Welcome to the Governors section of the website.
The governing body currently consists of the following members:

Russell Field
Staff Governor
Term of Office: 26/03/2021 to 25/03/2025 (Fifth Term)

Richard Hull
Co-Opted Governor
Term of Office: 20/09/2021 to 19/09/2025 (Fourth term)

Maria Dixon-Amphlett
Local Authority Governor
Term of Office:20/03/2023 to 19/03/2027 (Fourth term, formerly Parent Governor)

Christopher Jones
Chair of Governors
Parent Governor
Term of Office: 28/09/2021 to 27/09/2025

Rachel Barbet
Co-Opted Governor
Term of Office: 20/03/2023 to 19/03/2027 (second term, formerly Parent Governor)

Gilford Sweetenham
Parent Governor
Term of Office: 23/11/2020 to 22/11/2024

Janine Wagner-Hale
Parent Governor
Term of Office: 15/06/2020 to 14/06/2024

Catherine Dunkley-Jones
Clerk to the Governors
Appointed: 09/09/2013

Annabel Smith
Co-opted Governor and Chair of the Curriculum Committee
Term of Office: 27/01/2020 to 26/01/2024

Karen Wrixon
Headteacher
Appointed 01/09/2014

Yvonne Pitman
Co-Opted Governor
Term of Office: 20/03/2023 to 19/03/2027) (first term)

Emma Smith
Parent Governor
Term of Office: 10/05/2023 to 09/05/2027
We currently have a vacancy for one co-opted governor. Please contact the clerk via the school office if you would like to join us.
Our Governing Body’s remit is to:
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- Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school
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- Hold the headteacher and senior leadership team to account for the educational performance of the schools and their pupils and the performance management of staff
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- Oversee the financial performance of the school; ensuring funding is well spent
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Monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance and success play a significant role for our Governing Body. We have a detailed monitoring schedule linked to the school’s Raising Attainment Plan. These visits ensure governors have a thorough understanding of the life and workings of the schools and are to both support and challenge the senior leadership team.
The Appointment of Governors
Our governors are drawn from parents and carers, the wider community and school staff and are appointed for a four-year term of office. Co-opted governors are appointed, based on their skill set, by the Governing Body; parents and carers elect parent governors, and staff governors are elected by school staff. We also have one governor who is appointed by the Local Authority.
Governor Vacancies
If you are interested in being a governor at our school, please contact the Clerk to Governors in the first instance: c.dunkleyjones@williambarnes.dorset.sch.uk.
The links below provide information about the governor role. We currently have one co-opted governor vacancy and would be pleased to hear from anyone who would like to learn more about how they might contribute to our school’s continued success as a governor, especially those from outside the immediate school community.
To contact the Chair of Governors, please write care of the school address which is
William Barnes Primary School, Bridge Street, Sturminster Newton, DT10 1BZ Unchanged: William Barnes Primary School, Bridge Street, Sturminster Newton, DT10 1BZ
Please find links below for recent minutes of the school’s governing body meetings and other governor-related information.
- Information about the roles, responsibilities and the committee structure of the governing body
- Summary of the register of business interests
- Meeting attendance records
- The Governors’ Financial Statement
- For Financial Benchmarking information about William Barnes Primary School, please visit the Schools’ Financial Benchmarking Service
- The Governors’ Code of Conduct
- Governor Visits Protocol
Full Governing Body Minutes
- FGB 20th March 2023
- FGB 21st November 2022
- FGB 26th September 2022
- FGB 27th June 2022
- FGB 28th March 2022
- FGB 22nd November 2021
- FGB 20th September 2021
- FGB 28th June 2021
- FGB 8th March 2021
(If you would like to see more minutes, please contact the Clerk to the Governors via the school office)