School Governors

The governors at Ladycross play a very important role in school. There are parent, co-opted and local authority governors. They are all volunteers, but they make a real difference.

Governors work with schools to:

• Raise standards, achieve good pupil behaviour, ensure safeguarding and maintain high attendance
• Set the school’s strategy, policies and targets
• Decide how the school budget will be spent
• Ensure schools work with parents and the local community

The Governing Body meets every month as a single group rather than operating as committees. Committees are formed temporarily, as and when required, for example when supporting school in staff recruitment. Meeting minutes are available on request from the school office.

Our Governor profiles are listed below, and all the non-staff governors also have a special interest in one or more aspect of the school:

• Safeguarding - Joanna Piwowarczyk
• PE and Sports Premium – Alex Lloyd
• Pupil Premium and SEND – Emma Lowry
• English – Alex Lloyd
• Maths and Science - Nitu Manan

Governors meet with the Head or other Senior Leaders in-between formal meetings for discussions and updates on these special interests. We have an evidence file recording these meetings and showing how strong governance has a positive impact on the school. Governors do not need any qualifications, just experience of life, though governors may have qualifications and skills that they could bring to the role. Following appointment, governors are inducted and trained in their roles and attend further training to ensure they have the rights skills to help and challenge the school leaders. Being a governor can be challenging and requires commitment of time and energy, but it is also extremely rewarding and satisfying role.

If you wish to contact the chair of Governors at Ladycross, the email is ChairofGovernors@ladycross.derbyshire.sch.uk

Governor Profiles

Chair: Mr Alexander Lloyd, Co-opted governor. Term of office: 13.07.23 to 12.07.27

Alex joined the Governors in July 2019 and hopes to be able to contribute to the Governing Body by utilising experience in his vocation as an engineer/project manager, specifically in aspects such as managing budgets, stakeholder management and strategy. Alex is passionate in helping to provide the very best learning experience for the young people of Ladycross by giving constructive challenge and offering support where required.

Alex was elected as Chair as Governors in June 2024.

Head Teacher: Mrs Kathryn McKinley. Joined Ladycross school and Governing Body April 2020

As headteacher of Ladycross Infant and Nursery School, Kathryn is extremely proud to be able to play a key role in maintaining and developing the excellent reputation that the school has amongst the local community.  Ladycross has a superb and highly committed team of governors and an extremely enthusiastic, hardworking, dynamic and talented group of staff.  We all share a common vision to set goals for the school’s future and so it is a real privilege to be able to work together to help our school move forward and provide the best that we can for our children.

Mrs Denise Hill, Clerk to Governors.

Mrs Nitu Manan, Parent Governor. Term of office: 25.02.2021 to 24.02.2025 

Nitu is a new member of the governing body having joined in April 2021. She has worked in the education sector as a secondary school teacher for over 10 years and is passionate about teaching and learning. Nitu is keen to support the school to further the progress of pupils, input into policy making and network other local schools to ensure pupils at Ladycross continue to have the best learning experience.

Ms Emma Lowry, Parent Governor. Term of office: 15.12.21 to 16.12.25

Emma joined as a parent governor in October 2021. She lives in Sandiacre and is a mother of two young children, including a son who attends Ladycross. Emma has 21 years’ experience in communications, with specific skills in story-telling, strategy-setting and relationship management. She hopes to find new ways to increase meaningful engagement between parents and the school, and to help Ladycross deliver an outstanding learning experience to all its pupils.

Miss Rachel Tittershill: Term of office: 30.01.24 to 30.01.28

Rachel joined the school governing body in January 2024. Rachel is an Assistant Headteacher at a large primary school. Prior to being Assistant Headteacher, Rachel was the Special Educational Needs Coordinator in her school. Rachel has a passion to see all children succeed. Rachel has a range of experience in leading behaviour, pastoral care, safeguarding and staff development within a primary school. Rachel is excited to join the Ladycross governing body and get to know the school.

Joanna Piwowarczyk: Term of office: 30.07.24 to 30.07.28

Joanna Piwowarczyk joined the governing body in July 2024 and brings valuable expertise as a commercial solicitor with a strong background in governance, compliance, and commercial contracts. As Legal Counsel, she advises on commercial and employment law matters, focusing on risk management and regulatory compliance.

Joanna is particularly passionate about safeguarding and anti-bullying initiatives, working to ensure a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students. Committed to strong governance, she collaborates closely with the school’s leadership team to help drive excellence and secure the best possible outcomes for students.

Outside of her professional and governor responsibilities, Joanna enjoys hiking and actively contributing to her local community.

Governors stepped down in the previous 12 months:

Wendy Box - Wendy stepped down in Jan 2025

Becki Eaves - Becki stepped down in Nov 2024

Ladycross Infant and Nursery School Mission and Objectives

Ladycross Governor's Mission Statement:

The Governing Body strives to create a solid and diverse body of governors, allowing the best chance to both support and provide constructive challenge to the school and its leadership. It will continue to challenge the Head Teacher to ensure continuous improvement and will regularly review the financial management of the school.

Governors shall ensure meetings are held in a professional manner and promote open debate. The views of all meeting attendees and that of parents or staff shall always be respected and listened to.

In line with a goal of the school with respect to improving parental engagement, governors shall raise their visibility to parents and school staff by increasing the number of visits into school for curriculum and link-governor visits. Governors will utilise other opportunities to visit school such as during parents’ evenings, fund raising events and meeting both prospective parents and parents of new starters. Governors shall carefully listen to views from pupils, parents and school staff and use these to inform the longer-term school strategy.

On the basis that school can only add value to children when they are present, pupil attendance shall remain a primary concern for the Governing Board and regular updates from the Head Teacher shall be provided to governors, with improvement plans presented whenever attendance falls below the expected target.

Governors shall ensure that a rich and varied Curriculum is in place, which includes cultural awareness and diversity across all school years, and that a programme of development is in place to keep this up to date.

Governors not only want Ladycross to be a happy and fun place to learn and somewhere in which pupils excel, but also that Ladycross is the school of choice in the local area. Governors shall encourage staff to strengthen links between school and the wider community in which it serves, including other local schools.

Governors will hold the Head Teacher to account in respect of ensuring that parents are actively involved and knowledgeable about what their children are being taught.

Governors shall focus on stability and experience of school staff and challenge the school in both succession planning and business planning, aiming to future-proof future years budgets so far as is possible given annual projected pupil intake.

SMART Objectives:

• Develop and implement a procedure (e.g. standardised proformas and timetable) for the auditing of subject leads two time per annum. Link governors to report back to board with summary report.
• Establish ongoing campaign for the recruitment and retention of governors, through skills gap analysis and by allocating specific responsibilities to build collegiality and reward.
• Develop and maintain an annual plan for improved parental engagement by the governing board, which may include for example, attendance of governors at key events (i.e. parents evening, summer fayre, etc.), termly letter, contact email/online form.
• Development Pupil Projection Data is obtained by School Business Officer, presented and reviewed annually in March.
• Board to review how and where Diversity and Inclusion and Cultural awareness is embedded in the curriculum throughout all school years. Effectiveness shall be judged via governor school visits (records of checks for this visible via completed governor visit proformas).
• Continuous checking of effective school policy to maximise pupil attendance. The Head Teacher will provide half termly data to governors and explain systems in place to achieve at least 95.5% pupil attendance.