Governors at Old Hall

Emma Manifold (Chair of Governors, Parent Governor)

Paul Tracey (Vice Chair of Governors and Parent Governor)

Barrie Rostron (Co-opted Governor)

Michael Hankey (Co-opted Governor)

Maureen Buttle (Co-opted Governor)

Counsellor Jack Rydherd (Local Authority Governor)

Adam Chase(Staff Governor)

Nicola Carlile (Headteacher)

Welcome from our Chair of Governors 

Dear Parents and Carers,

On behalf of all the Governors, welcome to Old Hall Primary School.

Old Hall is a warm and welcoming school where our AIM is to give each child every opportunity to reach the highest possible standards and we strive to ensure that each child achieves their personal best. The Governors, staff, parents and children work together in a happy, creative and high attaining environment; with our core values underpinning everything that we do.

AIM stands for Aspire, Inspire ,Motivate and it is an ethos that we pride ourselves on at Old Hall. We are a school that has high expectations of pupils and staff, and we believe that the education we provide will help all the children to become confident, happy and successful people.

Our Ethos is to AIM for maximum progress for each child both personally and academically.

The Governing Body is involved with our school at every level. This includes curriculum and standards, safeguarding, finance and premises management. Governors are appointed to ensure that school objectives are met, and that future planning is both visionary and realistic. We provide strategic direction for the improvement of the school; monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the school; and hold the school to account for the standards achieved and the quality of education.

We are here to support and encourage Mrs Carlile, our Senior Leadership Team and all school personnel to ensure that every one of our children has access to an enriched education and to all the opportunities that they deserve Our Governing body consists of members of the community who are from a range of backgrounds including parents: the different skill set each governor brings allows us to effectively support and challenge the senior leadership team. We are committed to making the vision a reality with the safety, welfare and education of our pupils being paramount.

Our recent OFSTED inspection resulted in our school again been rated ‘Good’ and as good school and one where the teachers inspire every child to learn well and take pride in their education.  This was a reward for the immense efforts of all staff members who provide the best opportunities for our children in their formative education years. We are justifiably very proud of our children and encourage a good positive relationships with the parents and carers who support the children so admirably in their child’s learning and development.

I am very proud to be a part of Team Old Hall.

Mrs Emma Manifold  

Chair of Governors

Please find below the details of our current governor structure and their roles and responsibilities at Old Hall and our Instrument of Governance.

Governor Information 

Mrs E Manifold (Chair of Governors and Parent Governor)

I became a Parent Governor at Old Hall in April 2021. I was keen to become involved with Old Hall when my son started attending the school in September 2020. Professionally, I am a Partner at Fieldings Porter Solicitors, qualifying as a solicitor in 2008. My professional role involves advising client with many aspects of the law but in addition, team management and people development are a huge part of my responsibilities within my firm.

I am passionate about providing the best opportunities for all pupils at the school and ensuring they can reach their full potential with a well-rounded curriculum. My role will be to support the challenges faced by senior leadership team and ensure the school continues to strive for high standards and extend my skills in the role as Wellbeing Governor.

Mr P Tracey (Vice Chair of Governors and Parent Governor)

I became a Parent Governor at Old Hall in April 2021 following my eldest son starting at the school.

As a Governor, who lives a stones throw away from the school, I want to contribute to the work of the governing board in ensuring high standards of achievement for all children and young people in the school by ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction for all.

I am a Director within a Large Property Consultancy and hope to bring my passion for ensuring people can develop the skills and confidence to excel to the School which is very close to my heart. As well as having children within the school it is the primary school I attended and as such have a close link to the community and the school as a whole.

 I am an approachable and friendly person who is always willing to help of I can, or work on solutions to ensure the right people for the role are in place to further develop the school and ensure we all grow together, from staff, pupils and carers I want all of us to take responsibility and make Old Hall the best it can be.

Mr B Rostron (Co-opted Governor)

I am a senior partner in a local chartered accountants practice and have been a governor and subsequently chair at Old Hall for in excess of 25 years. There have been many changes in this period with ever increasing responsibility being placed on the governing body and the school leadership team to manage the school performance effectively and efficiently. It is an ongoing but enjoyable challenge in a constantly changing environment.

Mr A Chase (Staff Governor)

I became the Staff Governor at Old Hall in November 2023. Throughout my career, I have regularly shared updates and held meetings with various Governing Bodies but I was keen to become further involved. Professionally, I have been a class teacher at Old Hall since 2014, qualifying as a teacher in 2012. Previously, I was a Year 5/ 6 teacher in Trafford and a Year 3 teacher in Wigan. Since qualifying the bulk of my experience has been in Key Stage 2 and I have coordinated a number of subjects including: Mathematics; Computing; History; Geography and Assessment.

I am passionate about in ensuring that the staff voice is heard whilst providing the best opportunities for all of the pupils at our school. My role is to support the challenges faced by the senior leadership team but also includes providing a staff viewpoint.

Mrs M Buttle – (Co-opted governor)

I became a Co-opted Governor at Old Hall School in September 2023 as I am keen to be involved in education of young people, especially in my local area. I have spent 23 years teaching and supporting learners in Further Education, mainly teaching English and trying to re-engage disaffected learners from high schools, I had a very good success rate with my learners. I was also heavily involved in initiating the setting of targets and tracking learners progress. I became an Approved Internal Moderator for exam boards following exemplar practice reports. I currently mark English exam papers for an exam board.

What are Governors?

At Old Hall, we enjoy strong links with our Governing Body and the wider community. The Governing Body believes that the current structure is appropriate for its current activities but continually keeps it under review. The Governing Body will also co-opt individuals with specific skills and knowledge to assist in the work of the sub-committees.  

A co-opted governor is one who is appointed by the governing body and is a person who, in the opinion of the governing body, has the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.

Who are we responsible to?  

School governors are responsible to and must be prepared to explain their actions to anyone with a valid interest in the school. This includes parents, staff, pupils, the Local Authority, DfE and the local community.