Meet the Governors
Vision
The governors at Colden Common Primary School set their vision for the school as follows:
We are committed to:
- Developing children who are confident and motivated to take risks, enjoy challenges and persist with new learning
- Providing children with a broad and balanced curriculum which enables them to succeed in each stage of their education and become lifelong learners
- Maintaining a united staff team with a shared vision that recognises and celebrates success and offers collective support
- Creating and encouraging opportunities for staff development, including leadership, to enable a collaborative approach to effective curriculum development, teaching and learning
- Communicating the school’s core values and purpose to the wider community and recognising its evolving and diverse nature
- Encouraging the community to have a role in the school
The Governors
We are keen to introduce your school governors to you. For more information about the structure and the responsibilities of the Governor Body and its individual governors, please scroll down.
Mr Wayne French
| Co-opted Governor Co-Chair of Governors, Chair of Resources Committee "Born in Eastleigh, in 1957, I have spent most of my life in the local area. I am married to Meryl, and have 3 adult children, and three grandchildren, one of whom will be going to Colden Common Primary School in a few years time. I am a qualified accountant by profession, holding senior financial roles in various companies, including, British Transport Docks Board, Marconi Space & Defence, Schlumberger and Cobham Plc. I have 7 years experience as a Non Executive Director of a mental health trust in Bournemouth, and have been a Mental Health Act panel member since 2008. I now own my own manufacturing business in the Midlands, and spend 2 days a week in Derby, and “work from Home” the rest of the week. I have been very active in the village community for many years. Firstly for the Youth football club as a referee since 1994, and as team manager/coach for numerous teams since 1995, and as Chairman for the past 11 years. I have helped Meryl run the Colden Common tots group every Friday morning at the Community Centre for the past 14 months." |
Mr Greig Sturges
| Co-opted Governor Co-Chair of Governors, Chair of Curriculum Committee "I was elected as a governor in June 2021. I have lived in the village since 2015 with my wife and two children having prior lived in London. Our eldest child attends this school. I was a KS1 Teacher at Hampshire Infant Schools in Winchester and Basingstoke. I am now an Inclusion & Senior Data Officer within Children's Services at Hampshire County Council. I work across the Education & Inclusion branch, for Virtual School (Children in Care) and the Inclusion Support Service, specialising in supporting families, teachers and professionals around reduced hours provision in schools. " |
Mrs Nicola Mitchell
| Co-opted Governor Member of Resources Committee "I was elected as a governor in October 2019. I have three children at the school and am actually a former pupil myself. I am therefore passionate about the success of the school and its place in the local community. I am a Solicitor and run my own firm in the village specialising in family law." |
Mrs Lisa Rea
| Staff Governor and Safeguarding Governor Member of Curriculum Committee "I have been employed at the school for the last 11 years in a variety of roles, including Learning Support Assistant and Higher Level Teaching Assistant. My two children both attended the school and I know enjoyed all the learning experiences they received. I was previously employed in Customer Service based roles and now look forward to using my experience in education to contribute to the strategic decision making on the Governing Body." |
Mrs Rebekah White
| Co-opted Governor Member of Curriculum Committee
I live in the village with my husband and two children, the eldest of which attends this school. I'm a neurosensory scientist who works with paediatrics. I have a special interest in neurodivergence and mental health, and have always been passionate about the emotional-social development of children. Having been co-opted to this board in September 2021 I'm keen to get stuck in and am looking forward to contributing to this governing body.
|
Mr Alex Brown
| Parent Governor Member of Resources Committee Health and Safety Governor I am a professional Health, Safety and Environmental practitioner, I run my own business as a consultant and have extensive experience in risk management. I grew up in Colden Common, attended the school and even have some of my work contained within the time capsule hidden by the entrance. Now both my children attend and absolutely love the school, so I wanted to become a governor to help ensure that the standard of health and safety for our children is the best it can be. |
Mrs Brenda Johnson
| Co-opted Governor Member of Curriculum Committee I was elected as governor in September 2023. My son currently attends the school and my daughter previously attended. Having been a parent with a child at Colden Common for some years, I felt it important to support the school in some way. Having previously worked within the construction industry, I am currently changing my career path into food and hospitality with the aim of growing my own business. I am excited to be joining the governing body to assist the school in its success and growth in the future. |
Mr Robert Veck
| Local Authority Governor I am a retired Professionally Qualified Software Development Project Manager & a villager since 1984. Upon early retirement, we converted our house to reduce its carbon footprint by 80% and now aiming to be net zero by 2024. I became a Parish Councillor in 2020 and led a team to create the 5 to 10 Village Year strategy, the centre of which has a focus on addressing Climate Change. I wanted to become a governor to provide that connection between the Parish Council, its strategic implementation plan, and together provide any support that will help improve the future wellbeing of the next generation related to challenges of climate change. |
Mr Richard Kleiser | Parent Governor I was elected as a governor in November 2023 and I have a strong interest in the school’s success and well-being. I have lived in the village since 2011 and I have a child at the school with another starting in 2024. I work in IT specialising in cybersecurity, compliance, and governance. I have experience in managing risks, ensuring compliance with regulations, and overseeing policies and procedures. I am hoping to use my knowledge and curiosity to ensure that the school provides the best environment and education it can for its pupils.
As a parent governor, I aim to represent the views and interests of the parent community and to act as a link between the school and families. |
Mrs Jules Chiari
| Clerk to Governing Body. Mrs Chiari was appointed as clerk to the governing body in October 2021.
|
Which governor types are there?
The Governing Body is made up of governors from a variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of expertise. There are two parent governors, who represent and are elected by the parents of the school; one staff governor who represents all the staff; one Local Authority Governor who is appointed by the Local Authority; and eight co-opted governors who are appointed by the Governing Body because of their links to the local community and/or their specific skill set. The Headteacher is also a governor. All governors, no matter what type of governor they are, have the same overall responsibilities within the Governing Body.
Committees
The Governors meet as a full Governing Body every half term, but in addition they divide up into separate committees with specific responsibilities:
- The Curriculum Committee is responsible for curriculum matters and reviews the school’s performance data. They meet five times a year.
- The Resources Committee is responsible for reviewing the school’s budget and financial performance, as well as Health and Safety across the school. They meet six times a year.
- Minutes of Governing Body meetings are available on request
Both committees feed back into the main Governing Body meetings.
Governor Roles
In addition to being part of a committee, most governors also have a specific role or responsibility.
Role / Responsibility | Governor |
Co-Chairs of Governors | Wayne French Greig Sturges |
|
|
Curriculum Committee | Greig Sturges (Chair) Rebekah White Lisa Rea Brenda Johnson Robert Veck Carly Redfern |
Resources Committee | Wayne French (Chair) Nicola Mitchell Alex Brown Richard Kleiser |
Health and Safety | Alex Brown |
Safeguarding/Child Protection Early Years | Lisa Rea |
Pupil Premium (PPG) Special Educational Needs (SEN) | Rebekah White |
Inclusion and Diversity | Brenda Johnson |
Training and Development | Richard Kleiser |
Website | Richard Kleiser |
Pay Committee | |
HT Performance Management | Nicola Mitchell, Rebekah White, Robert Veck |
Name | Governor Type | Appointed by | Term From | Term To |
Mrs Lisa Rea | Staff governor
| Staff | 25 Mar 2022 | 24 Mar 2026 |
Mr Wayne French | Co-opted governor
| Governing Body | 09 Dec 2023 | 8 Dec 2027 |
Mrs Carly Redfern | Headteacher
|
| 01 Sept 2023 |
|
Mrs Nicola Mitchell | Co-opted governor
| Governing Body | 20 Nov 2023 | 19 Nov 2027 |
Mr Greig Sturges | Co-opted governor
| Governing Body | 24 May 2021 | 23 May 2025 |
Mrs Rebekah White | Co-opted governor
| Governing Body | 20 Sep 2021 | 19 Sep 2025 |
| Mrs Brenda Johnson | Co-Opted Governor | Appointed by Governing Body | 25 September 2023 | 24 September 2027 |
| Mr Alex Brown | Parent Governor | Appointed by Governors, no election held | 25 September 2023 | 24 September 2027 |
| Mr Robert Veck | Local Authority Governor | Nominated by Local Authority and appointed by Governing Body | 20 Nov 2023 | 19 Nov 2027 |
| Mr Richard Kleiser | Parent Governor | Appointed by Governors, no election held | 20 Nov 2023 | 19 Nov 2027 |
Governor meeting dates 2023-24
The Full Governing Body meets six times a year (once every half term) on a Monday. The dates for 2023-24 are as follows:
Monday 25th September 2023
Monday 20 November 2023
Tuesday 22nd January 2024- FGB training
Monday 18 March 2024
Monday 20 May 2024
Monday 15 July 2024
Minutes of meetings are available on request at the school office.
The Governing Body consists of a maximum of thirteen governors who meet to support the school in strategic planning and decision making. The work is extremely varied and evolves around the board’s three core functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
If you would like to contact any of the governors, please send an email to govclerk@coldencommon.com