Governors' Pen Portraits

Linda Burton - Chair of Governors / LEA Governor / EYFS Governor   

I have been on the Board of Governors of Milverton Primary School since September 2017, Vice Chair in 2020 and Chair since September 2021. I am a retired History and Classical Civilisations teacher; my last position was at Wellington School, where I taught for nineteen years during which time I was Head of Lower, then Upper School.I have lived in Milverton since 1985, have two adult sons and three grandchildren, one of whom has just started primary school.

The Chair’s primary role is to ensure that the governing board is effective in setting and implementing the school’s direction and strategy, therefore I am responsible for leading the Board and focussing on strategic matters, overseeing the school’s planning and setting high governance standards. I work in partnership with Mr. Stead, offering support, challenge, encouragement and helping ensure that his performance management is rigorous and robust. My role as EYFS Governor is to act as a link between the Governing Board and staff and to report to the Board on topics such as subject delivery, the impact of interventions, attainment and progress and transition.

 

Andy Powell - Co-Opted Governor

Both of my boys have attended Milverton Primary and Pre-school over the last 10 years. I have been involved on the Governing Body for about 9 years in a range of roles including the Vice-Chair and Chair of Governor roles and on both committees. I am currently the Chair of the Finance, Premises & Personnel (FP&P) committee and the designated Health & Safety Governor.  It has been really rewarding being part of a wider team where everyone is involved is passionate, committed and really cares about making things better for the children at our school and Pre-school.

 

 

James Pyne - Parent Governor / SEND Governor 

Milverton Primary and Pre-school has been part of my life since 2015. My eldest child was educated here and my youngest still attends. My youngest has SEND provisioning, which gives me a good insight into the education system and how it supports all children. I wanted to give back to the community and our amazing school, so I stood to be elected as a Governor in 2021 and became SEND Governor on appointment. My background is in aviation, with expertise in training and management; the latter has proved surprisingly useful in the varied role of governor; I’ve been surprised by some of the overlap!

 

The role of the Parent Governor is to:

  • Provide a parental point of view to the Governing Body
  • Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
  • Hold the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils and staff
  • Oversee the financial performance of the school and making its money is well spent.

The SEND Governor’s role is to:

  • Provide a link between the Governing Body; it’s committees and the staff with regards to SEND
  • Meet termly with the school SEND to review strategic oversight and the school’s systems and processes for supporting pupils with SEND as well as discussing the school’s SEND provision, budget and resources. This is then reported back to the Governing Body.