Meet The Governors

School Governors

Matt Fisher

Anne-Claire Bennion

Kate Bradley

Catherine Robbins

David Jobling

Colin Baran

Jeremy Clack

Antonia Faundez

Helen Love

Rosie Colliver

Karoline Schneider

Heather Foulerton

Maggie Wagstaff

Kate Brookes

Debbie King

Alastair Geddes

Caroline Tribe Phillips

Terry Heard

Jo Grundy

Headteacher

Chair of Governors

Vice Chair & Committee Chair

Committee Chair

Governor

Staff Governor

Associate Governor

Staff Governor

Premises Officer

School Business Manager Finance and Personnel Officer

Head of Governing Committee

Finance and Personnel

Learning Environment Well-Being

Curriculum and Standards

Learning Environment Well-Being

Finance and Personnel

Curriculum & Standards

Curriculum Standards

Learning Environment Well-Being

Finance and Personnel

Learning Environment Well-Being

Finance and Personnel

M F L, English, Computing

N/A

Geography, History

N/A

Health and Safety, D & T

Sciences, Maths

N/A

Safeguarding, Pupil Premium,

N/A

Gender

PE & Sports

EYFS

SEND

Religious Education

Anne-Claire Bennion

My name is Anne-Claire Bennion, and I am honoured to assume the role of Chair of the Board of Governors, having served as a governor for the school for the past three years. My connection to the school goes back quite a few years, with both of my children having attended Milverton and now thriving in secondary education. By profession, I am a translator with a passion for English and languages. Before joining the board, I established and managed a successful language school for five years. Beyond my linguistic interests, I am an enthusiastic musician, conducting a choir and playing various instruments, including the piano, cornet, and tenor horn. My journey into parent governance began with a desire to support our school and community and to contribute to its growth. I firmly believe in fostering a nurturing environment where all children can excel and develop into confident young individuals through a dynamic and creative curriculum. During my tenure as a governor, I actively participated in both the premises and finance & personnel committees, and served as the chair of the latter before taking on my current role as chair of governors this year. I look forward to working collaboratively with the school and parents to build upon the school's progress and success.

Kate Bradley

Hello, I’m Kate Bradley and I have a son in the school. I am a qualified teacher and most recently have been a Head of Service in a local authority. currently I work as a consultant for local authorities, private companies and schools around developing inclusive practices, implementing rapid improvement programmes and embedding change. I am passionate that all young people have access to a good education and I am very proud to be a Milverton governor. My governor responsibilities are SEND and inclusion and I work closely with the school SENDCo I also sit on the wellbeing and learning environment committee.

Catherine Robbins

I have been a governor at Milverton since 1994, first as a parent governor for eight years, and since then as a coopted governor. For many years I was chair of the Performance and Standards Committee, with particular interests in supporting a creative, stimulating curriculum, and the welfare and happiness of children and staff. I was chair of governors for four years, and felt privileged to play a significant part in recruiting our headteacher, and working with many parents and other members of the community who give their time as governors. As a teacher and school leader (now retired), I enjoy using my knowledge and experience to help support and challenge the great team who create this wonderful school.
Milverton children are creative and resilient, with a real eagerness to learn, and a strong sense of community: I feel proud to play a part in developing the school which helps them grow up in this way.

David Jobling

I'm David Jobling and have a son at the school. I'm a chartered Engineer and Surveyor and work as a Director at a large engineering and built consultancy business. I previously worked for the Department for Education leading the delivery of large building programmes and supporting the wider management of the national school estate. I'm looking forward to applying my professional skills in a very different context to help the school be the best it can be.

Jeremy Clack

I have been a co-opted governor at Milverton since the summer of 2021 and I sit on the Finance and Personnel Committee. My children are currently in years 6 and 2 at the school. I'm a pensions actuary by day, working with groups of trustees managing large corporate pension schemes, and have found it fascinating to get to grips with the way that schools are run and financed - something completely different! I'm privileged to be a governor and hope to be able to offer something back to the school community that has (and continues to) done so much to help my children to flourish.

Karoline Schneider

I became a governor at Milverton in 2022 when my child was in Year 4 here. Having seen first-hand the wonderful work the staff at the school does I was keen to get involved and try to give something back. I am a co-opted governor on the Curriculum and Standards Committee. In my daytime career, I am a Higher Education professional looking after quality assurance and curriculum development for the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick. Outside of work and my governor role, I also volunteer as a teacher's assistant at the German Saturday School Leicester and compete in hammer throw for Leamington Cycling and Athletics Club. I take a particular interest in matters of inclusion and social justice, which I try to incorporate into everything I do.

