Hi and welcome to the Governor area of our school website, where we hope you will gain an insight into what we do as a board of governors here at Eastcombe.
Our school Governors play a very important and active role in school life not only attending termly meetings, but also in a more practical supportive role. They run our School Council, they help out in classrooms and support a variety of school events such as Sports Day and the Gnome Hunt. Our school governors are an essential part of our school community.
Whether you are a parent of a child who attends our school, a prospective parent taking a look at what we have to offer or merely an interested visitor, I do hope you find our website of use and feel inspired by what you see when visiting us.
Eastcombe is a small village school that offers fun-learning and engaging teaching which can be found in copious amounts, it’s a place where children can feel safe and staff are empowered to deliver great teaching.
The governors for their part work closely with Mrs Jones and her team by fulfilling the following functions:
• Engage with the Head and staff to develop and manage the school’s ongoing and evolving strategies towards our collective goal of outstanding.
• Ensure the school operates within the legal framework set out by the government, principally through the ongoing assessment of the school’s policies and ways of working.
• Take collective ownership for the school’s budget and financial sustainability, making joint decisions about the best uses of resources available to us.
• Take responsibility for the recruitment and performance management of the Head Teacher, through ongoing challenge and support.
We achieve this through meeting as a board every term and we have a very clear focus on what the priorities are through a close partnership with the head. We make use of committees to manage the more detailed processes; principally our Resources to maintain a stable financial/properties performance and our Standards to monitor the quality of education provided by our teaching team.
We have a great team of governors who all bring with them skills from outside the world of education which help us make balanced decisions and along with the school team, we all want to make Eastcombe Primary School the very best it can be. Our team of governors is a dynamic one and you will learn a little more about us here on the website.
On behalf of all of the governors, we look forward to seeing you in school!
Debbie Simpson, Chair of Governors
Declaration of Attendance – 2015-16
Declaration of Attendance 2016-17
Declaration of Attendance 2017-18
Declaration of Attendance 2018-19
Declaration of interests 2018-19
 | Mrs Claire Jones I am Head Teacher here at Eastcombe Primary School. I started in September 2015 and I am loving Headship. I am married with two daughters who attend local schools near to where we live. I have no business or pecuniary Interests. |
| Image coming soon | Mrs Clare Schagen I am the current Chair of Governors and a parent governor. I have served on the governing body for two years. I have two sons, one at the school currently in Year 4, and one in Secondary school. I am responsible for Policy management and I sit on the Resources committee. I have no business or pecuniary interests. |
 | I have been a co-opted governor at the school since January 2016 and currently chair the Resources committee. I have also served as co-Chair of Governors. I live in Bussage with my wife, and since taking early retirement keep myself busy through various volunteering roles, including a weekly shift at the Stroud Foodbank and helping out practically on maintaining our footpath network. I am also interested in history, both my own family and local, and serve on the committee of the Chalford Parish Local History Group. As a governor my aim is to help the school maintain its role at the centre of village life, support the teachers in delivering a first-class education for the pupils and work hard to retain all the things that make our school so special. It really is more than just a place of learning. I have no business or pecuniary Interests. |
 | Mrs Emily Luckham. I became a Parent Governor in March 2020. I am Chair of the Standards committee and am the Safeguarding governor. I live in Bussage with my husband and two children. My son is currently in Year 4, and my daughter attended from year 3 until year 6 and left in 2019. My career began working as a teaching assistant supporting children with SEND in primary schools. I have also spent time working in Children Centres working with families and their young children and was a playgroup leader for a short time. Currently, I work for a user-led disability charity called Inclusion Gloucestershire. As a Governor my aim is to support the school leadership team to maintain a high standard of education, and to continue to support and develop each child’s mental wellbeing. I have no business or pecuniary interests |
 | Mr Giles Webber. I became a Parent Governor in October 2020 and sit on the Resources committee. I live in Chalford Hill with my wife and two children having moved to the area in 2018. Both my children attended the school, my son left in 2020 and my daughter is in year 5. My early career was spent in the Wine Industry before moving into Human Resources where I have held positions in both the Private and Public sectors. I have a keen interest in sport which has led me to become a Football Association Level 1 coach, I currently volunteer for a local club. As a Governor my aim is to support the school leadership team to maintain high educational standards and to ensure a safe and inviting environment for pupils to strive in their early years. I have no business or pecuniary interests. |
| Image coming soon. | Mrs Catherine Monk Teacher Governor. Mrs Monk teaches Y5 and Y6 in Owl Class. |
 | Mr Kevin Carden I have been a co- opted governor at the school since November 2019 and I am currently a member of the Resources Committee. I live in Oakridge Lynch with my wife and our two dogs. My background is in Retail and I held several management positions both in the UK and in Asia during my career. I took early retirement in 2016 and started volunteering firstly at Cambridge City Foodbank and then Stroud Foodbank when we moved to Gloucestershire. I now have a part time Project Manager role with North Cotswold Foodbank. I am a qualified Cricket Umpire and spend my summers officiating various levels and forms of cricket from County Youth to West of England Premier League. As a Governor my aim is to support the school leadership team with the strategic accountability for educational and financial performance. I have no business or pecuniary interests. |
 | Mrs Melanie Thomas. Clerk to the Governors |