Governors
Our Governing Body is an active, supportive and representative group, fully involved in all aspects of school life. Governors work closely with staff, parents and pupils to ensure the best possible provision for everyone who learns and works at Castle School.
The Governing Body is made up of a combination of appointed, elected and co-opted members, bringing a wide range of skills and experience. Together, they provide both support and challenge, helping to shape the strategic direction of the school and ensuring accountability.
To support this work, the Governing Body operates through two main subcommittees:
- Resources Committee (including finance, staffing, health & safety and premises)
- Quality of Education Committee (including curriculum, safeguarding, SEND and personal development)
Governors also take on specific link roles, providing focused oversight in key areas such as safeguarding, SEND, curriculum subjects and wider school priorities.
Current Governors
- Donna Lovett – Chair (Co-opted Governor)
-
Nick Brenton – Vice Chair (Local Authority Governor) (Vice- Chair of resources Committee)
- Ricardo Bryant-Jorge – Staff Governor
- Alex Williamson – Parent Governor
- Vacancy – Parent Governor
- Ben Hawes – Co-opted Governor
-
Laureen Hodge – Co-opted Governor (Vice- Chair of Quality of Education Committee)
- Nicholas Jennett – Co-opted Governor
- Selva Kadirvelu – Co-opted Governor
-
Mary Langran – Co-opted Governor (Resources Committee)
- Kathy Notley – Co-opted Governor
-
Rhys Paterson – Co-opted Governor (FIG link)
-
Lidia Ripamonti – Co-opted Governor (Chair of Quality of Education Committee)
- Ruth Jordan – Associate Governor
- Charlotte Whysall – Headteacher
Clerk to Governors: Claire Cowley
Link Governor Roles
Governors take responsibility for specific areas to support monitoring and development across the school, including:
-
Safeguarding (Ben Hawes)
-
SEND (Laureen Hodge)
-
Personal Development and PSHE (Nick Brenton)
-
Sixth Form (Alex Williamson)
-
Careers (Nicholas Jennett)
-
Health & Safety (Alex Williamson)
-
Finance (Mary Langran & Rhys Paterson- FIG Link)
-
Sustainability (Alex Williamson)
- Creativity and Enrichment
-
Cyber Security (Kathy Notley)
-
Website (Selva Kadirvelu)
Quality of Education:
-
Creativity (Laureen Hodge)
-
English (Ben Hawes)
-
EYFS/KS1 (Rhys Paterson)
-
Maths (Ruth Jordan)
-
Our World (Lidia Ripamonti)
-
Physical (Donna Lovett)
-
Pre-formal (Kathy Notley)
-
PHSE (Nicholas Jennett)
Goals
The Governing Body has three core functions:
- Ensuring clarity of the vision, ethos and strategic direction.
- Holding the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the school(s) and its pupils and the effective and efficient performance management of staff.
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school(s) and making sure that its money is well spent.
Minutes can be requested via the clerk. Please email clerk@castle.cambs.sch.uk
Governors have a general responsibility for the effective management of the school, acting within the framework set by National Legislation and by school policies. They are responsible to parents, the Local Authority and the Secretary of State for this management.
Contact Details for Governing Body
Chair of Governors, Donna Lovett:
dlovett@castle.cambs.sch.uk
Clerk to Governors: clerk@castle.cambs.sch.uk
Alternatively, correspondence may be sent to our Governing Body marked CONFIDENTIAL C/O Clerk to Governors, Castle School, Courtney Way, Cambridge CB4 2EE
Governor's Meeting Dates 26–27
September 2026
Tuesday 22nd September – FGB - 6.30pm
Wednesday 30th September – QofE - 4pm
October 2026
Tuesday 6th October – Resources – 6.30pm
November 2026
Wednesday 18th November – QofE - 4pm
December 2026
Tuesday 8th December – FGB - 6.30pm
January 2027
Wednesday 20th January – QofE - 4pm
Tuesday 26th January – Resources – 6.30pm
February 2027
Tuesday 2nd February – FGB – 6.30pm
March 2027
Tuesday 16th March - FGB - 6.30pm
Wednesday 24th March – QofE - 4pm
April 2027
Tuesday 20th April - Resources (Budget Scrutiny) – 6.30pm
May 2027
Tuesday 4th May - FGB (Budget) – 6.30pm
Wednesday 19th May – QofE - 4pm
June 2027
Tuesday 15th June – Resources – 6.30pm
Wednesday 30th June – QofE - 4pm
July 2027
Tuesday 13th July - FGB - 6.30pm
Governors List
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 1st December 2020 |
30th November 2028 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 1st December 2018 |
28th September 2026 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 8th July 2025 |
7th July 2029 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 11th December 2024 |
10th December 2028 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 24th July 2025 |
23rd July 2029 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 2nd April 2025 |
1st April 2029 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 8th July 2025 |
7th July 2029 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 7th December 2023 |
6th December 2027 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 5th January 2022 |
4th January 2026 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 14th March 2023 |
13th March 2027 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 19th September 2024 |
18th August 2028 |
| Start Date | End of Tenure |
| 1st December 2006 |
31st August 2027 |
The Governing Board currently has 0 vacancies from 23rd October 2025.