Monken Hadley Primary School

The Governing Body

School Governors are the school’s Board of Directors. The purpose of the Governing Body is:

to help the school set high standards by planning for the school's future, and setting targets for school improvements.
to be a critical friend to the school, offering the school its support and advice.
to help the school to be responsive to the needs of parents and the community and to make the school more accountable to the public for what it does.

Working in Committees, Governors make decisions about the running of the school. The whole Governing Body meets nine times a year (approximately once each month). Click below for an overview of the tasks, policies and agenda that each meeting will address this year.

Governing Body Annual Planner

Declaration of Interest

The Governing Body

Name	Governor Type	Responsibility	Start date	Term of Office Ends
Mrs Debbie Coles	Foundation Parochial Church Council	Safeguarding and admissions	04/04/2005	01/09/2022
The Revd Dr Thomas Renz (vice chair)	Foundation	Chair SIAMS and RE	01/04/2012	Ex Officio
Miss Gladys Vendy	Foundation Diocesan Board of Education	SIAMS and RE	01/09/2010	20/09/2021
Dr Joanne Hames	Foundation Deanery Synod	Safeguarding and Child Protection	02/06/2015	30/06/2023
Mrs Velia Carruthers	Foundation Parochial Church Council	Premises, Health and Safety/ and treasurer	04/11/2014	02/11/2023
Mrs Sally Atkinson	Foundation	Behaviour and Attitudes	20/09/21	19/09/2025
Ms Pippa Reid	Foundation Diocesan Board of Education	SEND and Website compliance	12/02/2019	20/03/2023
Cate Pendegrass	Parent (2)	TBA	04/05/21	3/05/2025
Joanna Lindley (Chair)	Parent (1)	TBA	30/11/2020	30/11/2024
Mrs Samantha Wrightson (Vice-Chair)	Local Authority (1)	Quality of Education	01/11/16	01/09/2024
Ms Julie Eyres	Head of School	NA	NA	N/A
Mr Anthony David*	Executive Head	NA	01/09/19	Ex-officio
Mr Dominic Neal	Class Teacher	NA		22/09/2023

Monken Hadley Governor Types

Foundation Deanery Governors, by the Church of England Deanery of West Barnet
Foundation Diocese Governors, by the Church of England Diocese of London
Foundation PCC Governors, by St Mary’s Parochial Church Council
Foundation Parent Governors, by the other Foundation Governors
Local Authority Governors, by the London Borough of Barnet
Parent Governors, by the school parents
Teacher and Teaching Assistant Governors, by the school staff

* Relevant interest: married to Peachey David, Assistant Head, Inclusion.

* Anthony David is a Governor at St Paul's CE Primary School

Governor pen portraits

Mrs Sally Atkinson – Foundation Governor

The Central Barnet Deanery Synod appointed me as their governor at Monken Hadley in March 2016. Previously I had been a governor for 12 years at the school in Finchley my own children had attended, where I was Vice-Chairman for four years and I also chaired the Admissions Committee. At Monken Hadley I have been appointed to the Resources Committee, which sets and monitors the school budget and how it is used to provide the best education possible for the children at the school. There are many challenges facing schools now, and particularly Monken Hadley because of its size and its position.

I have lived in North London all my life, and attend All Saints’ Church in East Finchley. I have recently retired from 30 years working in charity management, and I like to spend time with my three grandchildren, and my elderly father.

Mrs Velia Carruthers – Foundation Governor (Treasurer)

I joined the governing body of Monken Hadley CE School as a foundation governor in November 2015. My youngest son has attended the school since Reception and is now in Year 2. I have two other children, one boy at Cambridge University and one boy at Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet, where I am in my fourth year as a parent governor.

Besides being a governor, I am also Chair of the Friends of Monken Hadley CE School. In both respects, I am closely involved with the life of the school and its parents. The school’s Christian values are particularly important for me as I regularly attend St Mary the Virgin, the local church associated with Monken Hadley CE School, where I coordinate Sunday school and lead lessons.

As a trained architect, I have helped the school with the design and procurement of its capital development projects. For the past three years, I have been retraining at the Tavistock Centre to become a qualified psychodynamic psychotherapist; as part of my studies, I have attended courses on child protection.

I am the Treasurer of the School Maintenance Fund. This is a voluntary contribution fund to provide resources to help maintain and improve the school and I am very grateful to all the parents who contribute every year to support the school.

