Governors - Little Paxton Primary School

A message from the Chair of Governors

I am delighted to be continuing as Chair of Governors at Little Paxton for a second year. Over the past year, I have had the privilege of working closely with the dedicated staff, pupils, and wider school community, and I have seen first-hand the energy, creativity, and care that are helping to drive Little Paxton Primary School forwards at pace.

Looking ahead, I am excited about the opportunities we have to further develop the school’s vision and to celebrate the achievements of all our pupils.

As governors, our role is to provide both support and challenge for the leadership team and staff at the school. I am proud of the progress made so far and eager to continue working with families, staff, and the wider community to make Little Paxton the best it can be for all of your children.

We are always interested in hearing from parents and members of the community who would like to join the governing body. If you would like to ask any questions or have an informal chat to find our more, please contact me.

chair@littlepaxton.cambs.sch.uk – Claire Cannon

Our Purpose

The main aim of Little Paxton Primary School (like all schools) is to raise the educational achievements of all children, ensuring all pupils make good progress from their starting points. The Governing Body is committed to providing a good education for local children at the village primary school. Legally the Governing Body is required to support and challenge the school by:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Holding the Head Teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

In addition, governors are responsible for ensuring that the school fulfils its statutory duties.

LPPS Instrument of Government

Governor Meetings

Much of our work is done through meetings of the Full Governing Body with particular responsibilities as set out in its Terms of Reference.

The Chair of Governors is elected each year.

The FGB is responsible for monitoring school performance.

The FGB receives regular reports from the Head Teacher and discusses monitoring carried out by link governors.

All meetings start at 6:30pm

Full Governing Body Meetings

Monday 15th September 2025

Monday 8th December 2025

Monday 2nd March 2026

Monday 27th April 2026

Monday 13th July 2026

Full Governing Body meetings are minuted by the Clerk to the Governing Body. The minutes of each meeting are reviewed and agreed at the following meeting. Agreed minutes can be obtained by emailing clerk@littlepaxton.cambs.sch.uk

The agenda for each meeting is drawn up in advance and circulated at least one week prior to the meeting. Agendas for meetings are set by the Chair in consultation with the Clerk and the Head teacher. They follow an annual cycle of agreeing, then monitoring and evaluating the plans for school improvement. Agendas also include items that reflect local and national priorities and initiatives.

As well as attending formal meetings, the Governors spend time in school, meeting and working with staff and children. Governors make regular visits to school to enable them to get to know more about how it operates and also to monitor aspects of the improvement plans that have been agreed.

Governors are always pleased and ready to talk to parents. Governors can be contacted either through the school office or by contacting the Clerk, clerk@littlepaxton.cambs.sch.uk

Statutory Committees

There are also some statutory committees (Salary, Performance Management, Appeals, Discipline, etc.) which meet as necessary.

Curriculum and Standards Committee Meetings

Monday 17th November 2025

Monday 2nd February 2026

Monday 15th June 2025

Resources and Finance Committee Meetings

Monday 1st December 2025

Monday 20th March 2026

Monday 20th April 2026

Composition of Committees 2024-25 (link to follow)

Further information about the Governing Body, how its works and governor policies

Governors Code of Conduct

Terms of Reference Governing Body

Terms of Reference Curriculum & Standards

Terms of Reference Resources and Finance

Standing Orders 2025

Delegation of Decisions Planner

Induction Policy – including information for Governor Inductions

Protocol to Monitor Governor Attendance

Governor Attendance Record 23-24

Governor Attendance Record 24-25

Governor Allowances

Governor Visits Policy

Information about Governors 2024-2025

Updated information to follow


Composition of Governing Body as at 10th July 2025
3/3 Parent Elected Governors 0/1 Local Authority Governor 1/1 Headteacher Governor 1/1 Staff Elected Governor 5/7 Co-opted Governors
Register of Pecuniary Interests
Name	Responsibilities	Category of governor	Appointment date and method	Term end	Relevant business interests	Governor at other schools	Relationships with governors or staff
Claire Cannon	Chair of Governors Curriculum & Standards Head’s Performance Management SEND	Co-opted	Appointed by GB 24/03/2023	23/03/2027	Owner, Indigo Owl Coaching and Consultancy	No	None
Sarah O’Callaghan	Curriculum & Standards	Co-opted	Appointed by GB 22/05/2023	21/05/2027	Member of Staff	No	None
Dom Saxby	Curriculum & Standards Resources & Finance	Staff	Elected by Staff 12/10/2023	11/10/2027	Member of Staff	No	In relationship with staff member
Louise Jenkins	Vice Chair of Governors Curriculum & Standards Safeguarding	Co-opted	Appointed by GB 29/04/2024	28/04/2028	None	No	None
Richard Fairbairn	Curriculum & Standards	Co-opted	Appointed by GB 09/12/2024	08/12/2028	Financial Interest in Kingfisher Church	No	Married to staff member
Mariana Garcia	Resources & Finance	Co-opted	Appointed by GB 03/03/2025	02/03/2029	None	No	None
Victoria Parsons	Curriculum & Standards	Parent	Elected by Parents 21/03/2025	20/03/2029	None	No	None

Jack Armond	Resources & Finance	Parent	Elected by Parents 21/03/2025	20/03/2029	None	No	None
Rebekah Owen	Headteacher Curriculum & Standards Pay Committee Resources & Finance	Headteacher	Ex officio 01/01/2024	N/A	Husband supports school with web site design and sports teams	No	None
Alison Gatward	Curriculum & Standards Resources & Finance	Associate	Appointed by GB	N/A	Member of Staff	No	None

Previous governors (served at any point over the past 12 months)
Name	Responsibilities	Category of governor	Appointed by	Date of appointment	Date stepped down	Relevant business interests	Governor at other Schools	Relationships with other governors or staff
Georgina Hamilton-Hobbs		Parent	Elected	24/05/2023	16/09/2024	None	No	None
Maxine Howells	Chair of Governors	Co-opted	Appointed by GB	27/03/2023	16/09/2024	Owner, MH Coaching and Consultancy	No	None
Abby Jordan		Co-opted	Appointed by GB	22/05/2022	16/09/2024	None	No	None
Caroline Entwistle	Pay Committee Resources & Finance	Local Authority	Appointed by GB	17/07/2023	20/05/2025	Employee Grafham Water Centre	No	None
Helen Morrell	Pay Committee Resources & Finance	Co-opted	Appointed by GB	17/07/2023	11/07/2025	None	No	None
Joanne Spurrell	Pay Committee Resources & Finance	Parent	Elected by Parents	15/10/2023	22/07/2025	None	None	None

Downloadable information about Governors 2024-2025

Information about Governors 2024-2025