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Governing Body

What do Governors do?

Our school, like all the schools in the Trust, has a local governing body (LGB).

There is a scheme of delegation, which details how the LGB should work. The LGB hold meetings during the year in which they help to support the school, its leadership and pupils whilst challenging to make sure that everyone achieves as much progress as they should.

Our school’s LGB is made up of 3 trust-appointed members, who are volunteers, two parents, two staff and the Headteacher. Governors are drawn from different parts of the community which helps to ensure that the governing body has sufficient diversity of views and experience. They can invite other members of staff in to meetings to discuss current issues.  You can find out about our governors in our ‘Meet the Governors’ section below. They have to declare that they are working for the school in an open and honest way and so fill in a declarations of interests forms which can also be found below.

The school governors are committed to school welfare and improvement.

In consultation with the Headteacher and other staff, their main responsibilities are to:

  • Set aims and agree policies, targets and objectives for the school
  • Support and challenge decisions
  • Help determine the ethos of the school
  • Agree how to spend the school budget
  • Appoint new Headteachers and assist in the recruitment of other staff

How does the governing body work?

There are normally three meetings a year which involve the full governing body.

They are provided with reports from the Headteacher, other members of staff and from the various committees about the work they have been doing. They ask questions, make decisions, comment on proposals, offer advice and act as a sounding board for ideas. The governing body objective is always to arrive at the best solution for the school.

We monitor specific objectives listed on the School Development Plan so each Governor will be responsible for monitoring an initiative in, for example: English, Maths, Special Educational Needs etc. This allows governors to focus on a particular area and work more closely with the relevant teachers and to then feedback to the full governing body.

 

If you would like to contact our Chair of Governors please email 

[email protected]

 

Our School Governing Body is made up of the following members:

Parent Governors

Miss K. Haughton (term ends on 04/09/26)

Mrs K. Flannagan (term ends on 19/11/26)

Staff Governors

Mrs D. Conneely (Headteacher)

Mrs R. Buxton  (term ends 29/01/2028)

Mrs K. Dean (term ends 25/09/2026)

Trust Appointed Governors

Mrs K. Dawson (Chair of Governors)  (term ends 24/01/28)

Mrs H. Wilcock (term ends 13/10/2025)

Mr P. Hanlon (term ends 26/09/2026)

Lead Governor Roles and Responsibilities

Chair of Governors/Child Protection and Safeguarding

Mrs K. Dawson

Grants and Pupil Premium

Mrs R. Buxton

Vice Chair/SEND

Mrs H. Wilcock

Curriculum

Mrs K. Flannagan

Health and Safety

Mr P. Hanlon

Finance 

Miss K. Haughton

Well-being

Mrs K. Dean

Meet the Governors

Kerry Dawson- Chair of Governors

I was born and raised in Stone and have lived my whole life in and around the town.  I have three children, two with very different SEND needs and one who attends our local first school.  I work as a Governance Professional for school governing boards across Staffordshire, occasionally travelling further afield, and have worked in administration in various sectors since leaving school in 2006.

I am passionate about creating opportunities for young people and am lucky enough to have the chance to affect change first hand, both through my role as a Scout Leader with a local Scout group and as Band Director with a local youth marching band.
Whilst I am fairly new as a Governor, I hope that the skills gained through employment and my voluntary experience will help me to lead the Governing Board effectively and offer stability for at least the next four years.  I am looking forward to working with staff, Governors, parents, and pupils of the school and getting to know Veritas better

Helen Wilcock - Trust Appointed Governor

I have only recently moved to Staffordshire. Prior to that I lived in Suffolk and had a career as a dietitian specialising in paediatrics - in particular working with children with extra needs. I have four children myself and now that they have grown and flown to this side of the country I was prompted to retire and move this way. I love Staffordshire and have felt very welcomed here.

Having been a governor at an upper school in Suffolk for 17 years, I found I was missing the challenge of the governing role. I was delighted to be selected to be a Governor at Veritas Primary School as I have heard such good things about the school.

For a significant part of my time as a governor I had the responsibility of SEND link governor, supporting the SENCO in the school. I am very pleased to take on the same role with some similar and some new challenges at Veritas Primary School.

I am excited to have the opportunity to get to know the school better and hope that my previous experience will contribute to the already established and dedicated governing body.

 

Paul Hanlon- Trust Appointed Governor

I have lived in Stafford all my life. I am married with a daughter and have recently become a grandparent.

I have worked at Stafford college where I worked as Assistant Estates and Facilities Manager and for 3 years at Flash Ley Primary School.

I joined Veritas Primary Academy at the beginning of the school opening in 2015 and have enjoyed seeing the school develop into what it is today.

