The Governing Body of a school is akin to the board of directors of a company. It provides leadership at a strategic level, acting as a “critical friend” to the headteacher who is responsible and accountable to it for the operational day-to-day running of the school. The Governing Body has three core functions:
Setting the vision and strategic direction of the school
Holding the headteacher to account for its educational performance
Ensuring financial resources are well spent
The Governing Body is accountable to Ofsted for its effectiveness, and consists of members elected from/by parents and staff, members appointed by the Local Authority and members appointed from the local community.
John was born and grew up locally and has two children at EPS. When his oldest child turned school age, he visited a number of schools and strongly felt that Emsworth Primary was the right school for them; they really liked the learning environment, its ethos and the school management. John has worked in central government departments for over 25 years managing large budgets and delivering key policies. He wanted to be a parent governor as he felt he could use this experience to help maintain the school’s strengths for the benefit of all. John also welcomes the opportunity of being a governor to develop himself by learning something new.
Brendan is currently a Local Government Officer with responsibilities for the management of public open spaces, recreation grounds and children’s play areas. He also has an involvement in the planning process. Prior to this career change, Brendan spent 30 years in the IT industry specialising in the telecommunications and digital broadcasting sector. He is married with two grown up children and lives in the Waterlooville area. Having served for a time as the Clerk to the Governing Body, Brendan has now accepted the role of the Local Authority appointed governor. He looks forward to working with all stakeholders contributing towards the success of the school..
Christine has lived in Emsworth for the past 27 years – her children grew up here and she knows what a special place it is. She has been involved in education for her whole career, working as a music specialist and in mainstream teaching. Throughout this time, she has worked in a whole range of schools in Portsmouth, Southampton, Leigh Park and most recently as a year 5/6 teacher and maths/music lead at Rogate CE Primary school near Petersfield. Now she has retired from a full-time teaching role, she felt that she could bring an understanding of the joys and challenges faced by schools, teaching staff and pupils to a new role as a school governor.
Kim has worked at the school since 2012, and with all three of her children having attended, she has a strong personal connection and commitment to the school. She is passionate about ensuring its continued success. She previously worked as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant before progressing into her current role as the Headteacher’s PA and Office Manager. She provides the link between staff and the governing body, representing and coordinating views in both directions.
