Governors
The Governors at Bents Green School are committed to ensuring that children and young people in our school are able to achieve to the best of their ability.
The Governing Body is made up of people with varying backgrounds and areas of expertise who have either been elected (i.e. parents or staff) or who have been co-opted because of the knowledge they can bring to the Governing Body.
If you wish to contact the Governors, you can email them on: governors@bentsgreen.sheffield.sch.uk
Governor Committee Dates 2024/25
Please click below to view the Committee Dates for Academic Year 2024/25
Governor Committee Dates 2024/25
| Date | Committee | Chair | Attendees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sept 2024 | Chairs Planning Meeting | Laura Gillespie | Laura Gillespie, John Plant, Natalie Brownell, Shannon O'Donnell-Provatas, Laura Rzepinski, Aileen Hosty, Mark Rayner |
| 8 Oct 2024 | Full Governing Body: Resources | John Plant | Laura Gillespie, John Plant, Natalie Brownell, Shannon O'Donnell-Provatas, Ian Pagdin, Laura Rzepinski, Aileen Hosty, Juliette Pitchfork, Mark Rayner, Cathy Malone |
| 8 Oct 2024 | Full Governing Body - Resources | John Plant | Laura Gillespie, John Plant, Natalie Brownell, Shannon O'Donnell-Provatas, Ian Pagdin, Laura Rzepinski, Aileen Hosty, Juliette Pitchfork, Mark Rayner, Cathy Malone |
| 15 Oct 2024 | Full Governing Body - Teaching & Learning | Laura Gillespie | Laura Gillespie, John Plant, Aileen Hosty, Laura Rzepinski, Cathy Malone, Shannon O'Donnell-Provatas, Ian Pagdin, Mark Rayner |
| 19 Nov 2024 | Full Governing Body - Safeguarding & Inclusion | Natalie Brownell | Laura Gillespie, John Plant, Natalie Brownell, Shannon O'Donnell-Provatas, Ian Pagdin, Laura Rzepinski, Aileen Hosty, Mark Rayner, Cathy Malone, Melanie Bancroft |
| 3 Dec 2024 | Full Governing Body - Resources | John Plant | Laura Gillespie, John Plant, Shannon O'Donnell-Provatas, Laura Rzepinski, Juliette Pitchfork, Mark Rayner, Joel Hardwick |
| 17 Dec 2024 | Full Governing Body - Strategy | Laura Gillespie | Laura Gillespie, Aileen Hosty, Cathy Malone, Shannon O'Donnell Provatas, John Plant |
| 28 Jan 2025 | Full Governing Body - Resources | John Plant | Laura Gillespie, John Plant, Laura Rzepinski, Aileen Hosty, Juliette Pitchfork, Mark Rayner |
| 11 Feb 2025 | Full Governing Body - Teaching & Learning |
Laura Gillespie |
|
| 11 Mar 2025 | Full Governing Body - Safeguarding & Inclusion | Natalie Brownell | |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Full Governing Body - Strategy | Laura Gillespie | |
| 6 May 2025 | Full Governing Body - Resources | John Plant | |
| 20 May 2025 | Full Governing Body - Safeguarding & Inclusion |
Natalie Brownell |
|
| 17 Jun 2025 | Full Governing Body - Resources | John Plant | |
| 1 Jul 2025 | Full Governing Body - Teaching & Learning | Laura Gillespie | |
| 15 Jul 2025 | Full Governing Body - Strategy | Laura Gillespie |
Governance at Bents Green School
The Role of Governance at Bents Green School
The role of the Governors board at Bents Green School is to:
- Set the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school.
- Help the school to set high standards by planning for the school’s future and setting targets for school improvement.
