Governors

Welcome to our Governor Information section.

Please find below details of how our Local Governing Committee is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

Bridge Academy Trust

Oaklands Infant School joined Bridge Academy Trust on 1st September 2018.

Please visit the Trust Governance Area to view:

• Memorandum of Association
• Articles of Association
• Names of trust members and trustees
• Relevant business and financial interests of members, trustees and accounting officer(s)
• Funding Agreement
• Governance arrangements
• Board Diversity Data
• Executive Pay
• Staff Gender Pay Gap
• Annual Accounts and Reports

 

Our Governors

The school’s governing body  consists of up to twelve volunteers and the Headteacher (ex officio governor) whose main responsibility is to set the strategic vision for the school and promoting high standards of educational achievement.

The Local Governing Committee holds the school’s leaders to account for the quality, standard and effectiveness of the teaching and learning. Through the Local Governing Committee, the school is accountable to Bridge Academy Trust, the parents of the pupils and to the wider community.

The Local Governing Committee is also responsible for ensuring that the school fulfills its legal obligations, for the provision of the curriculum, staffing, the social care and development of the pupils, and other statutory requirements such as developing school policies, setting targets, managing performance and so on. It is also responsible for evaluating the progress of the school, making sure that effective monitoring is taking place and making strategic decisions on the basis of this evaluation.

Governors are most useful to the school by being supportive yet challenging. If the governing body gets the balance right it can both support the school and promote its improvement effectively.

Meetings

The Governing Committee meet four times each academic year, with one of these meetings often devoted to moving forwards the strategic vision of the school.

The Oaklands Infant School Governors:

Headteacher

Mrs Cath Williams

Chair of Governors

Ms Charly Thackrah

Non-Elected Governor

Term of Office:  31.10.2024 - 30.10.2028

To contact the Chair please contact the school office or

Clerk - [email protected]

Vice-Chair of Governors

Mrs Nicki Freshwater

Non-Elected Governor

Term of Office: 07.03.2024 - 06.03.2028

Governors

Mr Steven White

Parent Governor

Term of Office:  09.01.2023 - 08.01.2027

Miss Sam Jones

Staff Governor 

Term of Office: 01.09.2022 - 31.08.2026

Miss Gemma Cranstone

Staff Governor

Term of Office:  06.10.2025 - 05.10.2029

Mrs Kim Gisby

Non-elected Governor

Term of Office: 14.11.2024 - 13.11.2028

Ms Megan Taylor

Non-elected Governor

Term of Office: 11.04.2025 - 10.04.2029

Clerk

Andrew Betts

[email protected]

Register of Business Interests 

Attendance	Kim Gisby
Academic Standards (including attending data sessions)	Charly Thackrah
Community	Yaswantha Reddy Kamjula
EYFS	Megan Taylor
Pupil Premium	Charly Thackrah
Safeguarding (including behaviour/policies)	Nikki Freshwater
SEND	Kim Gisby
Sports Premium	Megan Taylor
Staff/Pupil Wellbeing (including leadership)	Steven White

 

Meeting Attendance

Governor Meeting Attendance 2025-26

	01/10/2025	03/12/2025	18/03/2026	01/07/2026
Cath Williams	Yes
Nicki Freshwater	Yes
Kim Gisby	Yes
Sam Jones	Yes
Yaswantha Reddy Kamjula	Yes
Megan Taylor	Yes
Charly Thackrah	Yes
Steven White	No
	88%

Governor Meeting Attendance 2024-25

	Autumn (1)	Autumn (2)	Spring	Summer	No of Meetings Attended	% of Meetings Attended
	18/09/2024	04/12/2024	19/03/2025	09/07/2025
Cath Williams	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Charly Thackrah	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Nicki Freshwater	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Matt Burt	A	-	-	-	0/1	0%
Gemma Cranstone	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Kim Gisby	P	A	P	P	3/4	75%
Sam Jones	P	A	P	P	3/4	75%
Steven White	P	P	P	A	3/4	75%
Megan Taylor	-	-	P	A	1/2	50%

Governor Meeting Attendance 2023-24

	Autumn (1) 04/10/2023	Autumn (2) 28/11/2023	Spring 21/03/2024	Summer 26/06/2024	No of Meetings Attended	% of Meetings Attended
Cath Williams	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Helen Craig	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Matt Burt	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Gemma Cranstone	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Nicki Freshwater	-	-	P	P	2/2	100%
Sam Jones	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Susan Sorlie	P	-	-	-	1/1	100%
Steven White	P	P	P	A	3/4	75%

Governor Meeting Attendance 2022-23

	Autumn (1) 28/09/22	Autumn (2) 30/11/22	Spring 29/03/2023	Summer 21/06/2023	No of Meetings Attended	% of Meetings Attended
Cath Williams	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Lucy Borella	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Matt Burt			P	P	2/2	100%
Helen Craig	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Gemma Cranstone	P	P	P	P	4/4	33%
Lucy Hawkridge	P	A	P	A	2/4	50%
Sam Jones	P	P	P	P	4/4	100%
Nicola Murphy	P				1/1	100%
Susan Sorlie			P	P	2/2	100%
Steven White			P	P	2/2	100%

Leavers

H Craig

Term of office: 15/10/2020 - 14/10/2024

Resigned from governance role: 14/10/2024

M Burt

Term of office: 09/01/2023 - 08/01/2027

Resigned from governance role: 08/11/2024

G Cranstone

Term of office expired 28/09/2025