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Gunness and Burringham CofE Primary School
Learning Together
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Governance
Welcome to the section of the website where you can find out more about the school's governors and the work they do.
Our main role is provide confident, strategic leadership and create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for the educational and financial purpose of the school.
We use a School Development Plan which sets out a three-year strategic plan for the school, with targets that everyone works towards.
Our legal duties include:
- ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
- overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure that its money is well spent.
- holding leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils and the performance management of staff.
The Governing Body meets six times a year. The work of the Governors is carried out by three main committees:
- School Development
- Finance and Resource
- Safeguarding
These committees oversee their area of responsibility, monitor and contribute to the School Development Plan.
There are several categories of governor, appointed by different groups that have an interest in the school. These are:-
- Foundation Governors appointed by the Diocese of Lincoln (Ex Officio)
- Local Authority Governors
- Co-opted Governors
- Parent Governors
- Staff Governors
All governors have equal status no matter how they were appointed. Every governors roles is to govern the school in the best interest of pupils, not to represent the interests of the constituency from which they were elected or appointed.
Our Governing body has 10 members which consists of: -
- 1 Headteacher
- 1 Ex-Officio Foundation
- 1 Foundation
- 2 Parent
- 4 Co-opted
- 1 Staff (elected)
We are committed to providing an excellent environment for all pupils to enjoy during their time at our school.
Our Governing Body meetings are usually help on Monday evenings. We attend training sessions, seminars and conferences to help keep us up to date with changes in schools and education. This helps us do our jobs effectively. We also go into school to meet with the Headteacher, other members of staff and pupils to help us find out how the school is progressing towards to targets.
If you wish to know more about becoming a governor, please contact Mrs Sowerby on 01724 782460.
Full details and applications can be made via the North Lincolnshire Council website on the following link:
School Governors Support and Vacancies
Meet the Governors
Donna Senior
Chair of Governors - Co-opted Governor
Email: donna.senior@gandbprimary.co.uk
Recently appointed to the board of governors, I have worked in the education
sector for over six years working with school leaders and governing boards in
my role at North Lincolnshire Council and now working within the Regional
Delivery Directorate for the Department of Education. I am passionate about
ensuring the very best education for every child at the school and to prepare
them for the next step on their education journey. My focus is to support the
whole school community, for governors, staff and children to shine and
flourish, inspire our children to become life long learners and to live out the
Christian vision and values of the school.
Attendance at meetings 22-23: 3/3
Attendance at Committee Meetings 22-23: 5/6
Liz Jones
Vice Chair - Parent Governor
I have been on the governing board since 2017 and I am the Vice Chair. I have two children, both of whom attend Gunness and Burrigham. I feel proud to have this role as the school is very important to me. ( My children are the 4th generation of my family to attend the school) and I enjoy supporting the growth of the school and the leadership team to take the school from strength to strength. I enjoy coming in to school to meet the children and look at their books and all the wonderful displays they work so hard on and be able to see first-hand how the children are developing, achieving and growing.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, traveling and spending quality time with my family.
Attendance at meetings 22-23: 2/3
Attendance at Committee Meetings 22-23: 3/3
Luan Sowerby
Ex Officio - Headteacher
I am proud to lead Gunness and Burringham Primary as the Headteacher and Staff Governor. My role is one of leadership to ensure the very best education for the children within my school. I work closely with families and the community, ensuring that partnership working is of the highest priority to ensure the best outcomes for the children.
School life is about educational opportunities, collaborative working, challenge and outcomes whilst focussing very much on the holistic child to ensure that every child has their chance to shine.
I enjoy reading educational research, novels and children's literature and when I am not at school I am busy enjoying life with my husband, children and dog!
Attendance at meetings 22-23: 3/3
Attendance at Committee Meetings 22-23: 6/6
Julie Dyke
Foundation Governor
I have been a governor at Gunness and Burringham C of E Primary School since November 2016 when I was approached by the Diocese to see if I would be willing to take up the ex-officio governor post on a 'temporary' basis. I was pleased to be able to accept as I have been in education most of my life as a Secondary School Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages (French and Russian) starting off in Lancashire (where I grew up) before moving to Scunthorpe following my marriage to Kevin. I taught, and was Head of Department, in Grimsby before taking time out to bring up our two boys. Subsequently, I took some temporary posts in some of the Scunthorpe secondary schools and John Leggott College before taking a permanent post in Gainsborough where I remained until 2013 when I left teaching in order to be able to spend time with my husband in his new role as a priest in the Church of England.
I am really pleased to be able to continue my links with education through this role as I am committed to the progress of all children, wherever they are. I enjoy the occasions when I am able to visit the school and spend time in the classroom.
