Governors
Here at Hillcrest, we are extremely privileged to have a team of very dedicated governors, who volunteer their time to ensure high standards of leadership, teaching and learning for our pupils. Our governors come from a wide range of backgrounds, providing the school with a wealth of professional resources and experiences on which to draw.
If you wish to contact the Governors, please send any correspondence to the Hillcrest office, marking it 'For the Attention of Mr Paul Critchley'. The clerk to the Governors can be contacted via: r.blakewaylong@norfolk.gov.uk
Anyone aged 18 or over (and living in the UK) can be a governor. Governors do not manage a school day-to-day, but are required to oversee its long-term development by setting the strategic direction of the school, managing the budget and, amongst other things, monitoring the performance of the school.
It is a rewarding role as the work of a governor impacts upon educating children. The average time commitment is 10-15 hours per term. This includes meetings, background reading and school visits. However, school governors are entitled to reasonable time off work for their public duties (this may be unpaid).
Meet the Governors
| Governor | Bio |
|---|---|
|
Paul Critchley
|
Paul is a local Methodist Minister and our Chair of the Governing Body. He was re-appointed in July 2026. His term of office ends in July 2030. Paul's children attended Hillcrest Primary School.
Appointed by Local Authority. |
|
Matthew Try
|
Matthew is a staff Governor and Headteacher of Hillcrest. He was first appointed by the Governing Body on 4th January 2016. Matthew has significant experience in both teaching and management. |
|
Nikki Wardle
|
Nikki is one of the school's Senior Teachers and is the Staff Governor. She was first re-appointed to the Governing Body on 29th Mar 2026. Her term of office ends on 28th March 2030.
|
|
David Wild
|
David is a Co-opted Governor who was re-appointed to the post on 10th July 2026. His current term of office ends on 9th July 2026. David has a child who attends the school.
Appointed by the Governors. |
|
Katherine Boardman
|
Katherine is a Co-opted governor and was re-appointed by the Governing Body on 19th September 2024. Her term of office ends on 18th September 2028. She is Vice Chair of Governors and is part of the PTA, Friends of Hillcrest, actively raising valuable needed funds for the school. Katherine had two children who attended the school.
Appointed by the Governors. |
|
Rebecca Craigen
|
Rebecca is an Associate Member of the Governing Body and was appointed on 27th January 2023. Her term of office ends on 26th January 2027. Rebecca has extensive experience in the finance sector and is one of the school's Teaching Assistants. Rebecca has a child who attends the school, though her two older children have been pupils of the school. Rebecca does not have voting rights on any committee.
Rebecca stepped down from the Governing Body in October 2026. |
|
Harriet Tunnicliffe
|
Harriet is a Parent Governor. Harriet has one child who attends the school. Adviser for Previously in Care, Children with a Social Worker and Kinship at Norfolk Virtual School, Harriet leads the work on Trauma Informed and Attachment Aware practice for the Virtual School. Harriet was appointed on 26th September 2025 and her term ends 25th September 2029.
Appointed by election. |
|
Emma Morton
|
Emma is a co-opted governor. Emma has two children who currently attend the school. Emma was appointed on 5th May 2023 and her term ends on 4th May 2027.
Appointed by the Governors. |
Roles and Duties
The Governors work together to provide strategic leadership and accountability within the school. To enable them to work effectively, the team are part of committees and carry out specific duties to feed back to the governing body as a whole.
These roles and duties are updated annually.
Hillcrest Primary School
Governor Roles and Responsibilities
September 2024/2025
|
Role |
Governor(s) |
Document/Policy Giving Authority |
|
Chair of Governors |
Paul Critchley |
Constitution |
|
Vice Chair of Governors |
Katherine Boardman |
Constitution |
|
Finance & Personnel Committee Incorporating Pay
(Minimum of 3 Governors to be quorate) |
Paul Critchley Katherine Boardman Matthew Try
|
Constitution |
|
Headteacher’s Performance Review Group |
Paul Critchley (Chair) |
Constitution |
|
Premises Committee (Minimum of 3 Governors to be quorate) |
Matthew Try Nikki Wardle David Wild |
Constitution |
|
Attendance Governor |
Paul Critchley |
Attendance Policy |
|
Child Protection Link Governor (Includes DBS Process) |
Emma Morton |
Safeguarding Policies, Disclosure and Barring Policies |
|
Collective Worship Link Governor |
Paul Critchley |
Collective Worship Policy |
|
Equalities Governor (Responsible for reporting to Governors on equality issues)
Review of Interventions |
David Wild |
Anti-Bullying Policy, Behaviour Policy, Complaints policy, Equality Policy, Disability Accessibility Plan, Intimate Care Policy |
|
Finance Link Governor |
Katherine Boardman |
Charges, Voluntary Contributions, Remissions and Refunds Poliy |
|
Freedom of Information Link |
Paul Critchley |
Freedom of Information Policy |
|
Health and Safety Link Governor |
David Wild |
Health and Safety Policy |
|
IT Link Governor |
Katherine Boardman |
IT Policy |
|
Looked after Children Link Governor |
Nikki Wardle |
Safeguarding Policy |
|
Pupil Premium |
Katherine Boardman |
Governing Body |
|
Relationship Sex and Health Education (RSHE) |
Paul Critchley |
Governing Body |
|
Safeguarding Link |
Emma Morton |
Governing Body |
|
Safer Recruitment (names of Governors who have successfully completed the course) |
Matthew Try Paul Critchley Katherine Boardman |
Safeguarding Policy, Disclosure and Barring Policies |
|
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Link Governor |
Harriet Tunnicliffe |
SEND Policy |
Attendance at Meetings
Governors who have served over the last 12 months:
| Name | Governor Type | Term From | Term To |
| Mrs Katherine Boardman | Co-opted governor |
19 Sep 2024 | 18 Sep 2028 |
| Paul Critchley | Local Authority Governor |
15 Jul 2026 | 14 Jul 2030 |
| Emma Morton | Co-opted governor |
05 May 2023 | 4 May 2027 |
| Matthew Try | Headteacher |
||
| Harriet Tunnicliff | Parent governor |
26 Sep 2025 | 25 Sep 2029 |
| Nikki Wardle | Staff governor |
29 Mar 2026 | 28 Mar 2030 |
| Mr David Wild | Co-opted governor |
10 Jul 2026 | 9 Jul 2030 |
| Rebecca Craigen | Co-opted governor |
11 Jul 2024 |
10 Jul 2028 Resigned October 2025 |
Governing other schools
None of our governors are presently members of another governing board.
Business and Pecuniary Interests
None of our governors have any pecuniary interests to declare.
Term of Office
School governors have a term of office of four years. However, as a volunteer, you can resign at any point if your circumstances change.
Training
Governing bodies rely on a variety of experiences and perspectives. Training and support is available for new and existing governors and is provided by Norfolk County Council.
Different types of governor
Governing bodies have representatives of school staff, the Local Authority, parents and members of the community. Despite representing different groups, all governors have exactly the same role and voting rights.
If you are interested in being a school governor at Hillcrest, please contact the school office. If we have a vacancy, we will ask you to complete an application form and an interview process will be held. Hillcrest's governing body takes the safeguarding of our pupils very seriously and will perform rigorous checks of anyone applying for this role
Diversity Statement
As we are a small Governing Body, we do not feel that it is appropriate to report on personal information relating to diversity. At Hillcrest Primary School, we believe that when people feel respected and included, they can be more creative, innovative and successful. While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we are working to move our school forward.