Governors
Introduction by the Chair of the Governing Body, Mrs Mary Paisey MBE
Welcome to the Leehurst Swan Governor web pages. We are very proud of our school with its well established reputation for high academic and personal achievement and a happy and caring approach based on Christian values.
The Board of Governors at Leehurst Swan provides strategic direction for the school and acts as a critical friend to the Head and staff, working together to ensure the best possible education for present and future pupils.
The school has enjoyed considerable growth and success in recent years and we hope to continue with carefully planned development and improvement while preserving the very special atmosphere and environment provided at Leehurst.
I hope you find the information on these pages helpful and informative.
Mary Paisey
The Governing Body is responsible for the determining the aims and overall conduct of the school. It sets and reviews the policies, plans and procedures to ensure the best possible education for both present and future pupils, including the finances.
The Governing Body at Leehurst Swan currently comprises 13 members. Details of individual governors can be found below. In addition, the Head, Deputy Head and Bursar attend full governing body meetings.
Each governor is a member of one or more committees and has selected an area of the curriculum, as an area of special interest.
The full Board of Governors meets three times a year, (once a term), and has overall responsibility for ensuring compliance and monitoring progress against agreed targets.
Members of the Board are: Governors of the School; Directors of the Company and Trustees of the Charity.
Committee Structure
Each committee has its own terms of reference and delegated responsibilities. In addition to the established committees, ad hoc working groups are sometimes formed to deal with specific issues delegated by the Board.
Steering Group
Chair: Mary Paisey MBE
The Board Steering Group has responsibility for Fees & Remuneration, Audit, Risk and Compliance, Strategic Development planning and Governing Body make up.
Guardian Governors
Chair: Crispin Bickle
The guardian governors are responsible for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils
Estates and Finance
Joint Chair: Jon Field and Julia Phippard
This committee prepares an annual budget and oversees the selection process for the school auditors for approval by the Board. It scrutinises routine financial reports and budget proposals and extraordinary expenditure and monitors overall financial performance and progress of agreed capital expenditure / projects. The committee advises the Board on funding arrangements for any capital expenditure, long term financial planning and overall financial and risk strategy, and on the policies relating to bursaries and scholarships.
Staff Marketing
Chair: Roger Leake
This committee includes Governor representation and co-ordinates all marketing activities of the school, including advertising, local and school events, market research and membership of ISC and other national organisations.
Personnel
Chair: Sarah Hart
The personnel committee oversees the appointment and performance of staff, the performance management system, and the monitoring and review of Disciplinary, Capability and Grievance Procedures and Equal Opportunity Policy.
Curriculum
Chair: Crispin Bickle
The Curriculum Committee oversees the quality of education provided both in terms of the make up of the curriculum, and the standards of teaching. It monitors teaching strategies employed, resources used, learning environment and standards of teaching provided, and extra curricular activities. Additionally it monitors Learning Support, Child Protection, Sex Education, Worship and Equal Opportunities.
Staff Health and Safety
This committee is responsible for the welfare, health and safety of pupils, and includes Governor representation.
Governor biographical details
Mary Paisey, MBE, Chair of Governors
Mary gained a Geography degree at Oxford University and a PGCE at Cambridge University. Before coming to the school she lectured at three different Colleges of Education. When the College at Salisbury closed she came to La Retraite in 1976. She rose to become Head from 1986-1994 and was the first Head not to be a La Retraite Sister. She became a Governor after La Retraite School had merged with the Swan School to become the first Independent Co-Ed Day School in Salisbury.
She was elected Chairman of Governors in March 2011 and chairs the Steering Group. She has been active in the Curriculum Committee, the Estates and Finance Committee and as a Guardian Governor. Mary has five grown up children and nine grandchildren. In 2010 she was awarded the MBE for services to the voluntary sector in Salisbury.
Her husband was Mayor of the City from 2005/6 and she supported him as his Mayoress.
Area of special educational interest: Key Stage 1 and 2, English and Library.
Crispin Bickle
Joined the Board of Governors: 2001.
Crispin has been associated with the school since 1994 when his daughter joined the senior school in Year 7. He joined the PTA. becoming chairman for four years, before joining the Board of Governors where he is currently chairman of the Guardian Governors and the Curriculum Committee.
He is a sales consultant in the retail trade with the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University. He lives in Winterbourne Gunner with his wife Sheila and golden retriever, Amber.
He is a keen supporter of Salisbury City Football Club.
Area of special educational interest: PE.
Jane Esser
Joined the Board of Governors: 2009.
Jane has two children, one of whom is currently in the senior school. Jane previously served as a governor for four years at St Peter’s primary school, in Coggeshall, Essex.
Jane spent 15 year working in financial services PR in the City for a number of banking and financial institutions including Barclays and Lloyd’s of London, before moving out to become Essex County Council’s internal communications manager.
Jane and her family moved to Salisbury in September 2008. She currently works in PR and Communications at Hampshire County Council in Winchester.
Jane is a member of the Curriculum Committee.
Area of special educational interest: Modern Foreign Languages
Caroline Ferguson
Joined the Board of Governors: 2009
Caroline has two children one of whom was a pupil in the senior school. Previously she was a governor of St. Mark’s Junior School, Salisbury.
Caroline has worked in the NHS for the past 40 years in many and varied roles in Southampton, London and Dorset. She currently works in the field of Safeguarding Children for Wiltshire Community Health Service.
Caroline is a member of the Curriculum Committee and the Guardian Governors.
Area of special educational interest: Art, child protection.
Jon Field
Joined the Board of Governors: 2005
Jon is joint Chair of the Finance and Estates Committee
Area of special educational interest: Photography and DT.
Roger Godwin
Joined the Board of Governors: 2010
Roger is a member of the Finance and Estates Committees.
Area of special educational interest: Geography and Music.
Sarah Hart
Joined the Board of Governors: 2006
Sarah attended the University of Birmingham, obtaining a degree in Geography. She spent her early career in Estate and Leasehold property management in London before moving to Salisbury and working for a firm of commercial estate agents.
Sarah currently works for the Diocesan Registry dealing with all legal queries for the Bishop of Salisbury and the Bishop of Winchester and their Dioceses. She also manages marketing activity for a local law practice.
Sarah is married with three children, all of whom have been or are still at Leehurst Swan, and a dog who accompanies her to work.
Sarah is currently Chair of Personnel and a member of the Curriculum Committee .
Area of special educational interest: Learning Support.
John Lawrence
Joined the Board of Governors: 2004
John first joined the governing board of Leehurst Swan as Chairman’s secretary, a non-executive role. He was then invited to join the Board and became a Governor at the AGM in March 2007.
John has two daughters who were at the school between 1987 and 1997 and was a member of the PTA during that time. He moved to Salisbury with his wife in 1983 shortly before the birth of his first daughter.
John has worked in IT since 1973 and has been working as an technical IT Consultant for Friends Life (formerly Friends Provident) in Salisbury for the last 23 years. Previously he was a freelance IT developer for 8 years, working with various institutions and industry sectors as diverse as television advertising and the MOD. Apart from work and school, John is actively involved in a local church of which he is the treasurer.
John is a member of the Finance & Estates Committee and the Personnel Committee and takes minutes for these committees and the Governors’ Full Board meetings and Steering Group.
Area of special educational interest: Drama.
Michael New
Joined the Board of Governors: 2008
Michael is currently Deputy Chair of the Board. He has four daughters all of whom have grown up and left home. Michael has previously been a Governor at the village junior school during the early 80′s where his younger girls attended. He has had three major careers since leaving school 45 years ago – farming, financial consultant, and his current profession, Funeral Director.
Michael is also a JP. He is a member of the Steering Group, curriculum and finance and estates committee, as well as a Guardian governor.
Michael moved to Salisbury, from North Wiltshire, in 1981.
Area of special educational interest: Humanities
Julia Phippard
Joined the Board of Governors: 2009.
Julia is the Chair of the Finance and Estates Committee (joint with John Field) and also a member of the Personnel Committee.
Julia has spent 25 years working for Lloyds Banking Group in Information Technology and she is currently a Head of IT. She also has many years change management experience, delivering numerous projects across the organisation.
Julia has lived locally to Salisbury since the age of seven, having spent the first few years in Germany and Cyprus with her father in the armed forces. Julia’s eldest son attended Leehurst in Years 5 and 6.
Area of special educational interest: Maths and IT
Richard Thorp
Joned the Board of Governors: 2012.
Bridget Watson
Joined the Board of Governors: 2011.
Bridget has two children one of whom was at La Retraite from 1994 to 2002. During this time, Bridget was on the PTA, latterly as Secretary.
She trained as a Primary teacher (B.Ed Leeds) and taught for three years with 6 – 8 yr olds. Bridget moved many times with her husband, who was in the Army, and family, but continued to help as a volunteer in schools when she could.
She settled in Salisbury in 1991 where she has continued to help in schools and became main carer for both her parents.
She is a Guardian Governor and a member of the Curriculum and Health & Safety Committees.
Area of special educational interest: Pre-Prep.