"I never really knew or appreciated how much work and effort goes into running a school until I was on the inside and I just want to say, you do an amazing job!" School Governor

"We appreciate the staff so much - teaching is not a job it is a vocation." School Governor

"The children at Morley Victoria are wonderful. They are so welcoming on Governor Days and they love to share their thoughts and their work with us. It is such a treat!" - School Governor

"It's the Governors' job to help run our school - to make sure we are learning well, that we are happy and that we are safe." - MV Pupil

"The Governing Body seem to be very active in the life of the school. They have Governor Days and they attend important events." - MV Parent

The Governing Body of any school is in place to provide both support and challenge the leadership team in the way the school is led and managed and to provide the best possible education to every pupil in the school - our Governing Body is no exception.

Our Governors do not tend to get involved with the daily running of the school but their expectations are exceptionally high in terms of the way the leadership team carry out their roles and responsibilities. It is the role of the Governors to work with the school leaders on the strategic planning and thinking ahead; they also ask questions and are well informed about every aspect of school life. 

Our Governors provide support and challenge in equal measure thanks to their excellent knowledge of the school and the policies and practices. The skill set of our Governing Body is also a strength of our school - we have people who work in the following professions: finance, HR, child minding, ex-teachers, law, coaching and mentoring and in the medical profession. When combined, all of this experience simply enhances the strategic running of our school.

Our Governors share the vision and ambition of the leadership team for the children at Morley Victoria to be the best they can possibly be both academically and socially and emotionally. They agree that the children are at the heart of everything we do at Morley Victoria.

The Governors are always welcome to come into school but at the beginning of each academic year we plan three full days in school so that the Governors can come and spend time with the staff and the children - these days are incredibly valuable for everyone. Governors are invited to attend staff meetings, staff training, visits from external consultants, they attend some pupil progress meetings and performance management to name a few.

Governors are volunteers who give a significant amount of time over the course of the year to helping the school be the best it can possibly be. They are part of the biggest volunteer workforce in the country and we thank them for their time and efforts.

For more detailed information about the members of the Governing Body, please see the Statutory Governance Information at the bottom of this page.

Equality and Diversity on the Morley Victoria Governing Body

Equality and diversity are hugely important at Morley Victoria and our Governing Body is no exception. In line with the school's work around CCQM we want our Governing Body to be reflective of the community we serve. Whenever we recruit new members onto the Governing Body we try to offer as much information as possible about the role and make it very clear that this role is suitable for any individual who has a keen interest in the life of the school regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, culture, marital status, whether they are pregnant or on maternity / paternity leave or have a disability. We are keen to ensure that everyone is welcome and that our Governing Body is as diverse as we can possibly make it.

Who is part of the Morley Victoria Governing Body?

The current membership of the Governing Body is:

The Headteacher:
Joanne Wood - Executive Headteacher

The Chair of Governors:

Reena Sharma (Co-Opted Governor)

Parent Governors, elected by parents/carers:

Nikki Alstead, Jeni Clarke 

Staff Governors, elected by the staff:

Sarah McCullagh and Kevin Precious (Head of School)

Co-opted Governors appointed by the Governing Body to represent the community:

Julie Hardaker, Angie Walker, Julia Britton (Vice Chair) and David Reid

Observer Members (These members attend because they wish to be part of the Governing Body but hold no responsibility or voting rights)

Debbie Smith 

How do I contact the Governing Body if I need their help?

If you would like to make contact with the Governing Body at any time, please speak to the school office.

How does the Governing Body work?

Since becoming part of The Owlcotes Academy Trust, we have changed the structure of our meetings that we hold, as Finance and Resources are now held centrally within the Trust. Other responsibilities (which can be found further down the page) have been delegated to us by the Owlcotes Board of Trustees.

The Governing Body holds an organisation meeting in September each year to set out meeting dates and dates for Governor Days in school. We use the School Development Plan and the School Evaluation Form to decide upon strategic roles and responsibilities for the coming academic year.

Some Governors have specific areas of responsibility due to their skill set, strengths and experience, but the Governing Body as a whole work together to discharge their responsibilities and support and challenge the school as appropriate - it is very much a team effort. All Governors are equal and the decisions made by the Governing Body are our collective responsibility.

At the start of each academic year, all governors sign a Governors' Code of Conduct form and complete a Notice of Business and Personal Interest form.

If you would like a copy of meeting minutes or require any other information, please contact the school office or Governor Support Services on 0113 3785123.

What is the Governing Body responsible for?

(This information is taken from Leeds City Council Governor Support Services)

Primary School Governing Bodies have a range of responsibilities as a consequence of the Education Acts:

• to help to decide school policy for management of the school with the Headteacher and act as a link between the school and the local community
• to monitor the progress of a post-Ofsted Action Plan and the School Improvement Plan
• to set appropriate targets for pupil achievement at Key Stage Two
• to ensure that all children make progress in their personal development and wellbeing (Stay Safe, Be Healthy, Enjoy & Achieve, Make a positive contribution, Achieve economic wellbeing)
• to ensure that the curriculum for the school is balanced and broadly based and that the National Curriculum and religious education are taught
• to ensure that special education needs are met
• to determine the staffing of the school and pay policy and make decisions about pay in accordance with the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions of Employment document
• to recruit and dismiss staff employed at the school
• to participate in the appointment of the Headteacher
• to ensure provision of a performance management policy and to set performance objectives for the Headteacher
• to listen to complaints from parents/carers
• to hear appeals from parents/carers when pupils are excluded from school
• to decide the start and finish times of the school
• to make sure the school is safe and healthy

Morley Victoria Primary School Governing Body

Statutory Governance Information

Chair: Mrs Reena Sharma                                                            

Vice Chair: Mrs Julia Britton

The Governing Body is currently made up of:

• The Headteacher
• 2 Parent Governors, formally elected through a ballot of parents/carers unless the election is uncontested 
• 6 Co-opted Governors, nominated and appointed by the Governing Body 
• 2 Staff Governors, formally elected by staff employed at school

We then also have up to 3 observer members, appointed by the Governing Body (who have no voting rights within the Governing Body). They are staff members at the school who have a keen interest in the leadership and management of the school.

The Governing Body operates with 4 formal meetings each year - one is an organisation meeting to delegate roles and responsibilities and set other dates. The other three meetings have a set agenda designed by the Owlcotes Academy Trust. The agendas are very thorough and cover many aspects of school life - crucially we are responsible for holding the school to account for the standards in Teaching and Learning; and Pupil and Staff Support in school. 

As a group we look at target setting, standards and achievement, SEND (including reporting annually on the success of the SEND policy),  monitoring teaching and learning and curriculum provision.  We are responsible for overseeing all matters related to safeguarding, SEND, medical needs and the general behaviour and welfare of the pupils. We discuss the important matters of attendance and punctuality; children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development; children, parent/carer, and staff voice; extracurricular activities; and cluster and other partnerships. We also consider the staff and their health and wellbeing, their CPD and their voice during this meeting.

We also hold an additional meeting each term to evaluate the School Development Plan and the School Self Evaluation Form against the evidence we have seen from our other visits into school. 

 

Headteacher Performance Management Committee – this small group of Governors will meet twice a year to review the Headteacher's performance targets. Members of this committee would also form a Pay Appeal committee should it ever be required – responsible for hearing pay appeals and ensuring a fair and proper process has been followed. This is done in partnership with the MAT Central Team and the CEO.

Current Governors and business/other interests declared are provided in the table below.  Governors and associate members are reminded that they should declare any changes as and when they occur and this is on the agenda of each meeting to ensure that this happens.

Name of governor  Category of governor   Date appointed and term of office Relevant financial interests Personal interests (relationships with school staff) Other Governance interests  Date declaration signed Mr Kevin Precious (Head of School) Staff Governor Formerly an observer in his previous role of AHT. 01/09/2026 for the duration of his time at Morley Victoria as Head of School None Mr Precious has been at Morley Victoria since 2009 - he started as a trainee. He progressed to be Key Stage Manager, AHT and is now Head of School. None Autumn 2026 Mrs Julie Hardaker     Co-opted governor, appointed by governors.   16/09/2024 4 years until 31/08/2028 None Mrs Hardaker used to be the Assistant Headteacher at Morley Victoria Primary School, she retired in July 2016. She has wonderful experience and expertise to bring to the Governing Body. None Autumn 2026 Mrs Joanne Wood       Executive Headteacher 05/05/2015 for the duration of her time at Morley Victoria as Executive Headteacher Mrs Wood’s husband runs a company called ‘Scamp’ who do design work. Mr Wood frequently quotes for work done in school and is responsible for many documents and displays. Much work is paid for at a reduced rate for our school. Much is also done free of charge. Mrs Sharma, the SBM or Mr Precisou sign off all of the orders for Scamp for financial transparency and security. Mrs Wood has been at Morley Victoria for 26 years, starting her career as an NQT in 2000. None Autumn 2026 Mr David Reid Co-opted governor, appointed by the Governors       None Autumn 2026 Mrs Nikki Alstead Parent governor, elected by the parents / carers       None Autumn 2026 Mrs Jeni Clarke Parent governor, elected by the parents / carers       None Autumn 2026 Mrs Reena Sharma (Chair) Co-opted governor, appointed by governors. 16/09/2024 4 years until 31/08/2028 None Mrs Sharma has one child in school. She is a pharmacist so has a keen interest in Health and Safety and Medical Needs and Safety in school. None Autumn 2026 Mrs Julia Britton (Vice Chair) Co-opted governor, appointed by governors. 05/05/2015 as Co-Headteacher then from 16/09/2024 until 31/08/2028 as a Co-Opted Governor None Mrs Britton has been at Morley Victoria since 2001 when she started as an NQT. She left the school as a Co-Headteacher in February 2021 but was keen to remain on the Governing Body. She possesses a great deal of knowledge of the school to bring to the Governing Body as an Education Consultant and she previously worked as an ad-hoc trainer for the Education Safeguarding Team. Mrs Britton is the Chair of the Academy Advisory Board where her children attend(ed) school. She also sits on the Board of Trustees at the Carlton Academy Trust. Autumn 2026 Mrs Angie Walker Co-opted governor, appointed by the governors. 16/09/2024 4 years until 31/08/2028 None Mrs Walker has been the clerk to the GB for the last few years and upon her retirement, expressed that she would be keen to join us. She has a background of social work so has much to offer. Mrs Walker is the Chair of Governors at St Francis Primary School in Morley. Autumn 26 Miss Sarah McCullagh Miss McCullagh was elected to represent the staff on the Governing Body in October 2024. 06/11/2024 4 years until 31/08/2028 None Miss McCullagh started at Morley Victoria as a trainee teacher. Following her placement, she was employed to teach full-time and now has a vast range of experience working across school. None Autumn 2026 Associate Members Mrs Debbie Smith Observer member appointed by governors.   01/09/2017 for the duration of her time at Morley Victoria as Assistant Headteacher None Mrs Smith has been at Morley Victoria since 2003 – she started as a trainee. She is now one of the Assistant Headteachers and sits on the Governing Body to share her knowledge and experience. None N/A Members of the Governing Body who have left in the last 12 Months   Miss Farmer was elected to represent the staff on the Governing Body in October 2024. 06/11/2024 4 years until 31/08/2028 Miss Farmer left the GB in September 2026. None Miss Farmer works as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant at Morley Victoria. She has many different skills and attributes to bring to the Governing Body. None Autumn 2025

How to become a Governor

When there is a space on our Governing Body, a letter/email will go out to parents/carers and request those who are interested to contact school.  You will then be asked to write a short statement about what skills you could offer the school by being part of the Governing Body.  You will then be invited to a meeting to learn more about the role of a school Governor. The statement is then circulated round to the relevant people to read.  If needed, a vote is then carried out and the person with the highest number of votes is elected.  If you are interested in becoming a member of the Governing Body at Morley Victoria or need further information about the role of a Governor, please speak to the school office.   

The document below sets out the eligibility criteria for being a school Governor. This is a vital document to consider before applying.

• Eligibility Declaration