Governors

Governors are the formal strategic body who meet once each term to set priorities for the school and agree on the long term plans including the school budget. Our Governors are volunteers from the local school community who work together to ensure that the school is well managed. The Headteacher and representatives from the school work force are also members of the Governing Body.

Role of Chair of Governors

I am the elected elected Chair of Governors at Mersey Park., following on in the role from the superb work undertaken by Val Maher who continues to serve on the Board.

I have worked in the education and training sector for over 25 years, most recently as Director of MGL, a schools-based IT company working across the North West who have worked in partnership with Mersey Park over a number of years. The Governing Body is made up of parents, staff, representatives of the community and the Local Authority. The governors have a range of duties we are legally bound to carry out. Using the members’ skills, knowledge and experience to support the head teacher and senior leaders, we all work together for school improvement.

The governors have the following responsibilities:-

to help set the strategic direction using the School Development Plan
to review and monitor the children’s progress and achievement
to act as a critical friend to the head teacher and staff, offering support and constructive advice and also challenging and asking probing questions when necessary
to make decisions around safeguarding, health and safety, staffing and premises
to set a legal budget in line with the school’s priorities.

Governors see the well being of all stakeholders as crucial to ensuring a happy, forward looking school community.

The role of governor is a voluntary one. We all give freely of our time to read paperwork, attend meetings, visit classrooms, attend special events and enrol on courses and training.

I have always been impressed by the strong leadership provided by Mrs Thomas and her team at Mersey Park, ensuring that each child has access to a safe, happy and diverse learning environment. The school will always seek to maximise the potential of your child, and work in partnership with you as parents or carers to ensure that each child realises their full potential in these crucial years of their development. I understand that academic success is important, but the Governors understand that school life involves far more than that, and we will always support activities that enrich the learning and life experiences of your child. The school recently attained an ‘Outstanding’ outcome in our Ofsted Inspection. This reflects the excellent work undertaken in school, that can only continue to thrive with the full involvement of parents and carers in all aspects of decision-making.

I am proud to be a member of the Governing Body at Mersey Park Primary School. I would like to thank all Governors and staff for their commitment and loyalty to the school in ensuring that we are part of a shared vision of continuous improvement.

If you would like to contact me, please do so through the school office.

Mark Gilbertson
Chair of Governors.

Meet MPPS Governors

	Jan Lambeth
	Category of Governor	Community Governor
	Appointed by	School
	Term of office	16.09.22 – 15.09.26
	Committees	Curriculum, Resource & Management, Budget Setting
	Responsibility	Chair, Attendance, Maths, Rights Respecting Schools
	Other information	I am a recently retired headteacher of another local primary school and I am enjoying being part of Mersey Park Primary School Governors Team. My interests include improving outcomes for vulnerable pupils and families. I have one son who is a young Captain in the Army.

	Maria MacDonough
	Category of Governor	Staff Governor
	Appointed by	Staff
	Term of office	05.10.2020 – 04.10.2024
	Committees
	Responsibility
	Other information	I have been a full time class teacher at Mersey Park for 11 years, working across all key stages. During this time I have gained vast knowledge of school life and experiences of our children. I feel I have built fantastic working relationships with all members of staff across the school and with my cheery and helpful personality I feel I can represent them all as a staff governor. Currently I teach Foundation 2 and I believe that early years provides a good foundation for children’s education. As governor I feel I can give these children a voice, discussing their needs for the when they start school and celebrating how far they have come by the end of Foundation stage, discussing their many achievements and the exciting things they learn about and do in the classroom. I would bring an honest and hard-working approach to the role and I look forward to working along-side Mrs Thomas and other Governors in making our school an even bigger success.

	Andrew Colwell
	Category of Governor	Community Governor
	Appointed by	School
	Term of office	28.09.2022 – 27.09.2026
	Committees	Budget Setting, Resource & Management
	Responsibilty	Parental Engagement, Science, Art & DT
	Other information	I have over 25 years’ experience of either holding senior positions within UK/International businesses or running my own business. Although I am a new governor. I am already impressed with the work that the children do and the teaching staff deliver. I love the values of the school and over the comin years I hope to be able to add some additional value as my role as governor. Originally from Liverpool I have lived on the Wirral for over 20 years and I am married with two children.

	Martyn Foster
	Category of Governor	Community Governor
	Appointed by	School
	Term of office	01.03.2022 – 28.02.2026
	Committees
	Responsibility	Health & Safety, Early Years
	Other information	Ex Chief Petty Officer Royal Navy. Married for 44 years to Linda with 2 grown up girls and 6 grandchildren. Fully qualified Mechanical and Electrical engineer with many years of Operational Management relating to Facilities Maintenance within various Hospitals, Health Centres, Schools and Public buildings. Past Chairman of the School PTA and Chairman of the Board of Governors at Stanton Road School including a successful OFSTED Inspection. Retired at present and kept busy doing DIY and Furniture repairs.

	Mrs Deirdre Counsell
	Category of Governor	Community Governor
	Appointed by	School
	Term of Office	10.06.2024 – 09.06.2028
	Committees
	Responsibility	SEN
	Other information	I am a recently retired primary school teacher, having worked in both mainstream and specialist settings, where I taught primary as well as secondary aged children and held a senior leadership role. I have extensive personal and professional experience of working with children with SEND and/or who are experiencing poor mental health and who are struggling with school attendance. I have a keen interest in educational developments and am passionate about supporting all children to reach their full potential. Although new to the Mersey Park community, I am enjoying getting to know this wonderful school. I look forward to working with the highly committed team of staff and governors in a learning community where every child thrives.

