Governors
Welcome from the Chair of Governors
Welcome to St Michael’s Infant School
As school Governors we provide strategic leadership and accountability at Newdigate Infant School. We appoint the head teacher and are involved in the appointment of other members of staff. As Governors we hold the main responsibility for finance, and together with the Headteacher we make the tough decisions about balancing resources, but our overriding responsibility is to make sure that all the children that come to Newdigate Infant School get the best possible start in life. As a small infant school, we can focus on the needs of each individual child.
As Chair of Governors, I am ably supported by a dedicated and committed group of people who all volunteer their time and expertise to ensure that the school makes continuous improvements to the education and wellbeing of the children. Newdigate Governors take an active interest in school life, and many are parents of current or former pupils at the school.
As a Church of England school our ethos is based on Christian teachings and we welcome families of all faiths and none. We have strong links with the Church and our local community as well as the wider community. We are actively involved in collaborating with and supporting other schools in our community through the Dorking Schools Partnership. We look forward to welcoming you and your children to our wonderful school.
Alok Agarwal
What is a Governing Body?
The government requires that each school has a management team made up of the various stakeholders that the school serves, parents, local authority, staff, community and diocese. This is the Governing Body, and governors are elected or appointed to work in partnership with the headteacher to raise standards of achievement in the school. The main functions of a governing body are to provide a strategic view, to act as a critical friend and to ensure accountability.
How do our Governors work?
Full Governing Body meetings are held four times each year. There are two Governors’ committees which each meet once a term and report to the Full Governing Body:
Finance and Resources (FR): looks at buildings, the school’s budget, staffing resources, health and safety etc.
Learning and Teaching (LT): focuses on the children’s progress and attainment in learning (including those with special educational needs), the quality of teaching and the curriculum.
Governors also have a monitoring role and will visit school and may talk to different members of staff, visit classrooms, talk to children and look at their work in order to gauge how well things are going. They may also attend school events such as assemblies and fund raising and be involved in staff recruitment.
To be able to carry out their roles effectively Governors undertake regular training, either as a whole group or individually.
Where non-attendance at meetings is recorded below, apologies and reasons for absence have been accepted by those governors present and all the meetings have been quorate.
Who are our Governors?
Patricia Ann Hand - Co-Chair of Governors
Appointed by St Michael’s Parochial Church Council (PCC). Chair of Governors sits on Learning and Teaching and Finance and Resources Committees; Responsible Governor for Training. Register of interests: none relevant. 4 Year term ends: November 2020.
I became a Governor in November 2012 and was recruited through the website School Governors One Stop Shop. I moved to Dorking when our children were small and am now a grandparent with a keen interest in education. I have professional qualifications in education and management, and extensive experience of learning and development in a range of organisations.
Alok Agarwal - Co-Chair of Governors
“I’ve now been involved with the school for more than 10 years, many of them as a Governor. My son went to Newdigate School, and it has given him a real love of learning and doing his best. I want to ensure all children that come to Newdigate School are able to develop the same strong foundations in a nurturing environment based on a Christian ethos.
I’ve lived in Newdigate for around 18 years and have more than 30 years’ experience in IT consultancy and running a small business.”
Simon Lees - Vice Chair
“In 2008 the first of my 2 children started his voyage in education with Mrs Priestley in Reception at Newdigate. Not long afterwards I was appointed to the governing body as a parent governor. I joined and have remained on the finance and staffing committee ever since. I chaired the finance and staffing committee for 4 years. In 2013, I became a Steere and Booth foundation governor and vice chair of the governing body.
Throughout my time as a governor, I have seen and been part of many positive changes, including the selection of our Head Teacher, Mrs Bliss. Throughout all the change and challenge my focus has been the provision of a wonderful infant school at the centre of our village.
Now my children have grown up and have moved on, I still really enjoy putting back something into our community by being a governor and look forward to the future.”
Lucy Hanna
I live in Newdigate, and both of my children attended Newdigate Pre-School and Infant School between 2010 and 2016. I was appointed as a parent governor in February 2014 and recently re-appointed in 2018.
I qualified as a Chartered Accountant after gaining a degree in economics at Warwick University, and since joining the governing body I have been a member of the finance and staffing committee, which I have chaired since 2014. I have also been a trustee at Newdigate Pre-School for the past eight years, resigning as Treasurer in October 2018 after six years in the role. Newdigate Infant School provided a fantastic start for my children, and I enjoy using my financial skills to support the school and give something back to our local community.
Serving as a governor can be challenging at times due to the constant changes and financial pressures within education, however it is also very rewarding. I feel privileged to serve with such a committed group of staff and governors, all striving to do the very best we can for every child and to ensure that our school remains at the heart of our community so local children can continue to benefit from a great start in their early years of education for many years to come.