- Keep the pressure up on school improvement
- Be a critical friend to the school, offering support and advice
- Help the school respond to the needs of parents and the community
- Make the school accountable to the public for what it does
- Hold the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
- Work with the school on planning, developing policies and keeping the school under review
- Exercise its responsibilities and powers in partnership with the head teacher and staff
- Oversee the financial performance of the school, making sure that money is spent well
- Not intervene in the day-to-day management of the school unless there are weaknesses in the school, when it then has a duty to take action
Structure, Membership and Instrument of Government of Bents Green School Governing Body
Structure and Membership of Government
A governing body is made up of Local Authority, Parent, Staff and Co-opted governors from which a Chair and Vice Chair are elected. 2012 regulations require schools to have at least 7 governors including 2 parents, 1 ex-officio head, 1 elected staff, 1 Local Authority, with the remaining places filled with co-opted governors. Bents Green School governing body re-constituted on 12 July 2022. It was decided to form a governing body of 16 members which comprises:
(Co-opted governors can be parents, staff or community governors, but the proportion of staff on a governing body, including the Head, cannot exceed one third of the total.)
A Chair of Governors and a Vice Chair are elected from the Parent, Local Authority and Co-opted governors (staff and the ex-officio head cannot take on these roles). Governors also choose, or are appointed, to serve on various committees and, additionally, to take on the responsibility for overseeing different priorities of the School Development Plan. Governors are encouraged to visit school on a regular basis. There is also a governor responsible for professional development. Committee meetings are chaired and clerked by appointed members of that committee.
Instrument of Government
- The name of the school is Bents Green School.
- The school is a maintained school.
- The name of the governing body is “The governing body of Bents Green School”.
- The governing body shall consist of:-
- Three parent governors.
- One Local Authority governor.
- One Staff governor.
- One Headteacher.
- Ten Co-opted governors.
- Total number of governors: Sixteen
- The term of office of all Governors is four years.
- This instrument of government comes in to effect on 12 July 2022.
- This instrument was made by order of Sheffield Local Authority on 12 July 2022.
- A copy of the instrument must be supplied to every member of the governor body (and the headteacher if not a governor), any trustees and to the appropriate religious body.
Types of Governor
Co-opted Governors
Is appointed by the governing body and who, in the opinion of the governing body, has the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.
Local Education Authority (LA) Governors
These governors are nominated by the Local Authority and appointed by the Governing Body. It is for the governing body to decide whether their nominee has the skills to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school and meets any other eligibility criteria they have set. The authority advertises for LA governors and seeks members of the community who are interested in education and committed to being fully participating school governors.
Parent Governors
Every governing body will include parent governors. In community schools all of these will be elected by parents in the school (unless there are fewer interested parents than there are places). In Voluntary Aided schools a proportion of these parents will be appointed by other governors from amongst parents in the school.
School Staff Governors
These will be elected by the staff at the school. All Governing Bodies have positions for teachers and most have a position for support staff.
Associate members
Are volunteer members of the governing body but they are not governors and have no voting rights at full governing body meetings. The governing body will decide if it wants associate members and how many. They may be removed from office by the governing body at any time. There is no limit of associate members.
