Our Governors
School Governors and the role in school-
The Governors of the school are like a Board of Directors. They oversee what the school does and makes sure that it is working effectively and meet at least twice a term at school.
Parents can contact the Chair of Governors directly by leaving a message at the school.
Governors are appointed to support the school and ask questions about how it is working.
In addition they…
- Monitor standards of teaching and learning
- Interview and select staff
- Decide how the school budget is spent
- Look after the school building
- Help the school contribute to the community
- Review the head teacher’s performance
School governors have legal duties, powers and responsibilities. They act together for the good of the school, but cannot act individually.
The structure of the Geoffrey Field Junior School Governing Body is:
- 2 parent governors
- 1 Local Authority governor
- 1 staff governor
- 1 Headteacher
- 6 co-opted governors
| Name | Type | Date of Appointment | Roles |
| Emma Berry | Staff | 10/03/2025 |
|
| VACANT | Co-opted | ||
| Liz Kenrick | Local Authority | 10/03/2025 |
Pupil Premium Link, Pay Committee, HTPM |
| Rebecca Brown | Head |
Head Teacher |
|
| Sophie Appleby | Co-opted | 18/01/2021 | Vice Chair, Safeguarding Link, ECT Link, Pay Appeals Panel |
| Dave Marks | Associate |
Deputy Head |
|
| Anthony Egan | Co-opted | 06/02/2023 |
Chair, Finance committee, Pupil Outcomes Link, Compliance Link, Chair of Pay Committee, HTPM |
| Karolina Polak | Parent | 30/09/2024 |
Compliance Link, Finance Committee |
| Abdurrahman Adebiyi | Parent | 09/10/2023 | Finance Committee |
| Alex Cobb | Co-opted | 15/04/2024 | Pupil Premium link, Finance Link, Chair of Finance Committee |
| Lizzie Sowter | Co-opted | 15/05/2025 |
The governing body can also invite people to be associate members if specific additional skills and expertise are needed. Associate governors play a full part in meetings but have limited voting rights.
The governing body is organised into smaller committees which meet separately from, and report back to, the full governing body. There are currently two permanent committees:
- Finance Committee
- Pay and Performance Review Committee
Additional committees can be formed as needed for Pupil Discipline, Hearings, and Appeals. The Chair of Governors calls these meetings when they are needed and will nominate appropriate members of the governing body to take part.
The governing board of Geoffrey Field Junior School actively seeks to be diverse. We collect diversity data from our governors however, due to the small size of the governing board and to protect governor’s privacy, this information is not published on the school website but is available by request. Please email the clerk to the governing body for assistance if you have any queries – clerk@geoffreyfield-jun.reading.sch.uk.
Alex Cobb
| Name | Alex Cobb |
| Type of Appointment | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body | Governing Body |
| Date of Appointment | 15/04/2024 |
| Term of Office | 4 years |
| Committees |
Finance Committee |
| Positions of Responsibility |
Chair of the Finance Committee |
| Relevant Business/Pecuniary Interests | Waingels College |
| Governance Roles in other schools | N/A |
| Governor/school staff relationship | N/A |
|
Attendance at Meetings 2025/26 |
FGB: 1/1 Finance: |
| 2024/25 Attendance |
FGB: 4/4 Finance: 3/3 |
| Stepped Down |
Liz Kenrick
| Name | Liz Kenrick |
| Type of Appointment | Local Authority (TBC) |
| Appointing Body | Governing Body |
| Date of Appointment | 30/09/2024 |
| Term of Office | 4 years |
| Committees |
Pay Committee, HTPM |
| Positions of Responsibility |
Chair Curriculum & Outcomes Working Group Pastoral & SEND Working Group |
| Relevant Business/Pecuniary Interests |
NIL |
| Governance Roles in other schools |
|
| Governor/school staff relationship | |
| Attendance at Meetings 2025/26 |
FGB: 1/1 Pay: |
| 2024/25 Attendance | FGB: 4/4 |
| Stepped Down |
VACANT
| Name | |
