Governors

Welcome to our Governors’ section.

Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

The Governors at Riverside are a motivated and committed body who strive to support and give encouragement to the school wherever they can. They offer themselves as a critical friend to the Headteacher and staff and provide valued and challenging opinions at meetings.

The experience and variety of skills that these individuals bring to the school is welcomed by all the staff at Riverside. Although many of the Governors live some distance from the school they strive to visit the school as often as possible and are welcomed at a variety of events in school.

Meet our Governors'

Jessica Horseman (Chair)

I became a governor at Riverside in 2020, not long after my son joined the school, and I have been Chair of Governors since 2024.

As a parent and member of the school community, I’ve seen first-hand the incredible impact the school has on the lives of children with special educational needs and disabilities, and their families. I’m passionate about supporting the school to continue providing a safe, nurturing, and inspiring environment where every pupil can thrive.

My professional background is in customer service and office management, which has given me strong skills in communication and organisation — both of which support my work as Chair. I have also served as the Safeguarding Governor since 2022, working closely with staff to help ensure that the safety and wellbeing of all pupils remain a top priority and is at the heart of everything we do.

It’s a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated team of staff and governors, and I’m committed to helping the school continue to grow and succeed whilst always putting our wonderful pupils first.

Annette Benstead (Vice-Chair)

I was honoured to be asked to be a governor in such a lovely school with such a dedicated staff team. It is a pleasure to come into school on governor business but also to various events involving the children.  

I have 24 years of experience in SEN in the voluntary, public and private sectors. I have been on the Governing Body since 2017 as a Co-opted Governor. I sit on the Progress and Achievement Committee and the Personnel and Wellbeing Committee as well as the School Development Plan Group. In addition, I am the Link Governor for Science and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Governor.

My interests are walking the dogs (3), horse riding, cycling, Hull FC (rugby league/black & white) and fitness training. My favourite holiday destination is the Lake District, going on long walks, climbing mountains, cycling and going fell running whilst at the same time enjoying the scenery and the tea rooms.

David Percival (Headteacher)

I have the honour of leading Riverside School, working with an exceptional and dedicated team of leaders and professionals.

I have a wide range of experience having worked in both big inner city and small rural schools and been fortunate to spend time working abroad.

My hobbies include cycling, running and spending time with my family and little dog Scarlet who occasionally likes to go for a walk.

Jonathan Watkin

I am a Chartered Certified Accountant and work for a manufacturing company in Hull. I have been an accountant for many years and have worked in various industries including construction, haulage, NHS, milk processing and financial services. I became a school governor because I wanted to give something back to the school using the skills available to me, in return for the great help they have given our son with his education. In my spare time I enjoy gardening, the gym, paintballing (at which my sone takes great delight in getting me covered in paint), theatre, Steampunk Morris Dancing and walking the dog.      

     

Tricia Ward

I have worked in the Education Sector for 22 years and still love it. It is truly an inspiring place to be. My background is in Finance having previously work in the Banking Field. I have gained over the years qualifications in Accounting and Finance and more recently a Diploma of School Business Management. I feel that being part of the Governor helps support the school and the pupils not only on a day to day basis but long term too.

 Emma Lawson

I am a qualified Recruitment Consultant, Learning Support Assistant, EFL Teacher, Forest School Leader, Certified Outdoor Mental Health Practitioner and Outdoor Therapist. In my free time, I serve as one of the Directors and Trustees of the Forest School Association (FSA) and as a Cadet Leader for Humberside Police. Working at Riverside, I witness the incredible work of my colleagues as they support and enrich the lives of our pupils. My role as a governor provides me with the opportunity to support our wonderful pupils, staff and school.   

                     

 Janet Huscroft

Originally from Hull and a long time resident of Goole, I worked in education for 42 years. As headteacher of an Ofsted graded outstanding school, I was committed to ensuring success for every child. Success was achieved by providing a unique child-centred curriculum, nationally recognised as one of the best in the country.

Since retiring in 2017, I have continued to support education by offering voluntary advice on school improvement and teacher training. I am passionate about helping schools thrive, ensuring every child has access to high-quality learning opportunities.

In my personal life, I enjoy spending time with my family, especially my grandchildren one of whom is a pupil at Riverside Special School.

I am proud to support and serve the school community and remain committed to supporting staff, pupils and families in achieving their full potential. I am honoured to be a governor at Riverside Special School.