Our Governors: Terms and Interests
Co-opted Governors
Laura Gillespie
- Start of term of office: 13/10/2016
- End of term of office: re-elected 11/07/23 to serve until 10/07/2027
- Positions: Chair
- Link Governor for: Performance Management, Policies, SEN
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
John Plant
- Start of term of office: 01/03/2016
- End of term of office: 28/02/20 re-elected 01/03/20 to serve until 29/02/2024
- Positions:
- Link Governor for: Resources
- Relationship to members of staff or governors : None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Natalie Brownell
- Start of term of office: 13/03/2017
- End of term of office: 12/03/20 re-elected 03/20 to serve until 03/23, re-elected as Co-opted Governor 31/01/23 to serve until 30/01/27
- End of term of office:
- Positions: Vice Chair, Chair Safeguarding & Inclusion
- Link Governor for: Policies, Safeguarding, Child Protection including LAC, Training Co-ordinator, Attendance, Performance Management
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Cathy Malone
- Start of term of office: 10/10/23
- End of term of office: 09/10/27
- Positions: None
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Mark Rayner
- Start of term of office: 26/03/2019
- End of term of office: 26/03/2023 re-elected 26/03/23 to serve until 25/03/27
- Positions: None
- Link Governor for: Pupil Premium, Post 16 and Careers, Performance Management
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Melanie Bancroft
- Start of term of office: 17/09/2024
- End of term of office: 16/09/2028
- Positions:
- Link Governor for:
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Vacancy
- Start of term of office:
- End of term of office:
- Positions: None
- Link Governor for:
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Vacancy
- Start of term of office:
- End of term of office:
- Positions: None
- Link Governor for:
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Local Authority
Vacancy
- Start of term of office:
- End of term of office:
- Positions:
- Link Governor for:
- Relationship to members of staff or governors:
- Declared interests:
- Governance roles in other educational institutions:
Parent Governors
Vacancy
- Start of term of office:
- End of term of office:
- Positions:
- Link Governor for:
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Vacancy
- Start of term of office:
- End of term of office:
- Positions:
- Link Governor for:
- Relationship to members of staff or governors:
- Declared interests:
- Governance roles in other educational institutions:
Shannon O'Donnell-Provatas
- Start of term of office: 12/07/22
- End of term of office: 11/07/26
- Positions:
- Link Governor for:
- Relationship to members of staff or governors:
- Declared interests:
- Governance roles in other educational institutions:
Head Teacher Ex-officio
Aileen Hosty
- Start of term of office: N/A
- End of term of office: N/A
- Positions: Co-Headteacher
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Laura Rzepinski
- Start of term of office: N/A
- End of term of office: N/A
- Positions: Co-Headteacher
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Staff
Vacancy
- Start of term of office:
- End of term of office: 1
- Positions:
- Relationship to members of staff or governors: None
- Declared interests: None
- Governance roles in other educational institutions: None
Special Responsibilities
A Chair of Governors and a Vice Chair are elected from the Parent, Local Authority and Co-opted Governors (staff and the ex-officio head cannot take on these roles). Governors also choose, or are appointed, to serve on various committees and, additionally, to take on the responsibility for overseeing different priorities of the School Development Plan.
Committees, Meeting Dates and Attendance
Much of the work of the Governing Body is carried out in full governing meetings. At Bents Green School our meetings are
Resources | Teaching and Learning | Safeguarding and Inclusion
Meetings take place monthly.
Resources Meeting, Quorum: 6
- John Plant (Chair)
- All Governors
- Clerk: Jane Smith from Governor Support
Teaching and Learning Meeting Quorum: 6
- Laura Gillespie (Chair)
- All Governors
- Plus subject leaders as appropriate
- Clerk: Jane Smith from Governor Support
Safeguarding and Inclusion Meeting, Quorum: 6
- Natalie Brownell (Chair)
- All Governors
- Plus subject leaders as appropriate
- Clerk: Jane Smith from Governor Support
Strategy Meeting, Quorum: 6
- Laura Gillespie (Chair)
- All Governors
- Plus subject leaders as appropriate
- Clerk: Jane Smith from Governor Support
Full Governors’ Meetings
Clerk to Full Governors: Jane Smith from Governor Support
The Quorum for the full Governing body is half of the members, not including associate members. Bents Green School governing body meets monthly for meetings. These are chaired by the chair of governors and clerked by a Learn Sheffield clerk. The head teacher presents a report which outlines the progress of teaching and learning in the school based on the results of lesson observations and data from assessments, along with progress on the School Improvement Plan, staffing, concerns, absences, exclusions and budget.
- A typical meeting includes:
- Declaration of interests
- Ratifying minutes of previous meetings
- Reviewing and approving policies
- Matters arising from previous meetings
- Reports from governors with special responsibilities
- Correspondence sent to the Chair
- Part A of the head teacher’s report
- Part B of head teacher’s report (confidential)
- Any other urgent business
Other Information
Our Chair of Governors has completed the NCTL Leadership Development Programme. Please click to view the certificate.
Please click to view our Governor Code Of Conduct
Please click to view our Governor Visit Policy
For more information you can read: National Governance Association (NGA) Good Governance