Governors
Hello and welcome to the governors’ page of the school website where you can find out more about the school’s governors and the work that we do.
I believe that learning is a life-long journey. I took on the role of Chair of Governors so that I could share my knowledge and experience of education and be a part of the decisions that help to shape the lives of young children in the area that I have come to love.
The Governors are all volunteers drawn from the Staff, Parents, Local Authority and the wider community. We come from a range of backgrounds and contribute a variety of skills, knowledge and expertise to the Governing Body. We meet as a Full Governing Body at least once every term. Sub-committees, which also meet once a term, focus on specific areas: The Curriculum, Premises, Resources and Finances.
As a small village school, the role of the governors at St Bees Village Primary School is vital, as we ensure that your school leaders are providing the best possible education to help raise standards for all children who attend. We monitor and evaluate the work of the school by reviewing the effectiveness of the policy framework; progress towards targets; the effectiveness of the School Development Plan. Our main role is to challenge and support the Head Teacher and the staff; the term often used to describe this role is ‘critical friend’. As such we: are responsible for monitoring and evaluating the progress the school is making towards these targets. We also ensure that the school is spending its money in way that allows the school to flourish. We do all this by acting with integrity, objectivity and honesty and always in the best interests of the pupils at St Bees.
The last academic year saw our pupils move forward with renewed confidence after the challenges of the pandemic and lockdown. The governors are delighted to be able to visit the school in person once again and to celebrate and monitor the brilliant work done by staff and the fine achievements of our pupils.
For the last school year some of the governors have managed to carry out curriculum visits to Subject Leaders, we are very fortunate to have staff with such a high level of commitment, expertise and ingenuity. The governors have continued to monitor pupil progress throughout the year and have continued to work on improvement points outlined in our last OFSTED. As funding has become less and less, we have continued to monitor the budget and hold monthly budget meetings ensuring money is well spent. Our governing body is dedicated to supporting the Head and staff in providing a well-rounded and rich curriculum. We continue to undertake training and development to help us understand and monitor all aspects of the school.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents/carers, and professionals from other settings for their continuing support and collaboration particularly as we move forward with our consultation process to academy status and to wish you all the best as we embark on another inspiring year.
The Governing Board
St Bees Village Primary School
Autumn / Winter2022
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Emma Sharp |
Headteacher |
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My name is Emma Sharp and I am the Head Teacher of St Bees Village Primary School. I have been Head here since September 2015 and before that was Head at another school for 5 years. I have been connected to St Bees all my life. Being brought up in Branthwaite from the age of 11, my parents used to bring me to St Bees most weekends for a play on the beach. I’ve always loved St Bees, it conjures up many, many happy childhood memories, so when the headship was advertised, I couldn’t resist! Obviously as Head, I’m interested in all areas of school life, but my priority is always the children; their welfare and their education. I am passionate about the curriculum and providing the best opportunities for all of our children and that’s why we’re constantly striving to move our curriculum on, plan memorable and exciting day trips and residential experiences and invite a wide variety of visitors into school. I sit on each committee of the Governing Body, as I like to have a finger in every pie! My vision for St Bees Village Primary School is that we become; ‘An outstanding primary school, that promotes: a caring and stimulating environment where each child can reach their potential through a broad and balanced curriculum; which caters for the individual’s learning needs and interests and; encourages the development of confidence and independence. We’re doing well on that journey and I am determined that we will achieve our goals as a Governing Body & school team with your on-going support. |
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Laura Storey |
Co-opted Governor (Deputy Headteacher) |
March 2023 |
My name is Laura Storey and I am the Deputy Head Teacher at St Bees Village Primary School. I have taught here my whole career, starting in 2003 as a Newly Qualified Teacher in the Reception class. I taught Reception for 10 years before moving to teach Year 3 and then Year 2. Since the I have taken on the roles of SENCo and Designated Senior Mental Health Lead and now cover PPA in Years 1, 4 and 5. Having grown up in the village myself and now living here with my two sons, I feel that our school is at the very heart of the community. My own children attended this school along with my niece and nephew and I could not be happier with the education that they have received and the well - rounded people they have become. I feel very proud and privileged to be a part of our hard working, enthusiastic and energetic team here at St Bees, where every individual child at the heart of all that we do. I am passionate about education and its importance and strive to meet the needs of all children in a safe and caring environment where they are nurtured and guided on their way to achieving the best they can! |
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Anne Blaney |
LA Governor (Chair)
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June 2026 |
I have been associated with St Bees Primary School for over 20 years. I started working as a Teaching Assistant; throughout my time there I became a High-Level Teaching Assistant, Learning Mentor and a tutor for adult education in the C.D.C (A prime example of it’s never too late to learn). Becoming a tutor and working in the CDC enabled the school to acquire a computer suite.
