Mr Stuart Yeowart
Chair and co-opted Community Governor
Stuart Yeowart is a co-opted Governor, appointed by the Governing Body.
Term of Office: 11th October 2022 - 10th October 2026.
Member of:
Link governor for: SEN, Pupil Premium & Mathematics
He is currently the Chair of Governors.
Mr Tim Stevenson
Vice-Chair & Community Governor
Term of Office: 13th May 2025 - 12th May 2029
Member of: Resource Committee
Link governor for: Geography, History & Physical Education
As Vice-Chair of Governors, my role is to support the Chair and Head Teacher in bringing together the governing team to carry out our joint responsibilities to the school community.
Working as a Clinical Practitioner for the NHS, I work with both adults and children. I actively promote safeguarding within my role and consider myself to be approachable, honest and considerate of others. My aim is to share my knowledge and skillset within the governing team and wider school.
I have one child in year 3 at Highfield Hall but also lead a busy family life with four other children, two of whom are adults. I enjoy bike riding around Chesterfield and the wider countryside, walking and reading - but not at the same time..
I have lived in Chesterfield all of my life, growing up in Wingerworth as a child but now living close to the town centre. I am committed to contributing to Highfield Hall and have also held previous voluntary roles within the community, as part of my belief in 'giving something back'.
An artistic pupil perspective on Governor Tim!
Dr Mike Bywaters
Head Teacher Governor
Awaiting Bio
Emma Evans
Staff Governor
Term of Office: 28th March 2023 - 27th March 2027
Link governor for: Health & Safety
I have been at Highfield Hall now for nearly four years, and I am excited to be working with the Staff and Governors to make Highfield Hall the best it can be. My previous governor experience came from being a parent governor at my children's primary school before being vice chair for some months.
I originally trained as a teaching assistant, becoming a SEN TA throughout many years of supply and enjoyed working for Tailor Made Programmes for some years, this gave me the knowledge and strategies' to work with children with SEN but also with those who struggle to be in the classroom, or have been previously excluded. I am also a qualified emergency care assistant, using my skills as the schools medical lead.
I hope to be a voice for staff, but also for parents and our children as they are who make our school.
Mrs Lynette Jones
Staff Governor
Awaiting Bio
Term of Office:
Mrs Emily Hopkinson
Community Governor
Term of Office: 5th December 2023 - 4th December 2027
Link governor for: Art & EYFS
I am a former pupil of the school and I have one son who is currently in year one and a younger son who is due to start nursery in 2024 at Highfield Hall.
I work in further education as a Graphic Designer within the marketing team and I run my own freelance business building websites and doing photography. I also work part-time for my husband’s business doing the accounts and payroll.
My roles above have given me various opportunities and experience working with different market sectors and I hope to share my knowledge and help the school as a parent governor.
Kerry Rockley
Community Governor
Awaiting Bio
Term of Office:
Link Governor for:
Kerry is also the Chair of our brilliant Highfield Hall PFA
Mrs Jessica Palfreyman
Community Governor
Term of Office:
Link governor for:
As a parent of two children who attend the school, I am passionate about supporting a happy, safe and inclusive environment for all children. I care strongly about children’s wellbeing and believe every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and listened to during their time at school.
I value open communication between families and the school and hope to contribute positively as a governor by supporting the school community and representing the voice of parents.
- The Governors believe that Highfield Hall is an inclusive school.
The main functions of the Governing Body are to:
- Agree the aims and objectives of the school
- Agree the policies to help achieve those aims and objectives
- Monitor and evaluate progress
- Support and challenge the Head Teacher and the other school leaders in relation to the progress and attainment
- Manage the school’s use of resources
- Ensure that the school is a safe place to work and learn
The Head Teacher is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the school. An essential part of the Governors' work is to assess how the Head Teacher is performing
Reviewing policies
Every year the committees review the school’s policies on matters falling within their remit. Some policies are revisited annually and others fall into a three year cycle of monitoring and review. In some cases changes are made to these policies by the governors to reflect best current practice and experience within the school.
The School Development Plan (S.D.P.)
- 1 Head Teacher governor
- 2 staff governors
Committees for 2026
The Finance Committee
This committee consider financial issues and ensures that the financial resources provided to the school are well spent. It also focuses on the best application of specific grants. In its work of managing the school’s financial resources the committee uses benchmarks to compare us to similar schools to ensure that we are broadly conforming to common standards. It also checks the school’s financial procedures against county-wide schools financial value standards to ensure compliance with those standards. This ensures that the school is applying best practice in these areas and acts as a safeguard against misappropriation or misuse of funds.
The committee is also responsible for maintaining the school’s IT equipment within the scope of the available financial resources.
This committee is also responsible for Health and Safety and ensures that the school fully complies with all Local Authority Guidelines. In addition to this, they carry out an annual check on different aspects of Health and Safety.
In the coming year this committee will review the way pupil premium and sports premium money is used in the school, ensuring the most effective outcomes for our children.