The Governing Body is responsible for making sure the school improves each year. It sets the direction and ensures that the school is meeting its targets, while allowing the headteacher and teaching professionals to manage the school on a day-to-day basis.
Governors meet to discuss reports on the school’s progress. They test information received by asking the right questions to ensure that the school spends its budget wisely against the priorities shown in the school plan.
The Cobham School Governor Action Plan is devised and agreed by the Governors annually. It outlines the roles and responsibilities that they collectively hold.
I am lucky enough to be the headteacher at Cobham Primary School and the school, the children and the families are embedded in my heart! Love my job! I have the very best team too. From the governors to my cleaning team, we all work hard to make Cobham a very special place to learn, grow, thrive and be the best that we can all be.
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Little did I know when we moved to Cobham the profoundly positive effect this wonderful rural Victorian school would have on our entire family! Having been involved with the PTA from day one, I joined the governing body over 10 years ago when our son left the school and it has been an intense but incredibly worthwhile learning curve.
My background as an integrative counsellor means I am committed to ensuring and promoting the welfare of all our children, with an emphasis on mental health and wellbeing. I work closely with our dedicated staff and am a regular visitor to the site. I am here to support, and challenge when necessary, to ensure that all our children are safe and happy and able to identify their full potential. It’s not just the children that embody our TRUST values, as a board we are committed to upholding those values and ensure that we are all are caring, proud and successful. After all, you never truly leave Cobham!
Both my children are currently at Cobham Primary and I became a governor in 2020, having been involved with the PTA but also previously chaired the committee of the village Preschool. I wanted to help give something back to a school which has done so much for my family.
I’m a Chartered Accountant and take an active role in the finance committee but also am a member of the Quality of Education committee. I have additional governor responsibilities around well-being focusing on well-being of pupils, staff and families.
I have been lucky enough to work at Cobham for quite a while now and am currently the teacher for Year 3.
Both my children had the privilege to start their educations at Cobham Primary so I have been a parent from 2006 to 2015 and started as a governor during this time. I have remained as a Governor as I find it rewarding to be part of our local community school and to help with the school’s future strategic direction and well being. I have been primarily involved in the Finance and Buildings areas supporting the school as they fit best with my personal and work strengths.
I became a governor in 2019, as with both my children then as pupils I was keen to give something back to the school that made the first step in their educational journey so successful and enjoyable. I feel strongly that the leadership team and all the staff deserve the best support possible and I find the role extremely rewarding. I am also a TA at the school and feel that the combination of having been a parent and now a member of staff gives me a unique insight into the school. I am on the Quality of Education committee.
I became a Governor at Cobham in 2021. Having my eldest child pass through Cobham with a first class education and become a well rounded young person I have another child currently benefitting from the excellent teaching and care at Cobham.
My background has been in working in and with Local Authorities including schools and education teams. In addition I spent 2 years running an internal department for a large multinational national delivering Apprenticeships and degree level qualifications. I hope to use this experience to support the senior leadership at Cobham and ultimately benefit the children fortunate to be attending Cobham.
With one child having been through Cobham and one still there, I have witnessed first-hand what a wonderful school it is. For the past seven years I have been a TA at Cobham and I thoroughly enjoy my role. I am also Financial Controller for a full service with law firm. These facets provide me with the experience, passion and skill set to be a member of the governing body and I am very much looking forward to the challenges the will role provide.
I have had a long-standing relationship with Cobham , since my eldest child, joined in 2015. I feel very strongly about the power that a great education has to transform the lives of children and young people.
Like many of us, I have seen how a strong parent/carer community and Board of Governors can help shape, and add value to the school and provide more opportunities for all our children at Cobham. I am grateful for that and very keen to help ensure this continues.
SEN provision is something I am passionate about, having a child with SEN myself. I work with a local charity as a Family Adviser, supporting families with children with disabilities across Kent. Ensuring that parents and where appropriate disabled young people, have information, understanding and support, enabling and empowering them to make informed decisions about their future.
My priority for our children here in Cobham is them having a safe, nurturing environment to learn in, but mostly, one in which they can thrive and be confident within themselves.
My voluntary work thus far is 20 years within the scouting organisation working mostly with 8 to 11 year olds. Followed by 25 years within the magistracy, spending time working in the youth courts before taking the position of chair in the adult court. All of which has taught me, team work, the development of my listening skills, bias awareness and how to evaluate evidence.
This is my first opportunity to work in a voluntary capacity and I am very much looking forward to it. The earlier part of my extensive career has been spent working for a large European based company in the field of Logistics Planning and Customer Service. During the last 20 years or so, I initially started and then ran my own company in the Hospitality and Events sector. Both of these careers have given me a good insight and awareness into meeting targets and the importance of teamwork and satisfying demanding customer expectations.
Being a school governor is a rewarding role through which I can contribute both to our children’s education and to our community. I will have children at Cobham Primary School for 12 years in all, so I have an extremely strong interest in supporting the school and helping it continue to flourish and provide our children with an exceptional educational, social and personal experience.
I have spent all of my working life involved in media, marketing and communication, working at very senior strategic levels and advising some of the most high profile public figures including Prime Ministers, Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police Service and London Fire Brigade, and government ministers. I have managed some of the UK’s biggest news stories throughout my career, including the July 7 London terrorist attacks.
I also have substantial experience of the social care sector, in particular looked after children who are some of the most vulnerable in our society. It is my personal passion to improve provision and support for children who have been in care, as well as early years social and educational provision more widely.
Outside of work and school I enjoy playing netball, walking our dogs, and baking.
At Cobham Primary, the Full Governing Body meet once a term, this meeting is attended by all Governors. Individual Governors also belong to specialist sub-committees - the Quality of Education sub-committee and/or the Business and Finance sub-committee. These sub-committees meet termly and feedback into the Full Governing Body.