Governors

Welcome to our Governors’ section. 

Governors - Who Are They?

Head Teacher:   Mrs. Emma Wilkinson (ex-officio) (01/09/2020 -)

Foundation Governors:

All Foundation Governors are appointed by the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education in consultation with the Parochial Church Council of the Parish of Farley with Pitton.

Mrs Judith Lewy (30/03/2023 - 29/03/2027)

Mrs Rebecca Maddox (24/06/2021 - 23/06/2025)

Mr Mark Austin (21/03/2023 - 20/03/2027)

Teacher Governor:

Miss Suze Pearce (10/09/2020 - 09/09/2024)

Parent Governors:

Mr Tony Johnson (21/03/2023 - 20/03/2027)

Community Governors:

Mr Richard Cawthorne (28/03/2023 - 27/03/2027)

Chair of Full Governing Body

Mrs Judith Lewy (30/3/2023 - 29/03/2027)

Clerk to Governors:

Miss Jess Parker (01/10/2023 - 30/09/2026)

None of our school governors hold governance roles in other educational institutions.

Miss Jess Parker, Clerk, is also the Clerk at another PAT school. 

Emma Wilkinson

As Headteacher I meet with the Local Governance Committee (LGC) 6 times a year. At each meeting I update the governors on attendance, attainment, progress, financial matters, safeguarding concerns and curriculum. As part of my role I also work alongside staff in school to update policies and share them with the governors at the LGC meetings where they are then agreed and ratified. Fortnightly I meet with the chair of the LGC. And as I am also subject lead for maths, 3 times a year I meet with my link governor for maths and discuss the maths curriculum, carryout work audits, analyse performance data and identify key areas of strength or development focus.

Judith Lewy

I have been a Foundation Governor at Pitton Primary since March 2019 and Chair of Governors since September of that year. As Chair I liaise with the clerk to the governors and the Headteacher to plan and run the 6 Local Governance Committee meetings, ensuring all documentation and information is distributed in good time. I have oversight of the work of the governors, and I am often involved in the process of appointing any new staff. I also liaise regularly with the CEO of Pickwick Academy. I meet every two weeks with the Headteacher to discuss current issues in the school. Like all governors my role is to support and challenge the school staff to make sure that there is a clear strategic direction. Like all Foundation Governors I check that school is working to fulfil its vision and that everything is underpinned by our Christian values. In addition to my role as chair, I am the link governor for English and meet three times a year with the lead teacher for English. The governors of Pitton School have a wide range of experiences which helps to make us more effective. I worked as a teacher all my career, starting in a primary school in Singapore, after which I taught languages, mainly German, in secondary schools. I also had responsibility for trainee and newly qualified teachers, staff CPD and international links. After retirement I moved to the Salisbury area to be nearer some of the family. Two of my grandchildren attend Pitton School.

Richard Cawthorne

I am a Community governor as of March 2023 having  previously joined the team in March 2019 as a Parent governor. A scientist by profession I have been the link governor for maths since the summer of 2019. I meet the school subject lead regularly throughout the year to discuss their action plan and measure success in this subject. As part of the local governance committee I provide support by analysing the schools performance and attainment metric data to ensure development areas are acknowledged and addressed. 

Tony Johnson

I’m one of the newer Governors at Pitton, having joined in March 2023.

The reason I wanted to become Governor was to support the school in continuing the excellent work I’d seen in my daughter’s development at the school. We joined mid-way through Year R when we moved, and we watched her progress at break-neck speed in Wrens class.

My areas of focus are Finance and Health & Safety, which for those who know me might be a surprise - as neither specialism is my profession. However it’s important to note that the role of a Governor is not to ‘do’ but rather to question and challenge the school leadership to make sure public money is well spent and to hold the school to account for educational performance. And I’m more than comfortable asking the questions nobody else wants to, or has thought of!

