Governance
The School Governing Body (a.k.a. the 'Local Governing Board') is made up of community and local authority representatives, parents and school staff.
Once a vacancy arises, governors are elected on to the governing body and perform their role on a voluntary basis.
The focus of the governing body is as follows:
- To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- To hold the Head Teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff;
- To oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent.
- To ensure and enable parental engagement, and to engage with other key stakeholders in the community.
For further information, please contact governors@bexton.cheshire.sch.uk
Who Are We?
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Matt Stephenson (Chair) Co-opted Governor (appointed by the governing board for a further term of office until 15 March 2027) I have been part of the governing board at Bexton since 2016 when I joined as an associate member. I was delighted to be elected by parents in 2017 to be a parent governor to serve a four year term of office until March 2021, and have recently been re-appointed as a co-opted governor until 2026. I have three children. Both my eldest have completed their Bexton Primary education, with one still at Bexton. I continue to be impressed by the dedication and commitment shown by the whole team. I was recently re-appointed as chair of the governing board for a further one year term of office until 1 October 2025, and I am link governor for Finance. |
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Emily Armstrong Emily began her career in education in 2004, driven by a passion for teaching and learning. Over the years, she has had the privilege of serving in leadership capacities across various educational settings, each offering valuable lessons and experiences. With a background spanning all Primary Key Stages including a short leadership opportunity teaching KS3 English at a British School in Bahrain, Emily has developed clear understanding of the ethos and values to support children educationally. Emily worked as Assistant Head at Bexton for 7 years before she became the Headteacher in 2016. Since then she has focused on fostering a supportive learning environment and expanding the school's offerings to include a larger Resource Provision, Nursery setting (from 2yrs) and a thriving Wrap Around Care facility. In 2019, Bexton Primary School joined Cheshire Academies Trust, opening up new opportunities for growth and collaboration. Emily played a significant role in this transition, contributing her insights and dedication to the school's continued development. In addition to her role as Headteacher, Emily became the Trust’s Safeguarding Lead in 2023, taking on responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of all members within the trust. |
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Naveen Bhatia Co-opted Governor (Appointed by the Local Governing Board on 24.9.24 for a four year term of office until 23.9.28) I am very honoured and grateful to the current Governors at Bexton School for appointing me to the Governing Board. My son, who is in year 3, has had such a fantastic experience of school over the last few years. This is down to the hard work and caring nature of the senior leadership team and staff at Bexton. It is clear from their actions and the way students are striving in the school that they want the best for the children. I want to assist in helping the next generation to have similar experiences. Over the last 15 years I have worked in law and politics, my most recent employment was working as the Office Manager for a Member of Parliament. I believe that my experiences in understand processes, stakeholder engagement and the implementation of projects will assist the school in the future. |
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Sue Sharratt Co-opted Governor (Appointed by Full Governing Board on 4 July 2018, and for a further four year term of office until 4.7.26) Sue began as a Bexton Governor in July 2018. "I have had a long association with Bexton school. My three children all have happy memories of attending and I spent 20 years teaching at the school mainly in the Rainbow room and as Inclusion Director for the whole school.
Link Governor: SEND and Safeguarding, Wider Curriculum
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Sarah Stafford (vice chair) Parent Governor: Elected by parents for a four year term of office from 30.3.21 to 29.3.25 My children attend Bexton (Year 5 and Year 1). For my day job I am a freelance publisher, specialising in the UK education sector. I bring knowledge of the latest education policy and insight into primary and secondary schools across the country. I understand how schools run, the challenges they face and the many brilliant ways that they educate and inspire young people. I have expertise in strategy development and delivery, market research, publishing processes, marketing and a strong business acumen. I was recently re-appointed as vice chair of the governing board for a further one year term of office until 1 October 2025. Link Governor for Assessment and Data, and Pupil Premium (with Kristina Gol) Deputy Link Governor for Safeguarding (with Sue Sharratt) |
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Kristina Gol Parent Governor: Elected by parents for a four year term of office from 30.3.21 to 29.3.25 I have a son in year 5 at Bexton and a daughter who has just started Reception. I am a huge fan of Bexton’s ethos in providing outstanding and ambitious education for its pupils and since my son started at Bexton, I have felt proud to be a part of the Bexton community. From my background as a Solicitor, I can bring lots of experience to the role in risk assessment, policy drafting, data protection, safeguarding, people management and health and safety. I am link governor for Health and Safety; as well as Assessment, Data and Pupil Premium (with Sarah Stafford.) |
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Samantha Rundle Co-opted Governor: Appointed by the Governing Board for a 4 year term of office from 20.1.22- 19.1.26 I am an Actuary in a large life insurance company. I have a number of years' experience in pensions consulting, ensuring pension schemes operate effectively and providing financial advice to Trustees and Companies. I hope that my skills in finance, risk and governance will add value to the Board.
I also have a daughter in Year 1 at Bexton and I am keen to play an active role in the community.
Link Governor: Equality and Fully Inclusive Culture
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Michael Charnock Co-opted Governor: appointed by the governing board for a four year term of office from 5.5.22 until 4.5.26. I moved to Knutsford a few years back with my wife and now having a 2 year old I was keen to get more involved with the town. I believe Bexton to be part of the foundation of the community and would like to help continue the school's fantastic work. Although Bexton is my first role as a Governor I am hoping to add value to the organisation with my experience driving both large business and IT transformations in the private sector. GDPR Link Governor |
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Lynne Lea Co-opted Governor: Appointed by Full Governing Board on 4 July 2018, and for a further four year term of office until 4.7.26 Lynne began as a Bexton Governor in July 2018. I was appointed as a co-opted governor in July 2018. I was keen to get involved with the governance of Bexton as I had been a school governor a few years prior at King's Heath Boys' School in Birmingham.
