About the Governors

WHO’S WHO ON OUR GOVERNING BOARD

 

The Governing Board at Chudleigh CE VC Community Primary School consists of a total of 12 governors made up of the Headteacher, one staff governor, four parent governors, three foundation governors, two co-opted governors and one local authority governor, with most governors having a four-year term of office.  You can find out about the members of the Governing Board below.

 

Pat Smethurst

 I was appointed as a Co-opted Governor in February 2015 and am pleased to be able to serve the school community in this role.  In 2018 I was elected Chair of the Governing Board, having previously served three years as Chair of the Children’s Committee and Vice-Chair of Governors. I have now been re-elected for a further two-year term of office.

I have enjoyed being involved with the school through my local grandchildren. I have been a teacher all of my professional life and have worked in both Primary and Secondary phases. I was a Headteacher of a large Key Stage 2 school until my retirement and, as an experienced Headteacher, worked alongside leadership teams in other schools in a supportive role.

I thoroughly enjoy supporting the work of the school and community through its Governing Board.

 

Cliff Barnes

 I was appointed in 2013 as a foundation governor. I am a charterd quantity surveyor and following various roles in industry I currently run a small business providing project management consultancy advice primarily to the NHS. I have two daughters who both went to the school and in my spare time I enjoy running, cycling, tennis and skiing and helping out at the youth centre in Chudleigh.

I am co-vice chair of the Governing Board and my main responsibility as a governor is for standards and achievement, working with the headteacher. I thoroughly enjoy this opportunity to serve the school and local community.

 

Seonaid Beasley

I was elected as a parent governor in 2005, and since 2008 I have been a community or co-opted governor. Currently I have responsibility for managing the Personnel aspect of the governing board’s work.

I run a small training consultancy which specialises in support for leaders and managers in coping with the pressures of their role, and staff development within health and social care settings. 

 

Sarah Lea-Weston

I was elected as a Parent Governor in 2017 and my current area of responsibility is curriculum. I am also a joint Vice-Chair of the school governing body focusing on governor training.

My two children are now longer pupils at the school but both joined the school at the Foundation stage.  I have worked for the NHS in Business Intelligence for 13 years.

 

Terry Parkes

I was elected as the Curriculum Governor at the beginning of November 2019, this is my first term as a Governor and I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

I have a child in year 3 and another that will join the school in 2021. I run a local Electrical Contracting company and any spare time I have is spent outdoors as I am a keen mountain biker and snowboarder.   

 

Tom Newton

I was appointed as Foundation Governor in January 2021, having been an Associate Member since May 2020.  I live in Chudleigh and have two daughters. I am a chartered civil engineer and work across the UK for a large contracting business. My hobbies include triathlon, playing the piano and beer brewing.

I am delighted to be supporting the school and the local community.

 

Georgina Davis

I joined as a parent governor in September 2020, and I am enjoying taking an active role in supporting the school to achieve it's aims. I am responsible for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and I am passionate about ensuring our school in one where all can grow and flourish. I have two children; one has recently left the school to start his secondary school journey and I have one child in Year 5.

I have been working with children as a Clinical Psychologist since 2005 but have worked with children for a long time before that. Currently I work in the NHS and lead a team of psychological practitioners to support a variety of children including those with SEND. I hoping that my experience will be helpful in ensuring all children at this school fulfil their potential and are happy at school.

 

Kathryn Morley

I was elected as safeguarding Governor in September 2020. I have worked in a variety of roles around safeguarding since 2009, with a specialist role in domestic abuse and education projects in 2011/12. I then qualified in a Social Work Masters in 2013 and have worked within frontline children’s services since this time. I started my career in Nottingham City, before making a whole family move to Devon in early 2019. I now hold a position as a team manager in Torbay.

I am pleased to be able to bring my experience into the school community and support the continued good practice of the schools safeguarding practices. 

 

 

 

Gill Courtenay

As a Governor and staff member, I appreciate being in a privileged position to be able to contribute to the education and welfare of all children. I joined the school as Assistant Headteacher, with responsibility for Inclusion, and was appointed as Staff Governor in September 2021.

I have worked in a variety of large primary schools in London, Tanzania and Devon, initially as a class teacher and later in my career as a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) and senior leader for inclusion and safeguarding. I have also led and taught alongside a team of staff and children in Devon’s specialist Communication and Interaction Resource Base (CAIRB) in a primary school in North Devon and worked with Devon’s SEND Services and Safeguarding teams as a representative for schools.

I value working alongside children, families and professionals to create a shared aspiration for personal and collaborative achievement, learning and engagement in our school community.