	Beth Jones
	Category of Governor	Staff Governor
	Appointed by	School
	Term of office	27.09.2023 – 26.09.2027
	Committees
	Responsibility
	Other information	Since starting at Mersey Park Primary School as an NQT, I have enjoyed 4 fabulous years teaching at this school, with many more to come! My first year at Mersey Park was a unique experience as the country was experiencing a global pandemic. Working during lockdown gave me opportunities to connect with families, children and colleagues as we all worked together to adapt the curriculum to suit the needs of our children. As a KS1 teacher, I am able to see the importance of the early years of school and the impact these have as children travel on their learning journey. Mersey Park places high value on the vital skills of early reading, writing, mathematics and of course the all-important social and emotional skills. I also have experience of leading DT and ensuring this is implemented successfully from Foundation 1 all the way to Year 6. As a staff governor I am excited to help represent the lovely staff of our school, give our children a voice and to provide them with the best possible outcomes.

	Philip Crossley
	Category of Governor	Community Governor
	Appointed by	School
	Term of office	28.09.2022 – 27.09.2026
	Committees	Resource & Management, Budget Setting
	Responsibility	Vice Chair, Literacy, Pupil Premium
	Other information	I have worked within education for nearly 30 years including within primary settings, behaviour units and an all-age specialist residential SEN setting. Through these roles I have held a range of co-ordinator and leadership positions, including headship at a Wirral Primary School. More recently I provided headship support to two Wirral Primary Schools and currently I am enjoying a slightly gentler pace of life working part time for Wirral’s Elective Home Education Service. Away from work I am married and have two teenage children.

	Richard Cook
	Category of Governor	Parent Governor
	Appointed by	Parents
	Term of Office	22.11.2023 – 21.11.2027
	Committees
	Responsibilities	Anti-Bullying, E-Safety, ICT
	Other Information

Rev. James Terry
Category of Governor	Community Governor
Appointed by	School
Term of office	28.09.2022 – 27.09.2026
Committees
Responsibility	R.E., Humanities
Other information	I am the vicar at St Catherine’s, Tranmere and have been at this church for almost 10 years. For all 20 years of my ministry I have been involved in leading an after school club for primary school children, with Bible stories, games and craft. I value the close links between the school and St Catherine’s, so I was delighted to be asked to be a Community Governor. I am married to Jane and we have three children aged 18, 16 and 13 , so I’ve plenty of experience as a parent of primary age children. My outside interests include playing and watching football and reading.

	Yvonne Nolan
	Category of Governor	Community Governor
	Appointed by	School
	Term of Office	25.09.23 – 24.09.27
	Committees	Curriculum
	Responsibility	Safeguarding, LAC, Exclusions
	Other Information	“I am a Councillor for Rock Ferry so I have a major interest in supporting the school that serves so many children from this area. My professional background is in social work, where I have worked in various roles over almost fifty years. I have a particular interest in safeguarding and protecting children, but am very committed to working to ensure that all children have access to an education that prepares them to be resilient, curious and considerate adults. I was delighted to be asked to be a Governor and take an active interest in all aspects of school life.”

	Rachel Markey
	Category of Governor	Parent Governor
	Appointed by	Parents
	Term of office	29.11.21 – 28.11.25
	Committees	Curriculum
	Responsibility	P.E., Pupil& Staff Well Being, Performing Arts
	Other information	I have three children that attended Mersey Park and having been a pupil here myself I was so pleased to have been asked to become a Parent Governor. I am a member of the school’s Parent Partnership Group. My children excelled in all aspects of school life at Mersey Park and I look forward to representing the views of other parents and supporting all the staff at Mersey Park Primary.

	Ben Watts
	Category of Governor	Parent Governor
	Appointed by	Parents
	Term of office	20.11.24 – 19.11.28
	Committees
	Responsibility
	Other information

Click on the documents below to read comments made by Governors following visits to school:

Governors Report – Health and Safety February 2024

Governors Report – SEND, Pupil Premium and English December 2023

Governors Reports – Physical Education July 2023

Governors Report – Maths June 2023

Governors Report – Attendance June 2023

Click on the documents below to see an Overview of our Governors and their responsibilities:

Governors Attendance – Record Main Governors 2023- 2024

Floor Reports for Governors

If you would like to contact any of our Governors please send a letter for their attention via the school office:

Mersey Park Primary
Elm Road
Tranmere
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH42 0PH

Parents are asked to put their requests or complaints in writing to the Governing Body as the Governors are not based in school and only meet formally once a term. If you have any questions about our Board of Governors, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Francis (Clerk for Governors).

Role of Chair of Governors

Meet MPPS Governors

Jan Lambeth

Maria MacDonough

Andrew Colwell

Martyn Foster

Mrs Deirdre Counsell

Beth Jones

Philip Crossley

Richard Cook

Rev. James Terry

Yvonne Nolan

Rachel Markey

Ben Watts

Floor Reports for Governors

Foundation Stage

Key Stage 1

Lower Key Stage 2

Upper Key Stage 2