Governance
The Swan School is an free school, part of The River Learning Trust. Each school within The River Learning Trust is managed by its Local Governing Body (LGB) and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) of the school.
Working in partnership with the Headteacher and staff, governors ensure high standards of achievement. They focus on strategy and school improvement; they decide what they want the school to achieve, set priorities and monitor progress to realise these aims.
They have three core strategic functions delegated to them by The River Learning Trust:
- Setting the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school, within the context of The River Learning Trust
- Holding the Headteacher and senior staff to account for the educational performance of the school and its students
- Ensuring the school remains within the budget delegated by The River Learning Trust and making sure the money is well spent.
The governing body is made up of the Headteacher and people from various different groups who have an interest in the success of the school, including parents, staff, the local authority and the community. The governors welcome a range of viewpoints, and make decisions together about a variety of issues. Between them governors have a wide breadth of skills and experience to enable the governing body collectively to support and challenge the school leadership. As vacancies arise specific skills are targeted to fill gaps in the governing body.
| Governor name | Governor Category | Appointed by | Term of Office | Position of responsibility | Declared pecuniary or material interests | Other educational establishments governed, or charity trusteeships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Addis | Community | River Learning Trust | 01.09 2023 – 31.08.2027 | Sixth Form Lead | None | None |
| Imogen Bridson-Jones | Parent | Parents | 03.07.2023 – 02.07.2027 | Behaviour & Attendance Governor Lead | None | None |
| Matthew Buswell | Staff | School staff | 18.11.2023 – 17.11.2027 | Health & Safety Governor Lead | None | None |
| Abaas Chaudhry | Parent | Parents | 10.01.2023 – 09.01.2027 | Parental Engagement Governor Lead | None | None |
| Moira Dorey | Community | River Learning Trust | 01.09.2023 – 31.08.2027 | SafeguardingLead | None | Trustee, Oxford Schools Chaplaincy since 2015 |
| Paul Goulart | Parent | Parents | 15.02.2022 – 14.02.2026 | Curriculum and Achievement Lead | None | Governor, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford Since 2014 |
| Adam John | Staff | School staff | 18.11.2023 – 17.11.2027 | Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Governor Lead | None | None |
| Holly Joseph | Community | Governing body | 21.06.2021 – 20.06.2025 | Vice Chair, SEND Governor Lead, chairs the impact committee | None | Parent Governor at the Cherwell School |
| Chewe Munkonge | Community | 03.09.2021 – 02.09.2025 | Chair of Resources Committee Finance Governor Lead Pupil Premium Governor Lead | None | None | |
| Chris Orme | Parent | Parents | 28.02.2024 – 27.02.2028 | Communications Lead | None | None |
| Naomi Winnifrith | Community | Governing Body | 10.11.2022 – 09.11.2026 | Chair of Governors | None | None |
| Kay Wood | Headteacher | Ex officio | n/a |
Clerk to the Governing Body: Claire Upjohn
The following governors have also served in the past year, and declared no material interests:
- Roger Baker – Parent Governor: Resigned January 2024
- Katrina Playford – Staff Governor: Resigned November 2023
- Kathryn Walton – Staff Governor: Resigned July 2023
Updated January 2024
Governors make a significant contribution to ensuring that every young person receives the best possible education. They are key strategic decision makers in schools. Our school is a rich and diverse community and we want our governing body to reflect that diversity. It is also important that as a group the governors have the range of skills required to fulfill their strategic responsibilities. By being part of the governing body you will be able to contribute to open debate and help the group to make majority decisions.
Almost anyone aged over 18 can be a school governor, you don’t have to have a child at the school or have any particular qualifications. Governors are currently drawn from four groups: parents, staff, the local community and the local authority. To help you understand the role, all new governors attend the governor induction programme run by the local authority. Further training is available to enable you to enhance your knowledge and skills.
If you wish to contact a governor, please email to [email protected] marked for the attention of the Chair of Governors. Alternatively you can send a letter addressed in the same way. If you have any concerns about your own child please contact the school directly in the first instance.
Governing body of Swan School – attendance at governor meetings 2022 - 23
| Name | 1 November 2022 | 17 January 2023 | 21 February 2023 Impact committee | 18 April 2023 | 25 May 2023 Resources committee | 6 July 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Addis | Present | Present | Present | Present | Present | Present |
| Roger Baker | Present | Apology received | Present | Apology received | Not a committee member | Present |
| Imogen Bridson-Jones | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Present |
| Abaas Chaudhry | n/a | Present | Present | Apology received | Not a committee member | Present |
| Moira Dorey | Present | Present | Not a committee member | Present | Present | Present |
| Paul Goulart | Present | Present | Present | Present | Not a committee member | Apology received |
| Macaulay Iyayi | Apology received | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Holly Joseph | Present | Present | Present | Present | Not a committee member | Present |
| Chewe Munkonge | Present | Present | Not a committee member | Present | Present | Present |
| Katrina Playford | Present | Present | Not a committee member | Present | Present | Apology received |
| Kathryn Walton | Apology received | Present | Present | Present | Not a committee member | Present |
| Naomi Winnifrith | Present | Present | Present | Present | Not a committee member | Present |
| Kay Wood | Present | Present | Present | Present | Present | Present |
n/a: Governor not in post on that date.