Our Governors | St James CofE Primary School

Our Governors

Our Governors are all volunteers and representatives of the local community, parents, staff and the church. Each Governor brings a range of knowledge and skills and their role is to make important decisions for the school. They plan all aspects of the schools’ development and monitor and evaluate its progress. Our Governors have the ultimate collective responsibility for ensuring that the school is well managed and run and meets its statutory obligations. They are not involved in day-to-day activities and issues at the school, as this is the remit of the Executive Head and Head of School.

It is the Governing body's duty to:

Set the strategic direction, vision and ethos of the school.
Monitor and challenge the progress of the school in achieving its priorities.
Recruit and appraise the performance of the Executive Head.
Exercise employer responsibility.
Ensure the school(s) meet its statutory responsibilities.
Ensure financial probity.
Ensure the premises are well managed.
Report to the school’s stakeholders.
Hold the Executive Head to account.

Their guiding principle is always to ask ‘will this decision make things better for the children?’ and they play a crucial part in improving and developing the school and helping every child to achieve their potential.

Contacting Our Governors

You can contact the Governors at any time by emailing them at governors@stjamesprimaryschool.co.uk or leave a message at the School Office.

Our Governing Body is made up of 12 individuals from the local community, including our Executive Head, Geraldine Gallagher .

We have:

1 Executive Head
7 Foundation Governors, that include
- A Vicar of St James church
- 2 Governors appointed by the PCC of St James Church
- 2 Governors appointed the LDBS (one current vacancy)
- 2 Governors appointed by Haringey Deanery Synod
2 Parent Governors - parents of pupils of the school who are elected by the parent body.
4 Co-opted Governors - elected by the Governors to bring necessary expertise.
1 Local Authority Governor - nominated by the Local Authority.
1 Staff Governor - elected by the staff at the school.
Associate Members - elected members who work with the Governing Body to provide a required level of expertise. Associate members have no voting rights on committees they have been appointed to..

Our Co Chairs

Larkin Morton has sixteen years of legal and regulatory experience, most recently as a US qualified lawyer practicing at an international law firm in New York and then in senior compliance roles for an international financial institution in London. She has two daughters at secondary school and her youngest is at St James Primary and is a member of St James Church. Larkin is a Deanery Governor appointed in 2021 and her term runs until July 2025. Larkin is also our Admissions Link Governor and takes overall responsibility for GDPR.

Louise Posocco is our PCC Governor and Interim Chair of the Resources Committee . She also takes on the role of our Communications Link Governor. Louise has three children, with her two youngest attending St James Primary. Louise brings to the governing body her experience from the charity sector with a specialism in not-for-profit finance. She was reappointed in 2023 and her term runs until September 2027.

Our Governors

Estelle Addy is Vice Chair and sits on our Resources and Curriculumn committees. She has two children who were at St James Primary and are now at secondary school. Estelle is also the Safeguarding Link Governor, which includes PREVENT and E safety. She is a Deanery Governor and she was appointed in 2014 and her term runs until June 2025.

Rev Mark Murthen is a vicar at St James Church and is our Ex Officio Foundation Governor. He is on our Curriculum committee and is originally from Haringey and is married to Lisa - together they have two daughters who attend St James Primary. Mark was appointed in 2017 and is our Christian Ethos link Governor.

Piran Dhillon-Starkings is our LA Governor and has a background in politics and public affairs and is currently the Advisor to the Chair of the Bar Council. Prior to this, she led the public affairs department at the Association of Colleges and focused on government and parliamentary relations. She has also worked for an MEP, MP and political party. Piran is Chair of our Curriculum committee. She was appointed in 2023 and her term runs September 2027.

Jolasun Odegbaro has a background in law and currently works in the Oil and Gas Industry. She is married to Soji and they have three children. The two eldest are at secondary school and the youngest is at St James Primary School. The family are all active members of St James Church. Jolasun sits on our Curriculum committee and she is also our Conscious Inclusion Link Governor. She is a PCC Foundation Governor and was appointed in July 2021 and her term runs until July 2025.

Michael Gabbay is our elected Parent Governor in October 2020. He is father to Salome and lectures in mathematical logic, currently in the Philosophy Department at Cambridge University. He has a keen interest in the teaching of Mathematics, Science and the Arts and the core values of intellectual honesty and rigour that accompanies these topics. Michael sits on the Curriculum and Resources committees and is our Training and Induction Link Governor. His term runs until October 2024.

Matt Larner is an LDBS appointed Governor and sits on our Curriculum committee. He is an Assistant Headteacher at a local Secondary school, where he is in charge of all GCSE students, examination entries and curriculum, and also teaches Science. He is married to Jo and has two boys - the eldest is at secondary school and the youngest is at St James Primary. He was appointed in May 2022 and his term runs until May 2026

Sarah Sultoon is a Parent Governor. She is a novelist and journalist with two children currently at secondary school, her youngest is at St James Primary. Drawing heavily on her fifteen years of frontline journalism experience with CNN International, she currently writes crime thrillers featuring news reporters and also judges a number of industry awards. Sarah sits on our Curriculumn committee and is our SEND and Well Being Link Governor. Her term runs until December 2026.

We currently have a vacancy as an LDBS Governor.

Our Staff Governors

Geraldine Gallagher is the Executive Head of St James Primary and is a member of both our committees.

Emily Boston is our Assistant Head teacher and sits on our Resources committee. She is our elected Staff Governor and her term runs until September 2027.

Our Associate Governors

JohnJo Hammill has two children, with a son now at secondary school and a daughter attending St James. He sits on the Resource committee and brings to the governing body his experience from the construction and development sector with a focus on sound financial management and sustainable and community orientated development. He was appointed in 2023.

Penny Kirkley is the School Business Manager of St James Primary and is a member of the Resources committee.

Our Associate Governors do not have voting rights.