Our School Governors 

Our school governors are a very important part of our school community and leadership team. They visit the school regularly and are very involved in many aspects of school life.

We are very lucky to have a group of governors who willingly give their time to support the school. We meet as a Full Governing Board six times a year and every governor visits the school three times yearly as minimum to monitor areas of responsibility in relation to the School Development Plan.

School governors provide strategic, supportive and collaborative leadership, and shared accountability in schools. They are responsible for appointing the headteacher and hold shared responsibility for finance.

The role of the Governing Board is a strategic one and its key functions are to:

• Support the setting of aims and objectives for the school

• Support the adoption of policies for achieving those aims and objectives

• Monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making towards the achievement of its aims and objectives

• Be a source of support and challenge to the headteacher

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Meet our School Governors

Headteacher

I joined Westmeads as Headteacher in September 2021. I have been a leader in education since 2012, working in an inner London Primary School. At Westmeads, we work closely with all stakeholders with delegated responsibilities within the school to ensure the very best outcomes for all of our children.

Co-opted Governor and Chair of the Governing Board.

Matt has responsibility for the Curriculum, for Leadership, and for Management.

I have been a governor at Westmeads for two years; firstly, as a co-opted governor and now as Chair since September 2021. I have worked in schools for most of my working life and was the headteacher of a primary school in Larkfield until 2016. I then spent three years working between London and Northern India, supporting teaching, and learning in 230 rural and tribal schools. I am now working as an education consultant and executive coach across London and Kent. I am looking forward to being a part of the Westmeads journey.

I was delighted to be invited to join the Westmeads board as a co-opted governor in January this year. I have lived very near the school for ten years, so I feel a strong local connection that I look forward to deepening. I have worked for over four decades in the arts, with over twenty at the senior level. I have also served on several boards and am currently a member of the board of Whitstable Biennale. I look forward to a rich relationship with governors, staff, parents, pupils, and all at Westmeads.

Local Authority Governor and Vice Chair of the Governing Board.

Paul is our Health and Safety Governor with additional responsibility for GDPR and Finance.

I became a governor at Westmeads in September 2021. I have been a solicitor for over 25 years, firstly as a partner in an international law firm and then general counsel for a large financial institution. I hope that my legal regulatory and executive board skills will help support my fellow governors to ensure Westmeads is able to be best in class for all of its statutory and local authority requirements. I look forward to getting to know all stakeholders of the school and ensuring Westmeads remains a vibrant hub of the community and gives the children a lifelong love of learning.

Co-opted Governor

Sandra is our Safeguarding and Cyber Safety Governor and the lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Inclusion and Diversity, and Training and Development.

I have worked in education with students from 4-18 years and held a variety of management positions, including a Deputy Headship in a rural Primary school and Head of Sixth form in Kent. Additionally, I was part of a management team offering complementary therapies for holistic health in a residential setting.

I am passionate about young people having the opportunity to be the best version of themselves; I look forward to using this to support your children at Westmeads School.

Parent Governor

Tim is one of our Finance Governors. His other area of responsibility is Leadership and Management.

I was delighted and proud to join the governing board at Westmeads in September 2021. My 3^rd child is a pupil at the school, so my wife and I are commencing year 7 and 9 consecutive years of having children attend Westmeads. During this time, I have been amazed at the caring, nurturing nature of all the teaching and support staff at Westmeads and the passion of everyone we have encountered.

I feel it is time to give something back to the community school that has served our children so well and support Westmeads ambition to serve to community even better and be the best it can be. My experience managing commercial relationships in a global, fast-moving consumer goods company, will enable me to support the finance function of the school and look at things with a fresh pair of eyes.

Beverley is our Staff Governor

I am delighted to have joined the Governing board in September 2022 as elected staff governor. I love education, my specialism is Early Years and I have many years’ experience in leading this stage of education. I really relish working in partnership with families to achieve the best outcomes for children. My other passion is outdoor learning and reading research into the benefits of this. My interests are the positive impacts of forest and coastal schools on children’s personal, social, and emotional development; essential for learning and I’m excited to be implementing this approach at Westmeads.

Parent Governor

Liz is our SEND governor and the lead governor Pupil Premium and Attendance.

I am delighted to have been a parent governor at Westmeads since January 2023. I have two children at Westmeads and have seen first-hand the caring and nurturing environment and dedication of staff across the school to immerse each child in an incredible learning journey with fantastic opportunities and experiences for each and every one.

I, like other parents, am passionate about the education given to our children and am enthusiastic to support the school in its strategy to provide tools to empower all children to succeed. I have worked in risk management, internal audit, and fraud prevention for over 15 years, and hope my experience of helping organisations across both public and private sectors to manage their risks and optimise their processes, will enable me to add value and further support the school in their efforts for continuous improvement.

Governing Board Diversity Data

As a small governing body, the decision has been taken to opt out of publishing diversity data to ensure the board members' anonymity.

Governor Updates

The Governors give a termly update of what they have been getting up to. If you wish to view previous updates and see the work that our Governors do to support the school you can click here to go to our letters page.

If you wish to contact the governing board, please use the contact form below or email Matt Dechaine, the Chair of Governors at mdechaine@westmeads.kent.sch.uk. Alternatively, you can write a letter and give it to the school office.

Link to KCC Governor information on KELSI