The School Governors

The School Governors play a very active role in our school. The governing body consists of thirteen governors, including parents, staff, Local Authority (LA) and community representatives.

The Governing Body of Juniper Hill School sets a clear strategic direction to secure a high-quality, ambitious and inclusive education for every pupil. We are committed to ensuring that all learners, particularly the most vulnerable, feel valued, are supported to succeed, and are able to flourish through a broad and enriching curriculum. Through strong accountability and effective stewardship of resources, we drive continuous improvement and ensure the best possible outcomes for all.

The Full Governing Board meets once a term. Its core responsibilities are:

          1. Provide strategic leadership
              Set and monitor the school’s vision, values and strategic priorities to ensure long-term improvement.

          2. Ensure a high quality, inclusive curriculum
              Hold leaders to account for delivering an ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils, including the most vulnerable, and enables them to make strong progress.

          3. Oversee financial performance and resources
              Ensure the school’s budget, staffing and resources are used effectively, provide value for money, and support the school development plan, including the maintenance and improvement of the school environment.

           4. Hold the school to account for educational performance
               Monitor and evaluate pupil outcomes, teaching quality, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding to ensure high standards and continuous improvement.

We have three subcommittees that each focus on delivering against one of the core responsibilities. These committees each meet once a term:

          1. The Strategy and Planning (S&P) committee includes all governors and is concerned with the management of annual and long-term planning processes.

          2. The Teaching, Learning and Community (TL&C) committee focusses on pupils’ learning and behaviour and the school’s links with the wider community.

          3. The Finance and Resources (F&R) committee oversees the finances and premises (including health and safety) of the school.

Additionally, there is a separate Pay Sub-committee to ensure we meet our statutory responsibility to consider and approve the Pay Policy annually.

Self-evaluation is a vital part of our culture here at Juniper Hill. We have a formal process of constantly reviewing all aspects of the school and we listen to everyone involved for their ideas. We have a “School Plan” of priority actions that each subcommittee of the governing body decides are necessary to address areas where we want to develop further, focusing mainly on curriculum areas and the development of the school premises. In the last ten years, we have built new classrooms and a new library, refurbished all the toilets and the kitchen, and created a splendid adventure playground. Funding for these projects has been raised using our annual capital grants and extensive support from the Juniper Hill PTA.

Minutes of the meetings of the Governing Body are available in school. Key policies can be found on the 'Policies' page on the 'Parents' tab. If you would like to know any more about the school governors or are interested in getting involved, please contact any of the following governors or ask in the school office.

Governor	Governor Type	Term of Office	F&R	TL&C	S&P	Pay	SDP Lead Governor	Specific Role
Mrs Claire Garnett	Headteacher	Sep 2019 - Ongoing	X	X	X	X
Mr Tim Waterworth	Co-opted	June 2021–June 2029	X		X	X		Chair of Governors, Whistle Blowing, Performance Management, SEMH
Mrs Keira McMahon	Co-opted	Feb 2020 – Feb 2028		X	X		4 - Kagan	Vice Chair of Governors,   Communication/Development,  Reading, Swimming
Mrs Cara Duhan	Staff	Sept 2018–Sep 2026		X	X
Mrs Judith Timewell	Co-opted	Nov 2019–Nov 2027		X	X		2A & 2B – Inclusion	Inclusion, Forest School,   Butterfly Curriculum, SEND
Mrs Denise Clark	Co-opted	May 2021–May 2029	X		X		5 – Safeguarding	Safeguarding, Looked After Children, Child Protection
Mr Chris Smith	Co-opted	July 2022 – July 2026		X	X		1 – Digital learning	Health and Safety, IT, Travel Plan
Mrs Helen Poet	Co-opted	Nov 2022 – Nov 2026		X	X	X	3 – Subject leadership	Curriculum Development, EYFS, Performance Management
Miss Louisa Haines	Co-opted	Oct 2024–Oct 2028		X				The Nest
Miss Jenny Osman	Co-opted	Dec 2025–Nov 2029	X	X	X
Mr Troy Emery	Parent	Feb 2023 – Feb 2027	X		X			Link Governor, Maths
Mr James Kingston	Parent	Nov 2023–Nov 2027	X		X	X		Head of Finance Committee, Online Safety/Cybersecurity, Performance Management
Rev James Dwyer	Local Authority	Nov 2023–Nov 2027		X	X			Wellbeing
Mrs Marcella Collins	Associate	N/A			X			No current voting rights on any committee.
Governors who have stepped down in the last 12 months
Mrs Ros Hazeldine	Co-opted	Sep 2020– Nov 2025	X	X	X	X		Performance Management, Whistle-blowing, IT

 

 

Juniper Hill Governing Body – Additional Roles and Responsibilities

 

A group of Governors may be required to form the Complaints Panel, Staff Dismissal, Staff Dismissal Appeals, Employee Grievance, Pay Review Appeals or Pupil Discipline Committees.   The Chair of Governors has the authority to form such committees from the Governor’s pool, should they be required to meet, and a Chair of such a committee would be elected at such a meeting.  No Governor can sit on a committee if they have prior knowledge of a staff dismissal incident, an employee grievance, an exclusion issue or staff (with regard to pay related issues).  Any Governor who sits on the Staff Dismissal committee cannot sit on the Staff Dismissal Appeals committee.

 

Governing Body Documents

 

Many of our Policies are available online as pdf documents – please click on the 'Policies' page under the 'Parents' section of the website.

Other documents are available on request from the school office. There is a file readily available in the school reception area of the Minutes of the termly Full Governing Body Meetings, and other committee minutes and documents are filed by the office. Single copies of most items are free. If your request means that we have to do a lot of photocopying or printing, or pay a large postage charge, or is for a priced item such as some printed publications or videos, we will let you know the cost before fulfilling your request.

 

Declaration and Management of Interests

Juniper Hill School is committed to the highest standards of ethical governance, transparency, and public accountability. In line with the Nolan Principles of Public Life, the Governing Board proactively manages all actual and perceived conflicts of interest to protect the integrity of its decision‑making.

Three members of the Governing Board have close personal relationships with members of school staff. These interests have been formally declared and are managed in accordance with statutory guidance and the school’s governance protocols. The Governing Board has put in place clear and consistent safeguards to ensure impartiality and maintain public confidence.

Safeguards in Place

• All relevant interests are declared at the start of governing body and committee meetings.
• Declarations are recorded on the Governor Portal and updated as required.
• Governors with a declared interest are recused from all discussions or decisions relating to school staff, including recruitment, performance management, HR matters, and any complaints.
• Governors with a declared interest do not serve as Chair or Vice Chair of the Governing Body and do not chair committees.
• Buckinghamshire Council has been informed where appropriate.

These measures ensure that any potential for bias, real or perceived, is fully mitigated and that governance decisions remain objective and transparent.

Declared Relationships

The Governing Board currently manages the following declared interests:

• Governor Mr Smith and staff member Mrs Smith
• Governor Revd Dwyer and staff member Mrs Dwyer
• Governor Mrs Clark and staff member Mrs Long 

All interests were declared at the appropriate time and are subject to the safeguards outlined above.