Swallowtail Federation Governors - Who's Who

Mrs Sheila Watts - Chair of Governors

Hello and thank you for looking at our website.  I would like to share a bit of info about me. I have lived in Sutton for 30 years and became a parent governor over 10 years ago when my youngest son was at Sutton infant School, he has just gone to university to study Astro Physics and I am now Chair of Governors of Swallowtail Federation.  Why do I give up my time to be a governor ?  Two key reasons :   I enjoy helping others and love going into school to spend time with the children.  Secondly I feel passionately about keeping schools in our communities within our villages and to do this governors are needed to support the staff in the wonderful job they do giving your children the best possible time at school that suits them and enables them to thrive whoever they are and whatever their needs and talents.   

It can be hard work being a governor but it is incredibly rewarding and I made some good friends and had some good fun along the way.  Please get in contact if you are interested in being a governor and would like a bit more info.

There are two committees within the governing body

Resources and Premises: The focus in this committee is on finance; funding and spending. We also monitor the health and safety aspects of our premises.

Achievements and standards: The key to this committee is extensive monitoring of the curriculum and progress of all pupils.

My areas of focus as a governor are:

Equality and diversity: These concepts are central to our school’s ethos and I ensure they are continually addressed in every walk of school life.

Finance: This role involves overseeing the budget of schools to ensure the best use of resources and spending.

Flexi schooling: Swallowtail Federation is proud to offer an option for Flexi Schooling in certain circumstances and as the governor responsible I will monitor to make sure this is working well and delivering the best possible results without any adverse impact.

I have been a governor since my son was 3 and he is now 27! I am one of the foundation governors for the federation appointed by the PCC of All Saints Church originally for Catfield school. I have been delighted to serve all three schools  and see them thrive in a very cohesive federation that fully embraces the core values for life. I work full time from home, am a parish councillor and also an active member of Norfolk Governors Network where I was a member of the Small Schools steering group.  All which link positively in enabling me to be as well informed as I can to do my best for our community and schools.  I am passionate about ensuring our children continue to get a good local education from a great immersive curriculum and within an environment where they always feel safe and cared for while they  go forward on their learning adventure.  It is also a privilege to be part of the journey for the children progressing through our federation, high school and onto achieving their dreams, and some whom  now have their own children in the schools.

My areas of focus as a governor are:

Heads Performance Management - I work with other governors to assess the headteachers annual performance against a set of agreed targets

GDPR - I ensure that all data used is collected lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner with due compliance to the GDPR.

Looked After Children - I help support looked after children within the federation, ensuring support is giving to them and provisions are made where necessary to help children further.

Pupil Premium - I monitor and support the federation with provision for pupils eligible for Pupil Premium and the Sport Premium grant.

Safeguarding - I ensure that child protection is always prioritised and is given proper consideration when making any decisions.

SEND - I work with other governors and the SENCO to ensure best practice and outcomes for our pupils with SEND.

SIAMS monitoring: SIAMS stands for Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools. Having Governor responsibility for this means highlighting to all governors our Christian foundation, ensuring we are upholding, supporting and promoting the Christian ethos in our schools in all that we do.

I am delighted to be a governor for the Swallowtail Federation of Church Schools. I see being a governor as being a privilege as well as a responsibility. I am a Foundation Governor, appointed in November 2015, which means I value the importance of maintaining and developing our relationship with the local church communities, collective worship and religious education (RE) alongside the drive for very good educational standards and personal wellbeing. I want the best possible experiences and opportunities for all, a curriculum which excites and develops knowledge, skills and attitudes in order for children to flourish, achieve their potential and have a love for learning.  I hope my experience as a former headteacher and an inspector can be useful to the governing body. I am currently Chair of the Achievement and Standards committee with a special interest in Mathematics, RE, Humanities (History and Geography) and Forest Schools.

