Welcome to our Governors’ section. 

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

Click link to access the Multi Academy Trust Governance Information:

https://www.prestoleetrust.org/governance/

Meet our Governors

Chair of Governors and Co-opted Governor:  Mrs Jacquie Russell 
Strategic Role:  Governance, Head’s Reviewer
Cluster Group: SEND

Vice Chair of Governors and Co-opted Governor: Mrs Laura Hindley   
Strategic Role: Computing, Data including assessment/pupil outcomes, pupil/sports and recovery premiums, Head’s Reviewer
Curriculum Subject: MFL
Cluster Group: Languages

Co-opted governor: Mr Andrew Sargeant

Strategic Role: Curriculum

Curriculum Subject:

Cluster Group:

Parent Governor: Mrs M Kilori
Strategic Role:  EAL
Curriculum Subject: Art (Music & Art)
Cluster Group: Diversity

Staff Governor: Mrs E Reeve 
Strategic Role: EYFS/Phonics
Curriculum Subject: RE
Cluster Group: Curriculum

Parent Governor: Mrs K. Santo

Strategic Role: 
Curriculum Subject: 
Cluster Group: 

The Headteacher, Mrs V Unsworth, is also a governor
The Deputy Headteacher, Mrs A. Cartwright, is an observer 
We have two  vacancies for  co-opted governor 
Mrs D.Dumolwenkosi is Clerk to the Governors

Welcome to Mesne Lea Governing Board
The Governors represent the different communities of Mesne Lea – the staff, the parents, the local authority and the local community itself. We come from a variety of backgrounds including Education, Business, Information Technology, Sales and Marketing. We aim to provide a school that delivers the best education and life experiences for the children of Mesne Lea within the finances provided for the school, and for it to be a place where the best teachers and support staff want to work. Governors are responsible for the Strategic direction of a school rather than the day-to- day operational decisions. We support and challenge school leaders and hold them to account for the quality of teaching, pupils’ achievement, behaviour and safety.  In doing this we must manage the finances of the school well, including the use of Pupil Premium monies to overcome barriers to learning for our more disadvantaged pupils. A Governor has a four year term of office – parent and staff governors are elected by their peers, the others are appointed either by the Local Authority (1 member) or by the governing body itself (co-opted governors). It is a voluntary position, hard work but very rewarding. 

What We Do

Three Core Functions of a Governing Board:

Governing Boards, have three clearly defined core functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

Effective Governance:

Effective governance is based on six key features:

• Strategic leadership that sets and champions vision, ethos and strategy.
• Accountability that drives up educational standards and financial performance.
• People with the right skills, experience, qualities and capacity.
• Structures that reinforce clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
• Compliance with statutory and contractual requirements.
• Evaluation to monitor and improve the quality and impact of governance.

How Mesne Lea Governing Board meets its obligations:
We meet nine times a year, which includes three statutory (legally required) Full Governing Board meetings.  The other meetings are subcomittees, namely Curriculum and Standards and Finance. At each Full Governing Board meeting the Headteacher provides a report detailing current status against objectives, and highlights any successes or points of concern related to various aspects of the school, which  include safeguarding, wellbeing, staffing, behaviour, curriculum development, pupil attainment and progress, including of groups such as SEND pupils, fiscal responsibility and budgeting,  resources such as buildings, grounds and those needed to deliver the curriculum, health & safety, attendance, sickness management, performance management,  current and future projects.  For key areas of focus, a named Governor is appointed, who will work with the School and Subject Leaders to monitor the area to assure any legal compliance, and to ensure current activity is aligned to wider and more strategic objectives.

In most regards, the School operational activity is the responsibility of the Headteacher and her Leadership Team, whilst strategic aims, oversight of budgetary spend, and compliance with any laws are the responsibility and accountability of the Governing Board.

At the same time, Governors also exist to support the aspirations and objectives of the school, including all its staff, its pupils and parents/carers.  The role is therefore a fine-line between holding individuals to account and ensuring they have everything they need to discharge their responsibilities. 

Governors are often described as “critical friends, there to both support and challenge the Head.

We are currently reviewing how we collect diversity data for governors and trustees, and this will be updated shortly.

Register of Interests

Attendance Record of Governors Meeting

Y = Attended, N = Apologies Accepted, NA = Apologies not Accepted, NS = No Apologies sent,

? = Attendance Not Marked, Blank = Not Required

 Mesne Lea Primary School Attendance

Academic Year 2022-2023

Contact Details

If you would like to contact the Governors, please email the Chair, Jacquie Russell, on Email  jacquie.russell@salford.gov.uk