Mrs Debbie Coles – Foundation Governor

I have had a long and happy association with the school both as a Governor and a parent. My three children all attended the school between 1999 and 2012 and I became a Governor in 2005. I am a member of St Mary’s the Virgin Church and play an active part in the Church community including singing in the choir and helping to arrange fundraising events. For the past 13 years I have worked as Admissions Officer at Dame Alice Owen’s School in Potters Bar. My duties for the governing body include sitting on our People and Admissions Committee.

Dr Jo Hames - Foundation Governor

I was appointed by the Andrew Hopegood Trust as a Foundation Governor in 2015. I am on the Standards and People Committee and I am the nominated governor responsible for child protection. My three children have attended Monken Hadley School and I have enjoyed being involved in many aspects of school life during this time, including reading with the children in Willow Class, helping with the school garden and assisting with numeracy and literacy in Cedar Class, for which I am Link Governor.

I have also been a keen fundraiser through the Friends of Monken Hadley School and I was their treasurer for two years. I enjoy my role as part of the Governing Body, supporting the leadership team in ensuring that the school allows all children to enjoy their learning and achieve their full potential.

Revd Dr Thomas Renz – Foundation Governor (Vice Chair of Governors)

I became Rector of St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley in May 2012 and have been one of the Foundation Governors of the school since then. I spent just over twenty years in institutions of higher education prior to becoming a clergyman and I am married to a secondary school teacher. Our two children between them went to four different primary schools, including Monken Hadley School, and I have experience of teaching RE at a Church of England primary school. I have a natural interest in education and intellectual as well as spiritual development.

As the Rector I regularly lead acts of worship in the school and welcome the school to the church. I am therefore well known to children and staff as well as some parents. With pastoral care as a special emphasis for me alongside academic standards, I have received extra training in Safeguarding and the government’s Prevent strategy.

Mrs Sam Wrightson – Local Authority Governor (Vice Chair)

I have two children whom attend the school. I spent ten years as a teacher in an inner London secondary school, where I taught English and was Head of Media Studies. I have lectured and written text books on a range of educational issues, from mixed ability teaching through to practical and theoretical media production. I am now an Executive Producer in television, developing and producing formats for a range of broadcasters including BBC, ITV, The History Channel and UKTV.

Pippa Reid- Foundation Governor

I am a Foundation Diocesan Board of Education appointed Governor and started at Monken Hadley School in March 2019. I am a Christian believer and active member of St Thomas, C of E church, Oakwood, where I have been involved for twenty years. My son attended a local Church of England primary school in the borough of Enfield where he thrived, and so I have been fortunate to experience personally the ministry and value of high quality, caring, church schooling.

I worked in Human Resource management, Training and Recruitment for 25 years,in the City, Manufacturing and Logistics. Five years ago, I moved to work in education, and currently work in a Hertfordshire secondary school. I have helped Monken Hadley school with staff recruitment and am interested in all areas of employment and training. I have a familiarity with and understanding of children’s special educational needs and associated support processes. I am currently a safe-guarding and well-being Governor.

Cate Pendegrass - Parent Governor

First and foremost, I am mum to two boys; the eldest of whom attends Monken Hadley School and the younger, currently at nursery, who is frequently found hot on his big brother’s heels!

I am an Associate Professor in the Division of Surgery & Interventional Sciences at UCL, having carried out my PhD and Post-Doc in Biomedical Engineering. My research focuses on the interface between artificial implant materials and the human body for devices including skin-penetrating prostheses for amputees, and indwelling implants for bone tumour patients. In my teaching role, my fields range from Musculoskeletal Science to Research Governance.

I am passionate about the sciences and technology and inspiring the next generation to become involved in these fields to drive the astonishing advances that together, they could bring to our world.

Outside of work, I am an avid gardener, a would-be artist and an obsessional swimmer... hoping one day not to sink in my attempt to cross the English Channel.

Joanna Lindley - Parent Governor (Chair)

I strongly believe that all children deserve the best start in life, not only as a parent, but also in my role as a senior policy advisor at the Department for Education.

I have been a civil servant for nearly 20 years and have worked in a number of operational roles within HMRC, prison and probation services. For the last 4 years I have worked in the Child Protection and Safeguarding Division, working on policy to improve the educational outcomes of disadvantaged children which has given me the opportunity to engage extensively with both children and professionals in the sector. I currently lead on early help, forced marriages and harmful practices policy.