Cliffe Woods Primary School’s Governance is directly overseen by a Local Governing Body which consists of Governors who are appointed by the Board of Trustees.
Our Vision
The Governing Body supports the vision of the Trust by ensuring that Cliffe Woods Primary school provides a first class education that offers high quality opportunities for all pupils to excel through a safe, caring and stimulating learning environment.
Through positive challenge, utilising our external experiences and knowledge, and supporting the strategy of the school we look to ensure all pupils have access to diverse opportunities to develop curiosity and tenacity. We support the school in their focus on wellbeing, promoting the core values of compassion, integrity, thankfulness, respect and resilience; to ensures every pupil can realise their full potential.
Governors
| Full Name | Governor Type | Governor Role | Term of Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair: Julia Hurren | Trust Appointed | Safeguarding, Literacy, Inclusion and Opportunity | 20th January 2023 – 19th January 2027 |
| Vice Chair: Nick Grainger | Parent Appointed | Tenacity, Health and Safety | 28th February 2020 – 27th February 2024 |
| Executive Head of School: Tim Muggridge | Executive Head of School | N/A | |
| Head of School: Karen Connolly | Head of School | N/A | |
| Antonia Nunns | Trust Appointed | Staff, Creativity, Behaviour and Attitudes | 15th December 2021 - 14th December 2025 |
| Fuad Anibaba | Trust Appointed | Diversity, GDPR | 6th March 2019 - 5th March 2027 |
| Gavin Deering | Trust Appointed | ICT, Finance | 7th July 2022 - 6th July 2026 |
| Kate Law | Parent Appointed | 4th November 2022 - 3rd November 2026 | |
| Lesley Colbert | Co-opted | 30th November 2022 - 29th November 2024 | |
| Mark Mullins | Trust Appointed | Numeracy, Finance | 15th December 2021 - 14th December 2025 |
| Natalie Petty | Trust Appointed | Staff Wellbeing, EYFS | 7th July 2022 - 6th July 2026 |
| Stuart Ball | Trust Appointed | 6th June 2023 - 5th July 2027 |
Julia Hurren • Trust Governor
Julia has been a governor since June 2017, and throughout her time has transitioned from being a Parent governor to a Trust appointed governor, and now sits as Chair of the Cliffe Woods Local Governing Body.
Julia currently works as a SENCo at a local school, and therefore brings to the board specialisms in this field, as well as English, Drama, and Art through her work in education; linking to her governor roles and meeting with staff to review policy, planning, and observing practice.
Julia enjoys being part of the school community and working with the excellent leadership team and staff to continue to develop how the school provide engaging educational and enrichment opportunities to enable pupils to develop their creativity and tenacity.
Nick Grainger • Parent Governor
Nick joined the Governing Body in February 2020, and continues to serve as a parent governor. Nick brings a wide variety of experiences to aid the diversity of the Governing Bodies talents.
Nick has a strong belief that the school is a centre piece in the local community, and therefore the local governing body’s role not only builds strong futures for the pupils but also assists in the wider community’s ability to flourish.
Natalie Petty • Trust Governor
Natalie has been a Trust Governor since 2022 and is proud to represent, support, and influence the future of Cliffe Woods Primary School.
Natalie enjoys taking part in the day-to-day, including school trips, enthusiastic lessons, and amazing PTA events, having two children who attend Cliffe Woods, she is rewarded with getting a glimpse into the world behind the school gates.
With a strong focus in the Early Years Foundation Stage, Natalie looks to embed a new framework and ensure continuous provision to support learning.
Natalie has interests and experiences in the areas of digital transformation, diversity & inclusion, encouraging women into STEM subjects, and provision of solid mental health and well-being support.
Fuad Anibaba • Co-opted Governor
Fuad has been a member of the Local Governing Body since spring 2019 as a Co-opted Governor. Having children who attend the school and are enjoying their time at Cliffe Woods, Fuad has a passion for working with the Board of Governors to support the school by any means necessary, for the benefit of the children and the school as a whole.
Before moving to Medway, Fuad was a key member of the Parents Forum at his children’s previous school in London, where the body aimed to improve on and maintain a high standard of ‘All Round Education’ received by the children and supporting the teachers in any way necessary; he now brings the same ethos to Cliffe Woods’ Local Governing Body, with the belief that a sound education is the best legacy a child could have, and with the right support, nothing is impossible.
Mark Mullins • Trust Governor
Mark joined the Local Governing Body in 2021 having previously been one of the trustees of the former Cliffe Woods Academy Trust.
Mark has three children who attended Cliffe Woods and after having such a positive experience with their education, enjoys being more involved with the school through the governing body.
Mark has over 30 years’ experience in teaching maths and physics, and brings his understanding and experience of education to Cliffe Woods, to ensure the children continue to love attending and always remember their time at the primary fondly.
Gavin Deering • Parent Governor
Gavin joined the Local Governing Body in 2022, after having his first daughter start Cliffe Woods in 2021, and developing an immense affection towards the school; he is enthusiastic about contributing to what is already an outstanding school, recognised across Medway and beyond. Gavin has a stong belief that every child deserves an education that they can look back on with fond memories.
Gavin has a long career within the IT sector, playing a leading role in a top provider of IT Solutions across industry-specific sectors, across many countries worldwide. Adjacent to his career, Gavin has a strong interest in implementing through the school, encouraging more pupils via the STEM programme to aspiring to be part of a digital age in IT in their future endeavours.
Leslie Colbert • Trust Governor
Leslie has worked as a school business manager for over 20 years and with this knowledge, strives to guide and support the school. Having previously worked at Cliffe Woods, as well as had children who attended Cliffe Woods, Leslie looks forward to continuing her connection with the school.
Louise Lawrence • Governance Professional
Louise has an extensive background in Insurance, Banking and IT training and development. Since 2021, Louise has been a Clerk for Aletheia Academies Trust; working with five Local Governing Boards for schools in the Trust.
As a Clerk/Governance Professional, Louise provides advice and guidance to the Local Governing Board on governance, constitutional and procedural matters. The role contributes towards the efficient and effective functioning of a governing board and its committees. Louise is also a proud mother of two daughters within Shorne school.
Role of the Governing Body
The Governing Body provides confident, strategic leadership to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance.
The Governing Body has three core functions: ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction; holding the senior leadership team to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and overseeing the financial performance to ensure that the excellent opportunities offered by the school are efficient and sustainable.
The Governing Body oversee that the school’s principles are embedded in its policy and practice. We closely monitor Safeguarding, GDPR, Health and Safety, and Inclusion, to ensure that staff and pupil safety and wellbeing are prioritised in all aspects of school life.
Each governor monitors a specific aspect of the school’s curriculum: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Diversity, Opportunity, Curiosity, Tenacity, and Health. Governors work closely with staff to monitor the ambitious intent, effective implementation, and quality impact of these areas across all phases of the school.
Governors are actively involved in the life and community of the school. In addition to formal monitoring visits, we regularly attend school assemblies, performances and support events which form an integral part of the special community that is Cliffe Woods Primary school.
Governors Documentation
Aletheia Academies Trust Governance
For more information about how the Aletheia Academies Trust system of Governance operates including the Names of Trustees and Members and the Scheme of Delegation, please visit the Trust Governance website page here.
For more information about how Aletheia Academies Trust Finance operates including documentation such as The Annual Report, Annual Audited Accounts and Trust Executive Pay, please visit the Trust Finance website page here.
Cliffe Woods Primary School does not exceed the Executive Pay bracket.
