Sarah Armitage
Chair of Governors - Richardson Endowed Primary School, Smalley
I've been a governor for 9 years and chair for 4. Professionally I specialise in leadership and team development. I'm dedicated to helping people work more effectively and collaboratively together and feel this is crucial for excellent governance and a productive, high-trust working relationship between school staff and governors.
I've worked with 5 primary schools and 2 colleges to help them develop a high performance culture built on a clear shared vision, values and team working approach. With a background in Human Resources I've experience in dealing with a range of people related issues. I also have professional coaching qualifications and extensive experience of coaching senior leaders.
With a particular interest and expertise in ‘emotional intelligence’ I'm very keen to support chairs of governors in developing the confidence, skills and structure to build a highly effective ‘governing team’.
Mark Coppel
Chair of Governors - Ridgeway Primary School
Mark has worked in education since 2006 and is a National Leader of Governance (NLG) and is an experienced chair, trainer and consultant for the National Governors Association (NGA). He has worked with a number and variety of schools, including successfully chairing an Interim Executive Board (IEB) taking the school from ‘Special Measures’ to ‘Good’. He has experience of working
with Local Authorities and Multi-Academy Trusts.
As a Governor he believes in making School Improvement the focus of Governor activity and setting high expectations for the other Governors through example and discussion. He has a strong belief in a child centred approach.
He currently works as a Governor trainer and consultant working with the NGA and also runs the entire new Governor training in Rotherham for Learners First as well as a range of other courses and bespoke consultancy. He also conducts External Reviews of Governance.
His previous work included facilitating and evaluating Creative Partnerships projects in schools under the previous Labour government’s flagship creativity and culture programme for education.
Linda Du-Roe
Chair of Governors – Deer Park Primary School
I was appointed as a co-opted governor in January 2001 at Deer Park Primary School (a 340 pupil community maintained primary school in North East Derbyshire). At that time my children attended the school; they have since left but I have stayed! I have been the Chair of Governors at Deer Park for the past twelve years.
I was designated as a National Leader of Governance in the first cohort in April 2012 but had always supported other Chairs of governors on a more informal basis prior to my appointment. I became a reviewer of governance under the Ofsted pilot scheme at the end of 2012 and have since carried out many reviews within (and outside of) Derbyshire.
Detailed below are some of the committees and activities I am involved with:
• I am an executive committee member of Derbyshire School Governors Association. As part of this group I meet with the LA on a termly basis to discuss issues around governance within Derbyshire.
• I have been a member of Derbyshire schools forum for over 10 years and have served as Vice Chair for past 2 years.
• I am governor representative on the Interim Derbyshire Education Improvement Strategic Partnership Board.
• In my NLG role I have supported other Chairs of governors in school’s which have been in Special Measures, requiring improvement and also good schools needing support to achieve outstanding.
• As an NLG I am part of Derbyshire’s System Leader Group and attend termly meetings.
• I am an associate expert advisor for the Key for governors (formerly ‘TEN governor’ an on online advice service for governors)
• I ensure my own CPD is kept up to date by attending meetings and events (and by reading and trawling the internet for many hours!). Meetings have included APPG (all party parliamentary group) meetings at Westminster, attendance at Westminster Education Forum seminars, NGA regional and national meetings, East Midlands NLG group meetings.
• I run training and/or evaluation events for my own governing body on an annual basis.
• I organise training events for my cluster group of governors.
John Harvey
Chair of Governors, Dronfield Junior School
I have been a governor for over 20 years and am in my second year as an NLG. I have governor experience in Infant and Junior schools. I have professional experience of working at a senior level in post 16 and higher education.
Deployment experience
In my first year as an NLG, I have supported chairs of four governing bodies – special school, junior, and primary.
I am willing to undertake deployments supporting chairs of governors across a range of needs including strategy, ethos and vision, improving the governing body performance and process, supporting the relationship between the head and the chair and preparing for Ofsted including data analysis. I am particularly interested and willing to support new chairs of governors who may need someone to bounce ideas off. It is often just a question of building confidence in this new role.
External Reviews of Governors
I have undertaken the national College training for external reviews of governance and am willing to undertake such work.
Don Walton
Chair of Governors, Mugginton CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School
As well as working in the international mining industry for a decade I have been closely associated with education all my adult life. I have taught in schools on two continents in both the state and independent sectors and was a Governor for several schools in the southern hemisphere.
I was asked to become a Governor at Mugginton CofE Primary School in 2003 and then took on the role of Chair of Governors in 2005.
Small school governing bodies have their particular challenges not least in dealing successfully with extensive governance requirements with only a small number of governors available.
Managing constrained budgets, motivating and retaining staff in a demanding environment and understanding and explaining the statistical implications of small cohorts are all part of the skill set.
As an NLG I would hope to share my governance experience as widely as possible to support efforts to make our education system the best that it could be.
