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Cherry Grove Primary School

Our Governors

At Cherry Grove we are extremely lucky to have a hard working and dedicated group of governors. They provide a wealth of knowledge and ideas which they use to guide and improve the school.

Meet our Governors

  • Jon Gilbert
    Headteacher

    Jon Gilbert

    Appointed as Headteacher: April 2025 to current date

  • John Morrow
    Chair of Governors

    John Morrow

    Responsibilities:

    • Chair of Pay Panel

    Appointed as Parent Governor (elected by parents): October 2021.

    Appointed as Co-Opted Governor by the GB: June 2022. Term Ends: June 2026

    Appointed Chair or Governors: July 2022

    Re-elected as Chair of Governors: October 2023 and September 2024

    Register of Interests:

    • Current Employment - University of Chester

    I have 3 children at Cherry Grove.

    I am a Senior lecturer at the University of Chester within the Law Department. My main area of specialism is Education Law. I have a particular interest in Special Educational Needs and Disability, having completed a PhD entitled 'Law students with Dyslexia and their experience of academic assessment', it reviews the implications of equality law for students with Dyslexia alongside an exploration of their experience within legal education. Through my teaching and research practice I have looked to develop my understanding of Special Educational needs across a range of educational settings.

  • Martin Brannan
    Vice-Chair of Governors [Parent Governor]

    Martin Brannan

    Responsibilities:

    • Health & Safety link governor

    • SDP 'Pupil Enrichment' link governor

    • Pay Panel Member

    Appointed Parent Governor (elected by parents): June 2024 Term Ends: June 2028

    Appointed Co-Vice Chair of Governors: October 2024

    Appointed Vice Chair of Governors: February 2025

    Register of Interests:

    • Chair of Governors, J H Godwin Primary School

    Over recent years I have watched all three of my children flourish at Cherry Grove, one of whom is in KS1 and two who have transitioned over to secondary school.

    Within my background of law, I have already had many opportunities to be actively involved within school, speaking to the children about my role and helping them stay safe online and within the community.

    In addition to this I have been fortunate enough to be actively involved in another local governing body, where I have had the opportunity to gain experience in supporting the schools strategic vision in ensuring the best outcomes for all stake holders.

  • Rob Pullen
    Co-Opted Governor

    Rob Pullen

    Responsibilities:

    • Pupil Premium link governor

    • SDP 'Disadvantaged Pupil Attainment' Link Governor

    • Chair of Headteacher Performance Management Panel

    Appointed as Co-Opted Governor by the GB: February 2021 Term Ends: February 2025 Re-appointed: February 2025 Term Ends: February 2029

    Register of Interests:

    • Co-Chair of Governors - Dee Banks Special School

    • Owner - RPEducation Consultancy & Training

    I began my teaching career in Dorset and have worked in a number of different authorities across England and Wales. Having been a governor since 1995 as either a staff member, parent or as headteacher, I have worked through periods of great change in education. As a former headteacher of two primary schools, both with Resourced Provisions, I have consistently sought to ensure the young people in my care have the very best opportunities to experience life, grow in confidence and become the best they can be.

    Away from work I love to travel and enjoy physical activity. As an active member of my local triathlon club I try to swim, cycle and run as regularly as possible.

    No longer a serving headteacher within a school, I am excited to be joining the governing board at Cherry Grove where I believe my experiences can be used to assist the school in working towards its aims and vision.

  • Liam McCaughey
    Co-Opted Governor

    Liam McCaughey

    Responsibilities:

    • Safeguarding link governor

    • LAC/pLAC link governor

    • Pay Panel member

    Appointed Parent Governor (elected by parents): February 2022

    Appointed Co-Opted Governor by the GB: March 2023. Term Ends: March 2027

    Register of Interests:

    • Current Employment - Independent Social Worker

    • Membership - BASW, Social Work England & Surfers Against Sewage

    I have two children who have been educated at Cherry Grove, both of them were supported by the staff in their transition to High School.

    The highlights of my involvement with Cherry Grove when my children attended, includes going on some of the school trips, wandering round muddy pumpkin fields and art galleries.

    I have a background in social work and residential childcare, including early intervention and family support, child protection and fostering. I was lucky to gain some experience working in children's centres spending time with health visitors and family support workers. I have been supporting foster carers for several years now. I am currently a self-employed independent social worker, with a role as an Agency Decision Maker, Reviewing Officer, Foster Panel member and I support foster carers experiencing allegations and difficulties in the role.

