Governors page

As Chair of Governors I welcome you to our governance page.

Our Governing Body supports St George's C of E Primary Academy.  We are part of St Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust, and our delegated authority and responsibilities are clearly defined by the MAT board of directors. Governors are all volunteers with different skills and experience, but have a commitment to education and the schools, children, staff, parents and carers. All governors are part of the local governing body known as the LGB which meets every term and also hold various portfolios as part of either the resources or teaching and learning committees which also meet every term. School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in the schools and its key functions are to:

• set the aims and objectives for the school
• set the policies for achieving those aims and objectives
• set the targets for achieving those aims and objectives
• monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards achievement of its aims and objectives
• be a source of challenge and support to the headteacher (a critical friend)

It is a privilege to be part of this professional team across both schools, and our LGB works with a ‘hands on’ approach, and any discussion with parents and carers is most welcome.

Chair of Governors

Governors 2020 -2021

Governors have specific areas of responsibility:

Chair of Governors:             Peter Barlow

Vice Chair of Governors:     Leann Tapp

Safeguarding Lead:             Anne Newall

Clerk to the LGB                 Siw Wysome   email:  sgpa.clerk@stcmat.org

If you wish to contact the Governing Body then please email sgpa.clerk@stcmat.org

Governor Attendance of Meetings - 2020-21

MEET YOUR GOVERNORS

Peter Barlow (Foundation Governor and Chair of the LGB)

Peter Barlow has been a governor at the joint St George's and St Matthews for 6 years, much of that time as a parent governor. He was elected as Chair in 2019 when a new governing board, solely for St George's, was formed .  

Peter is a local business owner running several businesses in the events and communications as well as specialist CCTV installation. He can often be found backstage at festivals and conferences as well as at the top of tall buildings or Osprey nests installing Microwave transmitters and cameras .  He is very keen on supporting the local community and is a director of the Millfields Trust as well as providing technical assistance in rolling out free WiFi to the Union Street area of Plymouth.  He firmly believes in the importance of education and providing the best environment for learning for all children.  As a business owner he knows that time and money spent on education and training should be seen as an investment in the future not a cost and one responsibility of governors is to ensure that these investments provide the best outcomes for the children.  

Peter is married to Elizabeth who works for the NHS and is father to Ripley who now attends Devonport High School for Girls. He was brought up in Cornwall and has lived in Plymouth for nearly 20 years.

Anne Newall (Foundation Governor)

Anne has been a Governor at St George’s for several years, having previously also been a Governor at St Matthew’s. She is the lead governor for Safeguarding, SEND, and all aspects of  English - phonics, reading and writing.  Anne trained as a teacher in Plymouth, and taught in several Plymouth schools before becoming Deputy Headteacher of Salisbury Road Junior School in 1992 and Headteacher of Glen Park Primary from 1998 until 2012.  Anne trained as an Ofsted inspector in 2006, and was involved in inspections as a team member. After retiring from Headship in 2012, she worked as a lead inspector until 2015. Anne’s motivation for being a Governor at St George’s is to help the staff provide the best educational opportunities possible for the children.
Anne and her husband Jeff have three adult daughters, living in Spain, Plymouth and Cornwall respectively, and two lovely grandchildren, aged 7 and 4. In her spare time she enjoys swimming, cycling and learning Spanish

Mike O’Sullivan (B. Ed. Hons.) (Foundation Governor)

Mike was born and educated in Exeter and trained as a teacher in Worcester. He is married to Zeta and they have 2 children (Emma and Andrew) who live in London and Stockholm respectively and 5 grandchildren ranging from 2 to 13 years. Mike and Zeta attend St Peter’s RC Church in Crownhill.

Mike began his teaching career in Luton moving on to Bridport, then Cardiff. He moved to Plymouth in 1980 where he was Head Teacher of 3 different primary schools in Plymouth (St. Pauls RC, Hyde Park Junior and Widey Court) before retiring in 2005 to work part time with the LEA until 2010.

Mike is in his seventh year as a school governor having spent 4 years as a governor when the school had a joint governing body with St Matthews. Now, solely a governor at St. George’s for the last two and a half years, he has enjoyed getting to know the school, the children and staff better and being part of a team working with a newly appointed Headteacher. While he is the named governor for ‘Teaching and Learning’ with particular responsibility for Mathematics, PE and Modern Foreign Languages Mike is interested in all aspects of school life and the celebration of the achievements and successes of the whole school community.

Mike has always enjoyed travelling and has a lifelong interest and involvement in sport. He played his twilight years of rugby at Plymouth Albion and is still a regular supporter on the terraces. He played league cricket for Roborough and now plays golf at Elfordleigh. Mike also enjoys gardening, walking, reading and going to the theatre.

Simon Springett (Foundation Governor)

A commando-trained Royal Navy Chaplain, now in the Royal Navy Reserves, Simon’s background includes also a spell running the naval charity Aggie Weston’s.  “I came across St George’s during my time as Chaplain of Stonehouse Barracks,” he says, “and I instantly warmed to the school's depth of integration into the local community”.  Simon’s special area of interest is around Religious Education and worship: “As a Church school, St George’s gives children an awareness and experience of faith enriching life and changing our world for the better.”  Simon’s other interests include keeping fit, offshore sailing and learning Mandarin Chinese. 

Leann Tapp (Parent Governor/Vice Chairperson)

I am a parent Governor and Vice Chair within the St George’s governing team as well as the current St George’s PTFA Chairperson. It has been an interesting time over the last year or so with all the work that goes on behind the scenes due to the COVID pandemic. I am so proud to be a part of the governing team; to support the St George’s Head and all the teaching staff along the way. The community spirit inside and outside of the school has been amazing, which really goes a long way to help promote the values of the school.

I have been fortunate to live and work within Plymouth. I have spent 21 years working within the Devonport Dockyard (Babcock) where I have had various job roles and responsibilities.

In 2007, I met my partner, Pete. We have two daughters whom both attend St George’s. We recently became adoptive ‘pet parents’ to our dog from Serbia via a charity called Balkan Underdogs. We are quite the outdoors family, taking in plenty of walks and cycling – one of our favourites is the Camel Trail! We also love to go camping, so we are all hoping for a great summer this year! In 2019, we moved from Plymouth to Saltash, so we love to explore the woodland and Churchtown Farm. It has been fabulous to be able to make wonderful use of the local green spaces especially through the lockdowns!In my spare time, I like to try some HIIT fitness, read an enjoyable book, listen to some music, or do a bit of gardening (although very much an amateur on that front!), all of which really help with my mental health and balancing the demands of what life has for me.

My moto is: If I can make one person smile each day, then my work here is done!

Siw Wysome (Clerk to the Governors)

Siw is mother to two and grandmother to two lovely children.  I was born in Wales, educated in Hampshire and London, and moved to Plymouth with my husband Richard in 1980.  My background has been in administration throughout my working life, mostly involved in our family business. Having retired I found myself helping at my granddaughter's school, leading me to become Clerk to the LGB, this grew and I now look after four LGB's and their respective heads.  My interests lie, apart from my children and grandchildren, in expanding my needlecraft knowledge, I am a passionate and avid knitter, competent sewist, and love creating new items.  I also love walking with my husband, usually with a camera in hand to catch the beauty that the surrounding area we live in gives us in droves.