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 Miss Sarah Hawkes'. The clerk to the Governors can be contacted via: john.ward2@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 appointed in September 2021. His term of office ends in September 2025. Paul has a child who attends the school.
Matt Try	Matt is a staff Governor and Headteacher of Hillcrest. He was first appointed by the Governing Body on 4th January 2016. Matt has significant experience in both teaching and management. He is married with two sons and is a keen athlete and an active member of Thetford Athletics club.
John Reeve-Hayes	John is a co-opted Governor and was appointed by the Governing Body on 14th July 2023. His term of office ends on 13th July 2027. He joined the school in 2003 and is Deputy Headteacher of Hillcrest. John is married and has two children, both attending the school. John has worked at the school since September 2003.
Nikki Wardle	Nikki is one of the school's Senior Teachers and is the Staff Governor. She was appointed to the Governing Body on 29th Mar 2022. Her term of office ends on 28th Mar 2026. Nikki has worked at the school since January 2007.
David Wild	David is Local Authority Governor who was re-appointed to the post on 9th June 2022. His term of office ends on 8th June 2026. David has a child who attends the school.
Katherine Boardman	Katherine is a Parent Governor and was appointed by the Governing Body on 21st October 2020. Her term of office ends on 20th October 2024. She is Chair of the Friends of Hillcrest and actively raises valuable needed funds for the school. Katherine has two children who attend the school. Katherine is our Governor responsible for Filtering & Monitoring Arrangements as set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education.
Hannah Pettitt	Hannah is a Parent Governor and was appointed by the Governing Body on 23rd September 2022. Her term of office ends on 22nd September 2026. She is an experienced Geography teacher and qualified Forest School Leader. Hannah has a child who attends the school.
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.

Governor

Bio

Paul Critchley

Paul is a local Methodist Minister and our Chair of the Governing Body. He was appointed in September 2021. His term of office ends in September 2025. Paul has a child who attends the school.

Matt Try

Matt is a staff Governor and Headteacher of Hillcrest. He was first appointed by the Governing Body on 4th January 2016. Matt has significant experience in both teaching and management. He is married with two sons and is a keen athlete and an active member of Thetford Athletics club.

John Reeve-Hayes

John is a co-opted Governor and was appointed by the Governing Body on 14th July 2023. His term of office ends on 13th July 2027. He joined the school in 2003 and is Deputy Headteacher of Hillcrest. John is married and has two children, both attending the school. John has worked at the school since September 2003.

Nikki Wardle

Nikki is one of the school's Senior Teachers and is the Staff Governor. She was appointed to the Governing Body on 29th Mar 2022. Her term of office ends on 28th Mar 2026.
Nikki has worked at the school since January 2007.

David Wild

David is Local Authority Governor who was re-appointed to the post on 9th June 2022. His term of office ends on 8th June 2026. David has a child who attends the school.

Katherine Boardman

Katherine is a Parent Governor and was appointed by the Governing Body on 21st October 2020. Her term of office ends on 20th October 2024. She is Chair of the Friends of Hillcrest and actively raises valuable needed funds for the school. Katherine has two children who attend the school. Katherine is our Governor responsible for Filtering & Monitoring Arrangements as set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education.

Hannah Pettitt

Hannah is a Parent Governor and was appointed by the Governing Body on 23rd September 2022. Her term of office ends on 22nd September 2026. She is an experienced Geography teacher and qualified Forest School Leader. Hannah has a child who attends the school.

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.

Diversity Statistics

Roles and Duties

The Governors work together o provide strategic leadership and accountability within the school. To enable them to work effectively, the team are part of committees and care out specific duties to feed back to the governing body as a whole.

These roles and duties are updated annually.

Attendance at Meetings 2022-23

Governors who have served over the last 12 months:

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.