Our Governing Body

Governors are part of the largest volunteer workforce in the country; they play a key role in helping the school provide the best possible education for all its pupils.

Orchard Primary School has a very committed team of governors, who promote high standards across the school. Their role is to support and challenge the Headteacher, to help set the vision and strategic direction of the school and to ensure that our school is the very best it could be.

Governors have a wide range of responsibilities.  These include tasks such as:
• Ensuring that the school meets its legal responsibilities
• Setting the school budget
• Making decisions about the school building and premises
• Setting school policies
• Appointing staff and making decisions about current staffing
• Looking at how well groups of pupils are performing and ensuring action is taken if there are any concerns 

Our Governers are:

Parent Governors

Rachel Bunney
Governor Role:	Parent Governor
Term of Office:	21/05/2021 – 20/05/2025
Job Title:	Ethical Trade Manager
Other Roles:	Appeals & Complaints, Teachers Appraisal, Wellbeing, Music, Religious Education (RE)
Pecuniary Interest:

As one of the newest members of the governing board, I am looking forward to increasing my knowledge of everything that goes into the smooth running of the school. I want to use my term as a parent governor to bring my own experiences from the world of work and home and use them to inform decisions that create and sustain a happy and supportive school environment for both pupils and staff. 

I am happily married with one young daughter currently at Orchard and I work full time as Ethical Trade Manager for a UK retailer. I see the role of parent governor as a great opportunity to use my own skills and knowledge to have a positive impact on a vital aspect of community life.

Melindar Kaur
Governor Role:	Parent Governor
Term of Office:	20/12/2027 – 19/12/2027
Job Title:	XX
Other Roles:	English/Phonics
Pecuniary Interest:

I began my role as a governor shortly after my child joined Orchard. Having worked in education my entire career, including in leadership roles, I am deeply passionate about supporting children’s progress and development, as well as promoting staff wellbeing. As a governor, I am particularly focused on fostering a supportive environment that prioritises these areas for the benefit of our whole school community.

Sue Shearman
Governor Role:	Parent Governor
Term of Office:	01/03/2024 – 29/02/2028
Job Title:	XX
Other Roles:	Appeals & Complaints, Safeguarding/Child Protection.  PSHE & Character Ed, GDPR, Personal, Social, Health & Economics (PSHE)
Pecuniary Interest:

I became a parent governor shortly after my eldest child, Daniel, started at Orchard. I felt passionately, both about being involved in his education (and my daughter's, who starts soon), but also about giving back to the community and supporting something which would be playing such an important part of our lives for many years to come. 

A particular area of interest to me is the ability to successfully engage parents so that they feel involved and informed about their child's school life, and are supportive of ensuring the success and achievement of all the children within the school.

Co-opted Governers

Francis Brown
Governor Role:	Co-Opted Governor
Term of Office:	24/11/2023 – 23/11/2027
Job Title:	XX
Other Roles:	Pay Committee. Teachers Appraisal, Pupil Premium, Art, English/Phonics
Pecuniary Interest:

I am a father of two and a husband, I have joined the governing body to help contribute to the community and build my own knowledge at the same time. I work in the aerospace industry and focus on Manufacturing Engineering. In my spare time I like to run, swim and bike to try and keep fit. I also enjoy socialising with friends and family when time permits.

Rob Butler
Governor Role:	Co-Opted Governor
Term of Office:	14/09/2024 – 13/09/2028
Job Title:	XX
Other Roles:	Appeals & Complaints, SEND/Inclusion, French
Pecuniary Interest:

I was a secondary phase science teacher for over twenty years and spent the last twenty working in special education. Having taught in mainstream secondary and retrained for mainstream primary, special education was the perfect combination of the secondary phase curriculum and primary phase attainment.  I have supported schools and teachers in difficulty as an advanced skills teacher and I spent the last six years as a deputy head, helping improve my school from special measures to good (with outstanding features)

I stepped down from teaching to reduce my hours and go part-time. I am now a field officer for the Association for Science Education (ASE), and I work with the Science Council to promote professional registration. I am a Chartered Science Teacher and a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching.

I am also the secondary lead for my local Science Learning Partnership and a lead facilitator for STEM learning. I am an author of resources for lower attaining students with a major educational publisher and as such I am often recognised by teachers who have used my resources in their own lessons.

