Welcome from the Governors of Marwood Primary School!
Sian Jenkins
Co-Chair of Governors
I live in Watermouth with too many dogs and run a campsite and holiday accommodation. My two children are grown up but both benefitted from a small, local primary education.
In my spare time I am a chair of governors for various schools and I also help run the Hygiene Bank North Devon. I love the outdoors and all that it offers.
I am a passionate advocate of ensuring children get the very best education available to enable them to be the very best they can be.
Rosy Phillips
Co-Chair of Governors & Parent
I have always been interested in education and have been a primary school teacher for 20 years. Since moving down to North Devon five years ago, the opportunity arose to join Marwood governing board. I have been on the current governing board for four years before stepping up to the challenge of being one of the co-chairs.
Of my three children, the younger two joined Marwood to which I was grateful for finding a lovely village school to help nurture them after relocating.
Sonja Mortimer
Parent Governor
Having grown up in Devon, in 2019 I moved to Barnstaple from a large city in the North of England, which was quite a transition for my two children. They have, however, thrived at Marwood, benefitting from the close-knit school community, the nurturing environment with an emphasis on mental health and wellbeing, and ambitious standards of education. Staff at Marwood go above and beyond, and as SEND governor, I am passionate about supporting them to ensure all pupils receive an inclusive education that allows the children to reach their full potential in these crucial primary years.
James Thornton
Parent Governor
I am a local GP, part owning and running a large GP practice in Barnstaple and am involved with training the next generation of GPs. I have also completed numerous courses on leadership and management. I currently have two boys at marwood and another son due to start next year. In my spare time I coach surf lifesaving, enjoy CrossFit, surfing, taking our beloved retriever for runs and gardening.
Hannah Bowden
Parent governor
I live locally, married to a farmer. I currently have a son at the school. I was part of the MSA for many years. I am a self employed curtain maker. I really want to make school a positive experience for the children. You are at school for a long time and I’d love for learning to be fun.
David Chugg
Foundation Governor
Bio Coming soon …
Kimberley Carr
Parent Governor
Bio Coming Soon …
Marwood Primary School like all local authority schools has a governing board comprised of volunteers, who are tasked by the Department of Education with ensuring that the school provides the highest standards of educational experience for all the children who attend. The Governors challenge and support school leaders to ensure they are accountable for the performance of the school. Governors don’t get involved in the day to day running of the school, that is the job of the head and teaching staff. Instead they are there to support and challenge the school to achieve it’s aims in three key ways:
- Governors work with school leaders to ensure that the school has a clear vision, ethos and strategy: this includes strategic planning and setting priorities for improvement and monitoring how the school is progressing.
- Governors are responsible for holding the Head Teacher to account for the educational performance of the school
- Governors oversee the financial performance of the school to ensure that it’s money is well spent
Our governing board is made up of 11 volunteers representing different parts of the community, including parents, representatives of our foundation partnership and members of the teaching team as well as other individuals who bring specific skills to the group. We welcome governors with a wide range of skills – a background in education is not a prerequisite, rather we seek people with a diverse range of skills who share an interest in the school and a keenness to ask questions and understand how it works.
If you would like to contact the Chair of Governors or are interested in becoming a governor you can contact us via the School Office or email chair@marwood.devon.sch.uk.