Having now retired from my position as Site Manager I am now looking forward to bringing my years of experience and enthusiasm to our school in the Governor role.

 

Kirsten Flanagan- Parent Governor

I have 2 children at Veritas and as a military family we moved back to Stafford in 2021. I understand the challenges of moving and settling into a new school and area and feel I can support and help children with these transitions. 

I have a keen interest in music; I sing and play the violin in St Mary's church choir and music group. 

I currently work for Rhythm time teaching baby, toddler and preschool music classes in Staffordshire.

I am a qualified primary school teacher with experience across all key stages but currently not teaching full time to support my children and husband which gives me the opportunity to volunteer on the governing body.

As a teacher and parent I am enthusiastic about creating a sustainable world for our children and future generations. I feel it is important to provide all children with the knowledge and confidence to explore and develope new ideas which will help to shape their future and their world around them. 

I am looking forward to using my knowledge and experience to support and promote the school's vision and ethos for all pupils. 

 

Kerry Haughton- Parent Governor

I was born and educated in Stafford until leaving for university in 2002. After graduation I moved a number of times for work, returning a little over 5 years ago as a single mum to two children who now go to Veritas.

I work in corporate banking for a high street bank and have done similar roles for the past 16 years, including a stint working on private equity funds in the Channel Islands and within their credit risk team. My roles have always required the ability to communicate with people via a variety of different mediums and approaches, balancing sometimes complex wants and needs to achieve a common goal.

Outside of work I love live music, travelling and doing new things with my children. My favourite place is the beach and we often go back to see friends in Guernsey, where my children were born.

Over the covid lockdowns I spent some time thinking about learning styles and the role schools play in setting children up for their future. Having been recently diagnosed with ADHD myself, I recognise some of the challenges I had and how critical early education is to enabling children to achieve their best outcomes and ensuring their mental health is protected. It is this angle that forged my decision to apply to be a parent governor and I hope that I can bring some of my critical thinking and strategy skills to benefit the school going forward.

  

Kelly Dean- Staff Governor 

I joined Veritas in 2017 as Clerical Assistant in the school office, moving into the classroom as a 1 to 1 Teaching Assistant and for the last few years have become PE Lead for school.  In teaching PE to the whole school, I feel I have a very good understanding of the passion children have for physical education.  

I have 3 children, one of which is at Veritas - my other two children are at high school and college. I have lived in Stafford most of my life and have good links to the sporting community. I co-manage an under 8’s boys football team and I also play in a woman’s football team in my spare time. I have also recently been appointed as Strategic Lead for girls’ football in schools -Stafford and Stone. 

I look forward to bringing my enthusiasm and passion for our school into the role as Governor. 

 

Rachael Buxton- Staff Governor

 

COMING SOON... 

Declaration of Pecuniary and Personal Interests

Governors and trustees have a legal duty to act only in the best interests of their schools.

Where a situation arises in which they cannot do this due to a personal interest they have, steps should be taken to identify, prevent and record the conflict. This ensures governors or trustees are acting in the best interests of the school.

Pecuniary interests

Generally, governors should not participate in any discussions in which they or their relatives may directly or indirectly benefit from a pecuniary interest, except where the relevant authority has authorised this i.e. legislation for maintained schools or articles of association for academies.

A direct benefit refers to any personal financial benefit and an indirect benefit refers to any financial benefit you may have by virtue of a relationship to someone who stands to gain from a decision of the governing board. Both direct and indirect interests must be declared.

Danielle Conneely

Lyndsey Howard

Rebecca Philips

Kelly Dean

Helen Wilcock

Paul Hanlon

Kerry Haughton

Kirsten Flannagan

Non-pecuniary interests (Conflicts of loyalty)

There may be a non-pecuniary interest whereby the governor does not stand to gain any benefit but a declaration should still be made.

For example, this might be where a governor has a family member working in the school. While the governor might not benefit personally, their judgment could be impaired if something was brought up that would affect the family member.

Minutes of Governing Body Meetings

Governing Body Minutes - 1st July 2020

Governing Body Minutes- 8th October 2020

Governing Body Minutes- 9th February 2021 

Governing Body Minutes- 4th May 2021 

Governing Body Minutes- 14th October 2021 

Governing Body Minutes- 14th June 2022

Governing Body Minutes- 28th June 2022

Governing Body Minutes- 18th October 2022

Attendance of Governors at Meetings

Governors Attendance 2022-23

Governors Attendance 2021-22

Governors Attendance 2020-21

Governors Attendance 2019-20

Governors Attendance 2018-19

Governors Attendance 2017-18