As governors, our over-arching aim is to ensure that the children in our school are able to achieve to the best of their ability.

Our school governors come from every walk of life, but we all have the same role and responsibilities within the governing body and are charged with acting in the best interests of the children in the school.

The role of the governing body is a strategic one. The governing body is responsible for the conduct of the school, and must promote high standards of educational achievement.

We:

• Establish the school vision and set the purpose and aims of the school within an agreed policy framework.
• Appoint and performance appraise the Headteacher.
• Agree the school improvement strategy, which includes setting targets with supporting budgets and staffing structures.
• Monitor and evaluate the work of the school by reviewing performance, policy effectiveness, progress towards targets and the overall effectiveness of the school improvement strategy.

Our governors meet as a full Governing Body once every half term. In addition, our Finance & Resources Committee and Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Standards Committee meet regularly over the year.

MEET OUR GOVERNORS

Andy Dobson

Andy Dobson is our Chair of Governors. Andy has been a  governor at Newlands for the past four years and is also our Health & Safety and Estates link governor.  He has a wealth of business experience and runs his own Programme Management consultancy.  He is a member of the Bridge Trust Board.

Marloes Hayward-Vergers

Marloes is our Vice Chair and Safeguarding link governor. She is a co-opted governor, having been a parent governor previously.  Marloes has a background in Human Resources and currently works at a local nursery school. She is keen to put her skills to use helping Newlands be the best place for primary education for all children. Marloes is Chair of our Finance & Resources Committee.

Karen Mellor

Karen is the headteacher of our school and also a governor. She has been our headteacher since 2013. Prior to this, she was headteacher at Bitterne Manor Primary School and has been a governor in many of the schools she has worked in. 

Jez Harris

Jez is our staff governor and has been teaching at Newlands for 11 years. His main role as the PE & PSHE lead is to monitor and maintain good levels of physical and mental well being across the school for pupils and staff. Jez is striving to make Newlands an outstanding place of learning for all. Jez is our link governor for Governor Training and is a member of our Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Standards Committee.

Richard Taylor

Richard is our elected Local Authority governor (January 2021).  Richard is an Assistant  Headteacher and one of the DSLs at Redbridge Community School. He brings a wide variety of  leadership and curriculum knowledge and experience with him.  Richard is the chair of our Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Standards Committee.

Sam Townsend

Sam is a one of our parent governors (Sept 2021). Sam is a local with a strong sense of community. He is keen to help others and ensure our children get the best chances in life. He has a keen interest in wellbeing, safeguarding and curriculum. Sam is one of our link governors for SEND and Looked After Children and is a member of our Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Standards Committee. He is also our new Allergy link governor.

Sukant Kumar

Sukant is a foundation governor. He is a naval architect. Sukant joined our Governing Body to share his passion for contributing to the field of education; shaped by growing up in a family of educators. His varied volunteer experiences in UK schools have offered him insights into educational challenges and opportunities, motivating him to share these experiences in a governance role to impact positive change. Sukant is a member of our Finance & Resources Committee and our link governor for Information Technology.

Leonie Colegrave

Leonie is our newest Parent Governor. She has a child in Year 1. Leonie is committed to ensuring the children at Newlands get the best support they can in education so that they aim high for their futures. Leonie works as a specialist TA in a local secondary school, working with children with SEND and with hearing impairments so she has a wealth of knowledge in education and special educational needs. She is one of our link governors for SEND and Looked After Children and a member of our Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Standards Committee..

Paul Cavaliere

Paul is our newest governor and he joined the board this academic year (Sept 2026) as a co-opted governor. Paul has been a governor in another primary school and has worked in our local community for many years, prior to retirement. Paul has a business background and is a member of our Finance & Resources Committee as well as being our Attendance link governor.