Governors

Petts Hill Primary School governors

Whether you are a prospective or existing parent please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or concerns.

Opportunities to join the governing body arise at regular intervals. There is currently one vacancy for a parent governors. We are always keen to hear from parents who may be interested in joining the governing body – please contact the school for more details.

Category of Governor	Name	Term of Office	Area of Responsibility	Declaration of business interests
Community Governors Co-opted	Mr Mathew Bennett (Interim Chair)	26 November 2020 To 25 November 2024	Finance and Resources Health & Safety	None to declare Sept 23
Community Governors Co-opted	Ms Christos Faleye	11 June 2020 To 10 June 2024	SEN Race and Equality	None to declare Sept 23
Parent Governors	Mrs Nora Durajda	19 October 2023 To 18 October 2027	Safeguarding	None to declare Oct 23
Community Governors Co-opted	Mr Dinesh Thurai	10 March 2022 To 9 March 2026	Curriculum	None to declare Sept 23
Head Teacher	Mrs Katherine Flewitt	Start Sept 2003		None to declare Sept 23
Staff Governor	Mrs Nina Shah-Onwukwe	2 March 2024 To 1 March 2028	Curriculum	None to declare Mar 24
Observer/Deputy Headteacher	Mrs Laura McGregor		English & Maths	None to declare Sept 23
Clerk to Governing Body	Mrs Lesley Tucker			None to declare Sept 23

Click below to see the register of governor appointments and FGB meeting attendance

click here to view the governor appointments and FGB meeting attendance

What do Governors do?

School governing bodies are responsible for working with the school to ensure that it delivers a good quality education.

Together with the headteacher, who is responsible for day-to-day management, they set the school's aims and policies. The governors act as a “critical friend” to the school, monitoring and overseeing the smooth running of the school and supporting and listening to staff and parents. The governing body is responsible for the overall management of the school and for determining its aims, objectives and policies in accordance with all the relevant legislation. The head manages the school from day to day and is the governing body’s principal professional adviser who assists it with the formulation and implementation of its aims, objectives, policies and plans.

School governors help our school provide the best possible education for our pupils by:

Thinking and working strategically to help raise standards;
Monitoring and evaluating progress towards the school’s priorities and targets;
Supporting the head and staff as well as challenging their expectations;
Accounting to all stakeholders for the school’s overall performance and for the decisions they have made;
Promote high standards of educational attainment and ensure continued school improvement;
Set targets for pupil achievement
Take general responsibility for the conduct of the school;
Manage the school’s budget, including deciding how many staff will work there and their pay;
Make sure that the curriculum is balanced and broadly based, in particular that the National Curriculum and religious education are taught, and report on pupils’ achievement in National Curriculum assessments and examination results;
Participate in the appointment of staff (including appointing the head teacher) and regulate staff conduct and discipline, and;
Approve an action plan after an inspection by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted);
Ensure provision for pupils with statements of special educational needs;
Set standards of behaviour;
Assist with the preparation of a school profile for parents;
Deal with complaints;
Hear appeals against pupil exclusions;
Fulfil duties placed on governing bodies by the Department for Education.

Christos Faleye

Since secondary school, I have always wanted to be a governor simply because of my passion for positively shaping the educational experience of students and investing efforts into the future of all learners. I believe it’s our responsibility to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn from exceptional teachers and in a safe and supportive environment.
Christos graduated with a master’s degree in Chemical Biology and currently works in the Financial Technology Industry with 5 years of experience as a Software Engineer. Prior to starting her career, she volunteered as a student teacher, teaching Mathematics in South Africa over two summers during university. She also worked as a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) for college students in the UK after university. Her experiences as a student teacher and LSA further motivated her to be more involved in schools to hopefully make a difference and share her knowledge and skills in a practical manner.

Nora Durajda

As a mother of two I have my children’s best interest in heart and I was always concerned about the quality of the education they would receive. Being a parent governor gives me the opportunity to have an insight and positively influence the school’s improvement. I would also love to be part of creating the best environment for all the students.

Overall, I am a committed, passionate and driven individual. I would also like to believe that I am seen as an approachable and helpful person by others.

I am currently a full-time mother. I used to work in a student accommodation as an Assistant Manager, where our main aim was to create a safe and welcoming home for our University and College students. I have also worked in one of the cinema chains as a Manager for 12 years.

I am interested to learn more about children’s and young adult’s mental health, and I recently applied to be a volunteer at a charity organisation called SHOUT, which provides support for people with mental health emergencies. I have a strong passion for Kung Fu, which I have been training for the last 11 years. Kung Fu has taught me motivation and self-discipline, which I believe to be invaluable in life. My other personal hobbies are reading books, in particular thrillers. I am also a huge football fan.

Matthew Bennett

My passion for people, development, education and for wanting to give back, made joining Petts Hill as a governor very easy.

I believe that there are many transferable skills that I have built and crafted in my professional and personal life that I can share - to the benefit of Petts Hill and ultimately the fantastic pupils at the school.

My professional experience has spanned various directorates including finance, sales, commercial and operations which has given me a breadth and depth of exposure in the telecommunications industry.

Therefore, as a qualified accountant and the head of a commercial department - I can help drive the right decisions to achieve the schools goals and objectives while learning new skills everyday.

Dinesh Thurai

Dinesh has been in teaching for nearly 14 years now with a wealth of experience within an educational setting. He has taught in three schools as Secondary teacher with middle leadership, and senior leadership experience teaching ages 12-18. From Head of Department to Assistant and Deputy Head posts he has helped develop new teachers from trainee teachers to ECTs in both a Primary and Secondary School phases in line with the teaching standards. He has been heavily involved with schools’ examinations, policies, assessment recording and reporting and overseeing the school website to ensure compliance.

Having relocated Dinesh has now moved to a school in West London taking a middle leadership post to spend more time with his family. He has become a governor to assist the governing board to develop the strategic direction of the school

He has taught in three schools as Secondary teacher with middle leadership, and senior leadership experience.