Who are the Governors?

The Marlborough Science Academy Governing Body is made up of:

• Headteacher
• 7 Parent Governors (currently two vacancies)
• 4 Community Governors
• 4 Partnership Governors
• 3 Staff Governors (currently one vacancy)

Who chooses the Governors?

• Staff Governors are elected by the staff
• Parent Governors are elected by parents
• Elected Governors and the Headteacher select the Partnership Governors
• All Governors (except the Headteacher) serve a fixed term of normally 4 years.

How do the Governors carry out their job?

The Governors monitor the running of the school, decide long-term policy and ensure that the school complies with legal requirements.

The full Governing Body meets four times a year. At each meeting we receive a report from the Headteacher and minutes from various committees. Other items are discussed or approved at specific times of the year, for example exam results, plans for school improvement and budget.

The main Governing Body is supported by three main committees, which meet once each half-term.

• The Finance & Resources Committee is concerned with budget and finance, premises and health and safety
• The Personnel Committee considers staffing, appraisal and training, attendance of students, student behaviour, pastoral care and student well-being, SEND and Pupil Premium
• The Curriculum Committee deals with achievement levels, Curriculum, and exam results

There is also a Governance Committee, comprising of the Chairs of these committees and the Chair of Governors, the Vice Chair and the Headteacher, which decides items for the full governors meetings.

All Governors bring their own unique individual skills and insight to the overall working of the Governing Body. They are encouraged to share their experience to help the school continue to progress and improve. We are fortunate to have a strong mix of skills and commitment to Marlborough across the whole Governing Body.

Governors support the school to ensure the Headteacher and their leadership team run it effectively. They play an active role in school life and are encouraged to come into school to consult with teaching staff and students. Governors are available at Open Evenings to answer questions and will also contribute to promoting the school.

All governors are members of at least one of the committees. They support the school in a variety of ways, attending public events such as secondary transfer evenings, school play performances, music concerts, the annual Awards Evening and prize-giving assemblies.

In addition, Governors are linked to specific areas of school life. Child Protection, SEND, and the English, Maths and Science faculties are just a few of the governor's roles and responsibilities. Governors regularly come into school to meet with staff and students, sometimes participating in 'learning walks', with a senior member of staff, interviewing staff, or inspecting the site with the Estates Manager with regard to health and safety.

Who runs the School?

The Headteacher and the School Leadership Team run the School. All day-to-day management decisions are taken by them.

Governing Body Information

• Governing Body List 2023/4

Jane Walker Smith - Community Governor

Jane has been a governor in local schools since 1995 and Chair of Governors at Marlborough since 2006, having started as a parent governor, before becoming an LEA and community governor.

Jane is passionate about ensuring every child receives the very best education the school can provide and enjoys her frequent visits to the school to talk to the students about their learning and to support the staff.

Jane is a qualified teacher who completed her training in Primary Education in Edinburgh. She taught for over 22 years in primary schools in Edinburgh, London and St Albans before moving into the secondary sector, specialising in the teaching of students with Special Educational Needs.

She has two grown up children who enjoyed their time at Marlborough and went on to further their studies at university.

Richard Sullivan - Community Governor 

Richard’s academic background is in arts with a BA in History at the University of Wales. He subsequently worked in the Retail sector specialising in Reward within the HR function and spent his last 10 years as a Reward Consultant working for companies across the service sector. 

Richard's three children went to Marlborough and benefited greatly from the experience. As the Curator of M Festival and as a governor since 2007 he is enjoying the opportunity to give back to the school and support the school community in his current role as Vice Chair of Governors. 

Simon Walsh - Partnership Governor

Simon graduated from Exeter University and qualified as solicitor in 1999.

He is a commercial litigation partner at SA Law where he also serves as the firm’s Training Principal, which gives him a hands-on perspective on both the challenges facing young people as they transition from education into work, as well as the range of skills they need to succeed in professional life and shape their futures.

Simon has been a governor since 2010, a member of the school’s academy trust since 2012 and currently chair the finance and resources committee.

Simon became a governor to learn about an education system that was very different to the one he experienced in the wilds of Cornwall. He continues to serve because of the range of skills and experiences the role has given him over the years, and the satisfaction of seeing the successes the school delivers for its students and staff year after year.

