Governors

Oakfield Lodge School – Management Committee

The Interim Executive Board (IEB) was formally dissolved and replaced by the new Management Committee of Oakfield Lodge School (OLS) on the 27th April 2018; it is the equivalent of the governing body of a maintained school. Cheshire East Council have decided to replace the IEB with a Management Committee to lead OLS whilst they transition to Academy Status to provide continuity of leadership to the school during this transitional phase.

The Management Committee meets six times per year, once per half term. There are no sub-committees of the Management Committee.

Management Committee remit

The School is a Local Authority Pupil Referral Unit and is  governed by an LA management committee under The Education (Pupil Referral Units) (Management Committees etc.) (England) Regulations 2007.

The Management Committee fulfils the same role as a governing board. It has a strategic role setting out and monitoring the aims and objectives of the unit to ensure children are safe, have their needs met and receive a good standard of education. 

The Management Committee of Oakfield Lodge School is chaired by Mr John Edmonstone.

Mr J Edmonstone can be contacted by email at Chair@oakfieldlodge.cheshire.sch.uk

Minutes from Governor Meetings

Attendance

Dates of upcoming governors meetings

5th March 2024

30th April 2024

25th June 2024

All meetings take place at the school at start at 3.30pm

The membership of the Management Committee of Oakfield Lodge consists of:

John Edmonstone Chair Appointed by Governing Board  13/11/23 03/10/27
Gemma Bailey Head Teacher Elected by school staff 23/4/18 N/A
Vicky Diamond Community Governor Appointed by Governing Board 04/09/23 04/09/27
Claire Howarth Community Governor Appointed by Governing Board 25/11/21 24/11/25
Michael Taylor Community Governor Appointed by Governing Board

Management Committee individual pen portraits

Mr J Edmonstone

I have worked for over 35 years in international business, mostly in sales management roles within multi-million dollar corporate organisations. My key business disciplines include: defining business case, recruiting and developing international teams, influencing resources within matrix structures, delivering on defined targets.

Having retired at the end of 2018, after years of travelling around, I’m very happy to have the opportunity to contribute to the local community. I have lived in Sandbach off-and-on since coming to England from my native Scotland at the age of 10. I am an active member of Sandbach Rugby Club, Crewe Golf Club and Sandbach Cycling Group. “

g-bailey

Having gained a degree in Japanese, French and Business Studies; I qualified as a teacher in 2001. I spent thirteen years teaching in mainstream education, seven of them as a senior leader for behaviour, inclusion and SEND. Most recently I spent four years working in two local authorities, managing a variety of teams who support vulnerable learners. I have also been a school governor in two local primary schools. As a mum of three I lead a very busy life. I enjoy long walks with my dog, especially in the lake district. I’m an avid theatre goer and enjoy reading when I have the time.

Vicki Diamond

As a commercially driven and results-focused Resourcing Leader, I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to extend my expertise to a school governor role. My diverse corporate experience equips me with invaluable skills to contribute effectively to a school governor role. My background in Health and Social Care, emphasising coaching and high-performing team development, can enhance the school community.

With a strong understanding of substantive recruitment and temporary staffing, onboarding, and workforce planning, I appreciate the significance of recruitment and employee retention, crucial in an educational setting.

My robust management and leadership skills thrive in high-pressure, changing environments, crucial for impactful school governance. I am a confident advocate for continuous improvement, ensuring the school consistently aims for excellence.

My experience in crafting strategies aligned with organisational goals and my data-driven decision-making approach directly supports school governance’s mission of strategic planning.

As a parent to three school-aged daughters, I’m deeply committed to creating a thriving educational environment, actively contributing to the school’s growth and success.

fbt

Age 58. Retired. Keeping myself active with running, cycling and pandering to the needs of my six-year-old border collie.

I am originally from Leicester but arrived in Sandbach about 12 years ago via Kent, Essex and Hertfordshire.

Education wise, I attended a wonderfully ethnically and socially diverse comprehensive school in Leicester where I scraped together enough A level points to take me to Hatfield Polytechnic to study Business and Finance. Career wise, aided by post graduate studying at Croydon College I joined the (then) Institute of Personnel Management, and spent around 20 years in a variety of HR roles, predominantly in Local Government.

My HR experience was quite broad, I held generalist, departmental (business partner) type roles, so had lots of exposure to resourcing activities such as recruitment and reward management and Health and Safety and Risk Management but my specialism was Employee Relations and Diversity.

About 15 years ago, I took the opportunity presented by my husbands “early retirement” to give up life in the “real world” and fulfil a long-held ambition to travel and work “abroad”. So, my more recent working life has been in the tourism industry; everything from running ski chalets to holiday repping.

Why am I a Governor? I believe wholeheartedly that education is the key to so many problems at individual, community and society level but I know that many young people enter the education system in circumstances which hinder their access and ultimate performance. Whilst it is always important, I consider education to be a much broader concept than exam performance alone, and recognise that sometimes our successes as a school are concealed behind statutorily driven key performance indicators. I am learning all the time about the work that Oakfield Lodge undertakes with young people who are facing barriers to inclusion and engagement, developing skills and perspective which will allow them to reach their full potential. As a governor I try to give support to that work.

michael-taylor

I have been a science teacher and now a teacher trainer for 13 years. I have led whole school improvement projects in my specialist area of assessment. I have completed Postgraduate research at the University of Oxford and Glasgow University for my PhD in education. I have a big interest in SEND and equity in education.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time in the Cheshire countryside with my dog.

Declarations of Interest