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Nick Smith
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Co-opted Governor (Vice Chair) Safeguarding |
29 November 2024 |
I was co-opted as a school governor in September 2016; as well as the overarching Board, I currently sit on the finance and personnel sub-committees and am the lead governor for modern foreign languages. I have two daughters who attend the school, (Year 2, and Year 4). I have lived in Cumbria for most of my life, currently in St Bees. I work as a Technical Manager with additional experience in finance and stakeholder management. I believe our school offers a safe, friendly, and stimulating learning environment with excellent staff and resources to empower our children to achieve the very best they are able thereby providing a strong and stable foundation for secondary education and beyond. I look forward to supporting the school on its journey to becoming outstanding over the next few years. |
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Alan Bowes |
Co-opted Governor |
30 September 2023 |
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Hayley Monaghan |
Co-opted Governor |
18 September 2023 |
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Jon Mellor |
Co-opted Governor |
3 November 2025 |
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Clair Spedding |
Staff Governor |
29 November 2024 |
Hello every one! My name is Clair Spedding and I am employed as the Manager of St Bees Pre School. During my time at the Pre School, the Pre School has increased dramatically in the number of children attending and we have had to complete necessary works to accommodate the increase in demand for high quality child care and education. Additionally, The Pre School has made the transition from charity status to a Governor Lead Community Run Pre School which initially inspired me to become a member of the Governing Body. I am really passionate about education, particularly about Early Years and the Foundation Stage and have worked previously as an assistant manager in a private nursery and in primary education as a senior teaching assistant as well as an unqualified teacher. My career spans just over 28 years (showing my age now) and I can honestly say it is one of the most rewarding and varied jobs anyone can do - there has never been two days alike! I am a big believer in that "It's never to late" and think that even as adults we learn new things everyday - education and learning is life long. As a member of the governing body and as a member of staff I believe that if we can give our children at St Bees Village School the best possible start to their education as well as encouraging them to adopt our school ethos of when believing in themselves they can achieve the best they possibly can! I really think that the school is at the heart of the village community and this is evident in the amount of positive support from families, community members as well as the staff working in school. I can honestly say that I am proud to be a member of a team that is committed, supportive and has the passion and drive to move positively forward in raising standards for children in their learning. |
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Victoria Dixon |
Parent Governor |
10 July 2023 |
My name is Victoria Dixon and I have been a parent governor since July 2019. I have lived in Cumbria all my life and attended the village school as a child. My son James is now a pupil and I wish to see the school continue allow children to have the same opportunities and experiences that I was fortunate enough to enjoy.
I am a veterinary surgeon with experience in management and client care and am now currently self-employed at the family farm where my responsibilities include animal health and welfare, human resources, health and safety and many other things in-between!
I am a passionate believer in all children having equal opportunity to learn and develop their social and personal skills. St Bees Village school is a friendly, inclusive, and safe learning environment for children, I enjoy helping to support the school to achieve this. I am the link governor for Maths, Science, and computing. I also sit on the curriculum and resources committee. I have recently taken on the role of SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disability) governor. |
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Nicholas Clarke |
Parent Governor |
20 November 2023 |
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Amelia McCabe |
Clerk to Governors |
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My name is Amelia McCabe and I have been employed at St Bees Village School for the last five years. I have completed two apprenticeships in Administration with the school, both Level 2 and NVQ Level 3. I am currently completing my School Business Professional Level 4 HNC qualification. I am proud to say I work at St Bees Village School and that I love my job! In 2018 I began training to take over the role as Clerk to the Governors from Mrs James. I love learning new things and I am excited for the new responsibilities I will inherit. Any online communications may be sent to clerk@stbeesvillage.cumbria.sch.uk
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At St Bees Village School our governors are the strategic leaders of our school and have a vital role to play in making sure every child gets the best possible education.
The purpose of our governing bodies is to support the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement at the school.
The governing body will have a strong focus on three core strategic functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
Governance Arrangements
The full Board of Governors meets at least once each term with supporting committees to consider different aspects of the school in more detail. At St Bees Village School we have committees that look at; finance, personnel, curriculum and premises. We align each governors skill set with the committee of most relevance to encourage full involvement from governors.
To download the full document 'Annual Governance Statement Spring 2021' click here.
To download the 'Governor Responsibility Document' click here.
To download a full copy of 'Attendance Record of Governors' click here.
The Board of Governors was newly constituted in May 2014 in line with the Statutory Guidance on School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012.
If you would like to contact one of our governors, fill in the form below. If the query is for a particular governor, please state this in your e-mail, thank you.
