Meet our Governors
Harrietsham Church of England Primary School Governing Body
Meet our Governors
THE GOVERNING BOARD PROVIDES STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN SCHOOLS
Our Governors:
Rebecca Emson (Chair)
Chris Back (Co Vice-chair, Chair of Finance and Personnel Committee)
Simon Betts (Co Vice-chair, Chair of Quality of Education Committee)
Jo Greasley
Rev. Dr John Huggins
Emily Brazier
Jackie Frost
Jackie Chambers (Headteacher)
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.
If you would like to get in touch with the Governing Board, please email us at governor@harrietsham.kent.sch.uk.
To contact our Chair of Governors, please contact:
Rebecca Emson: rebecca.emson@harrietsham.kent.sch.uk
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.
A little about us:
Rebecca Emson
Chair of Governors (Co-opted Governor)
Lead roles:
Chair of Governors
Quality of Education Committee Member
Finance & Personnel Committee Member
Curriculum Governors, Training and Development Governor
Term of office: 18th March 2024 - 17th March 2027
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 enjoy 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, Chair of Finance and Resources Committee (Parent Governor)
Lead roles:
Co Vice Chair of Governors
Chair of Finance and Resources Committee
Safeguarding Governor
Health and Safety Governor
Term of office: 14th November 2022 - 13th November 2025
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, Chair of Quality of Education Committee (Co-opted Governor)
Lead roles:
Co Vice Chair of Governors
Chair of Quality of Education Committee
Inclusion Governor
Term of office: 16th May 2024 - 15th May 2027
Register of Business Interests: None
My background is in running commercial teams for large organisations, this has provided me skill-set in 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.
Jo Greasley
Local Authority Governor
Lead roles:
Finance & Personnel Committee Member
Finance Governor
Equality Governor
Term of office: 8th July 2024 - 7th July 2027
Register of Business Interests: None
I’m very pleased to have another chance to work with this lovely school. Some of you may know me from my time as an LSA in Dormice Class (Year 2) which I enjoyed immensely. I’ve lived in the village with my husband and step-daughter for nearly 25 years and have seen many changes, not least with the school itself. I love taking long walks with our dog, Basil, and spending time travelling. I’m hoping my prior knowledge of the school and skills and experience from my career in central Government will help the school to continue to prosper.
Revd. John Huggins
Foundation Governor (Ex-Officio)
Lead roles:
Quality of Education Committee Member
Christian Distinctiveness Governor
First appointed on: 30th October 2017
Register of Business Interests: None
I joined the Governing Body as an Ex-Officio Foundation Governor after being licensed to be Priest-in-Charge of Len Valley Benefice, which includes Harrietsham. I have a background in leadership within science and industry, and am of course trained in pastoral care and child development and spirituality. In my previous post, I was chair of Governors of a small village school and took particular interest in monitoring EYFS. I look forward to helping the school continue to build on their school vision of quality teaching within a Christian ethos.
Emily Brazier
Foundation Governor
Lead roles:
Quality of Education Committee Member
EYFS Governor
OPAL Governor
Term of office: 10th May 2022 - 9th May 2025
Register of Business Interests: None
Jackie Frost
Staff Governor
Term of office: 15th May 2024 - 14th May 2026
Register of Business Interests: Teacher in School
I have had the privilege of working at Harrietsham C of E Primary School for 8 of my 21 years of teaching. My passion is sport and outdoors, which are vital areas for children to access, enabling them to develop fully and to flourish. I am privileged to be representing the staff of the school on the Governing Body and look forward to supporting the continued growth and development of the school and surrounding community.
Jackie Chambers
Headteacher
Term of office:
Register of Business Interests: Headteacher at School
I am absolutely honoured to be the Headteacher of Harrietsham Church of England Primary School and I am delighted to be working with such a skilled and passionate Governing Body. I have worked in education for 20 years and I am looking forward to helping our school to continue on its journey so that every child in our care can truly flourish in all aspects of their education with us.
Key Information
Governor Policies:
For the following policies, click the link below to view our Policies Page.
- Governor Code of Conduct
- Governor Induction Policy
- Governor Visits Policy
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 are 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.