Governors
Letters from the Governors
At St Anthony’s Catholic Primary and Nursery School we have a very active governing body that is made up of foundation governors, the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the assistant priest of Holy Rood Church, parent governors and a Local Authority governor.
As governors we attend termly full governing body meetings and further meetings specific to the committees that we are on for example: resources, admissions and school development. We also have governors that work specifically on safeguarding and health and safety in school.
Our role also involves acting as a critical friend to the headteacher and challenging the senior leadership team during meetings but also offering support and acknowledging areas of success within school. The Headteacher invites the governing body into school in their role as link governors for specific subject areas. We carry out monitoring visits and feedback to the governing body.
A very important part of our visits is to attend masses, liturgies and retreat days in order to be a key part of the Catholic Life of the School. We also attend sports events, drama productions, and we always look forward to the annual Christmas dinner in the hall shared with Year 6 classes.
We are actively encouraged to attend additional training courses that are led by the Westminster diocese and also Herts for Learning and we complete relevant online training.
As a volunteering role it is challenging and requires governors to commit a lot of time, however we all do so in order to support our school and children in being the best it can be. We feel very proud to be part of the St Anthony’s School community as we all Grow and Learn with Jesus together.
Imogen became a Foundation Governor in May 2019 and has been Chair since October 2022. She is Head of Maths and Acting Assistant Head Academic in a local independent secondary school. Imogen is married with three sons and a daughter and she worships at Holy Rood Church.
Ellena became a Foundation Governor in August 2015 and has been Vice Chair since October 2022. Ellena is married with three children, all of her children have been educated at St Anthony’s School. Ellena is our link governor for EYFS and SEND.
David has been a Foundation and Local Authority Governor at St Anthony’s for the past 37 years. He is a member of the Resources, Admissions and Performance Management committees. Before retiring, he was a Technical Director in a global defence company. David is a Chartered Electrical Engineer and a Fellow of the IET. David is married with four children and two grandchildren.
Juliette became a Foundation Governor in September 2022. Having been in education all her working life, providing children with the best possible education is very important to her. Music has a big place in her life and she plays the viola at Holy Rood Church and in local orchestras.
Sunjalee
Sunjalee assumed the role of Parent Governor in 2024 with intention of wanting to give back and contribute to the school’s advancement. A Pharmacist by profession, Sunjalee serves as the Clinical Lead for technology initiatives at Princess Alexandra Hospital, where she also holds the position of Deputy Chair on the Clinical Risk and Safety Board. Sunjalee has a daughter attending St. Anthony’s and a son also joining in 2024.
Brendan
Brendan became an Associate Governor in January 2024. He qualified as a primary teacher in Ireland in 2003 and has been teaching ever since. He is Director of Digital Strategy, Head of Computing and a Year 8 Form Tutor in a local boys prep school. Brendan is married with two sons, one of whom has been attending St. Anthony’s since September 2021.
Jenny
Jenny joined the governing body of St. Anthony’s as a parent governor in February 2024, wishing to have an input into the school’s development and growth. Jenny has 20 years teaching experience holding middle management positions across a number of state and independent schools. Jenny is married with two children, one of which is currently attending St. Anthony’s.
| Governor Name | Date of Appointment | Appointing Body | Role and Link Governor | Committees | Pecuniary Interests | Meetings Attended Sept 2023- July 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imogen Barrett Walsh | 1st May 2019 | FG | Chair of Governors Performance Management Governor Children looked after Child Protection Governor Safeguarding English History Herts Association of School Governors | Resources School Development Admissions | None | 9/10 |
| Ellena Harley | 1st August 2015 | FG | Vice Chair of Governors Performance Management SEN EYFS | School Development Admissions | None | 5/7 |
| David Callaghan | 11th October 2022 | LA | Performance Management Computing DT | Resources Admissions | None | 6/7 |
| Elaine Harrold | 1st January 2002 | HT | Headteacher | Resources School Development Admissions | None | 10/10 |
| Melanie Brimicombe | 10th May 2021 | SG | Assistant Headteacher DSL Inclusion and SEN | School Development Resources | None | 9/9 |
| Brendan Kenny | PG/AG | P.E | Resources | None | 4/4 | |
| Jenny De Freitas | PG | MFL History Pupil Premium | None | 2/2 | ||
| Juliette O'Beirne | 1st September 2022 | FG | Music PSHEE | Resources School Development | None | 8/9 |
| Sunjalee Fernando | FG | Health and Safety Maths Science | School Development | None | 4/4 | |
| Father Tim | FG | RE Geography | Resources Admissions | None | 3/4 |
- FG – Foundation Governor
- PG – Parent Governor (elected)
- HT – Headteacher Governor (Diocese of Westminster appointment)
- SG – Staff Governor (elected)
- LA – Local Authority Governor
Governors Roles in other Schools
Imogen Barrett Walsh is Head of Maths at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, Elstree.