The role of a school governor is a demanding but very rewarding role. School governors are responsible for working with the school to ensure that it delivers a good quality education. We work closely with the Senior Leadership Team and staff of the school.

Governors are all volunteers and are drawn from the representative school groups; teaching and school support staff, parents, community and local authority.  Together we form the governing body and have responsibility for raising school standards through our three key roles of setting strategic direction, ensuring accountability and acting as a critical friend.

If you are interested in becoming a school governor or finding out more about the role, please contact the school in the first instance.

Email addresses for Chair of Governors and Vice chair are as follows:

Chair of Governors - Mr N Johnson: njohnson@cps-sch.org.uk

Joint Vice Chair - Mrs E Ricks-Neal: ericks-neal@cps-sch.org.uk

Joint Vice Chair - Mr D Anderson: danderson@cps-sch.org.uk

Clerk to Governors - Ms K Paxton

You can write to our Chair of Governors:

Mr N Johnson

c/o Carterton Primary School

Burford Road

Carterton

Oxfordshire

OX18 3AD

CPS Governor Roles 2021-2022

Mr N Johnson - Chair of Governors

I am the Chair of the Governing Body. I have been a School Governor before at Charlbury Primary School and Chipping Norton Secondary School. I used to be a Professor of Law at the University of Warwick and now, when I' m not looking after my grandchildren, I spend my time working on Justice issues in Central Africa. 

I want Carterton Primary School to be a school where the pupils, teachers, parents and governors take pride in its ethos, work and achievements.  I want us all to be ambitious for the school and its pupils. I want a School where every child matters.

Mrs E Ricks-Neal - Joint Vice Chair                   

My name is Elaine Ricks-Neal. I am married and I live in Cumnor village, Oxford. I am currently part -time Director of the Berkshire Teaching Alliance, having recently retired from a Local Authority position of Principal Adviser for School Improvement and Governance.  I have spent a lifetime in education, starting out as a secondary English teacher, moving on to school senior leadership positions and then to Local Authority Advisory roles. I have been a County Adviser for English, Ofsted Inspector, Senior Regional Adviser when working with the National Strategies and I am co-author of the National Association of Able Children in Education "Challenge Award" quality mark for schools. I  feel privileged  to have had the opportunity to work with school leaders across England, Wales and internationally.  I am passionate about working with schools to provide no less than an outstanding education for all its pupils, irrespective of its context. I am delighted to have joined CPS as the Local Authority Governor and I hope I can help and support the school on the journey to achieve its ambitious goals.

Mr D Anderson - Joint Vice Chair

I’m Dean, a proud father to my son and husband to my lovely wife. My son is 5 and is currently here at Carterton Primary School. I am a serving member of the Royal Air Force and am currently posted at RAF Brize Norton. I am a mechanic by trade but currently working in adult teaching which is what has given me an interest in education and training. I wanted to become a governor as I have a lot of passion for ensuring all young people get the best possible opportunities and chances to succeed in life and primary education is a key part of giving children that platform from which they can excel and become the best possible versions of themselves. As my son is here, Carterton Primary School was the natural choice and when the opportunity came up to become a governor here, I took it with both hands! I am passionate and have great ambitions for the school and along with the other governors I’m excited about what we can achieve, we have a great team in place and with our support we want to help them grow and ensure the school reaches its maximum potential. I am the designated Safeguarding Governor and it’s a role I am very passionate about, I am involved in safeguarding in my role as a trainer at RAF Brize Norton and I am utilising my current knowledge as well as adding to it with several courses. I want to help achieve a school environment in which everyone feels happy and safe so that we can maximise the learning that is taking place in school.

