Micklands
Primary School
The Governing Body works in partnership with the headteacher, staff, parents and the local authority to raise standards of achievement in schools. The main functions of a Governing Body are to:
The team is made up of the various stakeholders that the school serves, parents, local authority staff, staff and members of the local community. Governors work strategically and do not work at an operational level. This means that the Head Teacher has overall responsibility for the everyday management and organisation of the school.
All Governing Bodies must be constituted under the 2012 Constitution Regulations and as per these regulations the Constitution of the Micklands Primary School Governing Body is as follows:
Total number of governors: At least 9 (+associates):
| Parent Governors | Staff Governors | Local Authority Governor | Co-opted Governors | Associate Members |
| 2 | Headteacher + 1 Staff Governor | 1 | No less than 4 | As required |
Committees:
The Micklands Full Governing Body usually meets 6 times a year.
The Finance, Human Resources, Premises and Pay Committee usually meets four times a year. This committee reports back to the Full Governing Body about the issues that have been discussed and the key decisions that have been made.
In addition to these meetings, the Chair meets with the Head Teacher regularly.
Link Governors and Governor Visits:
At Micklands, governors undertake a programme of visits to the school to help with their strategic role.
We have Link Governors responsible for monitoring Health, Safeguarding, Health & Safety, School Development Plan, Risk Management, Teaching & Learning, Parental Engagement, Assessment, More Able pupils and Pupil Premium and a Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Link Governor who meets with Mrs Talbot, the SENDCo, regularly.
Micklands governors and their responsibilities:
| Governor | Type of Governor | Responsibilities |
| Richard Rolfe Richard has lived in Caversham for 15 years. He worked in the IT industry for 10 years before starting his own business in 2004. His daughter started in Foundation Stage in 2011 and Richard became a Governor just over a year later. He is a member of the Finance, HR, Pay & Premises Committee as well as Chair to the Governing Body. With work, a young family and involvement in the school there isn’t much time for hobbies, but he’s just bought a new bike which he promises you will see him riding around on soon. | Local Authority Governor | Chair of Governors Finance, HR, Premises & Pay Committee Safeguarding Link Governors School Development Plan Link Governor Development Plan Link Governor |
| Sara Lawton Sara has lived in Caversham since 1972 when her father was posted to RAF Benson. Her first 2 years at school in the area were at Micklands before moving on to Chiltern Edge and King James College. Since leaving home she has managed to find her way back to Caversham where she has lived since 2000. Sara works in London for a large, well known insurance company and specialises in Financial Lines. In her spare time Sara likes pottering in the garden, fixing things, ski holidays, socialising and going for walks. She became a governor at the end of 2016 to put something back into the school that taught her to swim! | Co-opted Governor | Chair of Finance, HR, Premises & Pay Committee |
| Helen Carp Helen has lived in Reading for over a decade and has two children, one in reception and one (hopefully) the class of 2021. She has spent a decade as a Risk Specialist shrinking the gap between expectation and outcome for large corporate enterprises and most recently has taken a career shift to manage Future Talent in the finance function of a local company. She enjoys going to the gym, Pilates and yoga in her spare time. | Associate Governor | Finance, HR, Premises & Pay Committee Link Governor for Risk Management |
| Nicole Wisdom Nicole grew up in Sussex, before attending University in Cardiff, where she completed her teacher training. She moved to Reading in 2000 to take up her first teaching post in a Special School. Since that time, she has worked in two different special schools in Reading, teaching pupils with a range of learning disabilities, but more recently with a focus on supporting pupils on the autism spectrum. She has two boys who attend Micklands. | Co-opted Governor | Link Governor for SEND |
| Rhian Thomas Rhian is a secondary school teacher in a local independent school. From a military family she moved around in childhood, attending many and varied schools. She continued to move around in adult life, with undergraduate studies at Cardiff University, and teacher training in Swansea, to a Master’s degree at Sussex University, followed by years working at a comprehensive school in Hampshire, then an international school in Hong Kong where she served as head of department. She moved from Asia to Reading in 2016, working in the higher education sector before returning to teaching in a secondary school. | Co-opted Governor | Link Governor for Teaching and Curriculum |
| Tracy Patterson I moved with my husband from Maidenhead to Caversham nearly 11 years ago and we live on the Micklands Estate very near the school. I have three children at Micklands school currently in Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5 and I am looking forward to helping to make a difference and support the school. I have a joint honours degree in Art and Psychology from Chester and went on to obtain a Masters in Art Therapy. I am a State Registered Art Therapist / Psychotherapist and I am currently managing a busy Team for Berkshire Healthcare foundation Trust that supports the health of adults with Learning Disabilities and those young people transitioning from Children’s services. I have worked in the NHS for 25 years and I am passionate about children having a say in their lives and education and building up their psychological health with resilience, alongside curiosity, that will help them now and in the future. I love to be creative in all I do and enjoy art, family cycling and running for my own physical and mental well being. | Co-opted Governor | |
| Garry Costin-Davis Garry is originally from London and moved to Caversham 2013, by way of a very scenic route of living in multiple other countries and travelling to even more, now a resident on the Micklands Estate. After years of hospitality, travel and sales management he obtained a BSc in Mathematics and a MSc in Software Engineering before moving on to become an IT Risk Manager. He has worked for multiple large FTSE companies, professional and financial services, performing IT Risk Assurance, Programme Management and IT Operations Compliance. Now with one child in attendance at Micklands Primary, and one soon to join, he is focusing on bringing his skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to give back to, and maintain the standards at, the school and community. Garry loves learning new skills, addicted to online courses, and all things technology, clever gadgets and automations. | Co-opted Governor | |
| Olivia Watson Olivia has lived in Reading since the age of 9. She lives in Caversham Park Village with her husband – who attended Micklands as a child, and her 2 children who are in year one and two at Micklands. After building a career within retail management and working her way to store management level within a major grocery retailer; Olivia and her husband started their own Commercial Property Servicing company. In her spare time she and her family have a passion for the outdoors, hiking and mountain climbing, and have climbed Mt. Snowdon multiple times – even with the kids! She is looking forward to getting involved with the governing body and helping Micklands continue to flourish in any way she can. | Parent Governor | |
| Mark Frost | Headteacher | Finance, HR, Premises & Pay Committee |
| Karen Talbot | SENCO Staff Governor | Health Link Governor |
| Kirsty Mirbel | Deputy Head Teacher Associate Governor |