Governors

The Role of the Governing Body

The governing body is responsible for the conduct of its school, and must promote high standards of educational achievement at the school. Its key roles are:

• To ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• To hold the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff
• To oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure its money is well spent

In order to do this, governors need to gain knowledge of how the school operates through training, attending meetings, and by getting to know their school community , for example through a small number of visits to the school during the school day.

Governor Information - Including Register of Business Interests

Procedure for managing complaints against governors

An introduction to the Governing Body

Governor Profiles

Mrs Gillian Bryant

Chair of Governors

Gill's professional background is university administration, having worked at Cambridge University and City University, London. Gill started volunteering at Warley Primary in 2008, became a parent governor in 2011 and was appointed Vice Chair of the Full Governing Body in 2013. Gill has particular responsibility for SEND and Safeguarding. Gill is a former parent of Warley Primary School, with two children who have both moved to secondary school. She holds a Certificate in School Governance Studies and has completed the National Governors Association Leading Governance course.

Mrs Jaimini Mootoosamy

Vice-Chair of Governors and Parent Elected Governor

Originally from North London, Jai moved to Warley in 2010 where she now lives with her husband (a past Warley Primary pupil) and two daughters, who both attend the school currently. She previously worked as a Senior Account Manager in digital marketing for clients including Sky, Nestle and Samsung. Jai holds a BSc in Psychology and during her training for this, she worked in a special needs school, developing her interest in educational psychology.  Jai joined the governing body in 2018 and holds a Certificate in School Governance Studies and has completed the National Governors Association Leading Governance course. She has specific responsibility for Wellbeing..

Mr Richard Long

Parent Elected Governor

Originally from Romford, Richard has lived with his wife in Brentwood for 17 years and has two children who attend Warley Primary School.  Richard has been a Parent Governor at the school since the beginning of 2016 and has a specific responsibility for GDPR.  In his professional life, Richard works for a leading French bank in London, where he heads up a Project and Change Management team and specialises in Regulatory Change and Projects.

Mrs Sarah Finnegan

Parent Elected Governor

Sarah is originally from Bury, in Greater Manchester and moved to Brentwood from London in 2014 with her husband. She has a daughter who attends the school and she became a parent governor in 2020, with a specific responsibility for Pupil Premium. In her working life, Sarah is Head of Member Relations at the National Housing Federation – the trade body for housing associations in England. Before that, she worked in local government in London for 9 years, in strategy and policy roles. Sarah also loves travelling, gardening and sewing. 

Mr Phil Rutter

Local Authority Elected Governor

Phil was born in Rochford and has lived in Basildon for the last 55 years. He has been married for 27 years to Julie and has one daughter, Evie. Phil works locally at the Ford Dunton Campus and has worked for them for 32 years and is a Senior Purchase Buyer. Phil enjoys running, walking his two Border Collies and watching his favourite football team, Southend United. Phil joined the Governing Body in July 2021 but has experience working as a Governor within Essex. Phil has specific responsibility for Health and Safety. 

Mrs Caroline Webb

Co-opted Governor

Caroline grew up in Berkshire and moved to Essex 6 years ago. She is married to Andrew and has an 11 year old stepson, George. In her professional life, Caroline works as a Senior Risk Manager in Financial Services, where she specialises in risk governance and reporting. Caroline joined the governing board in July 2021 and has responsibility for EYFS and Sports Premium.

Mrs Sopalla Davis 

 Co-opted Governor

Leaving the London city life behind, Sopalla moved to the rural part of Brentwood with her husband - a born and bred Brentwoodian, to raise her growing family. With 10 years of experience in finance and accounting, Sopalla joined the governing body in January 2021 and has specific responsibility for Finance. Alongside her number-crunching job, she runs Brentwood Flowers and is also a qualified yoga instructor.

 How to Get in Touch

If you would like more information about the role of the governing body or have any specific questions please send an email to gb@warley.essex.sch.uk.