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.

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. 

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.