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.
The key role of the Governors is to support the school as critical friends, providing a strategic overview and ensuring accountability. They are unpaid volunteers who represent the community the school serves. As a Voluntary Controlled C of E School 3 of the governors are Foundation governors.
If you wish to contact the governors all communication should be addressed to Miss Hannah Simpson, the clerk, via the school office.
The governing body is made up of 12 governors as shown below:
Mr James McAuley - Co-opted Governor - Interim Chair
Term of office expires: April 2023
Learning & Development & Strategy committee
Since graduating from the University of Kent, I have spent 20 years working in the education sector, firstly in Further and Higher Eduction and then training as a secondary teacher in 2004. My experience includes a range of roles including leading international marketing strategies for universities and colleges, being a Lead Practitioner for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (aiming to improve the quality of teaching in schools across the country) and pastoral and academic leadership in a large secondary school.
I also have two children who have attended St Nicholas-at-Wade Primary, who have both loved the many opportunities it has provided them with.
I believe that it is my responsibility as Chair of the Learning and Development Committee and as Vice-Chair of the Governing Body to both assist and challenge the school to continually improve the quality of education which it offers to its pupils. Thus ensuring that the very best level of service is offered to the local community despite the increasingly challenging financial constraints faced within education.
Mrs Lois Gunn - Parent Governor - Interim Vice-Chair
Term of office expires: October 2022
Learning & Development committee
My husband and I have two children at the school. I am a qualified primary school teacher with many years experience teaching children with Autism and special educational needs. I have a BSc degree in Social Psychology and am interested in psychology and promoting positive mental health generally.
I also attended the school as a child and now live in the village so I am very aware of issues that present themselves to a small village school. In my current role as a teacher I have led my school to gaining the Gold level UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award. We have found that teaching children about their rights has been an incredibly valuable experience and made them more aware of not only their own rights as young people but also national and global issues that affect others.
As well as my background in education I am creative and have a small online shop selling handmade jewellery and art. I enjoy sports and play netball in the Thanet league.
I am a sensitive person and think deeply about issues that affect our children in this ever changing world, I strive to help people and make things better, I am approachable and friendly and hope that I can contribute to the future of the school through being part of the governing body.
Please feel free to stop me at drop off or pick up for a chat if you would like to.
Rev. Karen Gooding - Ex officio Governor
Term of office expires: January 2116
Learning & Development committee
I am mother of five adult children and for many years I was a music and primary school teacher and Early Years lecturer. I have trained for ordination in Lincoln and have subsequently worked in London parishes and as a school chaplain.
St Nicholas Church stands open to welcome everyone all daylight hours. My passion is to enable everyone to feel that they have a place in God’s heart. Church is one of the very few places left in society where people of all ages and varied interests can gather and find this to be enriching and excitingly true!
Mr Peter Paul - Foundation Governor
Term of office expires: April 2021
Resources & Strategy committee
I was born in the village and attended this school, as did most of my family including my father, sister, wife and daughter. I have been a Diocesan appointed governor for a long time (over sixteen years) and at present I am Chair of the Resources Team (which keeps an eye on finances, premises etc).
Mr Harvie Palmer - Co-Opted Governor
Term of office expires: February 2023
Resources committee
My name is Harvie and I am currently the Trust IT Manager for Viking Academy Trust. I have previously worked at St Nicholas on a contracted basis for my previous company so know the school & staff well.
I feel my IT knowledge and previous experience as a Finance Governor enables me to give advice & recommendations to the school governing body with regards to IT and communication systems, ensuring the school is as up to date as it can be where the budget allows.
Children are at the forefront of all we do in education and being able to assist in ensuring they have a learning environment equipped to prepare them for the future is one of the main reasons I decided to apply to be a governor at St Nicholas.
Mrs Janet Graham - Co-opted Governor
Term of office expires: May 2023
Learning & Development Committee
I am a qualified teacher graduating from Leeds University. I later completed a Masters Degree at Canterbury Christ Church. I had 35 years experience when I retired 4 years ago. I was a teacher in the Medway Towns followed by a Deputy Headship in Faversham and finally 25 years as a Head Teacher at a village school in Thanet.
I have experience of leading and managing a village school, an understanding of data and the curriculum as well as financial issues which face schools. I continued to teach in the classroom throughout my headship. I believe this gave me a clear understanding of the curriculum, planning, marking and assessment and the pressures which teachers face every day.
I have lived in St Nicholas for 20 years and my son attended the school.
My other interests include history, especially family history and local history. I completed detailed research on the First World War soldiers on the war memorial in the village where the school I worked in was situated. I am also interested in art, gardening and walking. I am the treasurer of the St Nicholas at Wade and Sarre Gardeners’ Club.
Mrs Lisa Shaw - Parent Governor
Term of office expires: April 2023
I was in the Police for 12 years specialising as a detective within child protection which is a role I loved and found very rewarding, alongside this I also worked as Family Liaison Officer supporting families who had experienced bereavement.
I am married with 3 children 2 of whom attend the school and another due to start in September.
I am in my 3rd year as vice chair of the PTFA, I love being involved in organising the events for the children and seeing their enjoyment while also raising much needed money for the school and am sure that these two roles will compliment each other and benefit the school.
I wanted to be a parent governor to be more involved with the school and how it works as well as having a keen personal interest in child welfare, development and education.
In my role as a parent governor no matter what decisions I am involved in I will always have the best interests of the children at heart.
Mrs Poppy Montgomery - Foundation Parochial Church Council Governor
Term of office expires: July 2023
Mrs Cheryl Pearce - Associate Member
Term of office expires: July 2023