    When I am not working, I enjoy kayaking and wandering around Chester Zoo or hills looking for a good photograph with my camera, often much to the annoyance of my wife and children who are complaining I have stopped again!

  • Eleanor Wilson
    Staff Governor

    Eleanor Wilson

    Appointed as Staff Governor (elected by staff): July 2022 Terms Ends: July 2026

  • Sarah Smith
    Local Authority Governor

    Sarah Smith

    Responsibilities:

    • Attendance link governor

    • Pay Panel member

    Appointed Local Authority Governor (Nominated by LA and appointed by GB): March 2023 Term Ends: March 2027

    Register of Interests:

    • Occupation: SBM, Saighton C of E Primary

    I have a long association with Cherry Grove as my son and daughter, both now at University, attended the school. I served on the PTA, was a parent governor, had a short spell as clerk to the governing body and was appointed Clerical Officer at the school in 2013.

    I am the full-time School Business Manager at Saighton Church of England Primary School in Chester, where I have worked since I left Cherry Grove in 2018 and I hope that my experience in school finance, HR, health & safety and Safeguarding will benefit the school and help the committed governors and staff continue to provide the best learning experience and outcomes for pupils.

    Being a governor at Cherry Grove is my second volunteering role as I dedicated 6 years to being a Visitor Enhancement Volunteer at Chester Zoo and handed back my uniform just over a year ago. Now at weekends and during school holidays I enjoy walking my Cocker Spaniel, swimming, going to the cinema and spending time with family.

  • Dorothy Turnbull
    Parent Governor

    Dorothy Turnbull

    Responsibilities:

    • Mental Health Link Governor

    • SDP 'Coaching Pedagogies' link governor

    Appointed Parent Governor (elected by parents): April 2023 Term Ends: April 2027

    Register of Interests: Teacher at Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School

    I have always been impressed by Cherry Grove, and am delighted with the warm and nurturing environment it has provided for my two children, my son in year 3 and my daughter in nursery, due to start Reception in September.

    When I took on a volunteering role, I was able to see the day-to-day life of the school. This experience confirmed my own beliefs that the school was a place that encouraged creativity, curiosity and compassion, and this led me to stand for election as a parent governor, contributing to maintaining the excellent work that is already happening within the school.

    I work as a teacher at a Chester secondary school and have lots of experience within an educational setting, particularly around good teaching practice, curriculum structure and planning, and educational policy. I have also completed an MSc in Child Psychological Development which has enabled me to understand the developmental journey of children throughout their schooling, and what great education looks like when it is focussed on the whole child, cultivating individual interests and prioritising the mental wellbeing of pupils. I hope to bring this expertise to the role and know that this is very much in line with the current vision and ethos of the school.

  • Oliver Gover
    Co-Opted Governor

    Oliver Gover

    Responsibilities:

    • SEND Link Governor

    • Pay Panel Member

    Appointed Co-Opted Governor by the GB: May 2024 Term Ends: May 2028

    I currently work for Accelya, a global software provider to the airline industry; as a Product Marketing Specialist, I develop and execute strategies to effectively communicate the product's value, drive customer acquisition and retention, and support overall business growth. I have also recently taken on the role of leading the external communications for Accelya, which involves writing press releases and increasing the visibility of Accelya through media opportunities.

    Prior to moving to Chester, I was a co-opted governor at a primary school in Trafford, where I was Chair of the Staffing Committee and link governor for SEND. I also sat on the Curriculum, Head Teacher Performance Management, and Headteacher Pay Review committees.

    I look forward to working closely with the Cherry Grove Primary School community.

  • Siby Jose
    Co-Opted Governor

    Siby Jose

    Responsibilities:

    • Maths Link Governor

    • Online Safety & Cybersecurity

    Appointed Co-Opted Governor by the GB: Aug 2024 Term Ends: Aug 2028

    I work at NHS England as technical analyst taking care of migrating our national disease registers to cloud computing/environment.

    Prior to this, I have worked with major banks taking care of their critical IT applications that supported their customers across Nordics and Asia Pacific.

    I have a 4 year old daughter and I'm fascinated at her learning progress and the invaluable contributions made by her school and her teachers towards that.

