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.
Structure of the Governing Body
Governor Profiles
Ms Sian Evans
Co-Chair of Governors
For many years now, Sian has specialised in working as a teacher in a Forensic Psychiatric Mental Health Medium Secure Unit in East London. She teaches both males and females in both small group settings and one to one sessions. Her learners are all inpatients, who have offended and have been sectioned under The Mental Health Act 1983. Sian became Co-chair in 2017 and is a former parent of Warley Primary School, with two children who have both moved on to secondary school.
Mrs Gillian Bryant
Co-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 became Co-chair in 2017. 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.
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 Kristina Henderson
Co-opted Governor
Kristina is a mum of two girls, with whom share her hobbies of photography, languages and travelling. Professionally, she has worked for Lloyds Bank for almost 15 years, across the Risk function of the Commercial part of the Bank. She has spent 10 years recommending and approving lending to global companies (with a personal discretion of up to £200m), and has recently moved into the modelling world - building mathematical models to be able to quantify and predict various risks that the Bank is exposed to. Kristina lives locally in Billericay and is passionate about contributing to her local community - she supports the Motivated Minds charity and, whilst her children were a bit younger, she volunteered for the National Childbirth Trust. Kristina joined the governing body in 2017 and has specific responsibility for Finance.
Mrs Jaimini Mootoosamy
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. She has specific responsibility for Health and Safety.
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. 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.
Mrs Funmi Osilaja
Funmi lives and works in Chelmsford and has three children. She was elected as the LA Governor in Autumn 2020.
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.