Governors
On this page you can read about our governors. You can find out about the objectives of the governing body, roles and details of the terms of office.
Governors support the school in a range of ways, including:
- attending school events
- visiting the school to talk with staff and children
- establishing links with the local community.
Governors oversee the development plans for the school and provide support and challenge for leaders.
Tollgate Community Junior School Governing Body operates as a whole team. There are no separate committees, but we have Lead Governors in:
- Teaching & Learning
- Finance
- Health & Safety
Our governing body consists of:
- 6 Co-Opted Governors
- 1 Local authority governor
- 1 Parent governor
- 2 Staff governors (including the Head Teacher)
“Governors regularly check that policies are implemented correctly by visiting the school frequently and talking to staff and pupils.” – Ofsted 2018
“Governors are keen that the curriculum should be interesting, give pupils a wide range of memorable experiences and prepare them well for the future. This has certainly been achieved.” – Ofsted 2018
“Governors are strong and effective. Their impact on the school’s drive for improvement is good.” – Ofsted 2014
“The school benefits from the skills and expertise of governors who support the school effectively and hold it to account well for its performance.” – Ofsted 2011
Joint~ Chair of Governors
Verity Langley and Carly Hobdell
Stephen Dennis|Head teacher
Vacancies for Co-Opted Governors
Vacancy | Co-Opted Governor |Wellbeing Lead
Vacancy | Co-Opted Governor | Health & Safety Lead | Complaints Panel |Exclusions Panel | Federation Panel
Vacancy for a Local Authority Governor
Jessica Eldridge - Staff Governor
Carly Hobdell - Parent/ SEND Governor
I am a Mum of two boys, both of whom have attended Tollgate.
I have a strong belief in helping all children to reach their full potential. My eldest son has additional needs. I know first-hand how important it is for children to learn in the right environment to fulfil their potential. Committed in all that I do, I am not afraid of rolling up my sleeves in order to achieve an objective.
I have a keen interest in gardening and have enjoyed planting/pruning etc in the St Andrews Infants secret garden. In an age where children can spend a lot of time indoors on computers, I believe they should have access to an outside learning space.
In my day job I work for a government body where my role involves data accuracy and fraud. I have excellent project management skills and expertise in setting up new initiatives. My responsibilities involve:
- bedding in and analysing new processes
- reviewing them at regular points
- making any necessary adjustments
I have lived in the local area since 2003. I have good links to the community having been the landlady of a local pub and Chair of a local charity run pre-school. Both roles have offered a wealth of experience in people management and sharpened my communication skills. In particular in:
- listening to what people say
- diplomatically delivering news that might not be popular but in a way that people feel listened to.
Verity Langley - Parent/ Attendance/ Safeguarding Governor
I am a mother to a son currently enrolled at Tollgate and have been a resident of Eastbourne since 2003. Professionally, I serve as a coordinator for the Harvard Club of the United Kingdom and hold the position of U.K. Interview Chair for prospective students applying to Harvard College, the undergraduate institution.
Additionally, I create technical drawings for a Landscape Architect. With over 30 years of experience in tennis, I have also had the privilege of officiating at events around the globe.
In my spare time, I lead the 1st Seaside Beaver Scouts Group and recently completed a degree in Combined STEM with the Open University in 2023.
I believe that education should foster an environment where all children can be inspired and flourish, whether socially, through sports, in the arts—where I have expertise as a trained stage manager—or academically, or through a combination of these areas.
Clerk to the Governors
Governing Body Objectives
What do we do?
Governors work with the school on strategy, vision, planning, developing policies and keeping the school under review so that all our children achieve their full potential.
Our key objectives are:
- To set high standards for all children and clear targets for improvement.
- To be a critical friend in this process.To help the school be responsive to the needs of parents and the community.
- To ask questions, regarding all aspects of school life including finance, which are probing but not too confrontational, and to work well with the head and the staff. Governors will not be involved in the day to day running of the school (or try to) and will respect the professionalism of the head and staff.
Set high standards
- Governors will keep themselves well informed and knowledgeable because they will be given, by the school, high-quality, accurate information that is concise and focused on pupil achievement. This information will be made accessible by being presented in a wide variety of formats, including charts and graphs.
- We aim to provide outstanding governance as we expect, encourage & support honest, insightful self-evaluation by the school, recognising problems and supporting the steps needed to address them.
Be a critical friend
- School leaders and governors will behave with integrity and be mutually supportive. We trust that School leaders recognise that governors provide them with a different perspective which contributes to strengthening leadership. We will ask questions that challenge assumptions and support effective decision-making.
- Our governing body will be driven by a core of key governors especially the chair, vice chair & sub-committee chairs. We will see ourselves as part of a team and build strong relationships with the Headteacher, senior leaders and other governors.
- We expect positive relationships between governors and the school leadership team to exist which are based on trust, openness and transparency.
Help the school be responsive
- We will take and support hard decisions in the interests of pupils: to back the head teacher when staff changes are necessary, or to change the head teacher when absolutely necessary.
Ask questions
- We will systematically monitor the school’s progress towards meeting agreed development targets. Information about what is going well and why, and what is not going well and why, will be shared. We will when required ask for more information, explanation or clarification. We believe that this makes a strong contribution to robust planning for improvement.
- Some Governors (but not all) will routinely attend lessons and/or speak with staff to gather information about the school at work. During the 2020/21 pandemic when access to schools is restricted, any visits completed will be virtual with the relevant staff member. This is in accordance with the school's risk assessment. These meetings will be kept to a minimum to support school staff during these challenging times and will always be within the agreed protocols. Alongside the information we are given about the school, these visits help to make informed decisions, ask searching questions and provide meaningful support.
Governing Body Roles
Link to Terms of Office & Register of Interests for Year 2023/24