Darley & Summerbridge Primary School Federation Governing Body
Welcome to the Governors’ Homepage.
On this page you will find out a whole host of information about school governance and leadership.
Darley & Summerbridge Primary School Local Governing Board is made up of members of the local community from in and around the villages of Darley & Summerbridge. The Governing Bodies of both schools were dissolved in April 2017 and re-constituted at the same time to form one federated governing body.
The governing body was again re-constituted in September 2023 when the federation joined YCAT. The Governors now form a Local Governing Board that sits beneath the Trust Board of YCAT. Our Governing Body is made up of one headteacher, one 1 staff governor, 2 parent governor and 4 co-opted governors. The Governors meet every half term during which all aspects of school improvement are discussed and as such we no longer have separate committee meetings but governors do have specific roles within the federation:
Vacancy (until the first meeting of the year) – Chair
Carol White – Vice-chair
Kate Milne – Safeguarding and Child Protection
Lucy Martin – SEN
Eddie Moore – Health, safety and premises
Andy Howarth – Curriculum
Jim Dixon – Recruitment
Nick Coates – Headteacher
Governors are volunteers who are responsible for the strategic leadership of the school and together with the headteacher and members of staff ensure that schools are safe and effective in their duty to deliver education to the children who attend. The work of the governing board is overseen by the YCAT Trustees
Welcome from the Chair of Governors
Governor List
Chair of Governors and Co-opted Governor
Current Vacancy until first meeting of the year
Mrs Kate Milne – Co-opted Governor
Period of Office – February 2023 – January 2026
I have been on the Governing Body of the federation for nearly 3 years and in that time have seen both the schools grow and continue to thrive. As the manager of the pre-school I oversee the Early Years provision for around sixty 2-4 year olds and as such I am very well placed to add my years of experience as an EYFS Practitioner to the Governing Body. I sit on the Health, Safety and Premises Committee.
Mrs Carol White – Co-opted Governor
Period of Office – February 2023 – March 2026
I sit on the Finance and Personnel Committee.
Mr Eddie Moore – Co-opted Governor
Period of Office – October 2020 – September 2024
I live in Dacre Banks with my family, and our two children really enjoy attending Summerbridge School. I currently work for a large housing association as a Construction Delivery Manager, prior to this I worked for a charity and housing association whose services included educational provision. I bring experience and skills in the areas of estate and maintenance management, budget management, strategic planning, health and safety and project management. I sit on the Health, Safety and Premises Committee.
Dr Lucy Martin – Parent Governor
Period of Office – October 2020 – September 2024
I live in Darley with my husband and three children, all of whom attend Darley School. We’ve really enjoyed the time our children have spent at the school so far and so have they! I have a background in education having previously been a primary school teacher and literacy specialist. I also have a doctorate in education, autism and language development which gives me an additional view on education in general. Having seen the wonderful work the schools do and how they promote such a caring ethos, I am looking forward to working with staff and the governors as a parent governor. I sit on the Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Committee.
Mr Jim Dixon – Parent Governor
Period of Office – October 2022 – September 2026
I sit on the Finance and Personnel Committee.
Mr Andrew Howarth – Staff Governor
Period of Office – October 2020 – September 2024
I have been a member of staff at Darley since 2013. After completing my teacher training at Darley, I was offered the role of HLTA. Since then I have been lucky enough to work in every classroom, experiencing education at the different stages of the curriculum. I am now the senior teacher at Darley and the class teacher of the upper KS2 class. I have a firm understanding of the curriculum and a keen interest in developing it further. I sit on the Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Committee.
Mr Nick Coates – Headteacher Governor
Period of Office – January 2009 – present day
As the headteacher of the federation I am naturally on the governing body. I have been the headteacher of Darley Primary School for 16 years and the executive head of the federation for the last 7 years. Prior to being the head of Darley I have been an acting headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior teacher and class teacher in a variety of schools throughout North Yorkshire ranging from large urban schools to small, remote rural schools.
Our Purpose
As part of YCAT, our federation has a Local Governing Body who oversees the work of the schools within the federation. These volunteers are responsible for the strategic leadership of the school and together with the headteacher and members of staff ensure that schools are safe and effective in their duty to deliver education to the children who attend.
The Governors Core Functions are:
a) Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
b) Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
c) Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent
Forthcoming Meetings 2024 - 2025
9th October 2024 6pm at Darley
11th December 2024 6pm at Summerbridge
26th February 2025 6pm at Darley
21st May 2025 6pm at Summerbridge
9th July 2025 6pm at Summerbridge
Annual Report
Download our annual statement Governance-Annual-Statement 2022