Kirkstall Valley Primary School

Governors

As Governors, we are very proud of our school – it is clear to us that the pupils thrive here: they are safe, work hard and enjoy their learning. The teaching staff put in a huge number of hours preparing and delivering lessons, whilst giving the children the care and attention they need. The success and development of the pupils is clearly reflective of the staff’s drive, dedication and hard work.

We have an excellent mix of Governors comprising of elected parents, local authority representatives, community members, teachers and associate members. The Governors bring a wealth of knowledge covering a wide range of areas e.g. finance, recruitment, health and safety, special education needs and pastoral support.

We volunteer our time and regularly meet at the school to not only support, but also challenge the Headteacher in our role as ‘critical friend’. We are the strategic managers of the school creating and reviewing school policies, targets and the direction of the school.

I am Headteacher of Kirkstall Valley Primary School and am in my 8th year of headship.

I am immensely proud of our school, our children and our staff team and am so grateful to the

governing body for being the 'critical friends' the school needs to be able to be the best possible version

of itself.

If you are interested in supporting our work, please do get in touch.

I am now retired but have worked in education for the past forty years. My most recent role was to 

support a number of Head Teachers in school improvement.

As the Chair of Governors at Kirkstall Valley Primary School, I work with all the governors to ensure

the best outcomes for our children in every area of their lives. 

I am very proud to be a member of the largest group of volunteers in the country and even more

proud to be working on behalf of all pupils, staff and parents in this wonderful school community.

As the grandparent of a child at KVPS I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand

the excellent work that the school does and the dedication of its staff who bring out the very best in

each child. I have a background in business and finance and this helps me in my role of a School Governor, where I support with the monitoring of Finance, Health & Safety, and Buildings.

I have been a Councillor for 11 years and represent Kirkstall Ward, which is also where I live. I am the Cabinet Member at Leeds City Council for Equality, Health and Wellbeing and was previously the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services for 5 years. Prior to being a full time Councillor, I worked in front line mental health services for 25 years, including being the CEO of Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service. At KVPS, I am the lead governor for children who are looked after by the local authority, or have been in the past. I have also run two anti dog- fouling campaigns with children at KVPS – one currently and one around nine years ago- and grasp any opportunity to meet with the School Council and nurture children’s engagement with democracy. Away from work, I love running, cats and shoes!

As a serving Head Teacher and a Maths Specialist I have experience in school leadership and curriculum development which is useful to support the strategic development of our school. I am privileged to be part of the governing body at Kirkstall Valley which has a committed and skilled staff. Having started my teaching career in the local area I have a good understanding of and an affinity for the community we serve. 

I originally come from a legal background, spending ten years working across employment, equal pay and personal injury law, much of that time as a paralegal managing my own caseload. After having children, I moved into the education sector, working as a senior office administrator, office manager and now as a School Business Manager, following the successful completion of my Level 4 School Business Professional qualification.  I have worked at Kirkstall Valley for over five years and really enjoy the varied nature of my role. I am currently finalising my CIPD Level 5 People Professional qualification and have a particular interest in finance and health and safety. I became an Associate Governor to share my operational and HR expertise and to support strong financial oversight within the school.  As an Associate Governor, I support the board by preparing budget reports and contributing to effective  decision-making. I am committed to helping the governing body ensure the school continues to provide a safe, inclusive and well-resourced environment for all pupils 

As staff governor, I work at KVPS and have lots of experience within school. I have been Reception teacher for the majority of my teaching career, which gives me a lot of experience with the Early Years Curriculum & key priorities. Early Years is a passion of mine and I love working in Reception. However, I do also have experience in Year 2, Year 1 & during my time spent as SENDCo I covered (PPA) across school. As a previous SENDCo, I have good knowledge and understanding around children with SEND and how school is working with these children. I have also been Humanities lead, so I have good curriculum knowledge. 

Hi, I'm Yoshiko :)

I have children in years 1 and 3, and I want them and all children at KVPS to have the best possible experience. At work I manage mental health services, and I love working with young people to improve the support we offer. As a governor I use this experience to support with monitoring Wellbeing (of children and staff) and Personal Development (which is about children being themselves and being safe, happy and healthy). I'm also part of the Sustainability group (which is about our school's impact on the environment). 

Feel free to have a chat with me about these things or anything else!

I am a parent governor with a daughter at the school. I have always been passionate about reading and literacy, and I’m keen to support the school in fostering a love of books and learning for every child. I value strong links between families and the school community and am proud to contribute to its continued growth.

HT Performance Management Governors

Colleen Jackson

Governing Body Summary

Specific monitoring duties:

Safeguarding/Child Protection- Colleen Jackson

Children Looked After- Fiona Venner/Ashley Lund 

SEND- Victoria Pearson/Bernadette Duffy

Equalities- Fiona Venner 

Early Years Foundation Stage - Helen Mansfield 

English - Colleen Jackson 

Maths- Mary Togher

Attendance- Mary Togher/Adam Dimmock 

Complaints- Committee 

Training- Colleen Jackson

Pupil Premium- Colleen Jackson

PE & Sports Premium- Colleen Jackson 

Health & Safety- Adam Dimmock

Staff Wellbeing and Engagement- Ashley Lund/Yoshiko Stokoe

Website and communications - Tom Johnson 

School Council link- Fiona Venner 

Behaviour- Colleen Jackson 

Sustainability - Yoshiko Stokoe/Tom Johnson  

Personal Development - Yoshiko Stokoe 

The Governing Body of each school is required by regulations made under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to establish a register which lists for each member of the Governing Body and the Headteacher any business or personal interests they or any member of their immediate family have, which could conflict with the school's interests.  Please find below governors who have declared interests:

Currently no governors have declared any interests.

Governor Attendance