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Our Governors
Governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in all St Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust schools however, the ultimate responsibility for the school lies with the Board of Directors with much of the work delegated to the Local Governing Body (LGB).
In trusts, the purpose of local governance is to provide:
· strategic leadership
· accountability and assurance
· strategic engagement
Governors set the aims and objectives for the school and set the targets/policies for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher.
Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise from their professional lives to the governing body and schools benefit greatly from working with skilled volunteers.
If you are interested in hearing more about becoming a governor please contact;
Meet Our Governors
Clive worked in the electrical industry for most of his life, first in consultancy and then general management, responsible for a variety of companies in the UK and abroad.
On retirement he was a non-executive director in the NHS for a number of years.
His wife, Jan, taught at Beer Primary for some years and was a staff governor for part of that time.
I taught Maths in a large Secondary C of E school in Kettering for many years. In addition to my classroom teaching, I was Head of Year for years 7 and 9, and latterly years 12 and 13. During my time as Head of Year 7, I had responsibility for liaising with many Primary feeder schools, which involved visiting Year 6 pupils and trying to make the transition from Primary to Secondary as easy and stress-free as possible – for both pupils and their parents!
I have been coming to Beer since I was tiny as my grandparents lived here, and I now love living here too. It is great to be involved in Beer Primary School which has such a special place at the heart of the village community.
I become Priest-in-Charge of St Michael’s Church, Beer, and St Gregory’s Church, Seaton in 2022. Prior to the Priesthood, I was a Royal Marine Commando for eleven years. I have also previously worked as a teaching assistant in a school for children with special educational needs and as a librarian. My wife Melissa and I enjoy distance running, music and spending time with our three cats.
I am passionate about supporting the children and staff at Beer Primary school and seeing them flourish.
I have lived in the parish of Beer since 2000 and my family have had links with the village for many generations. I am pleased to have been asked to join the board of Governors, knowing the school as both our boys were here.
I was lucky enough to move to Beer in March 2021 to run a long established local business within the village. Prior to this move I was an enthusiastic teacher of GCSE and A Level Mathematics for just under 30 years. Half of this time was spent working in leadership roles across several schools, finishing my career as deputy headteacher with responsibility for Safeguarding, Learning and Teaching and all things related to Data.
Gaining the opportunity to become involved with Beer Primary School is an honour and hopefully my knowledge and experience of educating young people will be of some benefit to the governing body.
I spent 29 years working in Food Retail in a wide variety of roles across Operations, HR, Learning and Development and now run my own leadership and coaching business. I specialise in coaching and mentoring that point where careers intersect with parenthood and am the co-author of the first business book on parental mentoring ‘Mentoring New Parents at Work’ (Routledge 2017).
I’m a mum with two grown up daughters. I bring my knowledge and experience as a parent supporting them through the education system and transitioning into early careers.
I’m delighted to have been asked to support Beer Primary School as a governor. I come with an open mind, curiosity to learn and look forward to giving back to this wonderful community of people.
Having relocated into the village at nine, I treasure memories of being taught at Beer C of E Primary School.
After studying A levels, I moved to Cheltenham to obtain a B.A English with Media Communications (Hons) Degree.
I've worked within education for well over ten years - initially supporting a Head of Year with a Year group's wellbeing, then alongside children in care and under achieving KS4 pupil premium students as a 1:1 mentor. More recently, I became the Lead T.A. for Years 7 to 11, both in class and through small group or individual interventions. I enjoy specialising in speech and language difficulties.
As a parent, I've helped with creative activities in class, organised the Usborne Book Fair and am part of the Beer Blazer Committee and the PTFA.
I moved to the area nearly a decade ago and have had children at Beer Primary School for all of that time. Prior to this I worked as a solicitor in London in both private practice and the public sector. Currently I am a university law lecturer.
My involvement with Beer Primary School has varied over the years, including running chess club and helping as a reading volunteer and at ukulele club. Now as a parent governor, I hope to bring an inquiring mind and diverse experience to join with others in helping our special school thrive.
Music is a passion of mine and I believe in the importance of ensuring all young people access music and the lifelong joy and creativity it can bring. As well as having this area of responsibility as a governor, I am also involved with the issues of Parent Communications and Home Learning.
I started my working life as an Education Social Worker in London and completed my teaching qualification in Devon.
I specialised in Early Years, Special Educational Needs and Behaviour Management, and most recently worked for the University of Plymouth mentoring Trainee Teachers.
I have lived in Beer for 40 years. This is my second time as a Governor at Beer Primary. I was Parent Governor, then Local Authority Governor for some 25 years.
The school is a vital part of our village and it is a privilege to be able to help support it. Having now retired, I have the time to be involved again.
I came to Beer in 2023 after 13 years of living in Zambia.
Previously, I had been teaching in Devon mainly in Early Years with a special interest in Reading, Music and Maths. I loved my job very much.
Whilst in Zambia I worked on an education project providing good quality resources for teachers and latterly I set up my own business training teachers and community workers how to teach reading skills to both children and adults.
My husband and I have four children and 8 grandchildren – so far! I love music, play the piano and violin and have just started learning the cello.
I am really looking forward to getting involved with Beer Primary School community.
Statutory Governor Information 2022-23
Board Diversity
The board believes that it is important that we reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Diverse boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for staff and young people. We collect data on the diversity of the board, including age, ethnicity, and gender and we use this data to inform our recruitment and training needs, ensuring there is always a diverse range of perspectives around the table to support robust decision making. We do not publish diversity data online as individual governors could be identified and we have a legal obligation to protect their personal data.
Governing Body Meeting Minutes