Governors

Meet our Chair of Governors

Helen Freeborn

Helen is a very experienced teacher and former secondary headteacher, with teaching and leadership experience in London, Sheffield and Greater Manchester. She was an LA officer, with responsibility for SEN services for the City of Manchester, for two years between her headships. Helen has worked for the national Future Leaders programme and currently works in school-centred initial teacher training for TES Institute; she also works as an assessor of trainee teachers for Qualified Teacher Status. Helen has been a primary school governor since 1996, in a range of schools in Sheffield, Manchester and the East Riding.

Welcome Message from the Chair of Governors

Dear Parents, Carers and Community Members,

It has been my privilege to be chair of the governing board of Sigglesthorne CE Primary Academy since 2020, having been a member of the governing board since 2018. Governors work together with the headteacher and all staff to offer support and critical friendship, to ensure our school provides a safe, caring environment in which all children can flourish, learn and grow. 

Part of our role as a governing board is to support the Christian ethos and ensure the school retains its demonstrable, distinctive character where our Christian values – Community, Courage, Peace, Respect – are central to all that we do, with all in our school community living out our Christian vision and values. These values have the Bible as their foundation: for example,  we see all members of our school family as individuals, valued and valuable in the eyes of God (Psalm 139).

We also ensure, however, that we are an inclusive school, welcoming children and families from diverse backgrounds, cultures and faiths. 

Children at Sigglesthorne enjoy the benefits of a small village school, where all staff know each child. Our curriculum is designed to enable each child to learn and make good progress, recognising their uniqueness and allowing them to develop as independent learners. I have seen first-hand how children in every class thrive on learning collaboratively, becoming critical thinkers who talk with enthusiasm about their learning. 

Our school also benefits from being a member of Ebor Academy Trust, a family of schools with a sense of responsibility for each other. We receive a great deal of support from the Trust, which helps us as a small village school to enjoy the benefits of wider collaboration with schools of all sizes and kinds.

If you would like to know more about Sigglesthorne CE Primary Academy, you are very welcome to make an appointment to visit. We are extremely proud of our school.

Best regards

Helen Freeborn

Governor Roles Overview

Our Governors are elected in accordance with our Instrument of Government

Staff Governors: Mrs J Marsden (Head), Mrs S Prosser, Mrs K Wrightson

Foundation Governors: Revd D Messer, Mr C Whitehead, Mrs N France

Parent Governors: Mrs L Barmby-Hannah, Miss S Ward, Mrs S Rhodes

Trust Governors: Mrs H Freeborn (Chair), Mrs A Mitchel

The governing body has a range of duties and powers and a general responsibility for the conduct of the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement.

Its responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• setting targets for pupil achievement
• managing the school’s finances
• making sure the curriculum is balanced and broadly based
• appointing staff
• reviewing staff performance and pay

Any governor vacancies will be advertised here.

Governor Information

Our Governing Body is a shared body with Riston Church of England Primary Academy

If you need to speak to one of the Governors you can contact them through the school office.

To view our local governing body information please click on the link below:

Sigglesthorne and Riston Governor Body – Declarations of Interest 2024-25

For information regarding Ebor Academy Trust Governance please click here