Meet the Governors
Welcome to the Governors' section!
Welcome to our website. I am Gareth Jones and I am Chair of Severn Primary School’s Governing Body.
In Wales, every state school has a Governing Body, consisting of specified numbers of various categories of governors depending on the type and size of school. Our Governing Body is made up of:-
- Parent Governors: parents (ideally of children at the school)
- Staff Governors: members of the school staff including the Head Teacher
- Local Education Authority( LEA) Governors nominated by the Local Authority
- Community Governors: members of the local community (appointed by the rest of the governing body)
What school governors do
School governors lead schools, they don’t manage them. They are there to give a strategic direction to how the school is run; to be critical friends to the school; and to ensure the school is accountable for its actions. Governors discuss and have input on:
- School policies, such as discipline, dress, sport, bullying and homework
- Long term plans and the future of the school ( School Development Plan)
- How the school budget will be spent ( Finances)
- How the school will try to reach performance targets ( School Improvement Plan)
- Drafting the annual report to parents
- Appointment and dismissal of staff including the Head Teacher
- Complaints from pupils, staff and parents
- Repair and maintenance of school buildings
- Use of school premises outside school hours
The Governing Body is lead by the chair who is elected from within its membership although anyone who works in the school can not be the chair. Governors are volunteers and usually serve for 4 years at a time.
A governor’s main task is to attend meetings of the school governing body. These normally take place once a term in the evening. Governors formally report to parents once a year in the annual report to parents. We are keen to hear from parents and friends of the school at anytime so please don’t hesitate to contact us via the website or at school.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Andy Roberts
Below is a list of the current Governing Body of Severn Primary School.
| Nicholas Wilson | Headteacher |
| Andy Roberts | Community Governor / Chair of Governors |
| Lauren Mathias | Parent Governor / Vice Chair of Governors |
| David Hooson | Local Authority Governor |
| Gareth Jones | Local Authority Governor |
| Iona Gordon | Local Authority Governor |
| Leo Thompson | Local Authority Governor |
| Jane Cobb | Community Governor |
| Vacancy | Community Governor |
| Sri Ponnuswamy | Community Governor |
| Sarah Chandler | Parent Governor |
| Muna Abdi | Parent Governor |
| Hayley Beavan | Parent Governor |
| Kathryn Jackson | Parent Governor |
| Vacancy | Teacher Governor |
| Tamsin Meadows | Teacher Governor |
| Beverley Davies | Staff Governor |
| Andrew Jones | Deputy Head/Observer Governor |
| Karen Gunning | Severn Care Club RI/Observer |
What Is A Governor ?
A school governor is a volunteer who represents those people with a key interest in the school, including parents, staff, the local community and the Local Education Authority (LEA). The school governing body accepts responsibility for everything a school does. It acts as a link between parents, the local community, the LEA and the school itself. A school governor is elected to a four year term of office, although the Headteacher's term is ongoing.
Categories of Governors
Within a school there are various categories of governor, each with a different reason for serving on the governing body. Within our school there are parent, teacher, staff, headteacher, community and LEA governors.
Parent Governors
Parent Governors are elected to a four year term of office to represent the interests of the parents of pupils who currently attend the school. Parent governors are expected to keep in tune with the concerns and opinions of the majority of parents and exercise their best judgement when contributing to the decisions of the governing body.
Teacher Governors
Teacher Governors are elected to represent the interests of the teaching staff of their school. They are free to express their own personal views and exercise their own judgements even if not in line with the majority of teaching staff.
Staff Governors
Staff Governors are elected to respresent the support staff of the school, i.e. all those not in a teaching capacity. Like teaching governors they are free to express their own personal views and exercise their own judgements even if not in line with the majority of support staff.
Headteacher Governors
Headteachers automatically become school governors unless they choose not to be. If this is the case they can still attend governors meetings. While the headteacher reports to the governing body, the headteacher must involve the governors closely in the running of the school.
Community Governors
Community Governors are invited by other governors to join the governing body. They bring their own experience and skills and act as a link with the local community within which they usually live.
LEA Governors
LEA Governors are appointed by the school's Local Education Authority. While an LEA governor may represent the LEA's views; as they are not delegates of the LEA they cannot be mandated by the LEA to take a particular view.
Further information on the different types of governors can be found in Fact Files by viewing the Governors Wales website at -
