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Governor Information & Duties

Meet our Governors

Chair of Governors: Laurie Smith

Appointed: 05/11/21

Committees: Headteacher Performance Management, Pay Committee, Disciplinary Panel

Particular interests: The arts, creativity in the classroom, enriching curricular and extra-curricular opportunities.

Why I want to be a governor: I have worked inside the classroom as a teacher for over 20 years and believe that working with young people is the best job in the world. In my view all children regardless of their community and socio-economic background are entitled to an exciting, engaging and accessible education that has their best interests at heart and develops their personality, talents and abilities to the full.  Being a governor is a fantastic opportunity to help strategically guide the school to ensure that all children receive a fantastic education. 

Personal information: In my day job I am a Director of Music for a large Multi Academy Trust on the Wirral, working across both primary and secondary schools. I am a Mum to 3 gorgeous girls. In our spare time, we love to go on adventures as a family, and often go away in our campervan. I am a keen musician and play the saxophone, flute and piano.

Other governing bodies: None

Business or pecuniary interests: None

Personal connections: None

Contact: chair@mount.wirral.sch.uk

Vice Chair: Sean Jones

Appointed (date): 01/09/21

Committees: Appeals

Particular interests: Walking, Geography, Cycling, Technology, Podcasts, and Audiobooks.

Why I want to be a governor: I live locally in the community and believe in improving the educational opportunities for all children. I just so happened to come into contact with a teacher at the school on my road after she had attended one of my geography briefings. They talked about how their school was in need of a governor from the wider community. I was already a governor of another school at the time and new of the benefits of supporting a school community in that way. Before I knew it, I was governor at Mount Primary.

Personal information: In my day job I am a School Improvement Officer. This involves working with schools to develop their curriculum subjects. I specialise in English, Phonics, Geography, D&T and Computing. I am the father of two young children. I am originally from Liverpool and moved to New Brighton in 2021.

Other governing bodies: None

Business or pecuniary interests: The school attends the briefings of the company I work for. 

Personal connections: None

Co-Opted Governor  Phil Ashton

Appointed: 08/06/2021

Committees: Pay Committee, Headteacher's Performance Management Committee

Particular interests: SEND, Safeguarding and Finance

Why I want to be a governor: As a parent of several children with SEND with experience of the process for Education Health Care Plans and therapeutic learning, Trauma and Attachment I wanted to share my experiences and knowledge and champion a whole learning approach within the mainstream school environment.  I am also experienced with local authority procurement contract management I felt I could help apply my skills in my working role to help support the school.  In addition I have been on numerous courses relating to children’s mental health.  I was previously Vice Chair at Mount Primary School and share my knowledge with the board.

Personal information: I am employed by the Local Authority in the Network Management Team.  My spare time I enjoy Wargaming, hillwalking, adventure activities (zip wires, exploring hidden Britain), computer gaming and as a family interacting with historical monuments as well as travelling all over the UK to learn about our past. I would say we are always busy every weekend!

Other governing bodies: Stanley School - Specialist Primary School Vice Chair

Business or pecuniary interest: None

Personal connections: Parent

Staff Governor: Terence Ryan

Appointed: 17/11/21

Committees: None

Particular interests:  I began working at Mount in 2015 and I have loved working across KS2. I have predominantly worked in Year 6 and that is where I am currently teaching. I love teaching Year 6 as it is such an important transitional year and I welcome the pressure of ensuring they leave Mount Primary School as good role models who are ready to tackle the next stage of their life. I am also PE lead for the school and have responsibilities for allocating the premium sports budget and assessing its impact. Some of my main passions are to ensure all children are taught a rich curriculum, they have access to a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities and have opportunities to participate in competitive sport. As a school, we ensure we are inclusive and this is something that underpins everything that we do.

Why I want to be a governor: The reason I decided to join the governing board was because, as a teacher, I really wanted to understand how the school operated behind the scenes. Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to understand and do what I can to help drive positive changes and I believe that is what we have done and that is what we will continue to do. It is important that our staff have a voice among the governing board and I am more than happy to fulfil this role. I love a challenge and I love working collaboratively for the benefit of all the children who come through the doors at Mount.

Personal information: On a personal level, I have a partner called Amy who is a midwife and I have two children- a five year old girl called Holly and a 1 month old boy called Robin. As a family, we love to go on holidays and days out but we also appreciate the simple pleasures of going for lovely walks and getting some fresh air. I also love to spend time with friends, keep active, play games and read non-fiction books.

