Welcome to our Governors’ section.

On this page you will find details of the names and terms of office for all of our Governors, together with details of their category of Governor, positions of responsibility and details of any additional committees that they serve on. We have also included details of the business and financial interests of each Governor and information about any Governance role they play in other schools, as well as a full breakdown of the structure and responsibilities of the governing body of our school and its committees.

The governors’ aim is to enable John Blandy school to provide the best possible education for the children in a happy, stimulating environment. We want the experiences provided at John Blandy to enable every child to achieve their full potential, academically and socially. We work closely with Mrs Elliott, the Headteacher, and her staff. As we are part of a Trust, the John Blandy Primary School Local Governing Body is accountable to the Faringdon Learning Trust Board for ensuring that these statutory responsibilities are met.    

As school governors we are responsible for monitoring and evaluating the performance and effectiveness of the staff and ensuring that the children make appropriate progress in all areas of their education. We ensure that the budget is managed prudently and act as critical friends to the staff, monitor the school development plan and are involved in OFSTED’s school inspections. We want the children to have a broad range of experiences and to enjoy their time at our school.

The Governing Body is charged with many specific responsibilities and powers but has general responsibility for oversight of every aspect of the school and its activities. Formally, the Department for Education requires governors to:

• Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.

• Hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff.

• Oversee the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

We are always open to feedback and ideas so please email via the school office on office@jbl.faringdonlearningtrust.org 

To contact the governors please email: clerk.johnblandy@faringdonlearningtrust.org

Our Local Governing Body is currently made up of:

• Up to 2 Parent Governors

• 1 Staff Governor

• 6 Community Governors

• 1 Headteacher

Hannah Boon (Community Governor) - Chair

Appointed:  May 2022                    Term:  4 Years

Meetings attended 2022-23 - 100%

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: None Declared

I have been a Parent Governor at John Blandy since 2018 and I have thoroughly enjoyed the active part this has allowed me to play in our school. I am currently the Vice Chair of Governors, a member of the Performance and Standards sub-committee and the Health and Safety Governor.  Professionally I am a Clinical Scientist for the NHS, with particular expertise in quality assurance and audit, and working according to mandated procedures.

As a working parent with children in Year 5 and Year 2 I am well positioned to appreciate the various challenges faced by the school, and by parents. I am genuinely proud of the work we are doing at John Blandy to secure the success of the school, and I have been pleased to support the school through an expansion, a change of leadership structure, the ongoing development of the curriculum and the Covid-response, and of course, a very rewarding Ofsted inspection in 2021.

Together we at John Blandy provide a learning environment where all our children know they belong and believe they can succeed. It is an honour to be part of the team as John Blandy continues to reach for brilliance for all.

Belong. Believe. Brilliant.

Christina Holleywood (Community Governor) Vice-Chair

Appointed:  September 2022                            Term:  4 Years

Meetings attended 2022-23 - 100%

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: None Declared

I have been a Governor at John Blandy since September 2022 and have enjoyed getting to know the school and learning about all aspects of governance. With two children at John Blandy (in Year 2 and Reception) I am keen to understand the challenges the school is facing, and help figure out the best way to overcome some of these hurdles. As STEM Governor and a member of the Performance and Standards committee, I am putting my background in science to good use.

Lorna Butler (Parent Governor)

Appointed:  October 2020                      Term:  4 Years

Meetings attended 2022-23 - 83%

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: None Declared

I moved to the village in 2017 and have two daughters at John Blandy. In my current Governor role I help to support literacy within the school. I am happy to be part of the Governing body and to be able to help the team deliver a fantastic and supportive learning environment for all our children. Professionally, I have been a secondary school English teacher for 15 years. Since 2011 I have worked at King Alfred’s Academy in Wantage and I currently lead their KS5 English department.

Nina Davis (Parent Governor)

Appointed:  May 2022                                         Term:  4 Years

Meetings attended 2022-23 - 83%

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: None Declared

I joined John Blandy School as a parent Governor in May 2022. I have lived in the village since 2014 and my child will be going to the school for the next 6 years, so I have a vested interest. I wanted to support the strategic planning of the school and do what I can to help the school achieve its vision.

I am a Finance Manager at one of the departments at the University of Oxford, and I am using this skill to fill the Finance Governor role. I am also the PSHE and Mental Health Link Governor as this is something I feel passionately about; my view is that happy and supported children will thrive in education.

I feel privileged to be on the local governing committee and hope that I can make a difference.

