Governors
The Governing Body of the school is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds, who are elected or nominated and are representative of parents, teachers, and the local community. All governors are committed to the school and its aspirations for every pupil to achieve their full potential; to succeed and excel.
Committees
| Committee | Chair |
|---|---|
| Full Governing Body | John Michael Stuart Acton |
| Curriculum and Progress | Simon Threadkell |
| Resources | Ian Caminsky |
| Human Resources | Nigel Gibbins |
Trustees
Term is four years, which can be renewed.
| Type of Governor | Name | Current Term of Office | First Appointed On | Pecuniary Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headteacher | Julie Richardson | 01.09.2021 | 01.09.2021 | |
| Chair of Governors | John Michael Stuart Acton | 16.03.2021 to 15.03.2025 | 23.3.2013 | Director of DPI Europe Limited from 19 October 2012 |
| Co-opted | Omar Kareem | 26.10.2018 to 25.10.2022 | 26.10.2018 | Chairman – St Albans 20th Scouts. Chairman – Al Bayyinah Saturday School |
| Co-opted, Governor Development Coordinator | Simon David Threadkell | 05.02.2019 to 04.02.2023 | 19.10.2015 | No pecuniary interests |
| Co-opted, Health & Safety Governor | Brent Gregory Leyshon | 22.05.2019 to 21.05.2023 | 22.05.2019 | No pecuniary interests |
| Co-opted Mental Health & Wellbeing lead | Karen Mills | 09.07.2019 to 08.07.2023 | 09.07.2019 | No pecuniary interests |
| Co-opted | Priya Lakhani | 09.07.2019 to 08.07.2023 | 09.07.2019 | No pecuniary interests |
| Co-opted governor, Chair of HR Committee Safeguarding Governor, (includes Children Looked After and Child Protection Governor), Equality Governor | Nigel Gibbins | 18.12.2017 to 31.07.2022 | 18.12.2013 | No pecuniary interests |
| Parent, Vice Chair of Governors DPO/GDPR Lead | Mark Patrick Kennedy | 29.11.2018 to 28.11.2022 | 29.11.2018 | Employment – Deloitte LLP from 2/10/2012 |
| Parent, Vice Chair of C&P Committee Careers Lead | Sarah Catherine Brandt | 29.11.2018 to 28.11.2022 | 29.11.2018 | Employment – Aldwickbury School from May 2016 |
| Parent, PSHE, RSE, SMSC, & SEN Governor | Tracey Brodrick | 28.09.2021 to 27.09.2025 | 16.10.2017 | Employment – Verulam School from April 2013 |
| Parent Chair of Resources Committee | Ian Caminsky | 23.04.2018 to 22.04.2022 | 23.04.2018 | No pecuniary interests |
| Parent | Syed Hussain | 27.11.2020 to 26.11.2024 | 27.11.2020 | No pecuniary interests |
| Staff Teaching | Vicky O’Kelly | 01.02.2021 to 31.01.2025 | 01.02.2021 | No pecuniary interests |
| Non-Teaching Staff Governor | Emma Dury | 23.02.2021 to 22.02.2025 | 23.02.2021 | No pecuniary interests |
| Parent | Jackie Waller | 30.09.2021 to 29.09.2025 | 30.09.2021 | No pecuniary interests |
| Clerk to Governors | Claire Snell | 9.11.2020 | 09.11.2020 | No pecuniary interests |
Verulam School’s governing body has 18 members, including the Headteacher. All governors serve a four- year term, although many choose to stand for more than one term and are either voted back onto the governing body or stand for re-election depending on the category of governor. The co-opted governors are invited onto the governing body; the parent governors are elected by the school’s parent body; the staff governors are elected by the staff.
What do school governors do?
Governors have a strategic role to play within the school organisation, leaving the day-to-day running to the Headteacher and her staff. Governors need to be clear about the aims and values of the school and prepared to work with the school as a critical friend recognising and celebrating achievements, supporting and encouraging strategies to bring about improvements, but also asking challenging questions to ensure objectives are met. The governing body is one of the key players in the school development/improvement planning process and governors are involved in the review of the school development plan and the drawing up of the priorities for the coming year. Governors receive information and discuss issues at the full governing body meetings (2 evening meetings a term), through the sub-committees (Human Resources, Curriculum and Progress and Resources) and through links with specific departments and sections of the school. Governors are responsible for the appointment of the Headteacher, and are frequently involved in the interviews of other staff, particularly at senior level. Governors are very rarely experts in educational matters. The fact that all governors have different backgrounds and are able to bring a wide range of expertise and experience is of great value to the school. Governors work as a team, both as part of the governing body, and in a wider sense as part of the whole school community. A wide range of training courses and guidance on the roles and responsibilities of governors are available from School Governance.
How to contact the governors
If you would like more information about the work governors do, or have any concerns or queries you would like to raise with the governors, please contact John Acton Chair of Governors by telephone, letter through the main school address. If you wish to email John Acton directly please complete the contact form. Because governors have historically joined the governing body at different times, or a governor may not serve a full term of office, vacancies occur at varying times during the year. If you think you may be interested in joining the governing body as a parent governor, or know of someone in the community who may be interested, we should be very happy to hear from you and discuss this further.
