Governors’ Remit

When High Down Schools federated in 2015, we formed a single Board of Governors to work on behalf of both schools. Now, as part of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership (LSP), the Governing Body’s remit is to:

• Oversee the running of the schools within the powers delegated to it by the LSP Board of Trustees
• Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for the schools in alignment with the Trust vision and strategic objectives
• Hold the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the schools and their pupils, and the performance management of staff
• Oversee the financial performance of the schools; making sure their funding is well spent
• Draw any significant recommendations and matters of concern to the attention of the LSP Board of Trustees

Monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance and success play a major role for our Governing Body. We have a detailed monitoring schedule linked to the schools’ Raising Attainment and Progress Plan. These visits ensure governors have a detailed understanding of the life and workings of the schools and are to both support and challenge the senior leadership team.

Please follow the link to LSP Scheme of Delegation.

Please follow the link to find out more about the Trustees of LSP

Our Schools’ Governors

You can email the Chair of Governors at chair.governors@highdownschools.org or by contacting the Clerk jessica.cornes@highdownschools.org or write to her at: Chair of Governors, c/o High Down Schools, Down Road, Portishead, BS20 6DY

Appointment of Governors

Our governors are drawn from parents, the community and school staff, and are appointed for a four-year term of office. Co-opted governors are appointed, based on their skill set, by the Governing Body (subject to ratification by the LSP Board of Trustees); parent governors are elected by parents and carers, and staff governors by school staff.

Governor Vacancies

We currently have a vacancy for a Parent Governor one parent governor vacancy, and would be pleased to hear from parents or carers of children currently at our schools. No prior experience is necessary as training on all areas of governance will be provided.

If you are interested in being a governor at our schools, please contact the Clerk in the first instance: jessica.cornes@highdownschools.org The links below provide information about the governor role, and also the circumstances in which someone cannot be a governor.

• Being a Parent Governor

Information About Governors

The DfE requires schools to publish specific information about its governors, including those who served during the previous school year. The listing below, therefore, includes our current governors, and those who have resigned, or whose appointment ended, since September 2024. Governors undertake many activities in support of our school’s success; the meeting attendance rates below represent only a small part of this.

Abi Oldfield

• Headteacher Governor: from 1 January 2026
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: Executive Headteacher at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: n.a

Andreya Cowan

• Headteacher Governor: from 1 January 2003 – 25 December 2025
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: Executive Headteacher at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 100

Kate Coupar

• Co-Opted Governor: 16 July 2025 – 15 July 2029
• Business and Pecuniary Interests: Parent at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: n.a

Alison Francis

• Staff Governor: 4 April 2025 – 3 April 2029
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: class teacher at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 67%

Ryan Gillson

• Co-opted Governor: 12 December 2023 – 11 December 2027
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: Parent at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 86%

Sarah Glover

• Parent Governor: 15 July 2022 – 14 July 2026
• Business & Pecuniary Interest: parent at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 86%

Nolan Hibberd

• Co-opted Governor: 27 June 2017 – 26 June 2021 and 27 June 2021 – 26 June 2025
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: none
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 83%

Hannah Jones

• Co-opted Governor: 12 July 2022 – 28 February 2025 [resigned]
• Parent Governor: 20 September 2018 – 11 July 2022
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: none
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 100% resigned

Lucy Lang

• Co-opted Governor: 12 December 2023 – 11 December 2027
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: None
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 100%

Sue Mason

• Co-opted Governor: 1 September 2016 – 14 January 2019, 15 January 2019 – 14 January 2023 and 15 January 2023 – 14 January 2027
• Local Authority Governor: 4 September 1996 – 3 September 2008, 27 October 2008 – 26 October 2012, 8 February 2013 – 14 January 2015, and 15 January 2015 – 31 August 2016
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: North Somerset District Councillor
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 100%

Andrew Parsons

• Co-opted Governor: 31 March 2020 – 30 March 2024 and 31 March 2025 – 30 March 2029
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: none
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 71%

Sarah Pogson

• Co-opted Governor: 12 December 2023 – 11 December 2027
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: Parent at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 0% LOA until 1 Sept 2025

Elizabeth Strong

• Parent Governor: 28 March 2024 – 27 March 2028
• Business and Pecuniary Interests: parent at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 71%

Ruth Taylor

• Co-opted Governor: 16 July 2025 – 15 July 2029
• Business and Pecuniary Interests: parent at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: n.a

Ben Valentine

• Co-opted Governor: 8 December 2021 – 7 December 2025
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: parent at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 100%

Jane Williams

• Co-opted Governor: 28 June 2018 – 27 June 2022 and 28 June 2022 – 27 June 2026
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: none
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 86%

Nicola Wright

• Staff Governor: 9 February 2022 – 4 April 2025 [resigned]
• Business & Pecuniary Interests: classteacher at High Down Schools
• 2024/2025 Meeting Attendance: 75%