Briar Hill Primary School

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The David Ross Education Trust

David Ross Education Trust schools create a rich and exciting learning environment that inspires students to become their confident, academic best.

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Briar Hill Primary School

Briar Hill is a warm and happy school with well-being at the heart. All children are challenged, nurtured and inspired to achieve highly and make a positive contribution to society.

Governors

Our Governors

Briar Hill Primary School is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.

At DRET, the Academy Scrutiny Committee provides support and challenge to the Principal in ensuring every child makes good or better progress and that the Academy is achieving targets and continually improving. To maximise the ability of the local governors to focus on this key area the Academy Scrutiny Committee is not required to set strategy or policy, manage financial resources, staff performance and pay, Health and Safety or many of the other areas traditionally associated with a maintained school governing body as these issues are dealt with at Trust level. This means that governors are able to concentrate on the things that really matter – pupil progress, school outcomes and aspirations.

The Academy Scrutiny Committee consists of a group of people who could be parents, community nominees, academy staff and Trust staff.  Each Academy Scrutiny Committee normally consists of a number of governors to create a balanced group of experience, skills and connections to support the academy in achieving exceptional performance.

Our governors are:

  • Janey Cooksley
    Headteacher

    Janey Cooksley

  • Angela Rock
    Trust Senior Link

    Angela Rock

  • Damian Panton
    DRET Appointed Governor (Chair)

    Damian Panton

    Damian is currently serving his second term of office as a DRET Appointed Governor, originally appointed on 11 November 2016. He has also been elected Chair of the ASC for three terms of office by his fellow governors. He became to governor after his son joined another DRET academy. Damian was keen to understand more about how an academy operated and wanted to offer any help he could to drive the academy forward. Damian has been working for Barclays Bank since 2008, mainly in risk and governance roles across many different parts of the bank. He has managed different teams over the years with a broad skill set. Working for such a large organisation Damian carries out his job trying to see the bigger picture, which is a key skill needed to be a governor making sure each and every child is in an environment which is safe and will allow them to achieve their potential. Damian is married and has two boys. He loves to cook and bake as much as his can and travel with the family when they get the opportunity.

  • Jolen Grantham
    DRET Appointed Governor

    Jolen Grantham

    Jolen was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 4 June 2018. He is an advocate for equal opportunities through education and has worked within the system as a leader for over a decade. Through his work, he has experience in securing outstanding outcomes across primary and secondary schools, especially in areas of socio-economic disadvantage. Jolen began his governance journey in 2016, supporting a local primary school as their designated governor for effective safeguarding. He is currently the Chair in three schools - primary and secondary - and sits on the governing bodies of a further four schools in Northamptonshire. Through his work in governance, Jolen seeks to inspire the continuous drive to ensure every child receives a world-class education which begins in the classroom and is supported by a full-bodied pastoral provision where opportunities are at the heart. He is interested in reading about developments in education, the outdoors and holidaying.

  • Gareth Thomas
    DRET Appointed Governor

    Gareth Thomas

  • Shannon Harris
    DRET Appointed Governor

    Shannon Harris

    Shannon joined the ASC as a DRET Appointed Governor on 10 June 2022. She is an experienced KS1 teacher and would like to support other schools with the knowledge and skills that she has. As a teacher, Shannon has working knowledge of the national curriculum. Furthermore, she is also a maths subject lead and has a strong knowledge of the teaching of maths in the early years and key stage one. Shannon is also a trained designated safeguard lead and educational visits co-ordinator. A passion of Shannon's is swimming - which is why she is a trained swimming teacher. She also enjoys going to the theatre.

  • Johanna Mothander
    DRET Appointed Governor

    Johanna Mothander

    Johanna was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 27 May 2022. She wanted an opportunity to apply her skills and contribute with her experience beyond her professional life. Johanna works in the professional services with a background in Consulting, with and for the public sector specifically with experience of higher-level apprenticeships. She brings experience from the business world, expertise in strategy, operations and project management, as well as expertise in work-based learning, employability skills and opening multiple routes for young people into business. Equality and diversity, opportunities for all irrespective of background. On a personal level, Johanna is a passionate skier, both downhill and cross country.

  • Joanne Frater
    DRET Appointed Governor

    Joanne Frater

    Joanne joined the ASC as a DRET Appointed Governor on 27 February 2023, wishing to aid the school in providing the best possible outcomes for all children. She was previously a Children’s day nursery manager and managed the nursery for nearly nine years.

  • Allan Crozier
    Staff Governor

    Allan Crozier

    Allan joined the ASC at Briar Hill on 9 October 2018, after being elected by his colleagues. He has enjoyed being a governor across three DRET schools (Welton, Rockingham and Briar Hill) for five years over different roles. He originally decided to become a governor as he wanted to support the academies he worked for. Through being a governor, Allan has obtained a lot of experience of being in structured meetings and shares his insights of day to day life through a staff member's perspective. Allan is a class teacher and member of the SLT at Briar Hill Primary School. Allan's biggest passion is spending time with his family. He has three children and loves spending as much time with them and his wife as possible. On the odd occasion you may find him out on the golf course.

  • Amanda Scott
    Parent Governor (Vice Chair)

    Amanda Scott

    Amanda was appointed a Parent Governor on 4 December 2020 She has lived in Northampton since 2017 and her two youngest children are currently at the academy She joined the ASC hoping to contribute in a positive and valued way to the success of the academy Amanda has worked in the public sector her entire career and is currently the administrator for Re:store Northampton, a local charity based in the town centre She enjoys reading and spending time with her children doing outdoor activities, playing board games or watching movies.