I’m lucky enough to do drop offs several times a week so if parents have any questions about the role of governor, including if they are interested in joining in the future (the more the merrier!), they can just pull me aside. You will also often find me in the hall at Emma’s regular ‘headteacher coffee mornings’ – though I think they should be renamed ‘Headteacher AMA (Ask Me Anything)’ because that’s what they are, the chance for parents to ask anything that’s occupying their minds

Rebecca Maddox

I have been a Foundation Governor since Summer 2021. I am the curriculum link governor, which involves meeting with staff on a regular basis to see how the teaching meets the requirements of the national curriculum for subjects such as geography, history, art, music, and modern foreign languages. As a Foundation Governor my role is to ensure that the school’s Christian ethos and values are evident across all areas of school life. I have been a member of the school community since 2018, being both a parent and Pitton resident, which gives me a good insight into the wider context and value of the School.

Ben O'Connor

I joined as a Parent Governor in June 2023, having seen how well the School works during my daughter’s first year in Wrens.  I work alongside Rebecca Maddox with responsibility for being the curriculum link governor.  This involves meeting together and with staff to discuss how the School is covering the various wide aspects of the broader curriculum and also able to track and demonstrate the progress being made.  We also meet with the rest of the Governing Team to share our findings, discuss those of others and ask challenging questions where appropriate.  Even though I am not yet one year into the role it has already been a fascinating insight into the highly detailed and disciplined way in which a school operates.  The primary reason myself and many of the others choose to do the role is that we want the School to be the best possible place for our children to attend and care about the staff and pupils.

Outside of this and my job, I am interested in food and drink, music (all sorts but probably Britpop would be my specialist subject, for better or worse…) and cold-water dipping (specifically not swimming…😉).  Feel free to ask me questions and I’ll do my best to help.

Jess Parker

Most of you will already know me as I work in the School Office for part of the week but I am also the newly appointed clerk to the Governors. Within my role I work with the Headteacher and Chair preparing the agenda, taking minutes, updating policies and ensuring the effective organisation of the Governing Committee.

Before joining Pitton I worked for 8 years in procurement and finance for a social enterprise providing services for looked after children. I am also a parent to a 7 year old boy and also an avid sewer, when I’m not at Pitton I teach sewing lessons from my home studio and make and sell both children’s and adult’s clothes.

Please feel free to contact me should you wish me to liaise with the Governor on your behalf clerk@pitton.wilts.sch.uk 

What Are Their Roles?

The Governors of the school act rather like a board of Directors.  The main aim of the Governing Body is to maintain and improve the school's quality of education and standards of achievement.  They have overall responsibility for the management of the school which includes:

• Ensuring that Government education policy is implemented
• Encouraging high standards of achievement and acceptable social conduct
• Interviewing and selecting staff
• Deciding how the school budget is spent
• School Governors have legal duties, powers and responsibilities
• Providing a strategic view for the school
• Monitoring and evaluating the school's effectivness and performance
• Promoting the interests of the school and its children

A register of any business and pecuniary interests is available from the school office - all currently non-applicable.

School Governors are Comprised Of:

• Parents
• The Head Teacher and staff at the school
• Foundation Governors - appointed by Salisbury Diocese
• Co-Opted Governors - appointed by the governing body for particular skills
• Associate members to serve on committees and who may attend full governing body meetings but may not vote

Contacting the Governors

The Governors welcome the opportunity to meet parents and attend many events including parent forums and coffee mornings.  They may also be contacted by e-mailing the clerk at clerk@pitton.wilts.sch.uk 

Clerk to the Governors

The clerk files records of attendance and a register of business and pecuniary interests with Local Governing Committee meeting minutes in the school office.  These are available to read at any time, no relevant interests are currently declared on the register.

Attendance Record at Governing Body Meetings 2022-2023 Academic Year 

Attendance Record at Governing Body Meetings 2021-2022 Academic Year

 A - Attended 

NA - Not Attended