Cliftonville is a member of the Coastal Academies Trust- CAT

Cliftonville Primary and Pre-School is a member of the Coastal Academies Trust (which is known as a multi-academy trust). 

The articles of association set out how the multi-academy trust is governed.  The ‘Scheme of delegation’ sets out how power, responsibility and accountability is delegated from the board of trustees to the Executive Head Teacher, Ms Kate Greig, through to the Head Teachers of academies in the trust and their local governing bodies.

The Head Teachers are Ms Whichcord Cliftonville Primary and Pre-School, Ms Tudor, Newington Primary School,  Mr Sellen, King Ethelbert Secondary School, Mr Jones Dane Court Grammar School, Mr Wallace Hartsdown Academy and Mr Pullen Royal Harbour Academy.  

For more information on the Coastal Academies Trust please visit http://www.coastalacademiestrust.co.uk

Local School Governing Bodies

Governing Bodies in every school have representation from different groups including parents, staff and the wider community.

The Governing Body is part of the Leadership team of the school; they are responsible for working with the school, to ensure that it delivers a good quality education. Together, with the Head Teacher, who is responsible for the day to day running of the school, the Governing Body sets the school’s strategic aims and policies and ensures they are delivered and monitored.

Governors have three main roles:

• To provide strategic direction for the school
• To act as a critical friend to the Head Teacher
• To ensure accountability

They also carry out a number of other important duties, which include:

• Determining how the school's budget is spent
• The appointing and dismissing of staff
• Hearing appeals and grievances
• Forming policy on the school's curriculum and collective worship
• Setting standards for pupils' behaviour and discipline
• Making sure school buildings are welcoming and safe
• Setting and monitoring the school's aims and policies

At Cliftonville Primary & Pre-School our Governing Body is made up of a team of committed volunteers, from a selection of education & non-education backgrounds.

As a Full Governing Body, we meet six times a year in order to monitor and evaluate standards against our School Improvement Plan. This will include a focus on the curriculum, data, monitoring of teaching and learning as well as finance and personnel. Governors receive training on an on-going basis and also meet with Governors of other governing bodies to share good practice and skills.

Our Governors take an active part within our school.  In addition to team meetings they undertake formal visits to monitor progress in many aspects of the school from teaching phonics to health and safety.  They also come along to Church services, drama productions and musical presentations.  As you can appreciate, this requires a lot of time and commitment and we are incredibly grateful to those who give up their time in order to do this invaluable role within our school.  Any of the governors can be contacted via the school office c/o the Clerk.

Cliftonville Primary School Governors 2025-2026

Our governors bring a wealth of experience and skills to the team.  For non-staff governors this includes work within Human Resources, Finance, Special Education, School Leadership at senior level, Information Technology, Early Years, Safeguarding and the local community, parish and diocese. Unless otherwise stated the appointment of members was 1st December 2013 on conversion of the school to an Academy.

Ms Matthews-Chair of Governors

Mr Scobie-  Trust Governor 

Ms Whichcord - Head Teacher

Mr Mitchell- Trust Governor. 

Mr Tye-Staff Governor

Mr Mousley-Governor

Mrs Shallcross - Clerk to the Governing Body

Governor attendance has, as always, been of a very good level, with any absences having been fully explained and accepted and approved by the governing body.

There are no causes for concern at the level of commitment shown by any member of the governing body.

This excellent attendance has allowed dialogue to take place with school leaders and governors to be up to date with school, local and national developments.

Strategic Planning Day

The Governing Body meets with the Senior Leadership Team, for a whole day, to plan the school improvement priorities for the following academic year and beyond.  It is a chance to discuss key issues in depth from pupils' performance data & feedback from the parents' and carers' questionnaire to financial management and budgets.

Governor visits

Governors make regular formal visits to the school to monitor and evaluate the impact of our work.  In the last two years these have included visits with a focus on:

• Financial procedures and practices
• The school in the wider community
• School ethos and values
• Assessment
• Health and safety
• Safeguarding
• Rising fives programme
• Spelling
• Early Years
• Open Day and meeting with prospective families
• Upper Key Stage 2
• Phonics
• Use of Pupil Premium funding
• Extra-curricular music provision
• British Values: Parliament week

Developing the skills and knowledge of the Governing Body

As an important part of the strategic leadership of the school, governors undertake a lot of training.  Although we are an academy, governors continue to  buy into a package with the Local Authority for training and development.  In addition, bespoke training is delivered by school staff on a range of topics.

Training in the last two years includes:

• Safeguarding
• New governors' induction
• What does challenge and impact look like
• Understanding and using data
• e-safety
• School finance
• District and Kent conferences
• Good governance towards Ofsted inspections
• Strategic governance including data
• Accelerated Reader
• Rights Respecting Schools Award
• Inclusion Quality Mark

Local Governing Board meeting dates

2025-2026

These meetings will take place in the school hall ( old)

Governors' Business Interests

It is important that governors and staff not only act impartially, but are also seen to act impartially. The governing body and school staff have a responsibility to avoid any conflict between their business and personal interests and affairs and those of the school. There is a legal duty on all governors to declare an interest likely to lead to questions of bias when considering any item of business at a meeting and for the governor concerned to withdraw, if necessary, whilst the matter is considered.

To help put this duty into practice, a governing body is required to establish and maintain a register of pecuniary interests indicating, for all governors and the headteacher, any business interests. This should include, if appropriate, the company by whom they are employed, directorships, significant shareholdings or other appointments of influence within a business or other organisation which may have dealings with the school. They should include their own interest and those of any member of their immediate family (including partners) or other individuals known to them who may exert influence. The register sheet should be signed by the governor. The register will enable governors to demonstrate that in spending public money they do not benefit personally from decisions that they make. The register must contain, as a minimum, the elements shown on the attached sheet.

Governing Bodies should ensure the register is up to date, complete and includes all governors. Dated nil returns are also required. There should be notification of changes from governors, as appropriate, and through an annual review of entries.

GOVERNORS’ BUSINESS INTERESTS 2023-2024

Updated May 2025

Governor Attendance 2024-2025