We CARE • Curiosity - Aspiration - Respect - Enthusiasm

Meet our Governors

To contact a governor please phone 01491 651862 or email them at office.2596@cholsey.oxon.sch.uk

Members of the school governing body are as follows:

Andy King - Chair of Governors/Community Governor

Appointed 8th October 2013 – Current term to end in October 2025

Attended 6/6 Full Governing Body Meetings in 2022/23

Attended 7/9 Finance Meetings in 2021/22

I’m a governor at Cholsey because I believe there is nothing more important than education. I also believe education is about teaching children how to learn. So along with core skills like reading writing and maths children will learn how to question, how to listen and then how interpret the answers. This allows them to fully access the wide curriculum we offer and find something they can each individually excel at.

As chair of the governors I am involved in all areas of the school and take a particular interest in well-being and finance.

For the last 12 years I’ve been a business coach helping people find their own best answers, and prior to that held senior positions in fashion retail for 30 years.

Carl Mannering - Community Governor

Appointed 18th May 2021 – Current term to end in May 2025

Attended 5/6 Full Governing Body Meetings in 2022/23

Attended 8/9 Finance Meetings in 2021/22

I have re-joined the governing body as a Community Governor, having previously been a Parent Governor and Community Governor at Cholsey. Both my daughters thrived at Cholsey and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to support the school as it expands and develops.

I have spent nearly 30 years in the IT sector, with a range of technical, management, commercial and financial experience that I hope will help the school achieve its vision and to support the excellent teaching and learning at Cholsey Primary School.

Nikki Gascoigne - Governance Professional

Hannah Potter - Staff Governor

Appointed – 29th September 2022. Current term to end in September 2026.

Attended 5/6 Full Governing Body Meetings in 2022/23

I have worked at Cholsey Primary School since September 2003. During my time at the school, I have been lucky enough to explore many roles, working in Key Stage 1, being the school’s SENCO, leading the Foundation Stage and now back to Key stage 1 where I am now the lead. I have also been a parent at the school as my own children attended Cholsey and are now both at secondary. Having seen the school and education go through many changes over the years, I thought it was about time I took on a new role as staff governor.

Charleii Stanley - Associate Governor

Katie Whiteley - Community Governor & Safeguarding

Appointed 28th September 2022 – Current term to end in September 2026

Attended 6/6 Full Governing Body Meetings in 2022/23

I joined the governing body at Cholsey Primary School as a community governor as I am passionate about education and wanted to be involved in Cholsey’s continuing journey. I believe all children have the right to attend the very best school, where they feel safe, happy and are able to develop a love of learning which equips them to move on to the next stage of their lives full of confidence and an ability to do whatever they choose.

I am a Deputy Head Teacher and SENCo and work with many schools in developing their inclusive practice. I have two young children who will hopefully attend Cholsey in the future.

John Bevington - Parent Governor - Vice Chair & Health and Safety

Appointed 17th September 2019 – Current term to end in September 2023

Attended 6/6 Full Governing Body Meetings in 2022/22

Attended 8/9 Finance Meetings in 2021/22

I am a parent governor as I believe every child has a right to a safe, stable, happy and inspirational environment in which to grow and learn. We have a wonderful school here at Cholsey, and it is our job as governors to strive to keep it that way and set a strategy for future sustainability and growth so our children can be the best they can be.

As a Chartered Geographer and Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, I am a fully-fledged geography nerd. I love to encourage curiosity about our community and the wider world, and I am very excited to be link governor for geography. In my day-job I work in environmental consultancy, specialising in natural disaster risk management.

Michael Belcher - Parent Governor & Finance/Risk

Appointed 18th May 2021 – Current term to end in May 2025

Attended 5/6 Full Governing Body Meetings in 2022/23

Attended 9/9 Finance Meetings in 2021/22

I am a parent governor at Cholsey as I have a son at the school and am a strong believer in the value that a good education provides.

In terms of my background, I am a qualified Actuary and have worked in the Financial Services sector for the last decade. I hope to use the skills that I have gained to provide a variety of financial expertise and to make a difference to the children’s education.

Miranda Rix - Parent Governor

Appointed 18th June 2021 – Current term to end in June 2025

Attended 5/6 Full Governing Body Meetings in 2022/23

We have a great school here in Cholsey, and as a parent of three children, two of which are in the school, I seized the opportunity to be a parent governor so I could help support the future growth of the school and contribute to ensuring all our children are valued, enriched, fulfilled and enjoy their school life.

Outside of being a parent governor – I am Head of Client Services and sit on the Senior Leadership Team for a large postal and marketing company where I am confident the skills I have acquired can complement the role of parent governor.

Sarah Trelinska - Parent Governor & Disadvantaged

Appointed – 29th September 2022. Current term to end in September 2026.

Attended 6/6 Full Governing Body Meetings in 2022/23

I am a Parent Governor at Cholsey Primary School because I am passionate about the value of education. I strongly believe that all children should have access to a high quality, inclusive and aspirational education which enables them to achieve their full potential. As a parent to a current pupil at the school (with two younger brothers to hopefully follow in her footsteps!), I equally wanted to give back to the school community which has provided her with a very happy, caring and enjoyable start to her school life.

I have 10 years’ teaching experience in both state and independent secondary schools, as a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages and a pastoral leader and hope to use my breadth of educational experience and expertise to help ensure the future success of Cholsey Primary School.

Cholsey Primary Academy Members

Judy Collins, Heather Haigh, Brian Butcher and Andy King are Members of the school.

Cholsey Primary Academy and the OPEN Umbrella Trust

We became an academy on 1st November 2013 under the OPEN Umbrella Trust.

Articles of Association

OPEN Articles
of Association

Current Trustees’ Report

Terms of Reference

Finance, Audit & Risk Committee

The Role of the Governing Body

All schools in England have a Governing Body which is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions of the school. This is done by reviewing and agreeing policies, targets and priorities and monitoring and reviewing aims and objectives. The key role is to act as a ‘critical friend’; this means to support, challenge, and ask questions and ultimately to be accountable to the school community and the Government for the standards, resources and finances of the school.

Cholsey School’s governing body consists of twelve governors. They are volunteers and come from all walks of life. The parents of children at the school elect parent governors who are there to represent the parents’ views. Other governors are community governors who are elected by the governing body. The standard term of office for a governor is four years. The chair and vice-chair are elected annually by the governors at the first meeting of the academic year.

The chair of governors is Mr Andy King, who can be contacted via the school office.

The school is managed by the school management team led by the Headteacher with the support of the governors. We like to regard ourselves as a team which includes all the parents working together to promote a stimulating and rewarding experience for the children.

The minutes of Trustee’s Meetings are available from the School Office.

The Governing Body’s Structure

Click view/download the organisational structure of the Cholsey School Governing body.

Our Risk Appetite statement

Our school’s approach to risk is to minimise its exposure to safeguarding, compliance and financial risk. However, we can accept and even encourage an increased degree of risk in innovation in pursuit of our mission: To prepare our children for the future, to inspire them to make a difference in the world, and to promote our CARE values.