Other governing bodies: None

Business or pecuniary interest: None

Personal connections: None

Parent Governor: Henry Finney

Appointed: December 2022

Committees: N/A

Particular interests: Maths, Visual Arts and SEND

Why I want to be a governor: 

I have one child at Mount Primary, another who is expected to follow in few years and can proudly claim to be an ex-pupil myself. As parent governor, I hope to represent the views and expectations parents hold in helping inform decisions that shape the school. In additional to my interest as a parent, I also have a broader appreciation of the individual experiences people have throughout education. Working with adult learners, I witness how their experiences of education remain with them for many years afterwards, so it’s exciting to see where it all begins. In particular, my areas of interest lie in art and maths, as well as offering my expertise and experience in learning support and special educational needs/disabilities (SEND). For myself, Mount Primary was a safe, nurturing and friendly place rooted in its community. I’m really keen to help the school achieve its objectives where I can and hope to contribute in giving the current pupils the same experiences I had.

Personal information: 

I live only a short distance from the school and enjoy the chance to walk in at drop-off or pick-up, occasionally bumping into old classmates doing the same. I have a personal interest in art, both producing and exhibiting paintings when and where I can. With the rest of my time taken up by family activities and/or tidying and washing, my wife and I are sometimes fortunate enough to squeeze in a pizza and classic 1980’s movie from time to time.

Other governing bodies: None

Business or pecuniary interest: None

Personal connections: One daughter in Year 2 and one father who previously sat as governor (Simon Finney).

Parent Governor: Tom Foulkes

Appointed: Nov 22

Committees:

Particular interests: STEM, Health and Safety and Environment

I am the lead Governor for STEM and health and safety within the school and strategically support both the PTA and eco-coordinator.   

I am interested in community, environment and ecology.  I love the outdoors and the inspiration it holds for people and our kids.  I enjoy watching football as much as an Everton fan can and enjoy fishing braving the British weather to fish on the Mersey or Welsh coast when I can.

Why I want to be a governor: 

As a parent and someone who works daily to improve life chances for communities on Wirral I know that schools are the heart of our community.  School is such an important part of a child’s life. It can be a safe, welcoming place where children can be themselves, develop as people, enjoy learning and, most importantly, be happy.  I believe that creating this positive environment is a shared responsibility between our teaching staff, parents, our local authority and our wider community.  

I became a parent Governor to support and challenge our school community to do the best for our children and its families.  Helping parents feel engaged and have confidence that their children are thriving at school.  I want to ensure that our school gets the most out of all the available opportunities.  I will do this by improving links with local community organisations and support increasing income for the school.

Personal information: 

I have been a Wallasey resident my whole life and know the area well.  I am currently employed by Bee Wirral CiC as a Service Lead for their mens wellbeing project The Eelemental Project.  A service that manages activities to decrease isolation in men, improve wellbeing and create safe spaces to talk openly.  I manage the team in the day-to-day delivery as well as write strategy and policy for the project and find funding to reach these strategic goals.  Before this I worked for Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Merseytravel.  I was a programme manager of highways projects and led a team promoting sustainable transport with schools developing travel plans and encouraging more environmentally friendly and safer travel to and from school. I hope to bring the skills, experience and contacts I have made through my career to benefit our school and our school community.

Other governing bodies: None

Business or pecuniary interest: None

Personal connections: I have two children in Mount Primary and my cousins also attended Mount Primary.  Mount Primary is our closest school and many of the parents in our school I am lucky to call friends live nearby. 

LA Governor: Laura-Jane Brown

Appointed: October 2023.

Committees: Appeals Panel.

Particular interests: Physical and Mental Health and Well-being; Finance. 

Why I want to be a governor: 

I am a passionate, honest, and self-motivated individual who loves adding value. I care about people, and I want to ensure that all children receive the highest standards of education at Mount Primary. I am incredibly committed, and I love giving back to local communities to make a difference. I am excited and enthused to strategically support the school so that every child has opportunities to grow, develop and flourish. I am also equally excited to support and work with the staff at Mount Primary to ensure we achieve our aim and live to our values in a happy and vibrant environment. Being a Governor is a rewarding role, one that I am privileged to do. 

Personal information: 

Outside of Mount Primary I am a Senior Programme Manager/Nurse working in a specialist hospital that provides care and services to patients and other hospitals within Cheshire and Merseyside. I have a beautiful daughter who is studying law in university. I enjoy spending time with family, my beautiful dog Maggy, and friends. I love reading and anything to do with animals and nature brings me joy. 

Other governing bodies: NHS Constitution. 

I am Staff Governor for the Nursing Constituency with my current workplace. 

Business or pecuniary interest: None.

Personal connections: None. 

 

 

 

 

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