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Meet the Governors

Welcome to our Governors page. To find out more about our Governing Body, please choose from the links below.

If you wish to contact the Governing Body, please do so via email to lashman@mereworth.kent.sch.uk.

About our Governors

For more information, please click on a heading below:

Richard Bolsin, EYFS, TRAINING, CHAIR OF GOVERNORS

I live in Yalding. I am married with three grown up children, all products of Kent’s schools. Until 2012 I was General Secretary of the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) and was awarded the MBE in 2009 for services to adult education.

After graduating from Cambridge University, I started my career teaching classics at Watford Grammar School. I then went on to work in Hertfordshire, Dudley and Kent and became Medway’s first Director of Education in 1997. I have been a Governor of three Kent schools and of Mid Kent College of Higher and Further Education.

Julia Claus

I am a parent governor first elected in May 2009. I have a son who started at the school in 2008 and a daughter who started in September 2010, so I hope to have a long association with the school.

I am currently focusing on the school finances, with responsibility for over viewing the budget setting process and ensuring those resources are directed towards the areas of focus that have been identified as key to making the school the outstanding school we all know it can be.

I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 22 years, so I have a particular interest in science and maths. I enjoy reading, particularly biographies and autobiographies, and spending much of my spare time decorating our home.  But mostly I enjoy spending time with the family, be it at home, elsewhere in the UK or occasionally abroad.

Mrs Linda Lashman

I live in Kings Hill have two children and 5 grandchildren. After a career of 32 years with a Blue Chip Company. I was fortunate to be able to retire early and spend some time with my grand children.

My Background is in Finance Business Transformation and Programme Management. I joined Merewoth Governing Body as Clerk to the Governors and cover all the meetings. I have found the Governors extremely focused and I am delighted to be working with such dedicated team.

Professor Sarah Palmer

My husband and I have lived in West Malling since 1998. Attending Kent schools gave both my, now grown up, children an excellent educational start and I am a strong supporter of state education. I am an Emeritus Professor at the University of Greenwich, so I have a professional interest in education. In the past I was a member of Kent County Council and have been a governor of three Kent schools.

Marion Regan

I attended Mereworth School 1965-71, and have followed its progress over many years, having lived and worked in Mereworth all my life. As a Community Governor, I believe a good, inclusive school is essential for the vibrancy of a rural community.

I studied Plant Sciences at Oxford University and the University of Maryland before joining our family farming business, which I now own and run with my husband Jon. I am a Director and former Chairman of a marketing cooperative and I have served as a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the East Malling Trust for Horticultural Research. I was awarded an MBE for services to the fruit industry in 2014. I am a STEM Ambassador, promoting careers in science and technology in local schools, and also a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent.

Pamela Conibeer

My name is Pamela Conibeer and my husband and I have been residents of Mereworth for almost twenty years, having moved here from Essex early in 1991. My own background is in education, as we moved to Kent in order for me to take up my present post as Headteacher of a girls secondary school in Medway.

I became a Community Governor in 2009 during a period of change and development for the school, which has always been at the heart of the village community, and I feel it is both a pleasure and a privilege to be part of the team as the school goes from strength to strength.

I am also the Chair of the Management Committee of The Rowans which is a Pupil Referral Unit in Walderslade, Medway.

Charlotte Dubern, SEN, VICE CHAIR

I have been a parent governor since 2014. I have two daughters at Mereworth, a son waiting in the wings, and live within earshot of the playing field, so I expect to have a long association with the school.

In my professional life I am a senior civil servant at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. I have led teams on various subjects, for example consumer rights and access to university. I bring skills in stakeholder consultation, policy development and programme management.

I am a great believer in state schools, having been through the system myself, and from a non-university family, I went on to get a degree and PhD from Cambridge. I believe we are here at Mereworth to help all the children achieve the absolute best of their potential, wherever their strengths lie.

Mrs Jane Carnegie, SAFEGUARDING

I am senior legal counsel in government and work in partnership with policy colleagues to deliver projects in line with the ministerial priorities. A significant part of my role as a lawyer is the challenge function. I advise on the risks and the merits of legal challenge and develop strategies to provide balanced and reasoned risk assessment and lawful policies. Prior to joining Government, I was a barrister-at-law at the Criminal Bar.
The skills I have acquired over my career both at the Independent Bar and as a lawyer in government will assist in my role as a governor and I will strive to make a positive contribution to children’s education at Mereworth school.

Sharon Denney, VICE CHAIR

I have two boys at Mereworth, in Years 1 and 4, and have been a Parent Governor since 2011. I am passionate about education and feel strongly that I want to give something back to the school that is working so hard to offer the best for my children.

I am currently the Vice Chair of the Full Governing Body and have responsibility for overseeing the Training and Development of Governors, monitoring Pupil Outcomes and the Early Years Foundation Stage. I have a degree in PE, Sports Science and Management Studies from Loughborough University and so I also have a special interested in PE and School Sport.

In my professional life, I started my career as a Primary School teacher at Slade Primary in Tonbridge, before joining KCC as the Adviser for Physical Education. I am now a freelance School Improvement Consultant, working with primary schools across Kent and Sussex. When I manage to find a bit of spare time, I can be found on the badminton court, reading or providing the taxi for the children’s extensive social lives!

Alan Guindi, HEALTH AND SAFETY

The Governing Board invited me to join them as a community Governor in June 2016. I am married with four children, three of which are at schools in South East London, where we live, and one at the University of Brighton.
 
I am the Managing Director of a fresh produce company in Seven Mile Lane, very close to the school. We have been in the area for over 20 years supplying supermarkets with local and imported apples and pears. We also specialise in table grapes from over sixteen different countries.
 
In the 1990’s I gained a Certificate in Counselling in the Development of Learning, and I have worked voluntarily as a Mentor, for the Right Choice Project, in Woolwich.
 
I also enjoy writing for comedy for a group of stand-up comedians and I also perform myself.

Governors Register of Business Interests Sept 2016

Mereworth Primary School – Governor Records

As at Oct 2015

Mereworth Community Primary School – Governor Meeting Attendance Record – 2014 / 2015

Y = In attendance     AA = Apology Accepted        X = No apology / not accepted

Mereworth Primary School – Governing Body Structure/ Membership

As at Oct 2016

To download the NGA Code of Practice for Governing Bodies click here: NGA-Code-of-Practice-for-Governing-Bodies