Chair of Governors - Richardson Endowed Primary School, Smalley
I've been a governor for 9 years and chair for 4. Professionally I specialise in leadership and team development. I'm dedicated to helping people work more effectively and collaboratively together and feel this is crucial for excellent governance and a productive, high-trust working relationship between school staff and governors.
I've worked with 5 primary schools and 2 colleges to help them develop a high performance culture built on a clear shared vision, values and team working approach. With a background in Human Resources I've experience in dealing with a range of people related issues. I also have professional coaching qualifications and extensive experience of coaching senior leaders.
With a particular interest and expertise in ‘emotional intelligence’ I'm very keen to support chairs of governors in developing the confidence, skills and structure to build a highly effective ‘governing team’.
Mark Coppel
Chair of Governors - Ridgeway Primary School
Mark has worked in education since 2006 and is a National Leader of Governance (NLG) and is an experienced chair, trainer and consultant for the National Governors Association (NGA). He has worked with a number and variety of schools, including successfully chairing an Interim Executive Board (IEB) taking the school from ‘Special Measures’ to ‘Good’. He has experience of working
with Local Authorities and Multi-Academy Trusts.
As a Governor he believes in making School Improvement the focus of Governor activity and setting high expectations for the other Governors through example and discussion. He has a strong belief in a child centred approach.
He currently works as a Governor trainer and consultant working with the NGA and also runs the entire new Governor training in Rotherham for Learners First as well as a range of other courses and bespoke consultancy. He also conducts External Reviews of Governance.
His previous work included facilitating and evaluating Creative Partnerships projects in schools under the previous Labour government’s flagship creativity and culture programme for education.
Linda Du-Roe
Chair of Governors – Deer Park Primary School
I was appointed as a co-opted governor in January 2001 at Deer Park Primary School (a 340 pupil community maintained primary school in North East Derbyshire). At that time my children attended the school; they have since left but I have stayed! I have been the Chair of Governors at Deer Park for the past twelve years.
I was designated as a National Leader of Governance in the first cohort in April 2012 but had always supported other Chairs of governors on a more informal basis prior to my appointment. I became a reviewer of governance under the Ofsted pilot scheme at the end of 2012 and have since carried out many reviews within (and outside of) Derbyshire.
Detailed below are some of the committees and activities I am involved with:
• I am an executive committee member of Derbyshire School Governors Association. As part of this group I meet with the LA on a termly basis to discuss issues around governance within Derbyshire.
• I have been a member of Derbyshire schools forum for over 10 years and have served as Vice Chair for past 2 years.
• I am governor representative on the Interim Derbyshire Education Improvement Strategic Partnership Board.
• In my NLG role I have supported other Chairs of governors in school’s which have been in Special Measures, requiring improvement and also good schools needing support to achieve outstanding.
• As an NLG I am part of Derbyshire’s System Leader Group and attend termly meetings.
• I am an associate expert advisor for the Key for governors (formerly ‘TEN governor’ an on online advice service for governors)
• I ensure my own CPD is kept up to date by attending meetings and events (and by reading and trawling the internet for many hours!). Meetings have included APPG (all party parliamentary group) meetings at Westminster, attendance at Westminster Education Forum seminars, NGA regional and national meetings, East Midlands NLG group meetings.
• I run training and/or evaluation events for my own governing body on an annual basis.
• I organise training events for my cluster group of governors.
John Harvey
Chair of Governors, Dronfield Junior School
I have been a governor for over 20 years and am in my second year as an NLG. I have governor experience in Infant and Junior schools. I have professional experience of working at a senior level in post 16 and higher education.
Deployment experience
In my first year as an NLG, I have supported chairs of four governing bodies – special school, junior, and primary.
I am willing to undertake deployments supporting chairs of governors across a range of needs including strategy, ethos and vision, improving the governing body performance and process, supporting the relationship between the head and the chair and preparing for Ofsted including data analysis. I am particularly interested and willing to support new chairs of governors who may need someone to bounce ideas off. It is often just a question of building confidence in this new role.
External Reviews of Governors
I have undertaken the national College training for external reviews of governance and am willing to undertake such work.
Don Walton
Chair of Governors, Mugginton CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School
As well as working in the international mining industry for a decade I have been closely associated with education all my adult life. I have taught in schools on two continents in both the state and independent sectors and was a Governor for several schools in the southern hemisphere.
I was asked to become a Governor at Mugginton CofE Primary School in 2003 and then took on the role of Chair of Governors in 2005.
Small school governing bodies have their particular challenges not least in dealing successfully with extensive governance requirements with only a small number of governors available.
Managing constrained budgets, motivating and retaining staff in a demanding environment and understanding and explaining the statistical implications of small cohorts are all part of the skill set.
As an NLG I would hope to share my governance experience as widely as possible to support efforts to make our education system the best that it could be.
