Our Governors

Welcome to our Torbay Governance Hub

Welcome to the Governance page of our Torbay Governance Hub which consists of All Saints Babbacombe, St Marychurch and Upton St James School's. Our schools are part of St. Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust whose mission is to; “Enable schools to work in partnership as communities and within communities, to provide every pupil with a high quality principled education.”

Governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in all St Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust schools however the ultimate responsibility for all schools sits with the Board of Directors with work delegated to Governors through our

Terms of Reference 2024

In Trusts, the purpose of local governance is to provide:

♦ Strategic Leadership 

♦ Accountability and Assurance

♦ Strategic Engagement

Governors set the aims and objectives for the school and set the targets/policies for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support. 

Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise from their professional lives to the governing board and schools benefit greatly from working with skilled volunteers. 

If you are interested in hearing more about becoming a governor or would like to view our recent meeting minutes please contact;

Meet Our Governors

Jane is the Headteacher of St Marychurch Primary School.

I work as Head of IT for a group of independent schools all around the UK as well as the Operations Manager for Together church, which is also on St James road. I am a husband and a father of four children and we love wild swimming, walks on Dartmoor and exploring the lovely coves in the Torbay and wider area. We moved to the area to help the church and the local community of Upton. 

Father Nick Debney

My name is Fr Nick Debney and I have been the Priest in Charge at St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch since July 2022. 

It is an absolute and joy and privilege to be the parish priest in this lovely community and to be part of such a long-standing and vibrant relationship between the Parish Church and St Marychurch Primary and Nursery School.  I grew up in Torquay and prior to ordination worked for over twenty years in the NHS.  After I was ordained I served my curacy for four years in Dartmouth and then as the Vicar of St Luke’s Milber in the Newton Abbot Team Ministry and latterly as Priest in Charge of St John’s Bovey Tracey.

My passion is ministry to children and families and I am looking forward to spending time in school and building on this incredible relationship, as by God’s grace we journey with our young people together.

JoyI am a member of St Mags Church, having previously been treasurer and now on the Parochial Church Council for St Mags.

I work as a Compliance and Contract Manager  inspiring, developing and supporting people to make positive change across the South West. I am also the Deputy of a Saturday Club for Children with Additional Needs. I have previously been a Chair of Governors and after a long break I am excited by the challenge of returning to a Governor Role. I have also worked as a Careers Adviser with a focus on young people with SEND.  In my spare time I enjoy swimming, reading and cross stitch.

LwMy name is Laurence Walbrugh, and I locally in St Marychurch, very close to the school. 

I have worked across the power, energy, and chemical industries for the last 15 years in a variety of technical and management roles.  

Since moving to Torquay in 2010 I have seen clearly how integral a role St Marychurch Primary School plays in our local community, and I was keen for my daughter to attend the school. As someone who strives to support our community where I can, I took the opportunity to become a school governor in 2022 and have been focussing on SEND and safeguarding support since then. 

I enjoy spending time in school and working with pupils, staff and parents, helping in any way I can.

Nicki rogers

My name is Nicki Rogers, and I am a local resident of St Marychurch, with a passion for reading, listening, learning and dogs.

Learning has been a cornerstone of my corporate career within Human Resources and during that time I have worked with a wide variety of industries and local education providers to build links between the world of work and students.    

I have previously served as a school governor at Secondary level for a number of years and following my decision to step away from my former career in 2024, I am now privileged to be serving as a Local Governor for St Marychurch Primary.

I look forward to learning more about the school and our community, and playing my part in the team to support its progress

Sarah HSarah is a Year 2 teacher at All Saints Babbacombe and is also the Lead for Humanities & Music.

Sally Harris

Having been a former pupil at St Marychurch Primary, I feel I have come a full circle now that I am fortunate enough to be part of our amazing teaching and support staff team.

Until my son started at the school, I had worked in various roles for 23 years within a South West retail company.  Unfortunately, I was made redundant and found myself with time on my hands - this turned out to be a blessing; as not only did I get the chance to spend quality time with my son but I also started to volunteer in his reception class when he started school.  This led to me becoming employed at the school full time, and I have never looked back.

I can honestly say that since the time I was a pupil, to current times, the school feels exactly the same - the community and the caring staff are the glue that keep this school such a lovely place to be.  I hope in my role as a Staff Governor, I can further support our school in any way possible.

Andy PAndy is the Headteacher at All Saints Babbacombe Primary School and is a Foundation Governor for St Marychurch

Olly JOlly is the Headteacher at Upton St James Primary School and is a co-opted governor for St Marychurch.

Governor Statutory Information

TGH Website Info

 

Board Diversity

The board believes that it is important that we reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Diverse boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for staff and young people. We collect data on the diversity of the board, including age, ethnicity, and gender and we use this data to inform our recruitment and training needs, ensuring there is always a diverse range of perspectives around the table to support robust decision making. We do not publish diversity data online as individual governors could be identified and we have a legal obligation to protect their personal data.