The Governing Board

Chairs Welcome

Hello, and a warm welcome to our school website. As Chair of Governors, I am delighted to introduce you to our fantastic school community, where we are passionate about providing a nurturing, inclusive, and inspiring environment for every child. Our school is a place where all children are encouraged to flourish, feel valued, and develop a lifelong love of learning. 

As governors, we are a group of volunteers from various backgrounds, including parents, staff, and members of the local community, who work closely with the school’s leadership team to support and challenge the school in achieving the best possible outcomes for all our pupils. We are responsible for ensuring that the school remains focused on delivering high-quality education, maintains strong safeguarding practices, and upholds its core values of respect, kindness, and ambition. We regularly meet to discuss the school’s progress, review policies, and plan for the future to ensure our school continues to thrive. 

We are immensely proud of our school’s welcoming ethos, where every child’s well-being is at the heart of everything we do. As governors, we are committed to fostering strong relationships with parents, carers, and the wider community, recognizing that we achieve the best results when we work together. We hope you find our website helpful and informative, and we encourage you to get involved in our vibrant school community. We look forward to meeting you and supporting your child's journey with us! 

Meet the Governors

Chair of Governors - Sarah Cotton-Diederich (Parent Governor) scotton-diederich@etchinghillprimary.academy

Vice Chair - Wes Till (Co-opted Governor)

Headteacher Governor - Mrs Marie Smith

Co-opted Governors - Tim Bird, Mike Sutherland, Simon Maxfield, Julie Gladdy, Gemma Hall

Teacher Governor - Jack Ray

Foundation Governors - Kathy Smith, Kate Cottrell, Neil Bateman

The governing board at Etching Hill strive to;

  • help the school to set high standards by planning for the school's future and setting targets for school improvement

  • keep the pressure up on school improvement

  • be a critical friend to the school, offering support and advice

  • help the school respond to the needs of parents and the community

  • make the school accountable to the public for what it does

  • work with the school on planning, developing policies and keeping the school under review

  • exercise its responsibilities and powers in partnership with the headteacher and staff

  • not intervene in the day-to-day management of the school unless there are weaknesses in the school, when it then has a duty to take action.