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.
| Type of Governor | Name | Current Term of Office | First Appointed On | Appointed by: | Pecuniary Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headteacher | Fergal Moane | 15.04.2024 | 15.04.2024 | ||
| Chair of Governors & Co-opted Governor | Jonathan Kemp | 11.04.2024 to 10.04.2028 | 11.04.2024 | LGB | TBC |
| Co-opted Governor | Sarah Catherine Brandt | 31.10.2022 to 30.10.2026 | 29.11.2018 | LGB | Employment – Aldwickbury School from May 2016 |
| Co-opted Governor | Adam Winchester (OV 2013) | 21.11.2022 to 20.11.2026 | 21.11.2022 | LGB | Employment – Millennium Capital Partners |
| Co-opted Governor | David McNeil | 07.10.2024 to 06.10.2028 | 07.10.2024 | AET Trust | No pecuniary interests |
| Co-opted Governor | Fazilat Ahmed | 11.12.2024 to 10.12.2028 | 11.12.2024 | AET Trust | No pecuniary interests |
| Parent Governor | Ian Caminsky | 01.05.2022 to 30.04.2026 | 23.04.2018 | LGB | No pecuniary interests |
| Parent Governor | Ben Potts | 09.05.2022 to 08.05.2026 | 09.05.2022 | LGB | Employment – UBS AG London Branch |
| Parent Governor | Karen Penn | 31.10.2022 to 30.10.2026 | 31.10.2022 | LGB | No pecuniary interests |
| Parent Governor | Mike Nisbet | 31.10.2022 to 30.10.2026 | 31.10.2022 | LGB | No pecuniary interests |
| Teaching Staff Governor | Jack Pettitt | 15.12.2021 to 14.12.2025 | 15.12.2021 | No pecuniary interests | |
| Clerk to Governors | Claire Snell | 9.11.2020 | 09.11.2020 | Invigilator at The Hemel Hempstead School Clerk to Governors at Pixies Hill Primary School, Hemel Hempstead Clerk to Governors at Greenway Primary School, Berkhamsted Clerk to Governors at Bridgewater Primary School, Berkhamsted |
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) 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 the Chair of Governors, Jonathan Kemp at kempj@verulam.governor.aetrust.uk. 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.