My areas of focus as a governor are:

Forest schools: In my role as governor, I monitor the forest school curriculum to ensure forest days inspire a deep connection for our children with the natural world around them in line with our school policies and vision.

Maths: We strive to continually raise standards in numeracy and regularly monitor the curriculum alongside the leaders within our schools.

SIAMS monitoring: SIAMS stands for Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools. Having Governor responsibility for this means highlighting to all governors our Christian foundation ensuring we are upholding, supporting and promoting the Chrisitan ethos in our schools in all that we do.

SMSC: This stands for spiritual, moral, social and cultural. I monitor the school’s provision for pupil’s development in these areas with evidence provided from our school leaders.

Headteacher performance management: I work with other governors to assess the headteachers annual performance against a set of agreed targets

I am a new parent governor for the Swallowtail Foundation. I have three children enrolled in Catfield School. I wanted to join the governing body as I fully believe and embrace the values and ethos of the foundation. I wish to support the staff and other governors in achieving these values in all aspects of school life and for every child in the foundation.
I have worked for the NHS for the last 15 years as part of the learning disability services in Norfolk which I hope will bring added skills and perspective to this dedicated team.

My areas of focus as a governor are:

PE premium:  I monitor PE premium funding. The premium is designed to help children get an active start in life, supporting primary schools to improve the quality of their PE, physical activity/literacy, and sport provision so that pupils experience the benefits of regular exercise.

RHSE (Relationship Health and Sex Education) ensuring that this subject is delivered in an appropriate and inclusive way and monitoring progress through the curriculum.

Health and Safety: I monitor the school’s practice against its policy to ensure compliance with legislation, good practice, mitigate against risks etc. 

I have been a co-opted Governor since 2020. We live in Hickling where my daughter attends school and I am passionate about the continuation of small village schools and the sense of community they bring. I believe in inclusive learning and striving to achieve the best possible outcomes for children; this is very much at the heart of the Swallowtail Federation’s vision. I have worked in the education sector throughout my career. I am a fully qualified teacher and SENCO. My previous post was as Assistant Principal at a secondary school. I aim to share my knowledge and experience to support staff in providing a challenging and enriching education for our young people.

My areas of focus as a governor are:

SEND: I work with other governors and the SENCO to ensure best practice and outcomes for our pupils with SEND.

Able Gifted and talented champion: This is about ensuring the curriculum has depth and breadth enough to challenge all pupils and that those most able in any area of learning reach their full potential.

Training: I signpost governors to attend relevant courses which broaden our knowledge base and ability to support our schools

Headteacher performance management: I work with other governors to assess the headteachers annual performance against a set of agreed targets

Engagement with stakeholders: This is about ensuring strong communication and links with stakeholders. These include pupils, staff, families and our communities

I have been a governor at Swallowtail since being co-opted onto the board in 2018. Prior to this I was a governor at a Primary School in Great Yarmouth. What attracted me to join the governing body was the vision and ethos of the Federation together with the determination of the staff and governors to provide every member of the school community with the best start to their journey through education. I have worked in the public sector for over 40 years, and I hope that some of my experience outside of education brings additional skills to the governing body.

My areas of focus as a governor are:

Attendance- I work with the senior leaders to ensure that attendance is maintained and that where there is a concern it is being actively addressed.

Staff Wellbeing- Working in in education can be stressful and demanding. I liaise with the executive head to ensure that all our staff are valued and supported where needed.

Website Monitoring- I review the content on the website to make sure that it is accurate up to date including any information that is legally required.  

I am the Head of School at Catfield and currently teach Year 5 and 6. I have had experience of teaching and leading in small primary schools for much of my career, first in West Sussex and for the past 15 years in Norfolk. In recent years I ran a cluster nurture hub and I also have experience as a SENCo and delivering interventions across schools in the Stalham Cluster. As a governor I enjoy the opportunity to contribute to the bigger picture of how the schools in our Federation work together and move forward to ensure the best outcomes for all our children.