| Type of Appointment | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body | Governing Board |
| Date of Appointment | |
| Term of Office | 4 years |
| Committees | |
| Positions of Responsibility |
|
| Relevant Business/Pecuniary Interests | |
| Governance roles in other schools | |
| Governor/school staff relationship | |
| Attendance at Meetings |
|
| Stepped Down |
Sophie Appleby
| Name | Sophie Appleby |
| Type of Appointment | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body | Governing Board |
| Date of Appointment | 18/01/2021, reappointed 10/03/2025 |
| Term of Office | 4 years |
| Committees | Pay |
| Positions of Responsibility |
Curriculum & Outcomes Working Group Safeguarding |
| Relevant Business/Pecuniary Interests | St George’s School, Ascot |
| Governance roles in other schools | none |
| Governor/school staff relationship | none |
| Attendance at Meetings 2025/26 |
FGB: 1/1 |
| 2024/25 Attendance | FGB: 4/4 |
| Stepped Down |
Abdurrahman Adebiyi
| Name | Abdurrahman Adebiyi |
| Type of Appointment | Parent |
| Appointing Body | Governing Board |
| Date of Appointment | 09/10/2023 |
| Term of Office | 4 years |
| Committees | Finance |
| Positions of Responsibility | none |
| Relevant Business/Pecuniary Interests | none |
| Governance roles in other schools | none |
| Governor/school staff relationship | none |
| Attendance at Meetings 2025/26 |
FGB: 0/1 Finance: |
| 2024/25 Attendance | FGB: 3/4 Finance: 3/3 |
| Stepped Down |
Anthony Egan
| Name | Anthony Egan |
| Type of Appointment | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body | Governing Board |
| Date of Appointment | 03/02/2023 |
| Term of Office | 4 years |
| Committees | Finance, Pay, HTPM |
| Positions of Responsibility |
Vice-Chair Curriculum & Outcomes Working Group |
| Relevant Business/Pecuniary Interests | none |
| Governance roles in other schools | none |
| Governor/school staff relationship | none |
| Attendance at Meetings 2025/26 |
FGB: 1/1 Finance: Pay: |
| 2024/25 Attendance | FGB: 4/4 Finance: 3/3 |
| Stepped Down |
Karolina Polak
| Name | Karolina Polak |
| Type of Appointment | Parent Governor |
| Appointing Body | Governing Board |
| Date of Appointment | 30/09/2024 |
| Term of Office | 4 years |
| Committees | Finance Committee |
| Positions of Responsibility |
Compliance Link HTPM |
| Relevant Business/Pecuniary Interests | none |
| Governance Roles in other schools | none |
| Governor/school staff relationship | none |
| Attendance at Meetings 2025/26 |
FGB: 0/1 Finance: |
| 2024/25 Attendance | FGB: 4/4 Finance: 3/3 |
| Stepped Down |
Lizzie Sowter
| Name | Lizzie Sowter |
| Type of Appointment | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body | Governing Board |
| Date of Appointment | 15/05/2025 |
| Term of Office | 4 years |
| Committees | Pay Appeals Committee |
| Positions of Responsibility |
Compliance Link Pastoral & SEND Working Group |
| Relevant Business/Pecuniary Interests | none |
| Governance Roles in other schools | none |
| Governor/school staff relationship | none |
| Attendance at Meetings 2025/26 |
FGB: 1/1 Finance: |
| 2024/25 Attendance | FGB: 1/1 |
| Stepped Down |
School governors are…
- Parents
- Teachers and other staff at the school
- Local council representatives
- Representatives from the community or industry
- The head teacher
Parent governors…
- Have a child at the school
- Are elected by parents of the school
- Serve, as do other governors, for four years
Parent governors bring the views of parents to the governing body but are not delegates of the parents. If you would like to be a parent governor, please ask the head teacher or the school secretary for details.
Our clerk is Nicola Toomey
The following are governors who have served within the past 12 months:
| Full Name | Date of Appointment | Term of Office | Date Stepped Down | Appointing Body | Attendance Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tabitha Kirby | 30/09/2024 | 29/09/2028 | 08/09/2025 | Governing Body | FGB 1/4 |