Governors
Welcome to our Governors’ section.
Governors are strategic leaders of the school who work in close partnership with all leaders here at Bayton.
Their purpose is to 'conduct the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement at the school' for all our pupils.
They ensure a strong focus on 3 core strategic functions:
1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
2. Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
3. Oversee the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.
Instrument of Government
1. The name of the school is Bayton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School.
2. The school is a Voluntary Controlled School.
3. The name of the governing body is The Governing Body of Bayton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School.
4. The governing body shall consist of:
a. Two parent governors
b. One LA governor
c. One staff governor
d. One headteacher
e. Five co-opted governors
f. Two foundation governors
5. The total number of governors 12
6. The term of office for the staff governor is one year.
7. The Board of Education of The Diocese of Worcester shall appoint one foundation governor.
8. a) The Holder of the following office shall be a foundation governor ex officio:
The Principle Officiating Minister of the Parish of Bayton.
b) The Archdeacon of Dudley shall be entitled to appoint a foundation governor to act in the place of the ex officio foundation governor whose governorship derives from the office named in (a) above, in the event that the ex officio foundation governor is unable or unwilling to act as foundation governor, or has been removed from office under regulation 21(1) of the Regulations.
9. The Archdeacon of Dudley shall be entitled to request the removal of any ex officio governor and appoint any substitute officer.
10. Ethos Statement
Recognising its historic foundation, the School will preserve and develop its religious character in accordance with the principles of the Church of England and in partnership with the Church at parish and diocesan level.
The School aims to serve its community by providing an education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. It encourages an understanding of the meaning and significance of faith and promotes Christian values through the experiences it offers to all its pupils. It encourages joyful learning through a creative curriculum and a holistic approach to education that reflects Christian values and supports our community.
11. This instrument of government comes into effect on 1st September 2015.
12. This instrument was made by order of Worcestershire Local Authority on 11th February 2015.
13. This instrument was varied at 4.a and 4.e by order of Worcestershire Local Authority on 5th October 2018.
14. A copy of the instrument must be supplied to every member of the governing body (and the headteacher if not a governor), any trustees and to the appropriate religious body.
Financial Information
- We have NO employees at our school with a gross annual salary of £100,000 or more
Terms of Reference
Attendance at FGB Meetings
Declarations of Interest
Scheduled FGB Meetings for 2021-22
All meetings will be held at 5.45pm.
Thursday 7th October 2021
Thursday 2nd December 2021
Thursday 3rd February 2022
Thursday 24th March 2022
Thursday 28th April 2022 - Budget
Thursday 7th July 2022
To find out more about our Governors, please read on!
Mrs Lisa Cigsar, Joint Chair
Co-Opted governor - SEND and Mathematics
Term of office: 03.02.22 - 31.08.22
Declaration of Interest: child registered at Bayton CE Primary School.
I am Lisa Cigsar, I am have been a Governor at Bayton since 2012 with a break of 18 months in between due to working overseas.
I am married to Haci and we have 2 children, Emir and Lara.
My current role is Chair of Governors and my link roles are SEND and Pupil Premium Governor for the school.
I became a governor initially to support the school and understand more, with both of my children attending Bayton I felt it was important.
I believe that every child has the right to the best education possible and that the school should be as inclusive as it can be. All of our children are individuals, they learn and thrive in different ways, it is important that we recognise this for the children to make the most of their time here at Bayton.
Ms Jolanda Simmonds, Executive Head Teacher
Date appointed: 01.09.18
Declaration of Interest: Executive Headteacher in association with St. James' CE Primary School (Malvern); Executive Headteacher governor at St. James' CE Primary School
My name is Jolanda Simmonds and I am the Head Teacher here at Bayton CE Primary. I was appointed here in September 2017 and feel very privileged to be a part of this school community. We place our Christian values at the heart of all that we do at Bayton CE Primary school, and our staff value all of the children and families, working hard to enrich their school experiences.
I live in Worcester with my two children, Ella and Luca. As I'm sure you can imagine, life in our household is very busy all the time! When I'm not at work, I like to go to aerobic classes though I can't actually remember the last time I managed to get to a class!!
