Our Governors

LGB Minutes:

Our minutes are all on GovernorHub and our clerk has access to them if required.

If you maybe interested in becoming a school Governor, please contact the Headteacher or the Chair of Governors who would warmly welcome your interest and share with you the exciting role of school governance. 

In September 2015 St Mary's Church of England Primary School joined the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust (DEMAT) and became an academy.  Our governing board is known as a Local Governing Body.  The DEMAT has delegated responsibilities to our Local Governing Body; to find out more please see the Scheme of Delegation below.  For more information about DEMAT please click here.

Academies Financial Handbook: Please follow this link to view this document

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f4754ac8fa8f5362e74ba76/Academies_Financial_Handbook_2020.pdf

Nikki Browne

I've worked at St Mary's as a Teaching Assistant for fifteen years and have been a governor for about nine years. I am now HLTA and Family and Inclusion worker and have just qualified as a Designated Safeguarding Deputy for St Mary's.  I am responsible for health and safety as a governor and youth and adult mental health first aider.  I enjoy working at St Mary's and am very committed to our children, their welfare and their education.  I have two sons aged 18 and 21. I enjoy socialising with friends, going to the theatre and spending time with my family.

Andy Gurney

We have only lived in St Neots for nine years and moved here to start our family, both our boys now attend St Mary’s and we love living in St Neots. After leaving college in the early nineties I spent several years and nights working in the nightclub industry and for the last 23 years I have been working in the coffee and vending world for both manufacturers and service companies. My wife and I have built our lives around our family and making sure our boys have the best opportunities and happiness in life. We enjoying travelling as a family and want to give our children the best memories possible that they can share with their children. I am sadly a Newcastle United fan, enjoy most sport and hope our love for our children can help with our new roles at St Mary's.

Carla Gurney

I have lived in St Neots since 2011 with my husband Andy and two boys, who both attend St Mary’s. 

I have been lucky enough to give up my career as a Restaurant Manager to raise our children and ensure we all live in a happy and loving home. I currently work part time around the boys to help with my love of shopping. 

I’m at my happiest doing what makes the boys happy, which currently involves a lot of football. As a family we love to travel to new places and hope that one day we will be able to sit back and share our memories of seeing the world together. 

Andrew Isaac

Andrew Isaac has recently retired from his role as Group Corporate Affairs Director for the Outcomes First Group (OFG) and is currently Independent Chair of the Children’s Services Development Group (CSDG) at Westminster Advisers

Andrew joined OFG, the UK’s largest independent children’s services provider in May 2008 and has extensive experience across children’s services. His role includes closely collaborating and engaging with National and Local Government and related agencies across England to advocate and support the sector in ensuring children and young people can access the care and support needed to achieve positive long-term outcomes.

Andrew has been Chair of CSDG since 2016. As a coalition of leading independent providers of care and specialist education services for children and young people with complex needs.  Andrew has served terms as a Governor and Director of Acorn MAT, Cornwall (now 12 schools) and Stone Lodge Suffolk (now part of SENDAT)

Carol Way

 I have lived in St Neots for over thirty years and have two grown up daughters and two granddaughters.  I am a member of St Neots Parish church and am also on the PCC.  I always worked in education, both as a teacher in secondary schools, and more recently for Cambridgeshire County Council working on Behaviour Support and Inclusion. Since retiring I have been our church’s Trustee for the St Neots Foodbank, and am the town’s Advocate for the Acts435 charity. St Marys has done remarkable work to support the children and their families throughout the last year and during the lockdowns, and I look forward to being able to come into school again to work with the team to support the school’s continuing improvement.

Each Governor serves a term of four years and is expected to sit on one of the committees:
School Improvement and Standards (Curriculum) or Resources (Finance, Premises and Personnel).  These committees in turn report back to the Local Governing Body which meets once each half term.  Each governor also has responsibility for an area or the curriculum and/or is linked to an individual class. 

The Governors’ task is to set strategy and policy, to ensure that things are running smoothly, to provide support and encouragement and to offer a sympathetic but critical ear.  To learn more about the role of governors, please read our ‘Governor Code of Conduct’ below.

Governors hold an important public office and their identity should be known to both their school and the wider community.  In line with statutory guidance, governors are required to publish information about themselves which must include their category of governor, which body appoints them, their term of office, names of any committees they serve on and any positions of responsibility (ie. chair or vice chair).  They must also publish any relevant business interests, details of any other educational establishments they govern and any relationships between governors, ie. spouses.  Governors must also publish their attendance record at governing body and committee meetings over the last academic year.  Please find below the relevant information for governors at St Mary’s Church of England Primary Academy.