Our Governing Body
Governance at Woodfield
As part of Empower Multi-academy Trust, Woodfield Infant School has a very effective governance structure. The board of Trustees is responsible for the three core functions of governance of the school:
• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.
The Role of a Governor and how to make a valuable contribution to children's education!
To find out more about the role Trustees and Governors play in children’s education, the NGA have produced an animated film which you can view on the NGA Website.
Woodfield Local Governing Body Skills Audit
Governance Structures and Lines of Accountability
The board of trustees appoint the chief executive (CEO), to whom it delegates responsibility for delivery of its vision and strategy, and will hold the CEO to account for the conduct and performance of the trust, including the performance of the academies within the trust, and for its financial management.
In turn, the CEO line manages other senior executives and the academies’ headteachers, setting their targets and performance managing them.
The board constitutes committees for finance and standards; these look in detail at resources and progress and attainment across the trust. At least three trustees must sit on each of these board committees.
The board delegates some of its school level monitoring and scrutinising functions to Local Governing Bodies (LGBs), and uses these committees to promote stakeholder engagement and as a point of consultation and representation. Trustees do not need to sit on LGBs, and so lines of communication to the board of trustees are clearly established, with chairs of LGBs meeting on a termly basis with the CEO and trustees.
Our Local Governing Body Team
The Local Governing Body of Woodfield Infant School represents interested parties such as parents, staff, the wider community and the Empower MAT Board of Trustees. We meet regularly, usually once each term. The governors are volunteers with various careers and life experiences who bring with them different ideas and perspectives. Although every governor is different they all have one common aim at heart, to provide a high quality education for the children of the school.
The governing body consists of 7 governors who are either appointed or elected, each serving for a four year term:
Trust appointed (3 - appointed by the Empower Trust Board of Trustees)
Co-opted governors (2 - nominated by the LGB as members who have the necessary skills and expertise to will add to their work)
Parent governors (2 - elected by parents at the school)
In addition, the Headteachers of Woodfield Infant School and St George's Junior School work alongside the LGB to enable them to carry out their role and attend all meetings.
The Governing Body believes that all children deserve the best start to their educational life and we are constantly working with the headteacher to find new ways to improve the education the school provides.
If you would like to find out more about the work of the local governing body, or are interested in becoming a member of the LGB, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Empower Trust
For more information about the governance of Empower Mulit-academy Trust, including information about the structure and remit of members and the board of trustees, please click here:
Name | Category | Term of office |
|
Lauren Morgan
| Vice Chair of Governors 2024/2025. MAT Board Appointed | October 2021 - October 2025 | I am Director of my own business, and also work for the NHS in a safety and governance role. I have previously been a lecturer at the University of Oxford. I have 3 children across the Woodfield and St Georges schools. I am passionate at ensuring the best education opportunities are afforded to all children who attend Woodfield, and will continue to advocate for them in my role as a governor. |
Paul Donoghue | Parent Governor | November 2021 - November 2025 | I am currently the Head of PE, at Belvidere school in Shrewsbury. I have previously worked at Meole Brace school as a PE teacher and Ounsdale Secondary, in Wolverhampton, as Head of Year. My children currently attend Woodfield. I feel very privileged, in my role as parent governor, to be a part of the team helping to secure the education and love of learning that Woodfield promotes every day. |
Karen Matthews
| MAT Board Appointed
| October 2022 to October 2026 | I am currently Headteacher and Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) at The Wilfred Owen School, also part of the Empower Multi-Academy Trust. I have worked at The Wilfred Owen school since September 2009 and have held the role of SENCO since 2013. Within this time, I have actively been involved in the growth and development of the school.
I have lived in Copthorne since 2002, so not only understand the school through collaborative working within Empower Trust, but also the importance of the school within the local community. |
Sophie Sherran
| Parent Governor | April 2024 to April 2028 | I am a PR Director, with over 20 years’ agency experience devising and delivering communications strategies for UK and international brands. My daughter is currently at Woodfield and will be starting at St George’s in September. I am committed to supporting the continued success of the school and giving our children a happy and strong start to their school life |
Lizzie Rowsell
| Co-Opted Governor (Trust Appointed) | June 2024 to June 2028 | My name is Lizzie Rowsell, and I am a Primary school teacher at Harlescott Junior School, which is part of the Haughmond federation, Shrewsbury. I have taught across KS2, with a passion for providing inclusive education for all. I have a daughter who is currently in year 1 at Woodfield. It has been a privilege to become part of the Woodfield community, and watch her flourish on her journey at school. I look forward to working collaboratively with all stakeholders, in order to contribute to the effective governance and continued success of the school. |
Clair Jenkins
| Co-opted Governor (Trust Appointed) | June 2024 to June 2028 | As a qualified teacher and experienced leader, I have had the pleasure of working in the education sector for over 20 years and have enjoyed many opportunities such as and including working locally, regionally and internationally in a range of different posts. My current role as an Executive Leader within a West Midlands Multi-Academy Trust enables me to work strategically and operationally across a group of schools and with their Governors. I am now delighted to become part of Woodfield Infant School & Nursery, which is at the heart of my own community, to offer support as they continue to deliver the very best educational experience to all pupils. |
Rebecca Preece
| Headteacher, Woodfield Infant School and Nursery | Term continues throughout time as Headteacher | My name is Beck Preece. I am the Headteacher and SENCo at Woodfield Infant School & Nursery. I have been part of the Woodfield Team since 1997, starting here as a newly qualified teacher. I became SENCO in September 2017 and Head of School in April 2021. I have been Acting Headteacher since September 2023 and appointed as Headteacher in April 2024. As Headteacher, and as SENCo, I am passionate about securing the best possible opportunities for all children in school and in developing each individual child's interests. knowledge and skills in order to prepare them for the next stage of their journey . As part of the Executive Leadership Team across Woodfield and St. George's Junior School, I help to extend and deepen the links between both schools, in order to provide a linear learning experience across both settings. I contribute to developing teachers of the future through the Chester University's Initial Teaching Training programme where I facilitate the delivery of science across the primary phase. |
Kelly Lee
| Headteacher at St George's Junior School | Term continues throughout time as Headteacher at St George's Junior School | Content awaited. |