Mr Christian Berenger, Joint Chair
Parent governor - Health & Safety, pupil premium and ICT
Term of office: 03.02.22 - 02.02.26
Declaration of Interest: spouse on Bayton CE Primary School PTA; children registered at Bayton CE Primary School
I am a devoted husband to Louise and we have two children, Amelia and Ethan.
We have lived in Cleobury Mortimer for 11 years as Louise and I wished to bring up our children in a village environment whilst enjoying the more rural life.
I have worked within the software industry for over 15 years developing and supplying workforce management software to many household named organisations. This culminated in the successful sale of my business in 2016, following this I engaged in sales and marketing based troubleshooting and now head up a software business with a global turnover of £100m.
My passion is my family and home life, and when time permits I enjoy clay pigeon shooting.
Supporting my children's education and development is why I am a school governor. I wish to ensure my and your children have the best education, giving them a head start in life.
Mr Daniel Sparkes
Co-Opted governor - Humanities and sports premium
Term of office: 05.10.18 - 04.10.22
Declaration of Interest: employment at Bayton CE Primary School, and also at St. James CE Primary (Malvern); by invitation to St. James CE Primary School
My name is Daniel Sparkes and I joined Bayton Primary school in April 2018 as Business Manager. My actual job title is “Cluster Business Manager” and when I am not at Bayton on Tuesday's, I am fulfilling the Business Manager role at St James CE Primary School in Malvern.
I have worked in the public sector for the past 15 years, 11 of which in schools as Business Manager. I have worked in a large Primary School in Worcester, an all aged Special School in Redditch and now over 2 schools. My experience over different educational settings has given me the confidence to help others in similar situations in schools and earlier this year I applied for and was successful in becoming a Senior Leader in Education; an accreditation which allows me to visit other schools and assist them in all areas of School Business Management.
My proudest moment in my career to date was organising, fundraising and taking 9 Special Needs children on a trip of a life time to New York City in 2017. It was very much a team effort, and I know what an impact it had on those young people and a memory which will stay with them (and me!) for a very long time.
I hope that my experience and knowledge will bring another dimension to the Governing Body at Bayton and help the school develop and progress both operationally and strategically in an ever changing sector that is Education.
In my spare time, I attend the gym at least 4 times a week and try to travel as much as possible. I look forward to getting to know all of the children, Parents and Carers at Bayton. Do come and say hello when I’m in the school office!
Miss Laura Farr
Staff governor - English, PE, ICT, MFL and music
Term of office: 01.09.20 - 31.08.22
Declaration of Interest: employment at Bayton CE Primary School (class teacher, Head of School)
My name is Laura Farr and I was appointed as Year 6 Teacher in September 2018. Following this, I was appointed as Assistant Headteacher and Staff Governor in September 2019. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Bayton School Community over the past year and hope to spend many more years making a difference. I live locally to Bayton and have taught at a school within the local cluster. However, Bayton is special due to its dedication to encompassing Christian Values and consistent high expectations of its pupils.
I hope as Staff Governor, I am able to bring insight to the team about teaching life, expectations and workload. Amongst this, my experience as Year 6 Teacher and Subject Leader of English allows me to have a strong knowledge of the data projections for the school going forwards.
I am a keen sportsperson and exercise 6 days a week, including running around 20 miles. I compete as a triathlete and runner in local and national events such as Edinburgh and Dublin Marathon, Birmingham and Manchester Half Marathon and not forgetting Ludlow Triathlon. This competitive side of me allows me to be driven and hard-working in everything I do.
Mrs Emma Moore
Co-opted governor - LAC, Safeguarding and art
Term of office: 28.09.19 - 27.09.23
Declaration of Interest: child registered at Bayton CE Primary School
My name is Emma Moore. I am married and we have a daughter who has recently started school here at Bayton. We moved to the area in 2018 wanting a more rural lifestyle and with the hope of securing our daughter a place at Bayton. In my spare time I enjoy family days out and local walks.
I am a midwife specialising in clinical governance and risk and I also work clinically, providing care to women and their families across all aspects of maternity care.
