Meet The Governors
Governing Body
The school’s Governing Body was reconstituted in January 2015.
At Present The Members Are:
- Chair of Governors Mrs S Jackson
- Vice-Chair Mrs J Pennells
| Mr Tony Pring | Headteacher Governor (1-ex-officio) |
| Mrs Sarah O'Brien | Staff Governor |
| Mrs Sue Jackson; Mrs J Pennells; Mrs Becky McIntosh, Sophie Alder | Foundation Governors (4 - appointed by the Canterbury Diocesan Board of Education) |
|
Mr Jonathan Lewis, Mrs Zara Lang, Mr Ben Beer, Mrs Lisa Laws, Mrs Carly Johnson |
Parent Governors (up to 5 - elected by parents of pupils at the school) |
|
Mrs Lirette Mill, Mr Richard Turnill, Mr Chris Boobier, Mrs E Pateman (Deputy Head). |
Co-opted Governors (up to 5 – appointed by the Governing Body) |
| Vacant | Local Authority Governor (appointed by Kent County Council) |
| Mrs Rose Davies | Clerk to the Governors, who can be contacted via the school |
Committees
| Resources | Headteacher Appraisal | School Quality Of Education |
|---|---|---|
| Chair: Mr J Lewis | Mrs S Jackson | Chair: Mrs J Pennells |
| Mr T Pring Mrs E Pateman | Mrs L Mill | Mr T Pring Mrs E Pateman |
| Mrs Lirette Mill | Mr B Beer | Mrs S Alder |
| Mr R Turnill | Mr B Beer | |
| Mrs C Johnson | Mrs S Jackson | |
| Mrs L Laws | Mrs Z Lang Mr Chris Boobier | |
| Mrs S Jackson | Mrs L Laws Mrs B McIntosh |
Governing Body
Governors aim to be visible: you may see us at Assemblies, Parents Evenings, special curriculum or subject days, and other School Events. If you want to know more about what we do, or are interested in becoming a Governor, please come and speak to us, or contact us via the school.
Governors serve for a term not exceeding four years, but some have been re-appointed and have served for much longer. Governors come from various professional or career backgrounds and many of us have long-standing links with the school, local churches and the parishes of Thurnham and Bearsted. Being a governor is demanding, but our commitment brings its rewards in the achievements of the school, staff and pupils, since everything we do has a focus towards the welfare and progress of the children.
We work within national policies and standards and are briefed regularly or attend training on changes introduced by Government and by KCC. In our last Ofsted Inspection in April 2009, the School and its Governing Body were judged to be “Outstanding”. This was very pleasing for everyone, but we are always looking to find new ways to work with our Head Teacher, staff, the Diocesan Board and the local community to develop the school further and make best use of the resources we have. Above all, we are committed to Thurnham School and its pupils, so that their energy, enthusiasm and imagination can be used to give them the best possible start in their school careers. Our reward is to see them happy and successful and so we strongly believe in working as partners with staff and parents.
We also work closely with “Friends of Thurnham”, the hard-working parents’ association which has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds of additional income, all for pupils’ benefit, in recent years.
The full Board of Governors usually meets three times during the school year to make the key decisions which affect the school; the main business Committees are Resources (Financial Management, Buildings, Health and Safety) and School Evaluation (Curriculum, Standards, Performance). In addition there is a Pay and Personnel Committee which oversees appointments and staffing Issues. These usually meet in advance of the full Governing Body and report to it each term. We have regular contact with Roseacre Junior School. Governors have individual subject responsibilities and work with Staff Subject Heads to ensure targets within the School Development Plan are addressed and resourced adequately.
Click here for our Governors' Declarations of Interests.