I have three children; the older two thrived at Bexton and have moved onto high school and the youngest is currently in year 5. I've seen the vision for the school develop and the dedication that the staff have shown to continue to maintain such high standards of attainment in very changing and challenging times.
For my day job, I am a pensions lawyer with a large corporate firm. I advise Trustee boards and large corporates on the legal duties, risks and obligations connected with running pension schemes. I hope that my skill set is useful to the Board.
Special Responsibility: Training Governor |
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Arran Rimmer Staff Governor Appointed by staff election on 4.11.24 for a four year term of office until 3.11.28 I joined Bexton Primary School as School Business Manager in January 2024 and was delighted to be elected as the staff governor in November 2024.
My career in education began in 2006 after the birth of my children, and since then, I have gained extensive experience across both primary and secondary school settings in the maintained and private sectors. My key areas of expertise include Finance, Health & Safety, HR, and Compliance. I am passionate about using these skills to contribute to the governing board's strategic decisions, ensuring the best outcomes for the education, attainment, and wellbeing of all our pupils.
Outside of work, I am a proud mother of four grown-up children and grandmother to three wonderful grandchildren, and I cherish the time I spend with them.
Being part of the Bexton team is an absolute privilege, and I take great joy in working alongside our incredible staff to support the school community.
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Ian Cass Co-opted Governor: Appointed by the Local Governing Board on 4.5.23 for a four year term of office until 3.5.27. I am delighted to be appointed as a governor for Bexton Primary School, which both my children attended when younger. I am currently Managing director of the Forum of Private businesses which helps small business owners and has a membership of 18,000 members across the UK as well as being chairman of the micro business alliance which represents about 1.2 million microbusinesses (0-9 employees) in engaging with government at local, regional and national level. My main background is in Marketing and Sales and I am also a governor at Macclesfield college. |
What do governors do?
Individual governors keep up to date on school policy, new regulations, school development plans and government drives on a local and national level. They attend training and they also visit the school regularly to gain an in depth understanding of the school, which enables them to perform their role more effectively.
Associate members of the governing board are appointed by the Local Governing Board (LGB) and assist in an advisory capacity. Associate members do not have voting rights at LGB.
Governors attend the following meetings:
Local Governing Body (LGB): All governors attend the full governing body meetings which take place three times per term. Minutes of part 1 of these meetings are public documents, please ask if you would like a paper copy of any of our part 1 (non-confidential) minutes. Part 2 of the meetings is reserved for any confidential business (e.g. it may contain information about staff pay or other confidential matters.)
Bexton also has working groups which are time bound and research further into a particular area and are advisory in thie role, providing information to the governing body. We currently have the following working groups:
The Wraparound Project Teams were set up in Autumn 2019 to develop a business plan around developing and extending the wraparound care offered to the community.
The 'Vision' Team is working on the strategic vision and direction of the school.
Panels of governors can also be convened as and when needed to deal with complaints, appeals, pupil discipline, headteacher recruitment and other statutory obligations.
Becoming a Governor
Parent governors are elected by parents of children attending Bexton school at the date of election. Co-opted governors are appointed by the Board of Governors. The staff governor is elected by staff members of the school.
Vacancies
We currently have a vacancy for a co-opted governor on our governing board. Prior governance experience is not essential, as training will be given. For more information, please email admin@bexton.cheshire.sch.uk
List of Bexton Governors who have resigned or completed their term of office in the last 2 years
Peter Woodhouse our chair of governors and LA governor until 2019 resigned on 20 November 2019 in order to join the CAT Trustee Board. Mike Braun, vice chair of Resources Committee and co-opted governor, resigned on 20 November 2019. Jon Webb, parent governor, elected by parents and completed his four year term of office from 24.5.16 to 23.5.20. Peter Kingdom, co-opted governor and safeguarding link governor, completed his four year term of office and resigned on 6 July 2020. Kathryn Woolf (co-opted governor), Jim Lovett (co-opted governor) , John Squires (co-opted governor) and Catherine Hulme (co-opted governor) completed their terms of office on 30.10.21. Lucy Goldsmith (co-opted governor) resigned on 27.11.22 Sandra Bland was staff governor until 31.1.23, after serving 8 years. Tom Wyatt (staff governor) resigned on 31.8.24. Jill Sach (co-opted governor) resigned on 31.8.24. Thankyou to all our governors past and present.
Contact the Bexton governors
If you have any ideas or comments for the governors in relation to the strategy or vision of the school, please do get in touch with us at governors@bexton.cheshire.sch.uk
Remember the school governor has a strategic role and does not deal with day to day running of the school. Any questions of this nature should always be directed to school staff in the first instance.
Further Information
For the most recent information, please look at the subpages off the governor main page (from the menu at the top choose 'about us'> governors > drop down menu of governor subpages: This will take you to the governor subpages, where you can find the annual governor impact statement together with a precis of the most recent governing body meeting, information on governor attendance at meetings, governor declarations of pecuniary interest, information on governor membership and other useful information. Please see below for some additional downloadable files which may be of interest.