Maggie Wagstaff

You may have seen me here before! I am delighted to rejoin the governing body at MPS after a few years elsewhere! I have had a career in education, and I am unable to keep away from all the exciting learning for life and leisure that MPS offers their children. I am privileged to feel a part of it and hopefully contribute to its continuing success.
Being a member of the Curriculum and Standards Committee and Link governor for Early Years, offers me the opportunity to combine former experience with my areas of interest in responding to the needs of the school and governing body.

Heather Foulerton

My name is Heather Foulerton and I became a parent governor at Milverton last year. I have been a teacher for nearly 20 years, mainly teaching in secondary schools but also in various primary schools over the years. I am passionate about helping children learn and grow, and a strong believer in the importance of the school community as a safe and happy place where this can happen. I have been a parent at Milverton since 2013 - and still have 4 more years to go! Throughout this time I have developed a strong connection with the school in a variety of ways – reading with children, teaching Spanish after school, coaching the netball team and rebranding and co-chairing the FOMPS. I even managed to get myself stuck in the school PE cupboard with my co-chair Emma at the start of our inaugural FOMPS assembly!
Throughout my involvement with the school in these varied ways over the years, I have come to respect and value the inclusive, supportive and colourful ethos at Milverton. Therefore, when the opportunity to become governor arose I was keen to apply. I currently sit on the Curriculum and Standards committee, and am really enjoying seeing the school from a new and different perspective.

Debbie King

Hello! My name is Debbie King and I am proud to serve as an associate governor here at Milverton Primary School. With a passion for education and a commitment to fostering a nurturing environment for our children, I am excited to contribute to the continuous growth and success of our school community.
Currently I hold the position of deputy headteacher at a primary school. I’ve had fourteen years' experience within this role, which has provided me with valuable insights into the needs of young learners. I have a keen interest in safeguarding, pastoral support, curriculum development, learning and teaching strategies and assessment.
As a parent of two young children, one of whom has just began his school journey here in reception, I understand firsthand the hopes and aspirations that families have for their children’s education. This personal connection drives my dedication to ensuring that every child at Milverton Primary School receives the support and opportunities they deserve to thrive academically and socially.
I look forward to collaborating with fellow governors, staff, and parents, working to ensure MPS continues to be a place where every child can flourish and reach their full potential. I aim to give something back to the school who has already had such a positive impact on my son.

Caroline Tribe-Phillips

Hello! My name is Caroline Tribe-Phillips, and I am proud to serve as both a governor and the Infant Assistant Head at Milverton Primary School. With 25 years of teaching experience, I have had the opportunity to teach in a variety of settings, including abroad in Prague and on the island of Crete, before settling here at Milverton for the past 16 years. Currently, I teach in the Year 1 classroom, where I am deeply committed to providing a creative and exciting start to learning for all children. In my role as Infant Assistant Head, I work to ensure that our younger learners have the best possible foundation for their educational journey. I am passionate about making learning an enjoyable and inspiring experience, and I am dedicated to helping every child achieve their full potential.

Rosie Colliver

Hello, I’m Rosie, a parent governor with 2 daughters at the school.
We applied for a place at Milverton Primary School (MPS) because of its inclusive, community-centered, heartfelt vision, values and ethos. Since my children joined MPS my appreciation of the school has grown as I’ve learnt more about its leadership team, staff, pupils, parents and the wider community. It’s a small school, with a big heart, where everyone works together to achieve success in all its forms for all pupils.
Career-wise I’m a Corporate Affairs professional in the energy industry, passionate about playing a role in delivering a clean, fair, affordable energy future. I’m looking forward to using my skills and experience in stakeholder engagement, policy development, communications and project management in support of our wonderful school.

Helen Love

I have been a Milverton parent since 2016 and currently have one child in the school. As a family, we love the warm, thoughtful, inclusive ethos of the school. I became parent governor in 2019 and am committed to help in any way I can to support and develop the Milverton pupils, staff and community. I sit on the Curriculum and Standards Committee and am the Safeguarding Governor. In my work life, I am Consultant Clinical Psychologist in the NHS. My role involves supporting children and the families affected by chronic health conditions. I am delighted to be able to use the skills I use at work to help enable children, staff and school to flourish further.

If you have Safeguarding concerns please contact the headteacher on [email protected]. To contact the safeguarding governor please email [email protected] with a subject FAO Safeguarding Governor - Confidential.

