Governors

Our Governing Body, which meets at least once a term, is made up of 12 individuals representing the whole school community who bring a wide variety of skills to support the School including finance capabilities, management experience, teaching experience and pastoral care. All undertake their duties with dedication and passion in a voluntary and unpaid capacity. The term of office for each governor is 4 years.  As we are a Voluntary Aided school we are supported by both the Carlisle Diocese and Westmorland & Furness County Council.

The Governing Body is made up of:

  • 1 Headteacher
  • 1 Staff Governor
  • 7 Foundation Governors (there is currently a vacancy for a Foundation Governor)
  • 2 Parent Governors
  • 1 Local Authority Governor(there is currently a vacancy for a Local Authority Governor)

The term “critical friend” is often used to describe the responsibilities and role of the Governing Body. In essence, this means the Governing Body ensures it understands the School’s “big picture” by supporting the vision and aims of the School.  It works closely with the Headteacher and staff to gain a strong knowledge of the strengths of the school and the areas for development. It supports the Headteacher with strategic planning for continuous School Improvement.

All the Governors have responsibilities with regard to a variety of areas of the School. Each governor is linked to a year group and spends time with the staff and children in that year group to more fully understand the life of the school.  The Governing Body has several statutory duties for which they are accountable, including appointing the Headteacher as well as agreeing certain school policies and procedures.

All Governors initially complete basic training. Continuous updates and training are provided to ensure that Governors get the information they need to perform their duties to the best of their capabilities.

It is essential that the Governing Body maintains high standards including a commitment to ensure confidentiality is observed at all times; as the Governors are privy to delicate information relating to the school and its community. Equally, the Governing Body is not involved with the day-to-day running of the school so any comments of this nature will be directed back to the class teachers and the Headteacher in accordance with the School’s policies and procedures.

Governor Attendance – 2024.25
18.09.24 12.11.24 15.01.25 12.03.25 04.06.25 02.07.25
Elizabeth Budd 1 1 1 1 1 1 100%
Rachael Sutherland 1 1 1 1 1 1 100%
Rev. George Briggs 1 Apologies 1 1 1 1 83%
Maggie Cole 1 1 1 Apologies 1 Apologies 66%
Anne Hoe 1 1 1 1 1 1 100%
Jo Dowker 1 Apologies 1 1 1 1 83%
Sarah Cunliffe 1 1 1 Apologies Apologies 1 66%
Sam Thom 1 Apologies 1 1 Apologies 1 66%
Billy Dayson 1 1 1 1 1 1 100%
Beth Booker Apologies 1 1 1 1 1 83%
Claire Taylor 1 1 1 1 1 100%
Governor Business Interest – Updated November 2025
Name  Current employment  Interest  Date recorded  Notes 
Elizabeth Budd   Nil return    25/05/2023  No change 17/09/2025 
Rachael Sutherland   Self Employed Freelance Writer    20/09/2022   
   Lakeland Maze Farm Park  Parttime general assistant  17/09/2025   
  Brother now working for the Diocese of Carlisle – Peter Barfoot  Finance and buildings officer – involved in discussions about school funding  15/01/2025   
Rev George Briggs   St Thomas’s Church    09/11/2022   
Jo Dowker   Lancashire County Council Stepping Stones PRU, Lancaster  Staff  17/09/2025 

 

 
Sarah Cunliffe   St Thomas’s C of E Primary School  Head Teacher  17/09/2025 

 

 
Sarah Cunliffe  

 

Andrew Cunliffe – St Thomas’s C of E Primary School  Husband  17/09/2025 

 

 
Sam Thom   Cyber Security Consultant  Member of special interest group within: 

  • The UK national cyber security centre (NCSC) 
  • The open web application security project 
20/05/2023   
Billy Dayson  St Thomas’s C of E Primary School   Teaching Assistant  17/09/2025 

 

 
Beth Booker         
Natalie Fryer  Cumbria Tourism    17/09/2025   
Claire Taylor  St Thomas’s C of E Primary School  Teacher  17/09/2025 

 

 
 Governors who have left in the past 12 months:
  • Maggie Cole – ex-officio – Head Teacher – Resigned August 2025
  • Anne Hoe – Local Authority governor – Resigned ~July 2025

Sarah Cunliffe

Ex Officio

01.01.2023

Sarah is the head teacher of the school and is an ex officio governor.

Jo Dowker

Foundation governor - appointed by the diocese and chair of governors

03.08.2022

Jo Dowker is a Foundation Governor and member of St. Thomas’s Church.  She is a primary school teacher and SENDCO at a school in Lancashire.  She is currently the Governor for SEND. Jo is the chair of governors and chair of the FPS committee.

Rachael Sutherland

Foundation Governor appointed by the diocese and Vice Chair of Governors

07.07.2021

Rachael is a foundation governor and member of St. Thomas’s Church.  She is vice chair of the governing body.  Her background is in teaching in primary school and she now works as a freelance writer and trainer.

George Briggs

Ex-Officio

15.10.2014

George is the vicar of St Thomas’s Church.  He has one child in school in Year 6.

Liz Budd

Foundation Governor appointed by the diocese

13.01.2023

Liz is a foundation governor and is the safeguarding governor.  Liz was a primary school teacher.

Billy Dayson

Foundation Governor appointed by the diocese

15/05/2024

Billy is a Foundation Governor and a member of St Thomas’s Church.  Billy was also a past pupil of St Thomas’s and is proud to be back supporting the school in his role as governor and as a teaching assistant.

Claire Taylor

Staff Governor elected by the staff

16.04.2021

Claire is the Year 6 class teacher, SENDCo, DSL and is the Staff Governor.

Sam Thom

Parent Governor elected by the parents

11.01.2023

Sam is a Parent Governor, he has two children in school in the Nursery and Reception classes. Sam works as a cyber security consultant.

Beth Booker

Parent Governor elected by the parents

15/05/2024

Beth is a Parent Governor, she has two children in school and has been the Chair of the PTFA for several years.

Natalie Fryer

Parent Governor elected by the parents

18.07.2025

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