Meet the Governors
Role of the Governing Body
The Governing Body of a school is akin to the board of directors of a company. It provides leadership at a strategic level, acting as a “critical friend” to the headteacher who is responsible and accountable to it for the operational day-to-day running of the school. The Governing Body has three core functions:
Setting the vision and strategic direction of the school
Holding the headteacher to account for its educational performance
Ensuring financial resources are well spent
The Governing Body is accountable to Ofsted for its effectiveness, and consists of members elected from/by parents and staff, members appointed by the Local Authority and members appointed from the local community.
The Governors
Brendan Gibbs: Local Authority Governor and Acting Chair
Brendan is currently a Local Government Officer with responsibilities for the management of public open spaces, recreation grounds and children’s play areas. He also has an involvement in the planning process. Prior to this career change, Brendan spent 30 years in the IT industry specialising in the telecommunications and digital broadcasting sector. He is married with two grown up children and lives in the Waterlooville area. Having served for a time as the Clerk to the Governing Body, Brendan has now accepted the role of the Local Authority appointed governor. He looks forward to working with all stakeholders contributing towards the success of the school.
Graham Fishwick: Chair (Sabbatical 2023-24)
Graham is currently Chair of Governors and has had this role since 2021. He has 2 daughters who have thoroughly enjoyed their time at Emsworth Primary School. He has been on the governing body since 2018 and has contributed to the resources committee. Graham is a Chartered Financial Adviser and has lived locally since 2013. When not working, Graham spends his time studying, running and spending time with his family, including a very energetic spaniel called Freddy.
Claire Johnson: Parent Governor
Claire joined as a parent governor when her daughter joined the school in Year R. Claire is keen to understand the workings of primary school education and to hopefully give something back to the school as a whole by fulling the strategic role of the governing body. Claire also enjoys helping in the classrooms and assisting on school visits when work allows. Having worked with children with autism and children with behavioural problems in the past, Claire is particularly interested in the provision for disadvantaged children.
John Overton: Parent Governor
John was born and grew up locally and has two children at EPS. When his oldest child turned school age, he visited a number of schools and strongly felt that Emsworth Primary was the right school for them; they really liked the learning environment, its ethos and the school management. John has worked in central government departments for over 25 years managing large budgets and delivering key policies. He wanted to be a parent governor as he felt he could use this experience to help maintain the school’s strengths for the benefit of all. John also welcomes the opportunity of being a governor to develop himself by learning something new.
Charlotte Watson: Co-opted Governor
CV to follow
Rachel Ballard: Co-opted Governor
Rachel has a little girl who is currently at Emsworth Primary School and she has made many friends. New to the Governors, Rachel decided to become a member so that she could be involved in the school and make a positive contribution to help the school continue to flourish. Rachel’s background is in business and has run several salons for over 25 years. She's lived in Emsworth for the past 10 years or so. When not working, Rachel spends her time making family memories, baking extreme cakes, and is known for being a history enthusiast, and an Oddsocks “anti-bullying” ambassador.
Imogen Gamblin: Staff Governor
Imogen is a Year 2 class teacher. She provides the link between staff and the governing body, representing and coordinating views in both directions.