Our Governors

Welcome to our Governors’ section. 

Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

Ash Primary School Local Governing Body 2024-2025

Head Teacher - Melissa Gibbons

Staff Governor - Tim Jones

Director Appointed Governor - Georgina Griffiths (Chair of Governors)

Director Appointed Governor - Greg Jones

Foundation Governor - Jane Billington

Parent Governor - Nicola Woodhead

Parent Governor - Sam Dampier

If you are interested in joining our Local Governing Body - please contact 

Mrs Georgina Griffiths

c/o Ash Primary School, Main Street, Martock, Somerset, TA12 6NS

Telephone: 01935 822674

Email: office@ash.ppat365.org

Governance

Many people work hard to ensure Ash Primary School and Nursery is a place where your child enjoys learning and achieves their full potential.

We are a group of local people who want to make a positive contribution to your child’s education here at Ash. 

What do the governors do?

As part of the Preston Primary Academy Trust the School governing body (known as the LGB) play an essential part in raising school standards. Ofsted (the monitoring body for schools) notes that the most effective schools demonstrate excellent leadership and management - and that includes the governing body.

As the Local Governing Body at Ash, we are responsible for the 4s' of governance:

• Safeguarding
• SEND
• Standards
• Stakeholder Engagement

We help the school set high standards and targets for school improvement.

We ensure accountability - we monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making against its objectives.

We help the school respond to the needs of parents and the community.

We also monitor the budget.

We act as a critical friend - we provide support and challenge to the head teacher and teaching staff.

How do we do it?

Regular meetings

We usually hold 4 to 5 full governors’ meetings per year  Extra-ordinary meetings will be arranged if needed.   Each Governor is encouraged to attend to ensure we have the required quorum to proceed with each meeting and to optimise their engagement with the school.

Governors’ meetings include a variety of the following:

Progress updates from the head teacher and 
other members of staff responsible for particular areas of the school curriculum; the opportunity to challenge and ask questions about the running of the school; the chance to thank staff and congratulate them on successes; discussion of particular problems or issues arising in school and how they can be solved efficiently and effectively; debate about how best to spend particular parts of the budget; approval of school policies and procedures.

Governor visits to school

We all enjoy visiting the school and finding out from the children what they are learning, what they are finding difficult and the progress they feel they are making. All visits are recorded and any questions are addressed by the head teacher and staff at the next governors meeting. 

Other support

 We provide a whole range of support to the school in other ways too:

regular progress meetings with the head teacher and other teaching staff; attending visits by external consultants and Ofsted inspectors; help with staff recruitment interviews; safeguarding; supporting school events, productions and trips; improving the buildings and premises. 

Did you know...?

Governors come from every walk of life and many different parts of the community. 

Ash Primary School-Governors, Register of Business or Pecuniary Interests 2025-2026