 

 Laura Lattimore

It is a great honour to be a parent governor of Riverside Special School. Our son has attended the school since 2018 and has made outstanding progress during his time as part of the Riverside community. I hope in my role as a governor I am able to support the wonderful staff and leadership team at the school, so that all the children at Riverside are given the same amazing opportunities that we as a family have experienced.

I currently work with the Executive Leadership of a Multi Academy Trust in Hull, where we strive to provide the highest quality education and opportunities to children from various backgrounds and cultures. Previously, I worked for the Lawn Tennis Association for 13 years in participation development working to provide as many opportunities as possible for people to access the sport.

Keith Rhodes

Riverside has a special place in the heart of our local community, and I’m honoured to have been accepted on to the Board of Governors. I want to support the staff teams and help ensure that the school is a safe and secure place for everyone who attends here, staff and pupils alike.

I’m semi-retired, although I continue working as a health and safety consultant and I have over 30 years’ experience in the field, and that includes the education and care sectors. Peoples welfare and well-being are important to me.

I am a member of Goole and District Lions, a member of Friends of West Park, and a Trustee of Oakhill Nature Reserve. I’ve started to follow Goole Vikings rugby, and I enjoy the local music scene. I love the ‘Great Outdoors’ and the natural world.

My wife and I live locally, as do our family of 5 children and 4 grandchildren.

  

Chris Wood

Riverside has been a massive part of my life, from my grandparents being caretakers of the school when the school first opened to now my twin boys attending this amazing school, so it’s a great honour to now be a parent governor.

My aim is to support staff, the leadership team and pupils in whichever way I can and make this amazing school even better than it already is.

Work wise I am part of the successful business C4LP embroidery & printing (clothes for little people)/ the school uniform shop.

Outside of work, I have a wonderful family, 3 children and a great wife.

I have played rugby (league and union) for 20 plus years, mainly for Goole rufc.

Also big interest is football.

 

Governor Information

Name	Category	Term of Office	Position	Voting Rights	Pecuniary/Business Interests	Employed by East Riding
Annette Benstead	Co-opted	09/06/2017 – 06/03/2028	Vice Chair	Yes	No	No
Jessica Horseman	Authority	05/12/2019 – 20/11/2027	Chair	Yes	No	No
Janet Huscroft	Co-opted	25/03/2025 – 24/03/2029		Yes	Mother of governor at Riverside school. Mother of CEO of an academy Trust.	No
Laura Lattimore	Parent	29/06/2021 – 28/06/2025		Yes	Employed at an Academy Trust	No
Emma Lawson	Staff	25/09/2024 – 24/09/2028		Yes	Director and Trustee of the Forest School Association (FSA).	Yes – LSA
David Percival	Headteacher	01/09/2024 – 31/08/2044	Headteacher	Yes	No	Yes - Headteacher
Keith Rhodes	Co-opted	24/06/2025 – 23/06/2029		Yes	No	No
Deborah Russell	Parent	19/09/2025 – 18/09/2029		Yes	No	No
Patricia Ward	Co-opted	02/02/2016 – 01/02/2028		Yes	No	No
Jonathan Watkin	Co-opted	27/11/2018 – 27/06/2026		Yes	No	No
Christopher Wood	Parent	19/09/2025 – 18/09/2029		Yes	No	No

Governance Structure and Remit

Full Governors	Challenge and Improvement	Finance and Personnel
Annette Benstead – Vice Chair Jessica Horseman – Chair Janet Huscroft Laura Lattimore Emma Lawson David Percival – Headteacher Keith Rhodes Deborah Russell Patricia Ward Jonathan Watkin Christopher Wood	Annette Benstead – Chair Jessica Horseman David Percival Emma Lawson Janet Huscroft Keith Rhodes Deborah Russell Christopher Wood	Jessica Horseman – Chair David Percival Laura Lattimore Patricia Ward Jon Watkin Keith Rhodes Christopher Wood

Governors Attendance

Governor Meetings	Date	Attendees
Full Governing Board	24/03/2026	Annette Benstead, Jessica Horseman, Janet Huscroft, Laura Lattimore, Emma Lawson, David Percival, Deborah Russell, John Speight, Jon Watkin, Christopher Wood
Full Governing Board	02/12/2025	Annette Benstead, Jessica Horseman, Janet Huscroft, Laura Lattimore, Emma Lawson, David Percival, Keith Rhodes, Deborah Russell, Jon Watkin, Christopher Wood
Full Governing Board	09/09/2025	Annette Benstead, Jessica Horseman, Laura Lattimore, Emma Lawson, David Percival, Keith Rhodes, John Speight,  Patricia Ward
Full Governing Board	24/06/2025	Annette Benstead, Jessica Horseman, Janet Huscroft, Emma Lawson, Megan Marr, David Percival, John Speight, Keith Rhodes

 

Please note that the minutes of full governing body meetings are available on request. 

