Our Governors

Welcome to Highbury Primary School Governors’ page

We hope you find the information contained here useful

Our Chair of Governors is Pauline Jeffs who can be contacted via the school office at admin@highbury-prim.portsmouth.sch.uk

DUTIES OF THE GOVERNING BODY

Governors are elected to serve four years. Governors are like a Board of Directors who meet at least three times a term and make decisions about how the school is run.

The main duty of the governing body is to maintain and improve our school’s standards of education; our work can be divided into these key areas:

setting the school’s vision and strategic aims, agreeing plans and policies and making creative use of resources
monitoring and evaluating performance
acting as a critical friend to support and challenge in the management of the school
ensuring that the school is accountable to the children and parents it serves, to its local community, to those who fund and maintain it, as well as to the staff it employs

As a Governing Body we

Ensure a high standard of educational attainment
Ensure financial probity by overseeing the school budget, including staffing and pay levels
Give support, advice and help to the school
Take a real pride in the school and the achievements of its pupils and staff
Work on and agree general school policies and the school’s own Development Plan
Work in partnership with the staff and education advisers for the benefit of the school
Visit the school in order to gain a clear understanding of the working of the school
Accept and act on collective decisions of the governing body
Participate in school activities in particular those which promote the school
Participate in training sessions
Ensure the premises are well managed

You can read more about the role of a Governing Body in the DfE Governors Handbook.

Agreed minutes of all governing body meetings are held in the school office. You can contact the governors via the school office.

Meet our Governors

	Pauline Jeffs, Chair of Governors My name is Pauline Jeffs and I live locally to the school in Hilsea. I joined the Board of Governors in May 2014 as a Local Authority governor. I am qualified accountant with 30 years’ service in the Public Sector in the NHS and more recently at the University of Portsmouth. I have over the years worked with many youth organisations and am great believer in giving our children both the academic and social skills to enrich them for their future. The Education arena is constantly changing and I am looking forward to embracing the challenges ahead to ensure the School continues to provide an excellent teaching environment for the children and staff going forward.
	Jo Watson, Headteacher
	Loreley Lawrence, Co-Opted I have been a governor at Highbury since October 2012 and am the Governor for Health and Safety and also for PHSE. I try to be a 'hands on governor' and enjoy helping out with the children at school events, and have assisted the PTA if they need volunteers. We have a strong governing body and we all work well together, and also with the staff and the pupils. Highbury is a vibrant community school and the children are polite, respectful, and happy. I enjoy being part of the great team that we have at Highbury.
	Tom Lloyd – Parent Governor Hi, my name is Tom Lloyd and I am a Governor at Highbury, I also have a daughter and son who attend the school. My main motivation for becoming a Governor is to actively support the school to ensure that it's as effective as possible at delivering the best education for all of the children that we, as parents, have entrusted to its care. I have a particular passion for sport, that led to be establishing my own sports coaching consultancy 10 years ago, and I'm delighted to see that sport and physical activity is such an integral part of the Highbury Primary curriculum. I'm also the Director of New Business, Enterprise and Employability @ Portsmouth College and hope to use my experience and network within academia to support our pupils in becoming global citizens'.
	Holly Saunders, Co-Opted I am currently the Director of Adult Education and Apprenticeships at Portsmouth College. I have over ten years of teaching experience, working in a range of education establishments and have completed a Masters in Education, where I researched how to improve the effectiveness of TAs, specifically how to improve TA talk in order to promote pupil independence. I am passionate about providing education that develops independent learners, and teacher training. I am excited to be part of the Highbury Primary Governing Body, and support the School in providing excellent opportunities for all children and staff.
	Bob Griffin – Co-Opted Governor I am Bob Griffin and was appointed as a Co-Opted Governor in December 2018.
	Ria - Parent Governor I'm really excited to have joined the school Governors at Highbury Primary School and Nursery. I have two children who attend the school and nursery. In 2012, I qualified as a social worker, working in both child protection and adoption. In my role, I get to work closely with lots of schools to ensure that the children I work with are well supported and cared for within school. I am looking forward to continuing to work with team at Highbury, striving to achieve the best for our children.
	Stana Boulton – Deputy Headteacher I am the Deputy Headteacher and I have had the privilege of working at Highbury for many years and have taught several children from the same families. Over the years I have had several areas of responsibility and presently I am responsible for Teaching and Learning and the Curriculum and initial Teacher Training. Working with all the staff, I am committed to providing a challenging, exciting and enriched curriculum to meet the needs of all children in school. I am a Specialist Leader of Education for English and the Curriculum. I have a real interest in the environment and enjoy leading the Eco Council. The children have demonstrated pride and commitment for the school grounds, which we use across the curriculum.
	Lyndsey Knight - Inclusion Lead