I am delighted to be part of the governing body here at Bayton and I look forward to supporting the school in providing all pupils the best education and start in life. I am also looking forward to improving my knowledge of the education system which will enable me to support my daughter through school.
Mrs Rhea Freeman
Parent governor - English and EYFS
Term of office: 21.10.20 - 20.10.24
Declaration of Interest: child registered at Bayton CE Primary School
I'm Rhea Freeman and I'm delighted to be a governor for Bayton School. Having lived in the village for a number of years, it was great to become more involved in the local village school when my twin boys started.
Work wise, I'm a PR and social media consultant who works with small businesses to help them grow the right way through promoting themselves better to their target audience. I speak at events, guest lecture on the subjects of PR and social media, write for a range of magazines and websites, and am regularly asked on local radio as an expert in the field when it comes to anything connected to social media.
Beyond work, I'm a lover of all things equestrian and countryside.
Mr Gareth Compton Vice Chair
Co-opted governor - RE and anti-bullying
Term of office: 03.12.20 - 02.12.24
Declaration of Interest: None
Mrs Sarah Peiris
Parent governor
Term of office: 22.10.21 - 21.10.25
Declaration of Interest: None
I'm delighted to be a parent governor at Bayton school. Having moved to the area in 2019 with my husband and daughter, I'm looking forward to becoming more involved in the community, understanding more about the education sector and supporting the school.
I've worked in marketing for over 10 years: I'm currently Head of Marketing for a financial services firm and have previously worked in the legal and manufacturing sectors.
Outside of work, I love to travel and have also been trying to learn guitar for years.
Miss Hannah Coleman, Clerk to Governors
Appointed: 01.01.20
Declarations of Interest: Clerk to Governors at Abberley VC Primary School; Blakedown CE Primary School; Witton Middle School (The Spire CE Learning Trust); Condover with Dorrington and Clun CE Primary Academies (Diocese of Hereford MAT)
I am pleased to be Clerk to Governors at Bayton. I am also Clerk at other schools and academies in Worcestershire and Shropshire. I worked in local government for 10 years and more recently for the Diocese of Hereford. Last year, I decided to build on my business as a professional harpist and to do further training and music development. I enjoy looking after my household, the garden and reading.
Current Vacancies on our Governing Body:
1 x DBE Foundation Governor
Ex-officio Foundation Governor
Please speak with Mrs Cigsar, Ms Simmonds or Miss Coleman for more information.
2021-22 Governors who are no longer in office:
Mr Christian Berrenger
Parent governor - Health & Safety, pupil premium and ICT
Term of office: 18.10.17 - 17.10.21
2020-21 Governors who are no longer in office:
Rebecca Godwin
Co-opted governor - LAC Lead, EYFS and Anti-bullying
Term of office: 28.09.19 - resigned 19.10.21
Mrs Lauren Wood
Associate member - employment at Bayton CE Primary School (class teacher)
Term of office: 08.10.20 - 31.08.21
2019-20 Governors who are no longer in office:
Mrs Catherine Abell
LA governor - English Lead, Safeguarding, Chair of former Academic & Pastoral Committee
Term of office : 06.10.16 - 05.10.20
2018-19 Governors who are no longer in office:
Mrs Christine Clarke
Foundation governor
Term of office : 06.10.16 - 02.11.19
Attendance of Full Governing Body meetings 2018-19 : 3 / 7
Current attendance of Full Governing Body meetings 2019-20 : 1 / 2
Declaration of Interest : (a) Licenced Lay Minster; Shrawley & Witleys and team Valley North Churches. (d) Chair of Bayton Parish Council.
Mr Jonathan Barnes
Parent
Term of office : 01.09.18 - 01.09.19
Attendance of Full governing Body meetings 2018-19 : 3 / 7
Declaration of Interest : (c) Spouse is Vice Chair of Bayton CE Primary PTA, (d) 1 child attends Bayton CE Primary School
Mr Lee Smith
Co-Opted
Term of office : 06.10.16 - 07.03.19
Attendance of Full governing Body meetings 2017-18 : 5 / 6
Declaration of Interest : (c) Spouse is Vice Chair of Bayton CE Primary PTA, (d) 1 child attends Bayton CE Primary School