Longbenton High School · Our community
Governance at Longbenton
Our governing body helps to make sure that every decision keeps our young people, their education and their future at its heart.
Governors work with school leaders to set a clear direction, champion high expectations and make sure the school continues to serve its pupils, families and wider community well.
A local authority maintained school
Longbenton High School is a state-funded foundation school maintained by North Tyneside Council. We are not an academy. As a maintained school, we are funded through the local authority and our governing body is responsible for the school’s strategic oversight and accountability.
Part of the North Tyneside Learning Trust
We are supported by the North Tyneside Learning Trust, a charitable foundation trust which appoints some of our governors and encourages partnership working. Unlike a multi-academy trust, this arrangement preserves the school’s maintained status. As a foundation school, our governing body is also the employer and the school is its own admissions authority.
Working together for our pupils
What do our governors do?
Governors provide support and constructive challenge. They make important strategic decisions, while the Headteacher and staff lead the day-to-day running of the school.
Shape our direction
Help agree the school’s vision, values, priorities and plans for the future.
Support and challenge
Hold the Headteacher to account for the quality of education, standards, inclusion and the welfare of pupils.
Use resources wisely
Oversee finances and ensure the school uses its resources effectively in the interests of pupils.
Working with governors, staff, families and our school community.
How we work
Our governing body committees
The full governing body is supported by committees that give particular areas of school life closer attention. These are the committees and chairs named in the 2025/26 governor return.
Curriculum and Teaching for Learning
Focuses on what pupils learn, the quality of teaching and how well pupils achieve.
Chair: Helen Mackie
Culture for Learning
Focuses on the school culture and the conditions that help young people learn and thrive.
Chair: Adrienne Richmond
Finance, Premises and HR
Considers financial management, the school environment and staffing matters.
Chair: Jonathan Sanders
Post-16
Focuses on Sixth Form provision and supporting students in the next stage of their education.
Chair: Jeremy Lulu
Our people
Meet our governors
Governors bring together experience from school, home, local services and the wider community. The information below is taken from the 2025/26 governor return, including appointments made in 2026.
Jonathan Sanders
Chair of Governors · Co-opted governor
- Selected
- Appointed by governing body
- Term started
- 6 July 2023
- Term ends
- 5 July 2027
- Interests
- No other educational governance role or interests recorded.
Rebecca Watson
Headteacher · Ex-officio governor
- Selected
- By virtue of office
- Term started
- 1 September 2026
- Term ends
- While holding the office
- Interests
- Other educational governance role: Beacon Hill School. Other declarations not provided.
Caitlin Calvert
Co-opted governor
- Selected
- Appointed by governing body
- Term started
- 24 March 2025
- Term ends
- 23 March 2029
- Interests
- No other governance roles, personal, business or indirect interests declared.
Kim Glabeke
Staff governor
- Selected
- Elected
- Term started
- 8 December 2024
- Term ends
- 7 December 2028
- Interests
- Other educational governance role: Benton Dene Primary. Business interest: North Tyneside Council School Improvement Advisor for Primary English. No personal or indirect interests declared.
Laura Cameron
Local authority governor
- Selected
- Appointed
- Term started
- 4 December 2025
- Term ends
- 3 December 2029
- Interests
- No other governance roles, personal, business or indirect interests declared.
Lee Campbell
Parent governor
- Selected
- Elected
- Term started
- 9 December 2024
- Term ends
- 8 December 2028
- Interests
- No other governance roles, personal, business or indirect interests declared.
Jeremy Lulu
Foundation governor
- Selected
- Appointed
- Term started
- 23 January 2024
- Term ends
- 22 January 2028
- Interests
- Other educational governance role: Benton Dene Primary. No personal, business or indirect interests declared.
Helen Mackie
Parent governor
- Selected
- Elected
- Term started
- 22 September 2023
- Term ends
- 21 September 2027
- Interests
- Business/pecuniary declaration: teacher at St Thomas More. No other governance, personal or indirect interests declared.
Xena Marshall
Co-opted governor
- Selected
- Appointed by governing body
- Term started
- 1 July 2025
- Term ends
- 30 June 2029
- Interests
- No other governance roles, personal, business or indirect interests declared.
Sandra O’Connor
Co-opted governor
- Selected
- Appointed by governing body
- Term started
- 25 March 2025
- Term ends
- 24 March 2029
- Interests
- No other governance roles, personal, business or indirect interests declared.
Adrienne Richmond
Foundation governor
- Selected
- Appointed
- Term started
- 7 July 2025
- Term ends
- 6 July 2029
- Interests
- No interests are specified in the supplied return.
Laura Ritson
Co-opted governor
- Selected
- Appointed by governing body
- Term started
- 30 June 2026
- Term ends
- To be confirmed
- Interests
- Other educational governance role: North Gosforth Academy. Business/pecuniary declaration: Headteacher, Shanklea Primary School.
Attendance figures reproduce the supplied return (meetings attended / meetings held). The year shown in its attendance column needs checking against the period reported. A figure of 0/0 means no meetings were recorded for that governor in that category.
Transparency and accountability
Governors who have left
For completeness, these former governors are included in the 2025/26 school return. This historical list also includes departures more than 12 months ago.
Joe Elliott
Role: Acting Headteacher · Ex-officio · Started: 17 April 2026 · Left: 31 July 2026
Attendance: Full board 2/2; committees 5/5.
Interests: No declared interests in the supplied return.
K. Holbrook
Role: Headteacher · Ex-officio · Started: 1 September 2020 · Left: 17 April 2026
Attendance: Full board 3/3; committees Not provided.
Interests: No declared interests in the supplied return.
Lydia Aird
Role: Co-opted · Started: 20 September 2019 · Left: 21 January 2026
Attendance: Full board 0/2; committees Not provided.
Interests: Employment with North Tyneside Council, seconded to Capita.
S. Houghton
Role: Co-opted · Started: 6 July 2015 · Left: 15 October 2025
Attendance: Full board 0/1; committees Not provided.
Interests: No declared interests in the supplied return.
Louise Scott
Role: Co-opted · Started: 23 September 2019 · Left: 31 July 2025
Attendance: Full board 2/4; committees Not provided.
Interests: No declared interests in the supplied return.
For information on Governors who have left within the past 12 months, please visit our GIAS page