Tamzin Einon (Community Governor)

Appointed:  July 2020                                   Term:  4 Years

Meetings attended 2022-23 - 100%

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: Employee at Quest for Learning

I have been working in education for nearly 20 years, first as a classroom teacher and senior leader in a primary school and now leading the teaching team at an Oxfordshire education charity supporting disadvantaged children with their reading and maths. I moved to the village six years ago and am excited to have the opportunity to be involved with my local school as a Community Governor.

As part of my current role, I am responsible for all aspects of safeguarding as the organisation’s Designated Safeguarding Lead. I am keen to use this, alongside my teaching experience, to support the John Blandy governors and staff as Safeguarding Governor and as a member of the Performance and Standards committee to help the school go from strength to strength.

  Gareth Sheer (Community Governor)
Appointed:  September 2022                 Term:  4 Years

Meetings attended 2022-23 - 83%

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: None Declared

I have been a secondary school teacher since 2002 and prior to my current role I previously worked in two grammar schools – as Head of Politics in the first and Head of History in the second. Since 2010 I have worked at Cokethorpe School and am a member of the school’s Senior Management Team. During rugby season though you can still find me on the touchline barking instructions. I moved to the village in 2019 with my wife and daughter.

Rachel Skeet (Staff Governor)

Appointed:  February 2022                                       Term:  4 Years

Meetings attended 2022-23 - 83%

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: None Declared

I have been working at John Blandy as a Teaching Assistant since January 2018 and more recently as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant within the Year 2 team. I have a background in languages and linguistics and have a particular passion for supporting children with phonics, reading and literacy skills. I am committed to our school's vision and values and to enabling every child at John Blandy to achieve their full potential.  

Rebecca Wilson (Other/Associate Governor)

Appointed:  September 2021                                    Term:  4 Years

Meetings attended 2022-23 - 100%

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: None Declared

I have worked at John Blandy since September 2021 and am the Deputy Head. I have a passion for teaching, especially maths, which I coordinate across the school alongside leading our curriculum. Throughout my teaching career I have worked in 3 different schools in Oxfordshire and have taught across KS1 and KS2. I thoroughly enjoying my role as an associate governor as I feel it provides me with further opportunities to work alongside staff, families and our community to ensure our children receive an engaging curriculum.

Diversity

As a school, we recognise that a diversity of thought, voices, and perspectives is essential to good governance and the effective running of any organisation. We regularly collect diversity information from our governors and, depending on current data, can use this to:

• target recruitment to address gaps in experience and diversity

• develop and adapt practices to ensure full participation

• prioritise training and awareness-raising in identified areas

• address potential 'blind spots' by seeking wider advice and perspectives on current and upcoming opportunities, challenges, and risks

However, we are unable to publish this information as it would mean that individual members of our Governing Body are identifiable.

Rosie Phillips (Clerk)

Appointed: September 2023

Business, Personal & Pecuniary Interests: None Declared

I was employed as a Clerk by both Faringdon Learning Trust (FLT) and The Vale Academy Trust (VAT) in September 2023, being assigned as Clerk to John Blandy School, a school in the VAT, the Board of Trustees and the Board of Members at FLT. Working across both Trusts and multiple schools maintains variety in my role and has allowed me to build up experience. I have a close alignment to John Blandy as we live locally and my son attends the school, currently in year 2. 

Minutes of Performance and standards meetings

Minutes of more recent performance and standards meetings are available from the school office on request.

Governors who have resigned

Dianna Swale (Staff Governor) stepped down August 2023

David Hancox (Community Governor) stepped down July 2023

Simon Dando (Community Governor) stepped down April 2023

Lucie Belcher (Parent Governor) stepped down August 2022

Kerri Treherne (Community Governor) stepped down May 2022

Judi Kingdon (Staff Governor) stepped down October 2021

Clare Butcher (Community Governor) stepped down September 2021

Helen Benson (Staff Governor) stepped down February 2021

Janice Simpson (Community Governor) stepped down February 2021

Stephen Arrowsmith (Parent Governor) stepped down July 2020

Brian Forster (Community Governor) stepped down July 2020

Scott Johnson (Parent Governor) stepped down July 2020

Lucy Phipps (Staff Governor) stepped down July 2020

Jane Tidy stepped down May 2020

Jonathan Shorter (Community Governor) stepped down April 2020

Mark Cairns (Parent Governor) stepped down September 2019