Mrs R Claridge - Head Teacher

I am really proud to be the Head Teacher of Carterton Primary School and work together with our Governing Body to achieve the best possible outcomes for our children. I have worked at Carterton Primary School for over 14 years in a variety of different roles including Y3/4 teacher and EYFS lead. I have been through 5 Ofsted inspections with the school and am dedicated to working together to improve our school and show how special we are. Previously, I worked at Pegasus School in Blackbird Leys and Iffley Mead Special School. . I moved to Oxfordshire from Lancashire in 2003 as I completed my Teacher Training. I am married and a mum to two growing girls and a slightly crazy cockerpoo. I am really excited about the future at CPS as I believe we can grow to be outstanding!

Dr D Clark

I’m Dan and I have lived in Carterton since 2011. I’m a forensic scientist and manager, working for one of the UK’s largest forensic service providers. Prior to my current role, I was an associate lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire whilst studying for my postgraduate degree, so I was fortunate to be able to gain some teaching experience there. My wife and I have two young boys and it’s important to us that they get the best start in life and primary education plays a huge role in setting them on the right path to realise their potential. It’s a path that every child has the right to find, whatever their background, whatever their needs and I’m keen to work with the other governors and the school to ensure we give them those opportunities. I’m really excited to be the designated EYFS governor and help build on the fantastic work there. In my few weeks as a governor, I’ve quickly realised primary education is far more complex than university education! I’m very much looking forward to what CPS can achieve.

Mrs A Hill

I am excited to be joining the CPS team in September. For the past 15 years I have worked at a large primary school in Oxford where I have taught throughout Key Stage One and Two and have been the Phase Leader in Year 3/4 for the past four years. Before training to be a teacher in 2003 I lived and worked in Japan for three years and can still speak and write a few words of Japanese. I live with my husband and a very energetic 5 year old son.  In my spare time I can be found with my nose in a book or learning lines for my village’s annual pantomime. I am really looking forward to getting to know you!

Mrs C Leach

My name is Catherine Leach, I have lived in Carterton since 2011 and have one child in Year 6. I work as an Office Manager for Mallams Auctions, covering four salerooms in Oxford, Abingdon, Cheltenham and Burford. My career background is mainly in office management, with a large proportion of my working life spent within the motor industry (Rover and BMW MINI Plant in Oxford). I wanted to become a governor to help Carterton Primary School to get back on track following the de-federation. Carterton Primary School has committed staff who promote CPS’s ethos of lifelong love of learning within a happy and secure environment. As a team of governors we will monitor and evaluate the school’s progress to ensure that good quality education is being given to all pupils. We will do this by supporting and challenging decisions made by the school with the aim to raise pupil’s standards of achievements.

Mrs R Pugh

My name is Rachel Pugh. I have lived in Carterton nearly all my life, and attended both primary and secondary school in the town myself. I worked in the travel industry for ten years after leaving school, followed by ten years in an office based administrative/finance role. I decided to take some time as a stay at home mum, following redundancy a couple of years ago. I am married and have two children - my daughter is in Year 4 at CPS and my son is currently at pre school and will hopefully be joining CPS next year. I joined the board as a Co-opted Governor for CPS in July 2019, as I believe it to be a fantastic school, with huge potential and I wanted to be proactive in supporting it. With a new Leadership Team and Governing Body now in place, I feel the school is capable of progressing even further and I am keen to offer any help and support I can, to ensure that our children are happy, safe and receive a level of education that enables them to reach their full potential. 

Mrs L Sutton

I’m Libbie Sutton, I am a wife and mother to five lively children, of which only one now remains at Carterton Primary School. I became a governor because I have a strong belief that parents play a vital role in the success of a school and the education of their children. Our children can only reach their potential when we work together. Carterton Primary School is a fantastic school with dedicated and loving members of staff, a place where our children are known for their uniqueness. I have had children at this school for the last ten years so have seen the journey it has taken and continues to take. I am excited to join it as SEND Governor.

Mr S Green

My name is Steve Green and I have lived in Carterton for over 40 years.  Both of my sons came to Carterton Primary School and my wife worked as a Teaching Assistant for many years. My working background is electrical and mechanical engineering, I now am retired and I find I have time to give something back to the community. As I have had a long-standing connection with the school, it is a pleasure to become Governor and offer my support.