    And that has led me to take up this role where I believe I can contribute back to the wonderful institution of school and give it my best to make it better for everyone involved.

    I look forward to working closely with Cherry Grove primary school and all its stakeholders.

  • Tommy Spencer
    Associate Member

    Tommy Spencer

    Re-Appointed as an Associate Member: April 2025 Term Ends: April 2029

    Register of Interests:

    Deputy Headteacher at Cherry Grove Primary School

    Governor at Holt Community Primary School

    As an Associate Member* of the governing body, Mr Spencer attends meetings and contributes specific expertise and experience to the effective governance and success of the school.

    [*An associate member can be given the power to vote on decisions at the committee they are appointed to. Votes are only valid if the majority of those present are governors. Although associate members are entitled to attend full governing body meetings, they cannot vote].

Governors who have served in the last 12 months:

  • Sophie Lawrence, Co-Opted Governor [April 2023 to July 2024]
  • Beth Hacking, Headteacher [Sept 2021 to Dec 2024]
  • Thomas Spencer, Associate Member [Mar 2024 to Dec 2024]
  • Thomas Spencer, Acting Headteacher [Jan 2025 to Apr 2025]
  • David Morris, Co-Opted Governor [May 2021 to May 2025]

School governors are people who want to make a positive contribution to children’s education.  It is an immensely rewarding role that allows you to be involved in raising standards within school.

We currently have vacancies for two co-opted governors. Click on the icon for more information.

What does a school governor do?

Governors are responsible for overseeing the management side of a school: strategy, policy, budgeting, and staffing. They enable their school to run as effectively as possible, working alongside senior leaders, and supporting teachers and all staff to provide an excellent education to children.

Being a school governor is a commitment to attending governing body meetings which consider issues such as setting the school vision, mitigating financial risk, and scrutinising educational outcomes. They are also involved in the school community, acting as critical friends to the headteacher and senior leaders.

Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise from their professional lives to the governing body and schools benefit greatly from working with skilled volunteers.

The core functions of the governing body are

  • that the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school are clearly defined
  • that the headteacher performs their responsibilities for the educational performance of the school
  • the sound, proper and effective use of the school’s financial resources

Governors get to know the school and the wider educational context by reading meeting paperwork, attending meetings and asking questions to ensure that the best possible decisions are being made for the benefit of the children in the school.  Governors visit the school in a link governor role capacity, and attend training and networking events to improve skills and knowledge.

The minimum commitment expected of a governor is that they attend the six scheduled Full Governing Body meetings.  These are usually held on a Thursday evening, mainly face to face with some virtual.  Most governors also take on additional responsibilities, e.g., Safeguarding link governor, Health & Safety link governor or Curriculum link governor. 

In addition to being over 18 years of age, governors need a strong commitment to the role and to improving outcomes for children, the inquisitiveness to question and analyse, and the willingness to learn.  They need good inter-personal skills, appropriate levels of literacy in English, and sufficient numeracy skills to understand basic data.  There are certain circumstances in which a person is disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a governor and they are listed in the document at the bottom of this page.

If a governor incurs reasonable expenses such as travel costs as a result of performing their duties as a governor, they can be reimbursed in line with the Governors Allowance policy available on the policy page of the website. 

More information about our Governing Body:

  • The Headteacher is automatically entitled to be a governor

  • Parent Governors are appointed by the parents at the school

  • Staff Governors are appointed by the staff at the school

  • Local Authority Governors are nominated by the Local Authority and appointed by the Governing Body

  • Co-opted Governors are appointed by the Governing Body

You can find out more about the role of a governor on the National Governance Association website.  

Contact

If you would like more information, please contact the Clerk to Governors at sclarke@cherrygrove.cheshire.sch.uk.  The Chair of Governors can also be contacted via this email address.

Governing Body Meetings

Governing Body meetings are held face to face at school at 6.30pm on the following dates.  Members of the school community wishing to attend should contact the Clerk to Governors.  

Full Governing Body Meetings 2024-2025:

19 Sep, 14 Nov, 11 Dec, 6 Feb, 13 Mar, 15 May, 3 Jul

Full Governing Body Meetings 2025-2026:

18 Sep, 27 Nov, 22 Jan, 26 Mar, 21 May, 9 Jul

Governor Attendance 

Governor attendance at a glance for 2024/25:

 

Financial information

Please visit here to view the school financial benchmarking information.