Welcome to the Governors

The governors at St Nicholas and St Laurence work in partnership with staff to create and realise our vision for our school. We wish to inspire all our children to aspire to take on new learning, new experiences, new responsibilities, new challenges to fulfil themselves – becoming the very best they can and experiencing “life in all its fullness”.

Our role is strategic and complements the day to day work of the staff to ensure that we are making progress towards that vision. We provide support for the leadership team and subject leaders, and where there are areas for improvement we ensure that plans to secure that improvement are in place and being acted upon.

All the governors are volunteers who are keen to be approachable and to be involved in the life of the school as much as they can. We visit the school regularly to talk to staff about a range of subjects so we as a governing body are well informed about the school. Those of us with children in school can often be found in the playground waiting to drop them off or pick them up too.

As in any school the governors of St Nicholas and St Laurence have legal duties, powers and responsibilities, including monitoring the school’s provision, selecting staff, administering finances and agreeing policies. However, our most important responsibility is to ensure that the school progresses towards our shared vision and provides our children with the best possible education we can give them.

Anthony Moore

Chair of Governors

Committee Structure

Academy Standards and Ethos Committee (ASEC)

As an Academy, governance in the school is undertaken by an Academy Standards and Ethos Committee (ASEC) which is directly accountable to the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust and will report at least 6 times a year to their Board.

 The main responsibilities of the ASEC are:

• To establish the strategic direction of the school
• To ensure high standards of achievement for all pupils
• To maintain the Christian ethos and distinctiveness of the school

Throughout the year, in practice, this is achieved through structured meetings and monitoring visits. We have meetings with the Head Teacher and leaders to discuss successes and areas of future development. We also invite senior and middle leaders to our meetings to share with us the work they do and to respond to governors’ questions. Governors visit the school as part of their monitoring role, with a specific focus that is based upon identified areas in the School’s Improvement Plan. They talk to teachers and pupils about their work and present a written report of their visit at Governors’ Meetings.

DSAT Governance Information available at: 

https://primarysite-prod-sorted.s3.amazonaws.com/diocese-of-salisbury-academy-trust/UploadedDocument/dcf4a47d-5943-4afa-af01-40d9912d5c9d/dsat-scheme-of-delegation-and-tor-2022-23.pdf

Who’s who?

The majority of members are appointed by the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, with the exception of 2 parent members and 1 staff member who are elected by their peers. The Headteacher is an ex officio member. The ASEC chair is appointed by the Trust board, and the ASEC elect a vice chair annually.

The Chair of Governors is Anthony Moore and he can be contacted through the school office.

The Clerk to the Governors can be contacted via the school office.

All copies of meeting minutes are available on request from the school office.

Meet the Governors

Anthony Moore

I joined the Governing Body of St Nicholas and St Laurence CE Primary School in August 2019 as an LA co-opted Governor and was elected Chair in September 2019. I have worked in education all my life, as a history teacher, deputy headteacher, headteacher and Director of the largest state Sixth Form in the country (950 students). I have worked on governing bodies for nearly thirty years and was previously chair of governors of a church secondary school. The Bishop of Salisbury awarded me the St Aldhelm’s Cross in 2015 for my work and support for that school. I have been Chair of Governors of a VA church school near Swanage for four years and was on the Interim Executive Board of Budmouth College last year. I was also emergency Chair of the IEB at Bovington Primary for three months before its academisation. Subsequently I was asked to join the South West Regional Board of Aspirations Academy Trust. My wife is also chair of governors of a church primary school in Weymouth.

I continue to pursue my interest in history and am chair of a trust at the Dorset County Museum in Dorchester. I sail, I am an energetic supporter of Bath Rugby and I enjoy spending time with my young grandchildren.

