Governors

Our Governors

Langley First School has a dedicated, committed and effective Governing Body which is vital to ensuring high standards are maintained. The governors meet twice a term in order to support and challenge the school so that improvements are consistently reviewed and evaluated. The governors make visits to the school to observe the activities of the children and to inspect the school building. They are involved in shortlisting and interviewing candidates for staff appointments. To assist the governors in carrying out their duties they attend training sessions organised by the Local Authority.

Mr Chris Riding

Co-opted Governor

(Chair of Governors)

As a parent to two young children I have had the pleasure of seeing their education and growth while they have been at Langley First School. When the opportunity arose to be a parent governor at the beginning of 2021 I was really pleased to get involved and be able to help contribute to the ongoing growth and development of the school. With a focus on curriculum, culture and ethos of the school, Langley is a caring, high attaining and inspiring environment for the areas children and I am always excited and inspired when working with the team to see how we continue to build on this. Bringing 20 years of project management experience I have a range of management skills that help me in my governing role.

I am the governor supporting History and Geography (Shouldn’t have mentioned my history degree in the first meeting!) and a member of the Staffing and Curriculum committee.

Mr Chris Coady

Co-opted Governor

I have lived in Whitley Bay since 1982. My own,now grown up children passed successfully through the school system in this community. I am so aware of how attending good schools enables and empowers children not only in their learning but on the journey to adulthood.
I was a career teacher,working in schools in Bolton, Newcastle and Doncaster, where for ten years I was a secondary Headteacher and Executive Headteacher.
As a social and educational includer,wanting every member of our school community to be the best they can be,our school moto, Learn,Friendship,Shine is entirely appropriate.
It is my privilege to be a member of the Governing Body in our highly successful school..

Mr Andrew Miekle

Co-opted Governor

I am Andrew Meikle and I joined the governing body as a co-opted governor in June 2017. Having had 2 teachers as parents I am aware of the value governors can add to a school and wanted to support Langley and help where I could. I also live 100 yards away and my daughter will hopefully attend here when old enough so I wanted to make sure the school is a well run one!

My governor responsibility is for Music and Art and Design and I also sit on the staffing and curriculum committee.

I am an HR Manager for a Local Authority and see the good and bad of employment and staffing issues. This experience helps me to support the Head and school to look at ways to continually improve the education we provide to the children - and also make sure we avoid the mistakes I see others make.

Mr Kevin Hood

Parent Governor

I have always had a strong interest in education and a desire to contribute to the wider community, prior to having children I served as a governor at a local High school for 4 years. During this period the school was awarded Outstanding status by Ofsted for the first time, and I got to see first hand the vital role a strong governing body can play in supporting the school and its leadership team to deliver an enriching education for all pupils. I found the experience of being a governor really rewarding and when I stepped away after my first child was born I hoped I would have the chance to get involved as a parent governor in the future.

I am a practicing chartered accountant and have worked for Procter and Gamble for 20 years in a variety of regional and global finance roles. The financial and management skills I have from my work, combined with my previous experience as a governor will ensure I can make a real contribution to the continued success of Langley First School.

My subject responsibility is Physical Education.

Mrs Lisa Heatherington

Co-opted Governor

(Vice Chair of Governors)

As a mum of two children who attended Langley, I am passionate about creating opportunities for other children in the area to receive an excellent educational and nurturing pastoral care.

I hope to make sure school life gives them great memories, long lasting friendships and the best chance of success as an adult, including a healthy mind-set.

I was a primary teacher for 18 years before I embarked on a role as a school improvement advisor. I offer support and challenge to a range of educational settings to ensure that young people receive the best possible education, which inspires them to be the best they can be!

I am passionate about both Mathematics and English and work closely with leaders to ensure clarity, intentionally and robustness in these areas. I am proud to be a governor at Langley First School and love the ongoing challenge and diversity of the role.

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Mrs Laurie Jones

Co-opted Governor

For approaching six years I have had the privilege of being a teacher and maths lead at Langley First School after previously being a teacher and English lead for 13 years in Newcastle. Both roles have given me a range of experience in how primary and first schools operate on a daily basis and how to help support getting the best out of both children and colleagues. Currently in school, I have many roles and responsibilities as a newly appointed deputy headteacher. These include Key Stage 2 lead, Deputy Designated Safeguarding lead, ECT mentor, Parent Focus Group lead and E-Visit lead. These responsibilities allow me to have a good understanding of the whole school and help support the governing body and senior leadership team to make meaningful and proactive decisions about our school life. As a newly appointed staff governor, I look forward to working with the governors to ensure that the school provides high quality education and learning experiences for all of the children at Langley First School

Mrs Faye Nettleship

Staff Governor

For the past five years, I have been proudly teaching at Langley
First School in Year One. My other responsibilities include PE
lead across the school. This has included me planning and
organising lesson delivery, providing staff with resources to
deliver high quality PE, organising sporting events and extra-
curricular activities as well as handling the Sports Premium
Funding effectively to ensure that children are receiving a range
of high quality opportunities. As well as this, I am currently
shadowing a colleague in the hope of becoming the school’s
maths lead. For the last three years, I have been a part of a
maths TRG which is a group of teachers working collaboratively
to improve their practice of maths and evaluating how it is
delivered throughout school. As a newly appointed governor, I
am excited to share my thoughts and class experience to help
maintain the high standards throughout the schooling
community.

