Useful Links

Useful Links

Parliament Hill

High Achieving andHappy

Governors

 

  • Sagal Abdi-Wali
    Co-opted Governor
  • Ansar Blakcori
    Associate of the Governing Body
  • Melanie Charles
    Co-opted Governor
  • Sarah Creasey
    Headteacher
  • Roger Freeman
    Co-opted Governor
  • Martyn Holman
    Co-opted Governor
  • Fiona Millar
    Co-opted Governor
  • Danny Silverstone
    Chair of Governors and LA Governor
  • Vassilis Zarifis
    Co-opted Governor
  • Emily Jones
    Parent Governor
  • Julie Paul
    Vice Chair of Governors and Parent Governor
  • John Allsopp
    Parent Governor
  • Gill Wilson
    Co-opted Governor
  • Evie Lewis
    Staff Governor
  • Anke Böhme
    Parent Governor
  • Enrico De Vita
    Parent Governor
  • Alan Shaw
    Parent Governor

 

 Become A Parent Governor At Parliament Hill School

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do schools need governors?  

Schools need governors to make sure the school has an ambitious vision, provides an excellent education for students and that the school finances are well-managed and used properly. Governors are also there as critical friends. They should champion the school, but also to ask difficult questions to the students and teachers to make sure that the school is doing the best it can. The governing body is very similar to the board of a company. Like the board of some companies, the Headteacher sits on the governing body as do members of staff. Governors do not, and should not, have any role in the day-to-day running of the school - that is the job of Headteacher and staff. 

What are the statutory duties of governors?  

“Statutory duties” are basically things the law says that governors have to do. All school must have a governing body to oversee what the Headteacher and teachers are doing and make sure the school is run properly. More detail is laid down in a governors’ handbook which you can find online here, but the basics come down to three things: 

  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
  • Holding leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its students, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff; 
  • Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

When might parents contact governors and when might they contact the Headteacher? 

The governing body should be consulting parents, as well as students, teachers and the local community on a regular basis and taking into account their views. In the last ten years the government has placed much more value on parents’ views. Some governors are parent governors and are able to give the governing body an insight into what parents think of the school, although parent governors should always make sure that the interests of the school come above those of their own child. Parents who have a complaint should contact their student’s form teacher first and then the Headteacher. If a parent is not satisfied with the way a complaint has been dealt with by the Headteacher and staff, they can contact the governing body. They can also complain to Ofsted if they believe the school is not being managed properly. 

Why choose Parliament Hill? 

Parliament Hill is a large local girls’ comprehensive school committed to a feminist education and producing high-achieving, happy students. It has an excellent Headteacher and staff. The school is ambitious and focused on constant improvement. Teachers are on top of the latest educational research to make sure that the school turns out confident women who will be fulfilled in their careers and their
lives in the 21st century. We are part of the LaSWAP sixth form consortium where we take a few boys on roll. We are looking for governors who want to come with us on our exciting journey to offer the best education for girls in the area and make sure that they are happy and fulfilled. Many women who come through Parliament Hill School hold on to the friendships they made here for life and are proud to forever call themselves “Parli-girls”. 

What is the time commitment? 

There are at least three full governing body meetings a year, which are held in the early evening and one away day on a Saturday morning.  All governors go to at least one committee meeting a term. Governors are also expected to visit the school a few times a year during the day, take part in occasional evening workshops and read documents which are sent to them in preparation for meetings. Some governors sit on exclusion panels and disciplinary panels, and receive special training for this. Governors are especially welcome at performances to support students and staff as well as to see the varied talents of Parli girls. 
Being a governor is not a commitment to be taken lightly, but it is a way of contributing meaningfully to the local community and getting to know your local school. 

What are you looking for in a Governor?  

If you are a parent or former student, or a local person who is passionate about girls’ education and ambitious for the school, you would make a great governor. If you know how fund-raising works that would be even better as we are increasingly looking to galvanise parents and the local community to raise money so the school can provide extras such as buying computers for our less affluent students and purchasing additional equipment for our classrooms. We are particularly interested in recruiting governors who mirror our very diverse intake and understand the lives of our students. Around half our students are on free school meals. One third are white British, 11 per cent Black: Black British or Black African and 10 per cent are of Bangladeshi origin. A further 13 per cent come from another white background.  

How can I find out more informally? 

If you want to know what the governing body does, please contact Danny Silverstone our chair of governors at daniel@dsilverstone.co.uk