Governors
Governing Body
Governors have a vital role to play in ensuring our school provides the best possible education for our children.
They are responsible for:
- Setting the strategic direction for the School
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the children
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the financial effectiveness of the School and funds are well spent
In November 2015 the Governing Body was reconstituted to increase further its efficiency and effectiveness. This now includes a minimum of 7 members (no maximum number) but for Oakridge comprises 1 x Head Teacher, 1 x member of staff, 3 x parents, 1 x LA member and 5 x as many co-opted to add value and bring required skill sets on board.
The Governing Board employs Fiona Stagg, a National Leader of Governance, to professionally clerk all the Full Governors meetings.
See below for documents containing the Governors Code of Conduct and the Roles and Responsibilities of the Governors, as well as an overall explanation of the Governing Body by the Chair.
Mrs Sue Wilson - Chair of Governors - Co opted
Meeting | No of | % Attendance |
---|---|---|
Full Governors | 3 | 100% |
Health and Safety | - | - |
Leadership & Management | 5 | 100% |
Curriculum | 3 | 100% |
Sue works in Human Resources Management and has been an Oakridge Governor since 2009. She is currently Chair having been Co-Chair and Vice Chair as well as previously chairing the Leadership and Management Committee, which oversees the budgetary, leadership and staffing/HR aspects of school governance. Sue is also a member of the Curriculum, Health & Safety and the Head Teacher's Performance Management Committees. Sue has three children who 'graduated' from Oakridge in 2010 and 2012 and 2016.
Pecuniary Interests:
None
Mrs Nicola Lewis - Co opted
Meeting | No of | % Attendance |
---|---|---|
Full Governors | 3 | 100% |
Health and Safety | - | - |
Leadership & Management | - | - |
Curriculum | 3 | 100% |
Nicki was a parent Governor for 4 years. During this time she has taken on the responsibility for E-Safety, DDA and SEN within the School and was co opted onto the Governing body when she was no longer eligible to be a parent Governor. Nicki graduated from university with a law degree and qualified and worked as a solicitor before having her children. In addition to being a Governor, she played an ative role with the PTA. In her spare time Nicki plays the piano and walks her dogs.
Pecuniary Interests:
None
Ms Kate Lincoln - Co opted
Meeting | No of | % Attendance |
---|---|---|
Full Governors | 3 | 100% |
Health and Safety | 4 | 100% |
Leadership & Management | 5 | 100% |
Curriculum | - | - |
Kate was co-opted as Governor in January 2019 and is now the Chair of the Health and Safety Committee. Professionally, Kate works as Director of Corporate Resources for a Stafford based IT consultancy and services business, risual limited. In this role, Kate sits on the Executive Board overseeing the operations of the organisation, with specific responsibilities that include human resources, finance, compliance and facilities management. Additionally, Kate supports the work of Stoke and Staffordshire LEP and the Careers and Enterprise Company, volunteering as an Enterprise Advisor by spending time in local secondary schools helping them develop their careers provision. Kate is also a Trustee and member of the Board for charity, risual Foundation.
Kate has lived in Stafford since a young age, has two daughters, both former pupils of Oakridge.
Pecuniary Interests:
None
Mr Wylde - Headteacher
Meeting | No of | % Attendance |
---|---|---|
Full Governors | ||
Health and Safety | ||
Leadership & Management | ||
Curriculum |
Mr Wylde became Headteacher at Oakridge Primary School in September 2024.
Pecuniary Interests:
None
Mr Richard Simmonds - Parent Governor
Meeting | No of | % Attendance |
---|---|---|
Full Governors | ||
Health and Safety | ||
Leadership & Management | ||
Curriculum |
Richard joined the Governing board in July 2023. Richard has been a solicitor for 15 years and is currently General counsel, heading the Legal department for a group of 5 companies. As part of his role, he is a member of the Senior Management /Team, Risk and Compliance Committee and Incident Management Team. He is also involved in group wide tendering and onboarding of suppliers and partners.
Pecuniary Interests:
None
Mr Dom Rust - Co-opted Governor
Meeting | No of | % Attendance |
---|---|---|
Full Governors | 3 | 100% |
Health and Safety | - | - |
Leadership & Management | 5 | 100% |
Curriculum | 3 | 100% |
Dom was elected as a Parent Governor in November 2015 and again in 2019. In 2023 Dom became a co opted Governor. Professionally Dom works in HR for Capgemini, a Global IT organisation, with his current remit covering HR Systems and Analytics. Dom is a Fellow of the CIPD having worked in HR for over 20 years. This is a very different career path to his original plans, having initially done Hotel Management at University! Dom’s two daughters both attended Oakridge with his eldest leaving Oakridge in July 2021 and his youngest now in 2023. In his spare time, Dom enjoys reading fiction, history and most sports. Dom is also Chair of the Leadership and Management Committee as well as being a part of the Headteacher Performance Management Committee.
Pecuniary Interests:
None
Mrs Cathy Thompson - Staff Governor
Meeting | No of | % Attendance |
---|---|---|
Full Governors | 3 | 100% |
Health and Safety | 4 | 75% |
Leadership & Management | 5 | 100% |
Curriculum | 3 | 100% |
Cathy was elected as a Parent Governor in October 2020 and following her appointment as a TA in July 2023 Cathy became the staff Governor. Cathy currently has three children, a daughter who is a former Oakridge pupil as well as two sons at Oakridge. After finishing law school, she worked in corporate finance, banking and property finance
Pecuniary Interests:
Treasurer of PTFA (OSCA)
Parent Governor - vacancy
Mr John Bloomer - LA Governor
Meeting | No of | % Attendance |
---|---|---|
Full Governors | 3 | 100% |
Health and Safety | - | - |
Leadership & Management | 5 | 80% |
Curriculum | - | - |
John joined Staffordshire Police in March 2018 as Chief Finance Officer (and Section 151 Officer), and since September 2022 is the Assistant Chief Officer for Resources, which covers People and Organisational Development, Finance and Commercial Services, IT & Technology, Estates, Transport and Project Management Office
John began his career in Finance at Staffordshire County Council, having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in History, progressing from trainee accountant to Senior Finance Business Partner, before moving to work for Cornwall Council for a number of years. Before joining Staffordshire Police John briefly worked in the NHS. John is a member of CIPFA Council and CIPFA’s Public Financial Management Board, a member of the NPCC finance coordination committee.
During his time at Staffordshire John has led the transformation of the Staffordshire Police forces finance function and overall financial position, with Staffordshire Police now being one of the most financially resilient forces in the United Kingdom as well as being awarded a national public finance award in 2020. .
Pecuniary Interests:
Member of CIPFA - Public Finance Management Board
Parent Governor - vacancy