Governing Body
General Information
The Portesbery School Governing Body comprises twelve Governors, made up of six Co-opted Governors, three Parent Governors, one Local Authority Governor and one Staff Governor and the Headteacher, who is a governor by virtue of his position.
The term of office for all Governors other than the Headteacher is 4 years, although a Governor may choose to resign prior to the end of her or his term. Parent and Staff Governors are appointed by election. The Governing Body appoints Co-opted Governors. The Local Authority governor nominated by the school and is ratified by the County Councillor for the ward in which the school is located.
Governors are able to resign from their position by providing written notice to the Clerk to Governors. The Governing Body also has the right to remove a Governor if she or he has not attended meetings of the Governing Body for a period of 6 months without the agreement of the other governors, and the Governing Body resolves that the position is to be vacated.
The Full Governing Body meets at least once each term, usually towards the end of each term. Major parts of the work of the Governing Body are dealt with in Committees. The two chief Committees are the Children and Learning Committee and the Resources Committee. These meet earlier in the term, before the Full Governing Body. The Terms of Reference of these two Committees are shown below. Other Committees are the Pay Committee and the Headteacher’s Performance Review Committee.
Current Vacancies
None.
Governors at Portesbery School are as follows:
Parent Governors: | Term of Office: from | to |
Mr Patrick Dawson (Vice Chair) | 01-Jan-2018 | 31-Dec-2021 |
Mr Simon Fellows | 07-Feb-2018 | 06-Feb-2022 |
Mr Jonathan Spink (Chair) | 24-Nov-2017 | 23-Nov-2021 |
Co-opted Governors: | ||
Mrs Margaret Dean | 01-Mar-2019 | 28-Feb-2023 |
Mr Hudson Holt | 14-Apr-2016 | 13-Apr-2020 |
Brig Stephen Shirley | 15-Dec-2016 | 14-Dec-2020 |
Mrs Susan Thelton | 04-Apr-2019 | 03-Apr-2023 |
Mrs Debbie Andrews | 04-Jul-2019 | 03-Jul-2023 |
Mr Chris Hamilton | 02-Dec-2020 | 01-Dec-2024 |
Staff Governors: | ||
Mr Nathan Aspinall | 18-Apr-2017 | open-ended |
Mrs Tracey Haigh | 01-Jul-2017 | 30-Jun-2021 |
Local Authority Governor: | ||
Mrs Jane Vaughan (Vice Chair) | 01-Mar-2019 | 28-Feb-2023 |
Associate Members: | ||
Mrs Debbie Attard | 01-Feb-2010 | open-ended |
Mrs Clare Walker | 01-Apr-2018 | open-ended |
Clerk to the Governors | ||
Mrs Rachael Maxwell | 01-Sep-2020 | open-ended |
Contact the clerk via the school office or email: rachael.maxwell@portesbery.surrey.sch.uk The Clerk to the Governors is not a governor, but attends meetings to take minutes and to act on governors’ instructions. Persons wishing to make contact with the Governing Body should do so through the Clerk in the first instance. |
The structure of the Governing Body
The Chair of the Governing Body is Mr Jonathan Spink, who can be contacted via email at chairofgovernors@portesbery.surrey.sch.uk .
Full Governing Body |
Mr Jonathan Spink (Chair) |
Mr Patrick Dawson (Vice-Chair) |
Mrs Jane Vaughan (Vice Chair) |
Children and Learning Committee | Resources Committee |
Mrs Jane Vaughan (Chair) | Mr Patrick Dawson (Chair) |
Mrs Tracey Haigh | Mrs Debbie Andrews |
Mr Hudson Holt | Mr Jonathan Spink |
Brig Stephen Shirley | Mrs Margaret Dean |
Mr Simon Fellows | Mr Chris Hamilton |
Mrs Susan Thelton | Mr Nathan Aspinall (HT) |
Mr Nathan Aspinall (HT) | Mrs Debbie Attard * |
Mrs Clare Walker * |
* Associate members do not have voting rights on any of the committees to which they have been appointed.
Governors who have served at any point over the past 12 months but who have stepped down during that period:
Mrs Susan Carpenter
Mrs Ruth Buchan
Register of business and pecuniary interests and attendance record at governing body and committee meetings over the last academic year.
Governor name | Pecuniary/other interests | Attendance 2019-20 |
Mr Nathan Aspinall | Headteacher at school, otherwise none | 7/7 |
Mrs Debbie Andrews | Trustee at Kite Academy Trust | 5/7 |
Mrs Susan Thelton | Horsell Common Preservation Society | 6/6 |
Mr Patrick Dawson | Employed at West Hill Golf Club | 6/6 |
Mrs Margaret Dean | None | 4/6 |
Mr Simon Fellows | None | 5/6 |
Mrs Tracey Haigh | Teacher at school, otherwise none | 4/6 |
Mr Chris Hamilton | -Chair of Residents Association (Bagshot Matters) -Carwarden School - Governor -High Close School - Governor -Wild RIdings School - Governor |
N/A |
Mr Hudson Holt | Employed by construction company (Geoffrey Osborne Ltd) | 3/6 |
Brig Stephen Shirley | None | 4/6 |
Mr Jonathan Spink | Trustee at Lightwater Country Park | 6/6 |
Mrs Jane Vaughan | -Parent Trainer for Surrey SEND Teaching School -Chertsey High School - SEN Governor |
6/6 |
Mrs Debbie Attard | -Business Manager at school -Partner has self-employed building business |
4/6 |
Mrs Clare Walker | Deputy Headteacher at school, otherwise none | 7/7 |
Attendance at governing body meetings is a major, but not the only, part of the input of governors. Other governor commitments not listed on the tabulation include governor visits and learning walks, and informal consultations with staff on, e.g, finance-related matters.
Governor Meetings
Meetings of Portesbery School’s Governing Body are for Governing Body members only. If interested parties wish to attend one of the meetings, arrangements can be made in advance by contacting the Chair of Governors.
Full Governing Body Board Meeting | 17 Sep 2020 (5.00pm) |
Children & Learning Committee Meeting | 11 Nov 2020 (2.30pm) |
Resources Committee Meeting | 25 Nov 2020 (2.30pm) |
Full Governing Body Board Meeting | 02 Dec 2020 (2.30pm) |
Joint Resources and Children & Learning Committee Meeting | 03 Feb 2021 (2.30pm) |
Full Governing Body Board Meeting | 10 Mar 2021 (2.30pm) |
Resources Meeting (Budget Approval) | 21 Apr 2021 (2.30pm) |
Children & Learning Committee Meeting | 12 May 2021 (2.30pm) |
Resources Committee Meeting | 16 Jun 2021 (2.30pm) |
Full Governing Body Board Meeting | 30 Jun 2021 (2.30pm) |
Links to further information: