Our Governors
Our Governing Body
Northgate Primary School is a community school. Our Governing Body was reconstituted on 1st May 2020 and is made up of 14 governors:
- 3 Parent Governors (elected by the parent body)
Mrs Kirsty Shurety
| 'I am a mum of 2 boys, my eldest currently attends Northgate Primary School and my youngest recently moved to a local specialist school after 2 years as a pupil at Northgate Primary. You may also recognise me from PTFA events, where I was part of the committee as Secretary and later as Vice Chair.
I decided to apply for the Parent Govenor position as we have recently gone through the complicated Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process with our youngest son, who is autistic, and received incredible support from the school and all the staff involved in his care & education whilst he attended Northgate Primary school. It also opened my eyes to the many different special educational needs (SEN) within the school and met so many parents going through the same difficult process. With the experience I gained from the EHCP process and having children with SEN, I hope to assist the school and staff to help support children and families affected by SEN.' |
Mrs Seluakumari Sivaseelan |
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Vacancy
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- 1 Staff Governor (elected by the staff), and the Head Teacher
Mrs Amanda Harrison Head Teacher |
I was delighted to be appointed as the headteacher of Northgate Primary School in September 2020, to work with the Governing Body to continue the drive for school improvement. I am excited about the future of our school and the many opportunities we can offer our young children. I have worked in primary schools for over twenty-five years and am passionate about making sure every child is seen as an individual with many personal strengths and talents. It is our job as educators to ignite a love for learning in everyone so they can achieve their best and have a future they truly deserve.
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Mrs Sarah Nower Deputy Head Teacher
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Newly appointed.
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- 1 Local Authority Governor (appointed by the Local Authority)
Vacancy
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- 8 Co-opted Governors (appointed by the Governing Body based on skills and experience).
Mrs Sarah James
| I have been a Governor now for 4 years. The reason I decided to become a Governor was mainly because my daughter was at Northgate Primary School and I wanted to be more involved in the school because of her being there. During my time as a Governor I have been involved in many changes the school has gone through and I have learnt a great deal. It really is a challenging and interesting experience and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to be part of the schools journey. My background is in strategic management and I worked as an Operational and Strategic Manager for EDF Energy for almost 20 years before retiring to become a lady of leisure. I now run my own pet business, which I thoroughly enjoy. My hobbies include walking, reading and art (mainly painting by numbers).
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Mr Philip Stack
| I have been a co-opted governor at Northgate Primary School since September 2019. I have been the headteacher and a governor at Oriel High School since September 2009 and I am also vice chair of the governing body of Gresham Primary school. I am passionate about education and the opportunities it can provide young people today and in their every tomorrow and I relate to the famous quote of Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" |
Mr Christopher Simonovitch
| I have worked for Royal Mail for 35 years and I enjoy railway modelling, I am a keen photographer, and I am a rail enthusiast. While at work I started a course at college which lead to me studying at Birkbeck College for a degree in Psychology. I am now studying for a master’s degree in psychology with the Open University. Until 2011 I was a school governor for a primary school in Waltham Cross. When I moved to Three Bridges, I applied through Governors for Schools to become a Governor at Northgate Primary School. I became a school governor to give something back to the community by using the skills that I have learnt over the years to help others.
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Mrs Irum Ali Chair of Governors
| I am a mother to an 11 year old and a 15 year old. Both my children attended Northgate Primary School. My son is currently in year 6 and loves school. I wanted to become a governor to support the school and to be a role model for my children. I have a Bachelor (Hons) degree in Business. I have been a Governor for the last five years. I am the designated safeguarding governor. |
Mr Marc Laver | I have worked in the online retail and digital sector for over 10 years. I spent a lot of my time managing colleagues and the administration side of a business where I would look at data and to see how we can improve and future proof the business. I have always had a passion for teamwork, analytics and problem solving. I became a school governor at Northgate Primary School as I wanted to use my professional skills to give back to my local community. In my spare time I enjoy music, play instruments and philosophy. |
Mrs Lavanya Dhinagaravel |
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Ms Katie Piggott
| I have been a involved in education for over 10 years in Buckinghamshire, Sutton and Surrey in a variety of schools. I very much enjoy teaching and providing the best opportunities for children in my day job. When I moved into the area, I wanted to be able to give some of my experience and support back to my local community. |
Mrs Carla Catavitello
| I am a parent governor and I have been appointed in March 2020. I currently work at Tesco as a customer assistant. I moved from Italy to England in 2013 and Northgate Primary had been supportive with my girls when we arrived in Crawley. I decided to join the governor body to give something back to the school and the community who have given so much to my children. I am happy to be part of the team with the objective of making the school the best possible place for the children to thrive and follow their dreams. |
Karen Haynes Clerk to Governors |
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 specifies that individuals acting as members of the Governing Board of an educational establishment (defined as either an educational establishment which is exclusively or mainly for the provision of full-time education to children, or a maintained nursery school) need to undergo a DBS check.
The nominated Governor for Safeguarding is Mrs Rachel Birch.
All governors serve for 4 years from the date of their election or appointment. Parent governors may serve out their term of office even if their child leaves the school. Staff governors end their term if they cease to be employed at the school.
The Full Governing Body meets twice per term.
The Resources Committee meets at least once per term; the Teaching and Learning Committee every half term and the Pay Committee meets at least once per year.
Governor Roles and Responsibilities 2022-2023
Resources Committee: Phil Stack (Chair), Rachel Birch, Carla Catavitello, Chris Simonovitch, Amanda Harrison, Marc Laver.
Teaching & Learning Committee: Katie Piggott (Chair), Sarah James, Irum Ali, Rachel Birch, Carla Catavitello, Phil Stack, Hope Laver, Amanda Harrison and Lavanya Dhinagaravel.
Pay Committee: Chris Simonovitch, Carla Catavitello and Lavanya Dhinagaravel.
Disciplinary /Complaints/Exclusion Panel
3 Non-staff governors will form a panel as necessary
Disciplinary/Complaints/Exclusion Appeals Panel
3 Non-staff governors will form a panel as necessary