Our Governing Body

What is a Governing Body?

The members of the governing body are the strategic leaders of the school and have a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education. The purpose of the governing body is to 'conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement'.

The governing body has a strong focus on three core functions:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos, and strategic direction for the school
Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

The governing body members have the experience through their professional capacity to support and monitor the above core functions. Governors are selected and appointed on their skills and experience and training is available to gain new skills as well as to enhance existing ones. On a regular basis we conduct a skills audit to identify any gaps which are addressed.

For more information on the role of a governor please click HERE.

Meetings generally take place on a Wednesday at 6.30pm and are agreed at the beginning of an academic year for the whole year.

For the latest Governors Newsletter giving a flavour of their recent activities please click below:

Governors Newsletter July 2022

Governors Newsletter July 2020

For more updates and news about our Governing Body please take a look at our regular Fourfields Informer Newsletters. These can be found in our Latest News section on our website.

Members of Fourfields Governing Body

Clerk to Governing Body: Mrs Clare Watchorn.

Governing Body Information 2022-23:

Governing Body Attendance Register 2022-23:

Governing Body Attendance Register 2021-22:

To find out more about each of our governors, please click on the names below.

Louise Evans

Chair of Governors

Louise Evans

I am a Co-opted Governor and have been part of the Governing Body since September 2010. I don’t have children in the school anymore but am still proud and honoured to be part of a school which offers a great education for the children of Yaxley.
I was voted in as the Chair of governors and work closely with the other members supporting Mrs Blyth and her staff in ensuring the criteria of being a governor is adhered to.
I love hearing how inclusive the school is, making sure that all children get an education no matter what their barriers. The learning they enjoy is current, exciting and sometimes the children don’t even know they are learning. As governors we carry out 2 governor days a school year and I love walking around watching the school in action, getting a buzz from the atmosphere the school gives off.
As well as this, I have two boys to parent, I work part-time and voluntary run a parent and baby group in Yaxley for parents with bubbas up to a year old.
I look forward to supporting Fourfields with what the next school year brings.
Leah Wiles

Vice Chair of Governors & Chair of Resources Committee

Leah Wiles

I have been a parent governor here at Fourfields since summer 2014, supporting Louise Evans as the Vice Chair of the governing body and also act as Chair of the Resources Committee.
The Resources Committee is responsible for overseeing financial planning within the school to ensure that money being spent is on improving the quality of learning and teaching in line with the school improvement plan.
I have over 20 years of experience in finance across different industries after qualifying as an accountant in 2000. I currently work at Silver Spoon as the Finance Director leading the financial reporting, controls and processes, GDPR, and supporting decision making and I feel that the skills I have obtained through my finance career and business world allow me to actively participate within the governing body.
I have three children, one who is at currently at Fourfields who keep me busy outside of work. I enjoy spending my spare time with my family and trying to fit in time to keep myself fit and healthy. I also used to attend Fourfields myself many moons ago and it is great to be able to be involved in shaping it's future.
Helen Card

Parent Governor, Chair of Standards Committee & Link Governor for Safeguarding

Helen Card

I was elected as Parent Governor in December 2020. I chose to join the Governing Body as I am keen to promote the best interest of children and want to support them to achieve their full potential.
I have over 10 years professional experience working within children's safeguarding, promoting positive outcomes for some of the most vulnerable children in society. I am able to identify risks and develop plans to reduce or eradicate risks.
I contribute to the meetings not only from a professional perspective, but also as a parent of a child at Fourfields. Ensuring that strategic decisions continue to be based on the best interests of all the children at Fourfields.
Outside of work, I love spending time with my son, attending live music events, running and Yoga.
Luke James

Co-opted Governor & Link Governor for SEN & Pupil Premium

Luke James

I was elected as a co-opted governor in Autumn of 2021 taking on the role of SEN Governor. It is my core responsibility to ensure that our Fourfields Children are represented no matter their educational needs. My core experience is in transformation and IT; having spent my career working with insurers around the world, assisting them in adopting faster, greener, more ethical practises within their analytics and algorithm platforms. My core competencies are around data; developing strategy, privacy, and gaining meaningful insight. The other governors will regularly hear me chiming in when I want to know how we got to a number or figure and what it is telling us in the bigger picture. I'm a scientist at heart and love to take things apart to understand how to make them work better. I spend my weekends doing this and taking photos.
Mark Bowler

Co-opted Governor, Link Governor for Sports Premium

Mark Bowler

I joined the governing body as a co-opted governor in summer 2022 in order to give something back to the school, helping all of our children to ‘shine’. I am the link governor responsible for the Primary PE and Sports Premium. I am also a member of the Fourfields Standards Committee. The role of the Standards Committee is to monitor the curriculum provision, attainment and achievement of all pupils and provision made for particular groups. I have two children at Fourfields.
I have a passion for excellence in education, with over 20 years of experience in school and university settings as a teacher and teacher educator. I am currently a Principal Lecturer, supporting the next generation of teachers through their teacher training. I have led the development of primary and secondary degrees, including overseeing successful Ofsted inspections. I seek out evidence-informed approaches to teaching and learning for the benefit of teachers and their children. My subject specialism is in health and physical education, where I strive to help children (and teachers) value and achieve the benefits of a physically active life. I hope to be able to use these experiences to support the strategic vision and development of the school.
Steve McGregor

Co-opted Governor

Steve McGregor

I am a co-opted Governor and have been part of the Governing Body since March 2023. Fourfields is the primary school my children go to, so I am grateful to be able to give something back to such a happy, positive place. The culture of the school is one I warm to and is important to me.
I have 25 years’ experience in the Financial Services sector, in Investment Management and Relationship Management roles. I am a Chartered professional and hold an MA from the University of Leeds. I chair several Investment Committees and have experience in managing people and money – skills I believe I will be able to bring to the Governing Body. I am also a Director of an AIM-listed Plc.
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family at National Trust or English Heritage properties. I am also sport mad! I can often be found hacking around a golf course, and as a member of Surrey County Cricket Club and a Manchester United fan, I try to watch them both as often as possible.
I look forward to working with Mrs Blyth and her staff and helping the school to continue to Shine!
Sue Blyth - Headteacher

Ex-officio Governor

Sue Blyth - Headteacher

,
Clare Watchorn

Clerk to Governors

Clare Watchorn
Neil Coaten

Staff Governor

Neil Coaten

I was elected as the staff governor in the summer of 2022 and I take part in both full governing body meetings and meetings of the governors' resources committee. I see the role of staff governor as an important conduit between the vital day-to-day work of the team in the Fourfields family and the strategic oversight required of the governors.
A former parent governor at my sons' lower school, I have brought to my Fourfields role some experience of governance in the primary sector. I joined Fourfields as a Key Stage 2 teacher in January 2020, having taught for just over eight years at a nearby Peterborough school. Before retraining as a teacher, I worked for 18 years first in local and regional newspapers and then in communications and media relations for The Open University.

Thinking about becoming a Governor?

Any parent or carer of a child on roll at Fourfields can serve as a governor, and there are no particular qualifications required for the role however, to promote greater diversity and equality on the governing body we welcome nominations from all minority groups to help our governing body to better reflect the needs of our wonderfully diverse school community.

If you would be interested in joining the governing body or wish to contact the governing body for any other matter, please contact the clerk Mrs Clare Watchorn at clerk@fourfields.cambs.sch.uk

Governor Leaflet

Governor Election Guidance

Declaration of Eligibility