Our Governors


Message from the Chair of Governors

Welcome to the governor page of Moat Farm Infant School website.

My name is Hannah Massey and I have been a member of the Governing Body since September 2017 and became the Chair in January 2019.

I hope the information below provides an overview of our roles and responsibilities to the children and to the parents, staff and to the school overall.  If you would like any further information or would like to contact me, please do email me at hannah.massey@mfi.school  and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

What does the Governing Body do?

Each school has a Governing Body, which consists of representatives from parents, school staff and the local community.  Governors monitor the work of the school staff and the local community.  Governors monitor the work of the school by attending meetings, receiving reports, asking challenging questions and visiting school to see it in action.  This enables the Governing Body to fulfil its role as ‘Critical friend’ to the school.

How do we work?

The Governing Body works in partnership with the Head Teacher as she is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school.  Being a school governor means being part of a team that includes the Head teacher.

The full governing body meets 7 times across the year.  There are governors that link with a particular subject or area of responsibility.

The power to make decisions or take actions belongs to the Governing Body as a whole, no individual governor has the power to make decisions or take action.

How are governors chosen?

There are several types of school governor, the make-up of each Governing Body (and the numbers of each category) depends on the size and type of school:-

  1. Parent governor: are elected by parents of the children at the school or they may be appointed by the Governing Body if no one stands for election.
  2. Community governor: are local people appointed by the Governing Body.
  3. Local Authority governors: are appointed by the LA. Members of the public can apply to be considered for this role by contacting the LA directly.
  4. Staff governors: are elected by staff at the school and include both teaching and support staff.
  5. The Head Teacher: is a governor at their own school by right.

What qualifications do governors need?

No particular qualifications or experience are needed.  The most important qualities for any governor are to be interested in the welfare of the children and the school and to be prepared to give their time and effort when required.  Governors are not expected to be experts in education, indeed many governors start by bringing skills relating to the commercial world and learn about the educational side as they go.

Realistically, how much time would be needed to do the work of a governor properly?

The time commitment is not usually excessive, though the responsibilities of a school governor can be considerable.  The list below suggests a typical work load:

  • Reading of agenda and other papers for meetings
  • Emailing any questions to Head teacher prior to the meetings.
  • 7 governing body meetings across the year
  • At least 1 visit per term during the day to take part in monitoring.
  • Possible involvement with staff selection, pupil exclusion reviews or staff dismissal cases.
  • At least 1 training session per year.

Are governors vetted before appointment?

There are legal restrictions which prevent some people from becoming school governors.  Most of these relate to criminal offences resulting in imprisonment or child protection issues.  If someone is appointed as a governor, there will be a confidential record check (DBS check) by the school to ensure that they are not covered by the restrictions.

Do governors get paid?

No.  They can be considered to be the largest volunteer workforce in the country and are not paid for the time spent on governors activities.

What about time off work to be a governor?

The Law says that an employer must give an employee ‘reasonable’ time off work for governor business, but pay is at the employer’s discretion.  Many employers actively encourage their people to become governors because it provides new experience and skills which are useful in many jobs.

How long do governors serve?

Most governors are elected or appointed for four years.  However, if they move away or have to resign mid-term, that is not a problem, so although you should think of it as a 4 year role you should not worry if you have to leave sooner.

Here you will find information about our Governing Body:

 

Moat Farm Infant School Governance Information

Meet the Governors

Hannah Massey – Chair of Governors (Co-opted Governor)

I have been a member of the Governing Body since September 2017. I am also a Governor at Moat Farm Junior School. My background is in Education Recruitment within Sandwell; so I have an in-depth understanding of Safeguarding and HR. I am also familiar with budgets and any changes in the Education sector. I am the designated Link Governor for Maths as this was always a subject I loved when I was at school! I enjoy coming into school and spending time with the children completing “student voice” questionnaires and joining in with schemes such as “Talk to Write”

Sim Shardra – Parent Governor

I joined the governing board as a parent governor in July 2018, at this point my eldest son was in reception. I am a parent of 2 boys who both attend Moat Farm Infants School. I am a stay at home parent at the moment. My career before becoming a mother involved administration, which I thoroughly enjoyed. After moving from London to Birmingham in 2008, I have very much felt at ease with both my children now being at this school. I feel that my children enjoy being at this school which highly assures me about their performance. I am thoroughly enjoying my time as a governor, and feel proud to be linked to MFI.

Jackie L’Herroux – Co-opted Governor

My name is Jackie L’Herroux and I am proud to be associated with Moat Farm Infant school as a Co-opted Governor.  I have recently retired but I have worked for the last 30 years in various educational settings within Sandwell. I have four grandchildren and I want the best for them and I believe we should all strive to ensure that the children of Sandwell, and especially our children here at Moat Farm Infants, are given every opportunity to achieve the best that they possibly can.

Alice Gregory – Co-opted Governor

Since joining Moat Farm Infant School as a Class Teacher in September 2014 I have thoroughly enjoyed working as part as a fantastic team, working within an enjoyable learning environment for our children. It is a pleasure to be working alongside such hardworking and dedicated staff, where the children’s development and welfare are at the heart of everything we do.
Already being a class teacher and P.E coordinator, I became a governor to get a broader view of how my school works from different perspectives and understand what drives key decisions which affect our whole school community. As a member of staff I am well placed to understand staff views and am in a good position to help the governing body communicate effectively with staff.
I am honoured to be a staff governor at Moat Farm Infant School and have the opportunity to make a difference, not only for children in the school now, but for the future of our school and children in years to come.

Lara Stone – Co-opted Governor

Hello ! My name is Lara Stone and I joined the Governors last year. It has been wonderful getting to know staff and children during that time and seeing all the wonderful things that happen at Moat Farm Infants. I have been a teacher since I left university and am actually head teacher of the Junior School next door. I have worked at 5 schools during my career and have been a governor in schools near where I live.

Beverley Leese – Local Authority Governor

I am a retired teacher who worked in Sandwell schools for 37 years.  I arrived at Moat Farm Infant and Nursey school in 1997 where I was initially a class teacher and the SENCO. After retiring from my teaching role I continued to work part time as an Learning Support Assistant. I have seen many changes in the school throughout the years but one thing has always remained constant, the children and their individual needs. I want to continue to be part of this so I am happy to join the governing body to help maintain the high expectations of the leadership team and all involved with the school

Tanu Batra – Parent Governor

Hi, my name is Tanu Batra. I have joined the school governing body as a parent governor in 2022. I am a mum to 2 boys and a dentist by profession. I have done my post-graduation in dentistry in the field of Oral medicine and radiology. I have 5 years of experience in training and teaching BDS students in a dental school in India. Joining Moat Farm Infants governing body as a parent governor has given me an opportunity to be involved in academic system in the UK. My hope is that I will be able to contribute to the best of my abilities.


Governor Blog:

Today I had the opportunity to talk to 8 year 2 students about the wider curriculum. It was a pleasure to see how excited the children were to discuss their learning. Each child was passionate about topics they have been covering in subjects such as science, history and geography. They were keen to show me displays in the classroom and proud to show me work they had done in their books. I got to see a pen license and learn what an honour it was to get one!

The children surprised me with some of the vocabulary they used and came across as very bright, happy students. One child even told me that on a Friday, 2 children are selected to have afternoon tea with the headteacher and this was considered the ultimate reward which I thought was a lovely idea!

Hannah