Governors
All schools in England have a Governing Body which is responsible for overseeing many of the strategic decisions of the school. A key role is to act as a ‘critical friend’: to support, to challenge, to ask questions, ultimately to represent the school community.
The Governing Body works in close partnership with the headteacher, staff and the local authority. Whilst the headteacher is, of course, responsible for the day to day running of the school, the governors are involved with such things as staffing, curriculum, school buildings and finance. It ensures the school functions well and maintains the proper range of academic and social objectives.
The standard term of office for a governor is four years. The chair and vice-chair are elected annually at the first meeting of the academic year.
The chair of governors is Mr Jamie Clements who can be contacted via the school office at admin@st-michaels.essex.sch.uk.
At St Michael's Primary, we have the following meeting structure, which is reviewed annually:
- Finance, Resources, Personnel and Premises FGB
- Business Matters FGB
- Pupil Related FGB
Full training is available to everyone who becomes a governor.
Minutes of governor meetings are available from the school office on request.
Attendance Record of Governors
Governors at St Michael’s are fully committed to their roles and responsibilities and fulfill their statutory duties as required.
Meetings are recorded by the professional services of a clerk and any non attendance by governors is noted in the minutes.
Training
To effectively fulfil its role, the Governing Body must ensure that all of its governors have the required skills and knowledge to support the achievment of the school's priority objectives. All members of the Governing Body are encouraged to take part in training on a regular basis. As parts of its key role, governors must take part in regular Safeguarding training in order to ensure that it is holding the school to account with regards to its Safeguarding duty.
Responsible Areas for 2025/2026
The governing body is looking forward to supporting the plans in place for the next academic year. Each governor has a key responsibility and monitors this area on a termly basis. Areas of responsibility and monitoring for this academic year are:
| Governor | Area of Responsibility |
| Jamie Clements |
Finance Monitoring Filtering and Monitoring
|
| David Thomas |
Attendance SEND & TPP |
| Gift Elechi |
Single Central Record Health and Safety Whistle blowing |
| Chris Hastings |
Sports Pupil Premium Staff Wellbeing Pupil Premium |
| Grace Adewale |
Writing |
| Vicky Bailey - Turpin |
Reading Oracy |
We always welcome suggestions, feedback and ideas from parents – please contact the Governing body via the school office or the school’s website.
You can see a full list of governors below.
Members of St Michael's Governing Body
|
Jamie Clements
Chair of Governors
Parent Governor
|
Experiencing the positive impact that the school has had on our children, I would like to share my skills and experience with the school and I look forward to working alongside everybody. I have worked within the Financial Services industry for 22 years, currently working within Business Analysis and Project Management functions for a Japanese Bank. |
Appointed On 18/09/24 Term of office expires- 17/09/28 |
|
Vice-Chair
|
Election Pending |
|
|
Gift Elechi
Co-opted Governor
|
I've been a school Governor since November 2018 and it's an honour to be part of the Governing board. I'm currently working for the Surface Transport division of Transport for London as a Compliance Officer. I have a degree in Procurement, Logistics & Supply Chain Management. I also operate a logistic consulting company through Portland Merchant Group Ltd. I hope to bring the skills and experience working for TFL and running my own business to every committee & FGB meetings. |
Appointed on 13/11/23 Term of office expires- 12/11/27 |
|
David Thomas Co - opted Governor |
Information to follow |
Appointed on 17/09/25 Term of office expires-16/09/29 |
|
Grace Adewale LA Governor |
I am a QTS-qualified teacher with EYPS and a PGCE qualification from Essex ITT in the UK. With |
Appointed on the 09/12/24 Term of office expires - 08/12/28 |
|
Vicky Bailey Turpin Parent Governor
|
I am delighted to take on the role of school governor and I am dedicated to improving the school for all children. Since my daughter started attending the school in 2021 I am proud to have seen the school continue to grow and the nursery offering has given my son the perfect introduction to school life when he starts in September 2025. I work for a large corporate bank and have experience in Recruitment and Early Years Childcare and Education. I hope this will bring some great attributes for my new Governor role. |
Appointed on 23/04/25 Term of office expires-22/04/29 |
|
Chris Hastings Co-Opted Governor |
St Michaels’ school has provided a positive impact upon my families experience within the setting. I would like to offer my knowledge, skills, experience and behavioural qualities for the betterment of our school.
I have the honour of having served within HM Forces for twenty years and desire to bring those referenced qualities to the fore when helping further develop aspects within our school.
I have a proven profile based upon adaptability with enduring evidence of delivering results. It is my belief that I can utilise my leadership, mentorship and communication skills to best serve our school as it allows these to be utilised where their impact will be best received as the staff deliver their critical outputs."
|
Appointed on 17/09/25 Term of office expires-16/09/29 |
|
Gail Morgan
Head Teacher
Staff Governor
|
I am proud to be the Head teacher of St Michael's where committed staff and volunteers work tirelessly together to ensure that children are at the heart of all we do. As a Governing Body we strive to provide the best possible education and social/emotional outcomes for all our pupils. | |
|
Natalie Earle
Staff Governors
|
Awaiting information | |
|
Ryan Morris
Staff Observer
|
Having worked at St Michaels for 5 years in the capacity of a class teacher, I hope to bring my understanding of the curriculum, members of staff and children to each governor meeting. St Michael's truly is a wonderful place to work at and to learn in and I hope that being a member of the governing team will allow me to play a larger part in ensuring that the school continues to be as warm, welcoming and friendly for every child and adult as it was when I joined the school. |
|
| R. Burdett Staff Governors |
I have been part of the St Michael’s team for 14 years, teaching across Years 2 to 6. During my career, I have enjoyed a variety of leadership roles, including Phonics Lead, Science Lead, English Lead and Curriculum Lead. In my current position as Assistant Head, I lead on teaching and learning. Being part of this amazing community, which centres everything around the child, is an exciting opportunity and a privilege. I am also an active member of the PTA, working to raise funds that give back to the children and to create wonderful events where every child can thrive. I look forward to sharing my experience and expertise to support the governing body and the continued success of our school community. |
Governor Meeting Dates
|
Committee |
Date |
|
Full Governing Body/Strategic/Safeguarding |
Weds 17/9/2025 |
|
Pay Committee |
Mon 20/10/2025 |
|
Resources |
Mon 10/11/2025 |
|
Pupil Related & Achievement |
Mon 8/12/2025 |
|
Resources |
Weds 25/2/2026 |
|
Pupil Related & Achievement |
Thurs 19/3/2026 |
|
Budget |
Weds 22/4/2026 |
|
Resources |
Weds 17/6/2026 |
|
Pupil Related & Achievement |
Weds 8/7/2026 |