  • Odudu Assam
    Parent Governor

    Odudu Assam

    Odie was appointed a Parent Governor on 27 February 2023. He believes the school’s culture and the attitude of the teachers and staff members are outstanding. Odie has a strong passion for education, especially for the younger generation and hopes by joining the ASC, he can support in providing an environment that encourages creative thinking in young minds. Odie has nearly a decade worth of experience working as a business analyst plus two years’ experience working as an Enterprise Architect. Mostly delivering IT solutions to public and private sector organisations. He is a member of the Northampton Baha’i (Faith) community and supports a Children’s class programme for a group of five 4 years olds. Odie is also a member of the Northampton Interfaith Forum.

  • Teresa Elkin
    Clerk

    Teresa Elkin

    Teresa Elkin has been clerking academies within the Trust since 2014. As a former Chair of an Outstanding primary school and part of the governance teams at Northamptonshire County Council and the David Ross Education Trust, she decided to become an independent clerk to support governing bodies. Teresa also supports other maintained schools and academies in the county. Teresa's initial career was in advertising and marketing but a move into education, governance in particular ensured that she had a wide range of skills to bring to governing bodies. Teresa is an experienced governor and Chair, a governor trainer and mentor to individual governors and Chairs. Her passions and interests are the Theatre, literature and international travel.

 

Governor Assigned Responsibilities

Curriculum - Gareth Thomas

Safeguarding and Attendance - Jolen Grantham

SEND - Angela Rock

Careers (Values/PSHE) and Artsmark - Damian Panton

Personal Development and SMSC - Odudu Assam

Data - Allan Crozier

Enrichment - Johanna Mothander

English - Amanda Scott

Inclusion - Angela Rock

Maths - Shannon Harris

Early Years - Joanne Frater

Contacting a Governor

To contact a governor, please contact the Trust Governance Team by emailing governance@dret.co.uk.

If you are looking to contact a Governor to make a complaint or share a concern, please note that as per our Complaints Policy, governors do not investigate complaints at Stage 1 or Stage 2.  This enables them to be impartial should a complaint be escalated to a Stage 3 governor panel. If you wish to make a complaint, please complete this form and your complaint will be investigated accordingly.

Scheme of Delegation

Information about the David Ross Education Trust’s scheme of delegation is available here.

Minutes of the Academy Scrutiny Committee

Should you wish to view a copy of the minutes of the ASC at this academy, please contact the Trust Governance Team, who will be able to provide you with an electronic or paper copy of the minutes.

Are you interested in becoming an academy governor?

We are looking for new governors to support our academies. Our governors work closely with their academies to support the Trust’s goal of broadening the horizons of young people through a world-class education, equipping our students with the skills and experiences to become their confident, academic best, no matter what.

If you have an interest in, and commitment to, improving education and would like to make a difference within your community, please register your interest in becoming a governor by completing our governor application form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governance@dret.co.uk or review our information pack below. 

governor recruitment booklet summer 2023.pdf

  

What is it like being a Governor with DRET?

To understand what it is like to be a governor with us, take a look at our testimonial booklet and videos which contain insights from serving governors.

governor testimonial booklet.pdf

 

 Emma Bennett 

Angela Watts 

Stephen Platten 

Garry Allen 

Annual Reports, Articles of Association, Trustees and Members 

annual report - https://www.dret.co.uk/Financial-Information/

annual audited accounts - https://www.dret.co.uk/Financial-Information/

articles of association - https://www.dret.co.uk/docs/governance/articles_of_association/DRET-Articles-of-Association.pdf

names of charity trustees and members - https://www.dret.co.uk/docs/governance/terms_of_office_and_attendance_records/DRET-Trust-Board-Terms-of-Office-and-Attendance-Records-2019-20.pdf and https://www.dret.co.uk/docs/governance/scheme_of_delegation/DRET_Scheme_of_Delegation.pdf

funding agreement - https://www.dret.co.uk/Funding-Agreements/

the structure and remit of the members, board of trustees, its committees and local governing bodies (the trust’s scheme of delegation for governance functions), and the full names of the chair of each (where applicable) - https://www.dret.co.uk/docs/governance/scheme_of_delegation/DRET_Scheme_of_Delegation.pdf

for each member who has served at any point over the past 12 months, their full names, date of appointment, date they stepped down (where applicable), and relevant business and pecuniary interests including governance roles in other educational institutions - https://www.dret.co.uk/docs/governance/terms_of_office_and_attendance_records/DRET-Trust-Board-Terms-of-Office-and-Attendance-Records-2019-20.pdf

for each trustee and local governor who has served at any point over the past 12 months, their full names, date of appointment, term of office, date they stepped down (where applicable), who appointed them (in accordance with the trust’s articles), and relevant business and pecuniary interests including governance roles in other educational institutions. If the trust’s accounting officer is not a trustee their relevant business and pecuniary interests must still be published. - https://www.dret.co.uk/docs/governance/declarations/DRET-Trustee-and-Dir-Declarations.pdf

for each trustee their attendance records at board and committee meetings over the last academic year - https://www.dret.co.uk/docs/governance/terms_of_office_and_attendance_records/DRET-Trust-Board-Terms-of-Office-and-Attendance-Records-2019-20.pdf

for each local governor their attendance records at local governing body meetings over the last academic year  - https://www.briarhillprimary.co.uk/Governors/

What training do Governors receive? 

We offer an extensive range of training opportunities. Take a look at what is on offer for the current academic year. 

governor and trustee training programme 2023 24.pdf

 

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