Riverside Governing Board Information June 2023.pdf

Meeting Attendance

Attendance Report

Governors Privacy Notice

Under data protection law, individuals have a right to be informed about how the school uses any personal data that we hold about.  We comply with this right by providing ‘privacy notices’ (sometimes called ‘fair processing notices’) to individuals where we are processing their personal data.

 

This privacy notice explain how we collect, store and use personal data about individuals working with the school in a voluntary capacity, including governors.

 

Riverside School is the ‘data controller’ for the purpose of data protection law.

 

The categories of information that we collect, hold and share include:

 

• Personal information (such as name, address, contact details)
• Recruitment checks
• Evidence of qualifications
• Employment details
• Information about business and pecuniary interests
• Special categories of data including characteristics information such as gender, race ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and political opinions.
• Disability and access requirements
• Medical information
• Photographs

 

 

Why we collect and use this information

 

The purpose of processing this data is to support the school to:

 

• Establish and maintain effective governance
• Meet statutory obligations for publishing and sharing governors’ details
• Facilitate safe recruitment, as part of our safeguarding obligation toward pupils
• Undertake equalities monitoring
• Ensure that appropriate access arrangement can be provided for those who require them

 

The lawful basis on which we use this information

 

We only collect and use personal information about you when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we process data where:

 

• The data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes
• We need to comply with a legal obligation
• We need to perform an official task in the public interest
• We need to protect the vital interests of the individual (or someone else’s interests) including where the individual is physically or legally incapable of giving consent

 

Collecting governor information

We collect personal information via governor contact forms.

 

Governor data is essential for the school’s operational use. Whilst the majority of personal information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it may be requested on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with GDPR, we will inform you at the point of collection, whether you are required to provide certain information to us or if you have a choice in this.

 

Storing governor information

We hold data securely for the set amount of time shown in our data retention schedule. For more information on our data retention schedule and how we keep your data safe, please see our data retention schedule.

 

You may also like to see our GDPR and Acceptable Use of Policy for Data.

 

Who we share governor information with

We routinely share this information with:

 

• our local authority (where applicable)
• the Department for Education (DfE)

 

 

Why we share governor information

We do not share information about our governors with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.

 

Local authority

We are required to share information about our governors with our local authority (LA) under our Governors Clerking Service Level Agreement.

 

Department for Education

The Department for Education (DfE) collects personal data from educational settings and local authorities. We are required to share information about our governors with the Department for Education (DfE), under section 538 of the Education Act 1996.

 

 

All data is entered manually on the GIAS system and held by DfE under a combination of software and hardware controls which meet the current government security policy framework.

 

For more information, please see ‘How Government uses your data’ section.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requesting access to your personal data

 

Under data protection legislation, you have the right to request access to information about you that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, contact Mrs Ward, data protection officer.

 

Under certain circumstances you also have the right to:

 

• object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
• prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
• object to decisions being taken by automated means
• in certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed; and
• a right to seek redress, either through the ICO, or through the courts

 

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we ask that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

 

 

How Government uses your data

The governor data that we lawfully share with the DfE via GIAS:

 

• will increase the transparency of governance arrangements
• will enable schools and the department to identify more quickly and accurately individuals who are involved in governance and who govern in more than one context
• allows the department to be able to uniquely identify an individual and in a small number of cases conduct checks to confirm their suitability for this important and influential role

 

Data collection requirements

To find out more about the requirements placed on us by the Department for Education including the data that we share with them, go to https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-database-of-governors

 

Note: Some of these personal data items are not publically available and are encrypted within the GIAS system. Access is restricted to a small number of DfE staff who need to see it in order to fulfil their official duties. The information is for internal purposes only and not shared beyond the department, unless the law allows it.