Michael Smethers - Partnership Governor

After an economics degree at Cambridge, Michael taught in comprehensive schools in LB Haringey for twenty years. Then from 1990 to 2014 he worked in the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority on aviation policy. From 2008 to 2014 he was Chair of the Management Board of the European Aviation Safety Agency in Cologne. He has been a Governor at Marlborough since 2015, and is currently Chair of the Curriculum Committee.

Emma Smith - Community Governor

Emma has been a School Governor for 15 years in both Primary & Secondary Education. She has recently transitioned to a Community Governor role since her children completed their education. Emma’s passion is people; with a career in HR and people development, she has qualifications in teaching, learning & development as well as Coaching & Mentoring. This people focus provides an excellent grounding in her role as Chair of the Personnel Committee. Emma also works as the SEND link Governor with our excellent SEND team at Marlborough and as a natural fit to her skill-set, manages the Governing Boards training & development, ensuring we are all abreast of the requirements and skills to provide strong governance for our school and your children’s learning environment.

Clare Hawkins - Parent Governor

Clare is an executive coach and mentor with comprehensive C suite coaching experience working across public, corporate and third sectors. She also works as a healthcare consultant and has a number of Non Executive and advisory roles.   

Clare’s background is in the National Health Service where she first trained as a Registered Nurse.  She has a BSc Healthcare Studies from the University of Manchester and undertook a Masters level programme in leadership at Yale.  She has over 25 years’ experience as a leader and manager with extensive experience at Board level in Executive Director roles, including as a Chief Executive and Chief Nurse in different NHS organisations.    She has also worked as a specialist advisor for NHS England.    She has Trustee experience within a local hospice and a national nursing charity.

Clare has two teenagers at the school.  In her role as parent governor she enjoys bringing her skills and expertise to support the school and the Governing Body.

Peter Tarry - Community Governor

Peter has lived in St Albans all his life and is enjoying the opportunity to give back to the local community as a local resident. 

His career based in the City of London with regular visits overseas to Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria and France amongst other countries. He worked within the Finance Sector and IT, having been involved in a number of roles from Business and Systems Analysis through to Project/Programme Management. In the last ten years of his career he was an IT Director for a large insurance company, and was involved in Change Management throughout this period. 

As a governor since 2020 he has taken on Link Governor responsibilities for both Health & Safety and Equality. He is currently Vice Chair for the Finance & Resources Committee.

Ajay Joshi - Parent Governor

Ajay has a BSc in Information and Communication Management. He spent 20 years in senior Marketing positions across telecoms and consumer electronics sectors.

Ajay's eldest daughter attends Marlborough and the youngest is desperate to join her! 

He has been a governor since the beginning of 2023 and is part of the Curriculum and Personnel committee's. He particularly enjoys the positive panel meetings for students.

Niranjan Mendonca - Partnership Governor

Niranjan is a BA (Ecomomics) with a post graduate MBA degree. He has over 25 years of experience in Financial Services, Marketing and Governance at large Financial Institutions across multiple geographies and uses his business experience and knowledge to assist companies and charities in their journey to become more efficient and grow. He lives in St Albans with his wife and daughter and has been a Governor (Finance / Curriculum) since 2021.

Angie Farrance - Parent Governor

Having studied history and anthropology in Leeds and London, Angie now works as part of a team delivering the Mayor of London’s culture, creative industries and 24-Hour London strategy. She grew up in Watford, lives locally with one daughter at Marlborough and one joining in a few years from Killigrew. Angie joined as a parent governor in 2023, inspired by the school values and strong sense of community. Keen to support the ambitious leadership team at Marlborough who are always striving for improvement. Angie sits on the Curriculum and Personnel committees.

 

Governor Meetings

• Attendance at Meetings 2022-23

Academy Trust Information

• 2022/23 Trustees' Report and Financial Statements
• 2021/22 Trustees' Report and Financial Statements
• 2020/21 Trustees' Report and Financial Statements

 

• Articles of Association
• Funding Agreement
• Memorandum of Association

 

 

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Contact us

Governors can be contacted through the school via admin@marlborough.herts.sch.uk.