Jacqueline Bennet
I was appointed as a Foundation Governor by the PCC of St Peter’s Newdigate in November 2016. This is my second term as a Governor having previously been a member of the Governing Body at Newdigate for 10 years between 2001 and 2011, and Chair of Governors for five of those years.
I qualified as a Chartered Accountant after gaining a maths degree at Durham University but haven’t worked since having my three children, all of whom attended Newdigate Infant School before going on to the Weald and Reigate Grammar. I wanted to get involved again with the school as I strongly believe that it is a central and vital part of our village community of which I am a keen supporter having lived in Newdigate for the past 22 years.
Newdigate Infant School provided a fantastic start for our children, and I look to use my previous experience as a Governor as well as my accountancy skills to ensure that the same opportunity is available for local children now and in the future.
Reverend Andrew Coe
I have been a Foundation Governor since September 2002 when I was appointed as Rector of St Peters Church Newdigate. Previously I had served as a school Governor at two schools in the West Midlands.
I have a Degree in Theology from the University of Nottingham and trained for Church of England ministry at St John’s College Nottingham. I have been an ordained Church of England Minister since 1986, serving in Parishes in the West Midlands, Birmingham City Centre and Sandwell, before moving to Newdigate and the Surrey Weald Team 15 years ago. I bring knowledge of RE, spirituality, worship, prayer and school and church community links. It’s a real privilege to be involved in the Governing Body and to help to support the school. The links between Newdigate Church and School are very important, and I value the opportunity to enhance and strengthen them.
Michael Sturges
I was appointed in the role of parent governor in early 2016. At the time, my son was in Year 1 having joined Newdigate C of E from the pre-school. He has thoroughly enjoyed his experience at Newdigate, and I have seen him develop and grow in confidence and ability. It is great to be able to give something back to the school and as a parent as well as a governor it is sometimes possible to bring a different perspective to the discussion. It has also been an eye-opening experience to see at first hand the dedication and commitment of the school staff who continually strive for best standards whilst putting the children at the heart of every decision.
Alistair Swanepoel
I have lived in Surrey for over a year and have become closely connected to the Newdigate School and broader community through my social network. I have experienced first-hand the enormously positive and lasting impact that the staff at Newdigate have on children who graduated from the school. My professional career has been focused on Risk and Compliance in the Financial sector. I look forward to applying these skills to assist the governing body and staff in ensuring Newdigate remains an integral part of the community and environment in which children can continue to thrive.
Patrick Francis Benjamin Tatham (Ben)
Local Authority Governor (nominated by Surrey County Council and appointed by the Governing Body). Sits on Finance and Resources Committee; Lead Governor for Premises, Health and Safety. Register of interests: Trustee of Mickleham Village Hall Charity. 4-year term ends: September 2024.
I have been a Local Authority appointed Governor for many years. I was Chairman of Governors from 2002 to 2013, and I am now the Lead Governor on buildings and maintenance.
Linda Joan Packman
It is a privilege to work as part of the team of Governors at St Michael’s which I joined in January 2016. I have lived in the area for many years but only moved locally two years ago. I have nothing to declare with regard to the Register of Interests. Initially my appointment was with a Finance and Resource responsibility and then in May as a member of the Teaching and Learning Committee with a special interest in promoting the Early Years. My experience in schools, spanning a long career and my continuing interest in all things educational enables me to use that to benefit others and to encourage future success by visiting the school to liaise with staff. Now retired at home in Westhumble I serve on the Resident’s Maintenance committee and volunteer at Polesden Lacey each week.
Simon Ward
I have been a Foundation Governor since September 2018, live in Mickleham and am also a parent of children at St Michael’s. I am the Head of the Field Studies Council East Region and oversee Juniper Hall, having worked in the education/charity sector since 2003. I am a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Biology. I am also a governor at Therfield Secondary School.
Christine Smyth
I became a foundation governor in January 2019, and I have been bringing my therapy dog Trumpers to read with the children every week since February 2018. In my career I was a primary school headteacher and a Church Schools inspector. I spent twenty-three years as the headteacher of a Church of England primary school in Surrey and began my second career as a part-time Adviser for the Diocese of Southwark, in the Autumn 2013, using my experience as an inspector and headteacher. I have also been a governor of an outstanding Catholic Secondary school.
Justin Turner
I have been a Parent Governor since early 2021 and have over 17 years of experience in accounting and
corporate finance in the financial services industry.
A member of the Chartered Institute of Management
Accounting (CIMA), I took over as the Chair of the Finance and Resource Committee at the start of the
2021/2022 academic year. I live locally in Dorking and have been fortunate enough to have had both of
my children start their school life at St Michael’s.
Debbie Turner
I became a Governor in 2020 and sit on the Learning and Teaching Committee, with special interest in SEND and PHSE curriculums. I live locally with my husband and two children, both of whom loved their time at St Michael’s. I am delighted to continue to support the school, its staff, the pupils and their families in my role as a St Michael’s Governor.