Alastair Geddes

Hi - my name is Alastair Geddes, and I’m the KS2 Assistant Head here at Milverton. I’ve been a teacher and senior leader here at Milverton since 2013, and previously taught in Coventry for four years. In my role, I enjoy all of the fantastic elements of getting to know, and teaching, a class of children every year. It’s a real privilege to be part of the learning and developmental journey of young people, and I love looking for as many opportunities as possible to help all children thrive. We have a brilliant school here at Milverton, with happy children and a committed, motivated staff body – it’s a pleasure to work with our whole school community, always looking for areas where we can develop and improve the provision we offer. In my leadership role, I am a big believer in the importance of good communication and relationship building, as well as the sharp focus on wellbeing that is require in our profession, for both staff and pupils.

Vincent McKenna

Hi, my name is Vincent McKenna, my eldest son joined Milverton in 2021 with two younger siblings to (hopefully) follow, hence I have a desire for the school to have long-term success.

Since first visiting Milverton, when choosing a Primary School for our son, one of the things that impressed the most were the attitude and behaviour of the children at Milverton, which is a credit to the school. The school has an ability to instil a ‘can-do’ attitude into the children and encourage them to support each other, which matches my own ethos and principles.

I am particularly interested in the diversity we have in Milverton and, through activities my son has taken part in, I have seen how this is being embraced by the school. However, I would like to see how this can be further utilised at Milverton to ensure that children from all backgrounds are allowed to express themselves and feel included, welcome and heard.

In my working life, I am an IT consultant, which may not appear to be a direct skill transfer into Governance, however, I do have a focus on quality, a challenging and inquisitive mindset and a pragmatic approach to work.

I am proud to be part of Milverton’s Governing body and look forward to helping shape the school’s future in any way I can.

Kate Brookes

Hi - my name is Kate Brookes, and I am the Assistant Head of Inclusion at our school, which includes the role of SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) and EAL (English as an Additional Language) lead. With 16 years of teaching experience, my journey in education began after initially qualifying as a Cartographer. During that time, I have worked in all classes from Nursery to Year 4, leading both KS1 and EYFS. Throughout my career, I have been keen to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students, ensuring that every child, regardless of their background or learning need, has access to high-quality education and the opportunity to thrive. I currently serve on the Curriculum and Standards Committee of the Governors and I am committed to making a positive impact on our school community.

Antonia Faundez

I was delighted to join the board of governors as a parent governor when my eldest had completed his Reception year. I have two children enrolled at Milverton and a third who will join in a few years time.

I used to work for a global accountancy firm where I completed various accountancy and tax qualifications and had exposure to a varied spectrum of clients. I got involved in delivering employability skills to post 16 students and volunteered as a Reading Buddy at a local primary school. I was inspired to ‘quit the day job’ and I trained to become a secondary maths teacher. I joined my current school in 2013 as a newly qualified teacher and never looked back. I currently lead on Key Stage 5 Mathematics, and I love both the teaching and pastoral aspects of my job.

I sit on the Finance and Personnel committee and support Music as a link governor. It is a real privilege to be part of the governing body and to be able to work with, and support, such a wonderful school.

Milverton Primary School Governing Board 2022 / 2023

Chair of Governors: Anne-Claire Bennion Vice Chair: Catherine Robbins
The constitution of the governing board is:
Headteacher
1 x Local Authority (LA) Governor, recommended by the LA and approved by the governing board
6 x Parent Governors, formally elected through a ballot of parents (unless the election is uncontested)
9 x Co-opted Governors, nominated and appointed by the governing board.
1 x Staff Governor, formally elected by staff employed at school.

The governing board operates with the following committees:

Finance & Personnel Committee:

Provide assurance of budgeting, financial planning and audit of spend, provide assurance on matters relating to school staff (teaching and non-teaching, permanent and non-permanent), set policy relevant to committee business and ensure compliance with the policies.

Committee chair:

Curriculum and Standards Committee:

Prepare and keep under review a strategy which will enable the full governing body to understand how the school is fulfilling its responsibilities to help children stay safe; be healthy; enjoy their learning and achieve well; make a positive contribution to the school and wider community; and eventually achieve economic wellbeing.

Committee chair: Catherine Robbins

Premises Committee:

Responsible for governing the premises within Milverton Primary School including overseeing and monitoring all areas concerned with the health, safety and welfare of everyone using the school premises and agreeing all major school building improvements.

Committee chair: Colin Baran

A copy of minutes of meetings are available upon request, please email: [email protected]

Governors - Attendance - Click here

Required Governor Information

Required Governor Register of Interests