Governors
Welcome to our Governors’ section.
Welcome to the governors section of our school website. We hope this page provides you with all the information you need, if you have any questions about the role of the governing body or would like to enquire about joining the governing body please do get in touch: Governor6@hethersettvcjunior
Our governing body is made up of a range of people with different skills and experiences and we welcome individuals to join us, who like us are keen to support the school achieve its visions and values empowering our children and families to flourish and grow.
The Hethersett VC Primary School Governing Board, in line with Government requirements follows 3 core strategic functions:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
- Holding school leaders to account for the quality of education provided to optimise the achievement of all pupils
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school to ensure money is well spent
There are 6 meetings timetabled for a school year, one per half term. There are no set committees but short term working groups may be used to cover substantial items that would otherwise take up a significant part of ordinary governor board meetings.
The governing board has a constitution that defines the number of posts for each type of governor. The table below shows the number of governors in post and the current number of vacancies on the board:
Governor Type (constitution number) | Term of office | Number of governors in the current constitution | Number of governors in post |
Foundation governors | 4 years | 3 | 1 |
Parent Governors | 4 years | 6 | 3 |
Co-Opted governors | 4 years | 4 | 4 |
LA Governor | 4 years | 1 | 1 |
Staff governors | 4 years | 1 | 1 |
Ex-officio (headteacher) | 1 | 1 |
Current Governors in post and governor changes in the 2024-25 school year:
Governor Type | Name | Appointment Date | End of term date | Changes to the Board in this year. |
Foundation governors | Rev Michael Kingston | March 2023 | March 2026 | |
Parent Governors | Marian Hardy (Co VICE CHAIR) | October 2022 | October 2026 | |
| Louise Colbridge (Co VICE CHAIR) | May 2023 | May 2027 | Resigned January 2025 |
| Annie Cuss | July 2024 | July 2028 | Resigned October 2024 | |
| Leanne Morgan | March 2024 | March 2028 | ||
| Tabitha Harper | February 2025 | February 2029 | New Appointment | |
| Co-Opted governors | Diane Bainbridge | February 2025 | February 2029 | New Appointment |
| Alexander Spencer | September 2023 | September 2027 | |
| Polly Ferris | September 2024 | September 2028 | New Appointment | |
| Paul Corina | March 2024 | March 2028 | ||
| Heidi Ginger | December 2023 | December 2027 | Resigned January 2025 | |
LA Governor | Duncan Slack | October 2015 | October 2027 | |
Staff governor | Jo Moir | May 2023 | May 2027 | Change of gov.type (was in a co-opted role) |
| Ex-officio | the Headteacher |
Within the 2023-24 school year there were a number of changes to the Board. These are shown in the table below. Also shown is the attendance of governors in the school year 2023-24. The government requires this information to be shown on the schools website.
Governor Type | Number in constitution | Name | Month of resignation if applicable | Full Board meetings attended while in post | % of Full Board meetings attended |
| Foundation | 3 | Rev. Michael Kingston | 4 | 67 | |
| Parent | 6 | Amy Hanton | August 2024 | 6 | 100 |
| Marian Hardy | 5 | 83 | |||
| Louise Colbridge | 4 | 67 | |||
| Leanne Morgan | 2 | 100 | |||
| Co-Opted | 4 | Neal Gardener | March 2024 | 4 | 100 |
| Jo Moir | 6 | 100 | |||
| Alex Spencer | 2 | 33 | |||
| Heidi Ginger | 3 | 75 | |||
| Paul Corina | 2 | 67 | |||
| LA | 1 | Duncan Slack | 6 | 100 | |
| Staff | ` | Marc Harding | May 2024 | 3 | 75 |
| Ex-officio | 1 | the headteacher | 6 | 100 |
An introduction to the governing body:
Revd Michael Kingston
Foundation Governor Term of Office: 20/03/2023 to 19/03/2027 Revd Kingston has previously held the position of Foundation Governor in other schools before moving to Hethersett. He would like to bring pastoral and listening skills to the Governing body. |
Paul Corina
Co-opted Governor Term of Office: 25/03/24 to 24/03/2028 Paul has a longstanding relationship with Hethersett VC Primary School as his two grown up daughters were educated there. He has lived in Hethersett for 25 years and appreciates how important the school is to the well-being of the local community and vice versa. He has a background in child protection and looked after children having had a 40 year professional career in statutory social work mainly in Norfolk from which he recently retired. In his spare time he enjoys walks with the family Goldendoodle and is also a keen Parkrunner! |
Alex Spencer
Co-opted Governor Term of Office: 13/09/23 to 12/09/27 Alex moved to Norwich in 2015 to complete his teacher training at the UEA and has taught in Norfolk ever since. He has experience in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, is a former teacher at Hethersett VC Primary, and brings expertise in curriculum, assessment and pedagogy. Alex spends his free time with his wife and primary aged son, alongside his hobbies of 5-a-side football, playing music and walking his golden Labrador. |
Matthew Parslow-Williams
Term of Office: 23/04/14 to present Matthew has been the Headteacher of Hethersett VC Primary School for 11 years. Before that, he was the Deputy Headteacher at two schools for a total of 6 years. Originally from Buckinghamshire, Matthew now lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire. Prior to this, he lived and worked in Norfolk since 2007. He has two children; one recently graduated from university, and the other attends high school after attending Hethersett VC Primary. Matthew enjoys travelling and is passionate about golf. Additionally, he is a long-suffering West Ham United fan (but please do not hold that against him). |
Duncan Slack Local Authority Governor and current Chair of Governors Term of Office: 26/10/2023 to 25/10/2027 Duncan joined the governors as a Local Authority governor in Autumn term 2011. He has two children, one of whom is a pupil at the school. Duncan works for Children’s Services in Norfolk County Council looking after some of their websites. He is a member of the Premises Committee |
Jo Moir
Term of Office: 17/05/2023 to 16/05/2027 Jo has worked at Hethersett VC Primary since September 2000, initially as the Secretary and now as the School Support Manager. She has seen the school go through many changes and milestone events over the years. Jo is a proud season ticket holder at Ipswich Town FC. |
Marian Hardy Term of Office: 24/10/2022 to 023/10/2026 Marian Hardy is a parent governor joining the governing body in Winter 2022. Marian has lived in Hethersett over 20 years and has two children who attend the school. Marian has worked in IT for over 20 years for a Norwich based company. |
Diane Bainbridge Term of Office: 24/10/2022 to 023/10/2026 Diane qualified as a teacher at the UEA in 2006 and has worked in a several schools across Norfolk and Suffolk. She has held various senior leadership positions including deputy head and acting headteacher. Diane became a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo) in 2016 and held a Trust SENDCo role until 2023. She now works for Norfolk County Council Children’s Services as a SEND Adviser supporting schools with developing inclusion. She has a registered Pets as Therapy dog and is passionate about helping children to achieve their full potential. Diane enjoys travelling and spending time with her family both locally and in Cumbria where she is from. |
Polly Ferris Term of Office: 01/09/2024 to 01/09/2028 |
Tabitha Harper Term of Office: 01/02/2025 to 01/02/2029 |
Leanne Morgan Term of Office: 01/03/2024 to 01/03/2028 |
