Governors

Our Governing Body

Governors Constitute the Academy Stakeholder Committee (from April 2023)

the principal duty of which is to support the Trust Board and the school in developing and maintaining effective links within the school’s communities, communicating openly and frequently as appropriate and ensuring the school meets its responsibilities to its stakeholders.

Ensuring membership of the ASC includes parent and staff governors, and members of the local community, as per the composition of the Committee.

Supporting the Executive Headteacher in implementing and monitoring arrangements to ensure:

that pupils are listened to, feel safe in the school and are successful learners
that parents and carers are kept informed about their child’s progress and that any concerns they have are listened and responded to
that effective arrangements are in place for staff wellbeing
that there is regular communication with parents and the wider community
that examples of the activities of the school and the ASC are provided to the Trust for its termly newsletter to all stakeholders

Their role also encompasses:

Representing the School and the Trust at parents’ evenings, presentation events and other school activities.

Receiving and reviewing the results of staff well-being surveys, and the analysis of pupil voice and parent voice questionnaires and surveys.

Providing a point of contact for parents, carers and other members of the local community and directing queries to those in the school or trust with responsibility for dealing with them.

Developing and maintaining effective links with the local community

Promoting collaboration with the other schools in the Trust, actively seeking opportunities for the schools to work together with the aim of identifying and implementing best practice in stakeholder engagement across all schools.

Giving advice and feedback to the Trustees, reporting on all matters for which the ASC is responsible and seeking responses from the Trustees to any matters the ASC draws to their attention.

Submitting an annual report to the Trust Board and thereafter for publication on the school website.

For contributions and/or communications with the Academy Stakeholder Committee, or to contact any Governor, please email the clerk on vturner@unityeducationtrust.uk

We are currently recruiting new Parent and Community Governors to the Garvestone Primary School Governing Body. Unity Education Trust has initiated the Garvestone Review Board during this period of recruitment which comprises:

Mrs Michelle Farnan

Headteacher

Miss Alex Dolby

Staff Governor

Marika Akhurst

Parent Governor

Laura Reeve

Parent Govenor

Helen Torrance – school clerk email: htorrance@unityeducationtrust.uk

Governor Profiles

Name	Profile
Alan Jones	Alan has been a school governor since 2007, serving on the Governing Body of Northgate High School as Chair (2008-13 and 2016-2017) and Vice-Chair (2013-2015), and as co-opted governor of Beeston Primary School (2017). He regards his role as a school governor as the opportunity to give back something to the education system that helped him and his family. Prior to his retirement in 2003 he was a senior university manager at the University of East Anglia and he continues as a part-time administrative consultant to a research institute affiliated to the University. His voluntary work includes serving as a Director and Trustee of Kickstart Norfolk which is the largest moped “wheels to work” charity in the country.
Michelle Farnan	Michelle started Teaching at our school in 1999 , became Acting Head when the then current Headteacher was seconded and then became our Headteacher in 2004. Michelle has served on our governing body since she started at the school. In 2017 when we became part of the UET multi academy trust - Michelle shared her time between us and Beeston School - as Executive Headteacher. She is now back to being full time as a teaching Headteacher at Garvestone.. Michelle’s two children attended the school. Her voluntary work includes serving as a trustee for the Garvestone & Thuxton Village Hall, the Thuxton Poors’ charity and supporting the Friends of Garvestone School charity.
Sharon Brown	Sharon moved to Norfolk in 2014 after taking early retirement from teaching. She taught for 35 years in schools in the Midlands. Her teaching career commenced in the 1970s in the secondary phase teaching MFL to examination level. In the late 1980s she transferred to the primary phase and taught across all the key stages. Her areas of expertise are with KS1 and Foundation Stage. She managed a very lively 56 place Foundation Unit over 16 years so fully understands and appreciates the demands of the curriculum, target setting and assessment.

Academy Conversion

Governors Interests and Terms of Office

Annual Governance Statement

Memorandum of Association of Unity Education Trust

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020-21

UET Master funding agreement

Garvestone Funding Agreement

Annual Report & Financial Statements 2021-22

Governor Attendance 2021-22

Scheme of delegation

Articles of Association

Structure and Remit of the UET Governance