Attendance at meetings 22/23: 3/3
Attendance at Committee Meetings 22/23: 3/3
Jason Trattles
Co-opted Governor
I have been a governor at the school since 2017 and currently serve as Chair of the Resources Committee. I have seen a number of my own children pass through the school and I have first hand experience of children with special educational needs. I have great interests in mathematics and science, language, geometry, art, music (percussion and guitar) and the natural world and I am always keen to see a varied curriculum in school for the children. My formal education at further and higher levels includes Mathematics, Physics, the Arts and Architecture. I currently work as an Engineering Geologist and Geo-Environmental Consultant where my career often places me in the field of data gathering, analysis and interpretive report writing.
I hope to see strong, healthy and maintained links between the local community and the school. Modern lifestyle has a tendency to divert people away from communities into an ever more isolated existence on screens and mobile devices with seemingly endless media. The school remains the last well attended community hub where physical attendance is still expected, and this should be celebrated and utilised to the full for the benefit of all.
The Christian ethos of the school is important to me. The strong moral standards provided by Christianity underpin virtually all accepted behaviour in traditional western culture and are the foundation to many of our laws. I feel strongly that children should be armed with a developed sense of morality, diverse knowledge and have practised social skills and empathy.
Whilst children are in school, I would be keen to see them provided with positive and relatable social role models, useful mathematical, scientific, linguistic and cultural knowledge with robust information and truth assimilation techniques. Development of these skills should help a child develop a healthy balanced outlook, have a confident and resilient mental state and provide them with effective communication and social skills which they can use both in school and in the wider world.
It is a transformative journey for a child growing from 4 to 11 years of age where the quality of their environment and mentors can greatly influence their development.
Attendance at meetings 22-23: 3/3
Attendance at Committee Meetings 22-23: 3/3
Cllr Joshua Walshe
Co-opted Governor
I was recently appointed as a school governor just as the 2021/2022 term was starting. A role that initially hadn’t even crossed my mind when I was first approached by the former chair of governors.
However, with my previous interests with charity work focussed around young people, my work with the local council and my passion and drive to help and see young people succeed in life, I thought a role as a governor would be a great way to help shape the future for our local area.
I have keen interests in Maths and History, however I also believe that even at a young age, learning about basic life skills, being involved in sports to keep fit and active and learning to work as part of a team is also extremely important for the development of children.
I am pleased to see that these things are already being implemented at the School.
I also hope to see strong links between the school and the local community, and I’m sure with my role within the council I will be able to assist with this.
Attendance at meetings 22-23: 2/3
Attendance at Committee Meetings 22-23: 3/3
Rev David Swannack
Ex Officio Foundation Governor
Having spent many years working for a large national bank at a regional level and then ‘jumping ship’ to run a charity in North East Lincolnshire dealing with homelessness and other aspects of deprivation, I was ordained as a minister in the Church of England in 2011, serving my curacy in Frodingham, Scunthorpe for 4 years, where I was also governor at St Peter and St Paul’s School, Lakeside- another church school. I moved then to my current post as Rector working in Messingham, Scotter, Scotton, Northorpe, Kirton Lindsey and of course Gunness and Burringham. As Rural Dean I have responsibilities with the local priests for all the churches that cover the Scunthorpe area.
It’s a delight being a part of school life and very much enjoy taking Collective Worship on a frequent basis- a great chance to share some of the Christian and faith ethos of the school.
Attendance at Meetings 22-23: 2/3
Attendance at Committee Meetings 22-23: 2/3
Clare Coppens
Co-opted Governor
I have been a parent Governor at the school since 2021 and chair the Safeguarding Committee. I have a keen interest in PSHE, reading and music. I am a community nurse specialising in Mental Health. My career has spanned over 25 years, working with adults with mental health issues. I have a passion for mental health wellbeing which isn't just a job but a way of living.
The schools values of resilience, being kind, compassion, respect, having hope, promoting friendship and equality are fundamental in the growth of our children to achieve, be aspired for the future and develop confidence, whilst gaining the best education possible.
In my own time, not that there is much, I love to read, go on long walks and spend time with people who are important to me, trying to reach that work life balance.
Attendance at Meetings 22-23: 3/3
Attendance at Committee Meetings 22-23: 3/3
Mr Sean Jewitt
Parent Governor
I am extremely proud to be newly appointed as a Parent Governor at the school. We moved to the area in 2021 and we were blown away by how welcomed our children were made to feel. With 1 child at the school and a 2nd just left, I have been overwhelmed by the level of passion and professionalism that is ingrained within the school. I wish to show my gratitude by offering as much support as I can, to enable the school to continue to flourish and provide children with a stable foundation to their education.
I am a strong advocate for core values, such as respect, punctuality, teamwork, and trust; and my particular subject interests are in Geography, Science and Art.
My career has mainly been as a public servant, serving in the military and Her Majesty’s Coastguard, but now I’ve changed tack to work with renewable energy, and more specifically offshore wind industry.
As part of my previous jobs, I have developed a passion for delivering further education, having taught adult learners everything from Meteorology and how to plan an aircraft routing, through to how to conduct Search & Rescue.
My own time is spent with my family, making memories both here and when we are fortunate to visit new places.
Attendance at meetings 22-23: New Governor 2023-2024