Harrietsham Church of England Primary School
Meet our Governors
Harrietsham Church of England Primary School Governing Body
THE GOVERNING BOARD PROVIDES STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN OUR SCHOOL
We are made up of a cross-section of this vibrant community – parents, staff and local representatives – who give their time and knowledge to the school. This cross-section of influence allows our board to maintain the character of our Church of England Primary School, its nurturing ethos and its great relationship with the wider community, including strong links to our local churches in the Len Valley Benefice.
Meet our Chair and Vice Chairs:
Rebecca Emson
Chair of Governors, Co-Opted Governor
Curriculum Governor
Term of office: 18.3.24 –17.3.27
Register of Business Interests: None
I joined the Governing Body initially as a Co-opted Governor back in 2021 and became Chair of Governors in September 2024. I have worked in London since I graduated university, mainly in HR within the Financial Services industry, and I currently work as a COO at the Bank of England. I have two children who are in Year 2 and Year 5 and I have really enjoyed being part of the school and helping to make it the great school that it is. I don’t think I have ever seen a team of people who work as hard as they do at Harrietsham and supporting them is really rewarding.
Chris Back
Co. Vice-Chair of Governors, Co-Opted Governor
Chair of Finance and Personnel Committee, Safeguarding Governor
Term of office: 10.11.25–9.11.28
Register of Business Interests: None
In late 2022 the opportunity arose to become a governor at Harrietsham CofE Primary school, and I jumped at the chance. I am a parent governor and now one of the co-vice chairs. Having two children at the school meant I had a personal interest, but I also wanted to help the school achieve its aims for all the children. As a governor, I'm proud to be part of creating a school where our children can achieve their best because they have a positive nurturing environment that inspires them to learn. My career background is within local government, particularly around environmental regulation but latterly within the internal ‘Professional Standards’ arena. This has equipped me with the skills needed to function as a governor, especially in my role as the lead for Health & Safety and Safeguarding at the school.
Simon Betts
Co. Vice-Chair of Governors, Co-Opted Governor
Chair of Quality of Education Committee, Inclusion Governor
Term of office: 16.5.24 – 15.5. 27
Register of Business Interests: None
My background is in running commercial teams for large organisations, this has provided me with the skill-set for creating high performing teams, who are set up to deliver their plans with all the support in place. It also means I am used to numbers, budgets and tackling complex problems. I hope this experience will help Harrietsham continue to perform at the highest level for staff and children and the wider community.
Meet our Governing Body:
Emily Brazier
Foundation Governor
Early Years and Christian Distinctiveness Governor
Term of office: 10.5.22 – 9.5.25
Register of Business Interests: None
Matt Winnie
Local Authority Governor
Finance Governor
Term of office: 30.1.25 – 29.1.28
Register of Business Interests: None
Josh Tipple
Parent Governor
Health and Safety and OPAL Governor
Term of office: 28.11.24 – 27.11.27
Register of Business Interests: None
Alan Gifford
Parent Governor
Term of office: 10.11.25–9.11.28
Register of Business Interests: None
Adela Lategan
Parent Governor
Term of office: 10.11.25–9.11.28
Register of Business Interests: None
Samuel Negus
Parent Governor
Term of office: 10.11.25–9.11.28
Register of Business Interests: None
Coral Smith
Staff Governor
Term of office: 1.9.25 – 31.8.27
Register of Business Interests: None
Tammie Allen-Harding
Associate Governor
Term of office: 10.11.25–9.11.28
Register of Business Interests: Deputy Headteacher of local School
Jackie Chambers
Headteacher
Debbie Stryzyk
Governance Professional
Our Governing Board
The Governing Board has three key functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
- Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils.
How do we work?
We work in partnership with the Headteacher and her senior leaders to make the school the best it can be for all staff and pupils. It is our responsibility to set the ethos, vision and strategic direction of this nurturing and inclusive village school and ensure that all statutory duties are met. We do not get involved in the day-to-day running of the school - this is the responsibility of the Headteacher and her team. Governors are all volunteers and do not get paid for being governors.
Our Governing Body are comprised of two committees:
- Quality of Education Committee: Responsible for monitoring the quality of learning that the children receive within our school. This includes monitoring pupil and group progress and achievement against the School Improvement Plan and national targets as well as understanding the needs of the children within the school and ensuring the school meets those educational needs as best as it can.
- Finance and Personnel Committee: Responsible for ensuring that resources are allocated effectively to ensure the best education for the children in our school. This involves agreeing and monitoring the school 3-year budget, ensuring that spending complies with national and local requirements and is inline with the School Improvement Plan, benchmarking spending to ensure best value and monitoring the staffing structure to ensure efficient and well managed personnel to maximise school results.
"Governors have worked closely with the school leadership to ensure that the vision is a living reality."
SIAMs Inspection 2024
Governor Policies
Equality and Diversity
Our Governors believe it is important that our board reflects the diversity of the school community it serves. Diverse boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for staff and young people.
The Governors regularly collect data on the diversity of the board – including data on age, gender and ethnicity. They use this data to inform their recruitment and training needs and to ensure that there is always a diverse range of perspectives around the table to support robust decision-making.
Due to our relatively small Governing Board, we will not publish this diversity data online, as individual Governors' protected characteristics could be identified, and we have a legal obligation to protect their personal data.