School Governors are one of the largest volunteer forces in the country. They have an important part to play in raising school standards through their three key roles of setting strategic direction, ensuring accountability and monitoring and evaluating school performance.
School Governors are responsible for all teaching appointments and setting the school’s budget. As St. Mary’s is a church school, St. Mary’s Church and Guildford Diocesan Board of Education appoint most of the Governors. Other Governors represent the teaching and non-teaching staff, the parents and the Local Authority. A list of Governors and who they are appointed by is below.
The Full Governing Board meets four times a year, and each Governor also sits on at least one committee that meets termly. There are also a number of other committees who meet less regularly to cover areas such as Admissions and the Headteacher’s Performance Review.
Members of the Governing Board
Mr Danny Pisano-Webb
Acting Chair of Governors
Mrs Emmeline Lawlor
Ex-Officio, Headteacher
Mrs Clare Quinn
Associate Governor, Deputy Headteacher
Mrs Sally Smith
Associate Governor, School Business Manager
Reverend Nicholas Pye
Ex Officio Foundation Governor
As part-time Vicar of St Mary’s Chessington, the church that founded the school, I am an ex officio foundation governor. Before I became a clergyman, I was a teacher, leaving the profession as an Assistant Head. In my last post, I served for 20 years as a governor of a church primary school where I had several roles including being Vice-Chair of governors and chairing the Christian Ethos Committee. My two children were educated in Church of England primary and secondary schools, and I work part-time as an education consultant, supporting church schools. I am committed to using my experience and expertise to strengthen the Christian character of St Mary’s School, ensuring that it shapes our delivery of educational excellence so enabling children and adults to flourish and fulfill their God-given potential.
Ms Aleksandra Dyrka
Foundation Governor
Mrs Gia Borg-Darcy
Local Authority Governor
Ms Sam Hurdle
Foundation Governor
Mrs Karen Carmen
Associate Governor
Mr Colin Powell
Associate Governor
Governor Vacancies
Thinking about becoming a school governor but unsure of where to begin? Want to find out more about what the role entails or the benefits? Follow the link below to the Governors for Schools website where you can find out answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about governance.
Frequently asked questions about governance
Serving as a school governor is a highly rewarding experience, offering numerous personal and professional benefits. At a glance, the main benefits of being a school governor include:
- Having the chance to experience leadership at board level at any point in your career.
- The opportunity to develop and improve your technical and interpersonal skills.
- Building professional networks with people who work within the same and different industries to yourself.
- Using your lived experience and skills to bring a new perspective to a governing board/school.
- Ensuring voices from different groups and communities are represented. This includes voices from groups which may often struggle to be heard within education.
- Self fulfilment from making a difference to a school within your local community and helping to shape people’s futures.