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 | Term of Office | Pecuniary Interests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headmaster | Paul Andrew Ramsey | 13 May 2009 | Trustee of BeauSandVer Educational Trust : August 2016 Trustee of Verulam Charitable Trust 16 August 2012 Sister-in-law employed at Verulam School from 1 September 2012 |
| Chair of Governors | John Michael Stuart Acton | 16 October 2018 | Director of DPI Europe Limited from 19 October 2012 |
| Community | Omar Kareem | 26.10.2018 to 25.10.2022 | Chairman – St Albans 20th Scouts. Chairman – Al Bayyinah Saturday School |
| Community | Jonathan Robin Pitkin | 27.02.2017 to 31.07.2021 | Trustee – Verulam Charitable Trust. Employment – Verulam School from May 2017 |
| Community, Governor Development Coordinator | Simon David Threadkell | 05.02.2019 to 04.02.2023 | |
| Community, Health & Safety Governor | Brent Gregory Leyshon | 22.05.2019 to 21.05.2023 | |
| Community | Karen Mills | 09.07.2019 to 08.07.2023 | No pecuniary interests |
| Community | Priya Lakhani | 09.07.2019 to 08.07.2023 | No pecuniary interests |
| Co-opted governor, Safeguarding Governor, (includes Children Looked After and Child Protection Governor), Equality Governor | Nigel Gibbins | 18.12.2017 to 17.12.2021 | |
| Parent | John Michael Stuart Acton | 22.03.2017 to 21.03.2021 | |
| Parent, CEIAG Governor | Melanie Jane Merriden | 06.11.2016 to 31.07.2021 | |
| Parent, DPO/GDPR Lead | Mark Patrick Kennedy | 29.11.2018 to 28.11.2022 | Employment – Deloitte LLP from 2/10/2012 |
| Parent, Links Governor | Sarah Catherine Brandt | 29.11.2018 to 28.11.2022 | Employment – Aldwickbury School from May 2016 |
| Parent, SEN Governor | Tracey Brodrick | 16.10.2017 to 15.10.2021 | Employment – Verulam School from April 2013 |
| Parent | Ian Caminsky | 23.04.2018 to 22.04.2022 | |
| Parent | Syed Hussain | 27.11.2020 to 26.11.2024 | |
| Staff Teaching | Daniel Tansley | 04.10.2017 to 03.10.2021 | |
| Staff Teaching | Vicky O’Kelly | 01.02.2021 to 31.01.2025 | |
| Staff – Support | Tracey Southward | 14.11.2018 to 13.11.2022 | |
| Clerk to Governors | Claire Snell | 9.11.2020 |
Verulam School’s governing body has 18 members, including the Headmaster. 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 7 community governors are invited onto the governing body; the 7 parent governors are elected by the school’s parent body; the 3 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 Headmaster and his 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 Headmaster, 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.