Mr Ryan Anderson

Co-opted Governor

My name is Ryan Anderson and I am a parent governor, with two children at the school. I am aware of the increasing pressures facing schools and therefore wanted to put myself forward to help and support Langley First School to overcome its challenges, meet its goals and continue to provide a fantastic and nurturing education for our children.

I see this role as a great opportunity to become a ‘critical friend’ of the school, working in a collaborative manner to ensure strategic aims are met. As a parent, I also want to help foster and maintain the school’s inclusive ethos to create a positive and happy learning environment for every child, whilst also supporting emotional wellbeing.

My area of responsibility on the Governing Body is Early Years.

Mr Andy Pendlebury

Co-opted Governor

Hi, I joined the governing body as a co-opted Governor in November 2017. I have several friends who are in the teaching profession and through discussions with them and a desire to get involved with my local community I put myself forward as a co-opted Governor.

My professional background is in the construction industry - specifically in cost management - and whilst I have in the (distant!) past worked in outdoor education, I currently have limited experience / knowledge of the education system and all that entails. I do however hope that I can bring some of my knowledge and experience to bear and maybe offer a different perspective to help the school achieve for all.

I sit on the finance committee and have responsibilities in relation to asset management / health and safety and also pupil premium. Through my Governor role and other responsibilities, I hope to be able to challenge and support the governing body, head teacher and staff to provide the best environment for children to not only learn but to be happy and fulfilled .

Mrs Lianne Anderton

Parent Governor

I am a mother of two, my eldest is in Year 1 and we are hoping that our 1 year old will follow her brother into Langley. I have lived in Monkseaton for around 10 years, originally from Blackpool, I moved to Newcastle to do my degree at Northumbria University and never went home!

I have worked for the Department of Work and Pensions for almost 20 years, doing a variety of jobs from performance management to resource planning for the restructuring of 10,000 people. I finally settled as an IT Project Manager which I really enjoy. I am currently responsible for overseeing several complex projects, managing multi-million pound budgets. I have experience of holding others to account in terms of quality, planning, budgeting, project delivery and expenditure tracking. Often these projects require me to be involved in setting direction and developing government policies and procedures.

Like the majority of us over the past 14 months, our family has had to juggle working, home schooling and parenting. Aside from spending an embarrassing amount of time on Google relearning what an adjective is, being forced into the role of educator has given me a greater appreciation of the part teachers and schools play in the lives of our children, not just academically but also socially. Coming out of this pandemic, we, as parents, are in the unique position of having a greater understanding of how school equips our children for the world, so I would like to use your insight to ensure that our experiences, both good and bad, are fed back into school decision making and planning going forward. My aim is to make sure that the lines of communications between parents and the school remain open so that we can all have a collective part in making Langley a school we are proud to be a part of.

Governor Attendance

GOVERNOR	CATEGORY	APPOINTED BY OR ELECTED	TERM OF OFFICE		FULL GOVERNING BODY MEETINGS		ATTENDANCE AT COMMITTEE MEETINGS, E.G. (F) 2 OF 6, (S) 3 OF 3
			START DATE	EXPIRY DATE	Potential meetings per year	Actual Attendance
Ryan Anderson	Parent	Elected	13/03/2019	12/03/2023	3	3	(S & C) 1 of 1
Rowenna Campbell	Local Authority	Appointed	14/10/2015	13/10/2023	2	2	(S & C) 1 of 1
Chris Coady	Co-opted	Appointed	05/06/2019	04/06/2023	3	3	(S & C) 1 of 1
Caroline Crowthers	Staff	Elected	03/01/2017	02/01/2021	3	3	(F & A) 2 of 2
Lisa Heatherington	Co-opted	Elected	15/02/2017	14/02/2021	2	3	(S & C) 1 of 1
Carrie Marron	Co-opted	Appointed	12/11/2014	11/11/2022	3	2	(F & A) 1 of 2
Andrew Meikle	Co-opted	Appointed	07/06/2017	06/06/2021	1	3	(S & C) 1 of 1
Andy Pendlebury	Co-opted	Appointed	30/10/2017	29/10/2021	1	3	(F & A) 2 of 2
Lianne Anderton	Parent				3
Kevin Hood	Parent				3
Chris Riding	Co-opted	Elected	02/03/2020	01/03/2024	3	2	(S & C) 1 of 1

Governor Committees

Staffing & Curriculum

(Quorum 3)

* Staff may be asked to withdraw if the item being discussed is relating to their own pay and conditions or that of any other member of staff in more than general terms.

Mrs C Marron*
Mrs L Heatherington
Mr A Meikle
Mr C Coady
Mr R Anderson
Mrs Laurie Jones
Mr Chris Riding

Finance, Assets (Premises) & Health and Safety

(Quorum 3)

* Staff may be asked to withdraw if the item being discussed is relating to their own pay and conditions or that of any other member of staff in more than general terms.