Meet the Governors

At St George's CE Primary School, we have a team of governors that work as volunteers to support the school. Their role is to develop a vision and strategy for the school; oversee financial performance and make sure that money is well spent; hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and to engage with young people, staff, parents and the wider school community to understand their views.

Governors are expected to attend 6 Local Governing Team (LGT) meetings each year for approximately 2 hours per meeting. During these meetings governors look at a wide range of information to monitor how well the school is performing. Detailed reports including safeguarding, data and finance are discussed at these meetings, as well as a more general headteachers report.

Governor Support

To support the work that goes on, governors are encouraged to participate in school visits twice a year for approximately an hour. Governors observe what is happening in school, look at the school environment and talk to the young people about their school.

New Governors

If an individual is interested in being a member on our LGT they would meet with the chair and headteacher and discuss what they could bring to the team. Following the recruitment process they would then be invited to attend the LGT meeting where they would be appointed. Governors are appointed for a 4-year term of office. Once appointed governors receive an induction and training for the role.

Our Local Governing Team

We are proud to have a committed team that is made up of individuals with a range of backgrounds and experience.

Local Governor Attendance 2024-25

Information coming soon

Historic (Governors stepped down in the last 12 months)

N/A

A message from our Chair of Governors:

St George’s school governors are pleased to support our school and we are very proud of our school, the headteacher and members of staff who make it a success. The staff and governors work as a team to ensure that this great school is a place where children want to attend and learn. 

The governors attend school frequently to monitor, as this helps to get a better picture of how the children feel about the school. 

The school has a broad and balanced curriculum with the governors monitoring and evaluating how this is being developed. 

The governors are not here to dictate how the school is being run, we are here to support the staff and ensure we are working together for the benefit of the children. 

The Local Governing Team is made up of the headteacher, staff governors, parent governors, and members of the local community, all of whom have a desire to help the school improve. 

The LGT meet regularly throughout the year, at least twice each term. They have the responsibility of celebrating success, addressing any concerns and clarifying what progress has been made. Activities include premises checks, monitoring the quality of provision, financial management and supporting the headteacher with the strategic leadership of the school. With the school being part of the Embark Federation Multi Academy Trust, we work closely with Trust leaders to continuously improve our school for all learners.

Mr Steve Haigh 

Rebecca Flynn

I joined the Governing Board at St George’s in December 2018. I live locally to the school and my  daughter and son currently attend.  My husband is also connected with the school as he is an active member of the PTA. He is also a committee member of the local feeder pre-school. As a job, I am a teaching assistant at The Pingle Academy. Previously I have worked within SEND in primary schools and in a children’s centre. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, especially out in the fresh air. 

Liz Tyers

I began teaching at St. George’s in 2016 and joined the governing body as staff governor in March 2019.  I live locally with my husband and daughter.  I became a governor because I enjoy working at St. George’s and am looking forward to developing the links between the governors and staff.  I have worked in several local schools over the last 20+ years but still look forward to Monday mornings!  Out of school hours, my interests include reading, baking and spending time with my family and friends.

Stephen Haigh: Chair 

Hi, I’m Steve, I am a co-opted governor who has been working in the IT industry for over 40 years, twenty of these years teaching IT at both College and University level, including a number of years teaching apprentices in a commercial environment. Having lived in Swadlincote for more than 20 years, I am now “mostly retired” looking to share my experience with the community and decided education was the best place to achieve this. In my free time I am involved with recreational flying and amateur radio, and enjoy other voluntary positions.

Claire Clarke

I joined the Governing Board at St George's in January 2020. I've been part of the team here for a number of years, both as a MDS and a SEND Teaching Assistant. I'm passionate about ensuring all children find a way of learning to maximise their potential. Both of my own children attended St George's. (In fact, so did my husband many years ago!) I live locally with my husband and two sons. In my free time I enjoy reading, retail therapy (!), spending quality time with family and socialising with friends. 

Matthew Everett: Vice-Chair

I am a parent governor and have worked in education for over 16 years. My daughter attends the school and comes home happy every day. I have lived in Church Gresley for the last 7 years and would love to give back to this fantastic local community. In my spare time I enjoy the outdoors with my children and various sports. 

Lucy Weighall

Hi, I’m Lucy and I became a Parent Governor in May 2023. My eldest son left St George’s to move to Secondary School last year and my youngest son still attends the school. Both of my children have had such a wonderful experience at St George’s and I’m really excited to be able to give something back to the school.

I currently work as a HR Manager for a Multi Academy Trust, looking after 9 Primary Schools in the Derby area, so I bring a wealth of experience, both from a HR perspective and an education sector perspective, to the role. In my spare time I do children’s face painting, knitting and I love to read and play board games with my family!

Kris Woodward

St George’s is very close to my heart. Teaching here has made up the majority of my career so far and I’m eager to make it the best possible place for teachers and students alike. I moved here from North Wales after my NQT year and have settled well into the local area. Away from school, my hobbies include watching and playing as much sport as I can, as well as spending time with my family.

Kate Devitt

Kara Gander

I'm Rev. Kara, a local curate who is thrilled to have joined the governing body of our school. My passion lies in the physical, mental and spiritual flourishing of our pupils, staff, and the families in our community. As a parent of two boys who attend the school, I also have a personal investment in ensuring that our school is a nurturing and supportive environment. You can often find me at the school gate with my lovable dog, Daisy, who thinks she’s part submarine! I’m excited to collaborate with all of you to help create a thriving school community.

Peter Ricketts - Embark Trustee Advocate

Peter has worked in a variety of positions in finance in both public and private sector for over thirty years. He currently works for the Ministry of Defence in procurement for CAAS (Cost Assurance and Analysis Service) producing reports to aid decision making for buying defence equipment and platforms. He has also worked for the Surgeon General as a Financial Controller for the Defence Medical Services and as a Resource Manager for Prime Contracting in Defence Estates. Earlier in his career, Peter worked as a Brewery and Distribution Accountant for Bass Brewers and at British Rail Engineering in Derby.

Peter was awarded an MBA in 2005, studying part-time through the Open University. He also has a qualification in teaching English as a foreign language and has worked in Japan and Indonesia including two years of working with Voluntary Service Overseas.

It was inevitable that Peter should end up working with schools in some capacity as he has a wife who was Headteacher of two schools and worked latterly for the Derbyshire Education Improvement Service as a Senior Advisor. His daughter is a teacher at an Infant school in Sandiacre. As a result, educational issues are in integral part of dinnertime conversation in the Ricketts’ household.

Outside of work Peter enjoys running and cycling. He has recently started doing parkruns – shorter distances being better in old age. He recently achieved a significant milestone by coming first at Rosliston Forestry Parkrun, albeit in the 60-64 age group.