I chose to become a school governor to continue contributing to education and make sure our children have the best opportunities available to them. I hope to bring skills and experiences from secondary and special schools to this role.

Sarah Corton
Governor Role:	Co-Opted Governor
Term of Office:	21/05/2021 to 20/05/2025
Job Title:	XX
Other Roles:	Appeals & Complaints, Head Teachers Appraisal,  Safeguarding/Child Protection, EYFS, History, Outdoor Learning
Pecuniary Interest:

Hi, I’m Sarah and I have been a governor at Orchard for about 6 months. I saw that Orchard was looking specifically for governors with HR experience. This has been my line of work for 15 years and so I was happy to put my name forward. I am really enjoying the role and learning a lot from it. Hopefully, I am contributing a bit along the way too! I am also an Orchard parent. My daughter attended for 7 years and my son is still attending Orchard. It’s a fantastic school going from strength to strength and I am very proud to be a part of that.

Edward Halse
Governor Role:	Co-Opted Governor
Term of Office:	09/07/2022 – 08/07/2026
Committee Membership:	Management and Finance
Other Roles:	Pay Committee, Financial Focus Group, Maths
Pecuniary Interest:

 

Brett Irving
Governor Role:	Parent Governor
Term of Office:	26/06/2023 – 25/06/2027
Job Title:	XX
Other Roles:	Health, Safety & Premises, Design & Technoloy, Science
Pecuniary Interest:

As one of the newest members of the governing board, I am looking forward to increasing my knowledge of everything that goes into the running of the school. I want to use my term as a governor to fully understand and support where possible.

I am married with two children, one boy and one girl, both currently at Orchard and I work full-time as an Operations Director for an electrical Contractor. I see the role of parent governor as a great opportunity to use my own skills and knowledge to have a positive impact on the school and the trust.

I love sport and spend most of my personal time, supporting my children in sport activities or watching sport live or on TV.

Jessica Saffell
Governor Role:	Parent Governor
Term of Office:	27/03/2023 – 26/03/2027
Job Title:	XX
Other Roles:	Governor Training & Development, Physical Education (PE), Geography
Pecuniary Interest:

As a mum of two, I joined the governing body shortly before my eldest started at Orchard as I wanted to help contribute to the school community. I also felt strongly about being involved to assist with the smooth running of the school and facilitating a supportive environment for all pupils to learn in and for all staff to work in, given the long lasting impact a happy school experience has for all pupils. 

Community Governors

Josh Wicks
Governor Role:	Parent Governor
Term of Office:	07/12/2023 – 06/12/2027
Job Title:	Primary School Teacher
Other Roles:	Safeguarding/Child Protection, Computing
Pecuniary Interest:

I am presently a primary school teacher with nine years of experience. I am also a father of two girls and reside in Castle Donington. My aim is to contribute to the school by applying the knowledge I've acquired throughout my career. I aspired to become a governor to advance my professional development and make a positive impact on the community where I reside.  

Staff Governors

Michael Battle
Governor Role:	Co-Opted Governor
Term of Office:	26/08/2019 – 25/08/2023
Job Title:	IT Network Manager and Teaching Assistant
Other Roles:	E-Safety, Website
Pecuniary Interest:

I have served as a Governor since 2005, starting initially as a ‘Parent Governor’, then being appointed as ‘Chair of Governors’ until 2016. I am now sitting on the Committee as a ‘Co-opted Governor’, having stepped down due to now being employed by the School as an IT Network Manager and Teaching Assistant.

Both of my daughters have attended the School and both are doing extremely well in their studies, having been given an excellent start at Orchard Community Primary School. They were always happy and well supported by all the staff.

I have been providing IT Support for the last 35 years in different capacities, with the last 15 years specifically been in IT Education Support.

As a Governor, I am committed to ensuring that every child attending the School has an equal opportunity to receive the best possible start in their educational path. I recognise the extremely high importance that Primary Education has in helping pupils to realise their full potential.

Michael Battle
Governor Role:	Teaching Governor
Term of Office:	01/09/2021 – 31/08/2024
Job Title:	Deputy Headteacher
Other Roles:	E-Safety / Data, DSL Deputy, Safer Recruitment
Pecuniary Interest:

Teacher Governor

Fiona Shields
Governor Role:	Teacher Governor
Term of Office:	01/09/2018
Job Title:	Head Teacher
Other Roles:	DSL, Safer Recruitment
Pecuniary Interest: