Governors – Whitchurch Primary School

The governors are a group of individuals, made up of parents, staff, members of the community (co-opted) and the Local Authority. Governors typically serve for four years, and will have a variety of responsibilities during this time. An effective governing body will have people from different backgrounds with mixed skills. Governors are not education experts – they are there to bring a fresh perspective.

In accordance with the Government’s requirement for all governing bodies, the 3 core strategic functions of Whitchurch Primary School’s Governing Body are:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;
Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

Often vacancies on the Governing body arise; if this is something that is of interest to you please get in touch.

Click here for Governor attendance

		Eleanor Sugrue – Chair of Governors Eleanor has been a Governor since January 2016. She has worked in the Telecoms & Tech industry for 20 years – initially as a Management Consultant specialising in global business transformations and now as the Director of Shared Services for Vodafone Business. She has a keen interest in Whitchurch – as a parent, governor and villager – and enjoys bringing experiences from her working life to support the ongoing success of the school. Eleanor lives in Whitchurch with her husband and 2 daughters. She enjoys reading, the theatre, Italy, cooking and enjoying the Oxfordshire countryside.

		Phil Davies Phil is a freelance scientist working on sustainability and the circular economy and has been a governor since 2016. He previously worked as a scientist at BP Technology, Whitchurch Hill. He lives in Pangbourne and enjoys tennis and skiing.

		Emily Dineley Emily is a parent governor with three children at the school. Emily is a Senior Civil Servant and public finance accountant with over 15 years’ experience in public sector finance and programme management, currently seconded to the UK Space Agency. Emily joined the Governing Body in February 2022 and chairs the Finance and Premises Committee, and focuses on French and Early Years within the curriculum.

		Sarah Hanfrey Sarah moved to Whitchurch from London in 2012. Having started her career at an investment bank, where she worked on foreign exchange pricing models, she now runs a software company supplying national and global law firms. She is a member of the Finance and Premises and the Head Teacher Performance Review Committee. Her focus subjects are Maths and Computing. In her free time she enjoys singing with Pangbourne Choral Society, walking Milly the dog with her partner Tim Suiter and watching European language crime dramas.

		Julie Kuteesa Julie worked for the NHS for over 30 years, during which time she worked in a variety of roles from a Registered Midwife to a Divisional General Manager. Currently, she manages billing and payments for both NHS and private patients and is a Board Trustee for a local theatre company. She has been a Governor of Whitchurch Primary School since May 2017 and brings a passion for education as well as a wide range of skills to help the school continue to thrive and develop. She has two daughters, one at the school, and feels very privileged to have the opportunity to support such an incredible school in this way.

		Matt Berrington – Parent Governor Matt has served as a governor since April 2024. He brings over two decades of successful project delivery experience within the defence and nuclear industries, specialising in capital projects, information systems, and critical national infrastructure. Outside his professional commitments, Matt is an enthusiastic skier and kayaker. He is married and has three children.

		Georgia Leith – Parent Governor Georgia joined as a parent governor in 2024. Her PhD focused on cognitive development during primary school years. For the last ten years she has been a researcher and evaluator in the charity sector, specialising in assessing the efficacy of interventions and in impact measurement; and was previously a trustee for a charity evaluation network organisation. Georgia sits on the Curriculum Committee and focuses on assessment, Pupil Premium and Art. Georgia lives in Pangbourne with her husband and two daughters (both at the school); and enjoys gardening and hoarding recipes that she never gets round to trying out.

		Michael Smith Michael has been a governor since late 2019. He lives in Whitchurch with his wife and two daughters. Professionally, Michael works in legal and contract management in the technology space. Michael supports Safeguarding and Computing, amongst other tasks. Originally from Australia, Michael enjoys the local countryside and lifestyle.

		Gavin Jones – Staff Governor Gavin has been the staff governor since 2023 and sits on the Curriculum Committee. He teaches Year 5/6 maths, and PE and computing across the school, as well as leading on these subjects. Gavin is also a resident of Whitchurch village.

		Dawn Chesters – Headteacher Dawn has been at Whitchurch since January 2009. She previously worked in both a village primary and a large primary in Bracknell Forest. As well as being Headteacher she is also the school’s SENCO, Designated Safeguarding Lead and teaches KS2 art each week.