interests: None

Gordon Woolcock