Our Governors
Lucia Garratt
My name is Lucia Garratt and I am Chair of Governors. I am now also a community governor as I run a local business, although I started as a parent governor as I had 2 children at Duncombe. I enjoy being part of a successful school and meeting children when I visit. As a school governor, I attend meetings each term to discuss the curriculum, premises and finances of the school. Each term we are offered free training courses by CEA @ Islington that ensure governors understand their roles and responsibilities in school and changes in legislation. I visit school regularly and I am part of the Parents Supporting Governors group who organise school fetes and discos. I also attend assemblies and award ceremonies which is one of the nicest things about being a governor!
Godfrey Honnywill
I come to the school at least twice and often three or more times each term. I attend meetings of the Premises & Health and Safety Committee of which I am Chair and also the Finance Committee of which I am Deputy Chair. There are full Governor’s meetings after the committee meetings each term and we also have an informal group of Governors under the Premises Committee making plans for the Community Centre (sometimes referred to as the Dance Studio) we want to build in place of the obsolete building in the playground.
Two or three times a year I go round the whole school with the Premises Manager visiting every room looking for building faults (leaks, breaks, poor decoration etc. and checking that electricity is not being wasted by white boards, computers or lights being left turned on. There has been a marked improvement in this respect, now the staff are aware that a Governor sometimes makes unannounced spot checks!! The Green Team competition has also been helpful in this respect.
I have discussed with the Chair of Governors and the Headteacher a number of subjects such as the pros and cons of becoming an Academy School, how to raise funds to build the Community Centre, Health and Safety for partially sighted children, Child Protection Policy and various legal matters to do with employment (I am a retired solicitor). I have also pushed very hard to have the electrical wiring of the whole school replaced because the existing system is old and was not designed to carry the load imposed by white boards and computers which are now installed and used increasingly.
I always make a point of having school dinner to form a view about the catering standards and also to have an opportunity of talking to the children – what they like and occasionally what they do not like about the school.
Mick Holloway
I am an LEA Governor nominated by Islington Geen Party. I am a qualified civil engineer, although I am now employed as the CEO of a charity working to transform the lives of ex-offenders in the community. I am also a lay preacher and worship leader at St. Mary's Church, Ashley Road.
I have been a school governor off and on since I was a parent governor at Margaret MacMillan Nursery School in 1987. My particular involvement at Duncome includes being the Sustainability Governor, supporting Louise Ledger in her work in the school to reduce its impact on the Environment, and being a member both of the premises and finance sub-committees.
Ruth
I am an LEA governor nominated by the Labour Party. I am a barrister and lived on Fairbridge Rad for three years and am now linving in Clerkenwell. I enjoy being a governor at Duncombe and especially having lunch with the children.
Barrie O'Shea