Ellen Jacobs

I grew up in the Weymouth and Portland area, and having attended local schools and colleges moved to Cardiff where I studied for my degree. After completing my degree I moved back to Weymouth and have lived here ever since.
I had my first job at Dorset County Council where I have worked in Children’s Services and Human Resources and I still work in the public sector as a Senior HR Officer.
My eldest child started at St Nicholas and St Laurence School in 2015 and is now at Wey Valley. I also have twins who are currently in year 2.
I became a foundation governor in 2018, and I enjoy being involved in the life of the school. Not having a working background in education, it has been a steep learning curve, but I feel it is wonderful opportunity to be able to play a small part in ensuring our children become the best they can be – from academic success to becoming creative, caring and confident young people.

Mrs Louise Wright

I joined the governing body this year as a parent Governor.

I grew up in Weymouth and returned here after studying to be a teacher at university.

I have 2 daughters who attend the school and we are delighted that such a fabulous school is our local one! We love the broad and balanced curriculum the school offers as well as it’s great facilities and most importantly the inspiring and caring staff.

As a primary school teacher I feel I can bring my educational expertise to the Governor role, supporting and challenging the school as we strive for achieving the best for every child. I have previously been a teacher Governor and relish the opportunity to fulfil my responsibility as parent Governor at St Nicholas and St Laurence.

In my spare time I enjoy reading, walking, swimming and family time exploring the lovely area we live in.

Natasha Hardy

I recently joined St. Nicholas and St. Laurence Primary School Governing body in 2019 as a Foundation Governor.
I live in Weymouth close to the school and have been part of the local community since 2011. My two daughters both attend school here at St Nicholas and St. Laurence. As a family we have found the school’s approach to learning and the dedication given by all the staff to their pupils, to be the most fitting choice of school for our children.
I have taught in other Dorset primary schools for the past 18 years and since electing to work part time I have chosen to do my SENDCo qualification through Exeter University and I am now currently SENDCo for two primary schools in Dorset. Due to my background I feel I bring expertise, knowledge and a passion for education and achieving the very best start for all children. I will work with all members of the Governing body, staff and children to achieve this at St Nicholas and St. Laurence.
I believe I am truly lucky to be living in Dorset and in my spare time I enjoy exposing our children to the wonders of living here. We love to explore woods and coastlines and the history of our heritage. In what spare time remains for myself I enjoy swimming, reading and meditation.

Philip Elliott

My name is Philip Elliott. I am priest of St Nicholas’ Church, Broadwey and St Laurence’s Church, Upwey. I have served these communities, along with Bincombe and Buckland Ripers since 2016. I am a foundation governor at our school as priest of the churches which have shared long associations with the school.
Before coming to this part of Weymouth, I served at Holy Trinity Church in the centre of Weymouth where I served my curacy having received my training at Westcott House in Cambridge. Prior to training and ordination, I have worked in a number of different environments from clerical work in a conference office at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa to a manager at a hotel in Salisbury.
Alongside my role as Parish Priest; I am also a trustee of the Lantern Centre in Weymouth and Chaplain to the Weymouth Sea Cadets, TS Bowcowen.
Life is a journey and I intend to bring experience gained in the past and present to the service of our school as we move forward always seeking the best for all in our community.

Matthew Wash

I have been a primary school teacher for 18 years, and, after seeking fresh career

opportunities, I now work full-time as a writer of primary curriculum resources for an educational publisher. The combination of these two roles means that I have a solid, up-to-date grasp of the expectations in primary education.

My wife Louise and I have two children at St Nicholas and St Laurence. One is in Year 1 and the other in Year 5. Throughout their time at the school, we have been very impressed with the staff's commitment, care and overall approach to helping our children progress each year.  One aspect that has consistently made us so pleased with the school is the warm, friendly ethos, which is always clear to see.

For me, working in a school environment provides a wonderful opportunity to build relationships with the children and staff. It's also a great chance to help the pupils fulfil their potential by identifying their natural strengths and talents. I was a staff governor at my previous school for 5 years – a role that I found very interesting and worthwhile. With a firm belief that the children’s best interests should be at the heart of everything at school, I feel my knowledge and experience will be useful to the governing body and the school in general.  

My family moved from Essex to Dorset when I was 11 years old and I feel so blessed to live in this beautiful part of the country. In my spare time, I like to play golf, have family days out, swim and go for long, early morning walks. I'm also a huge football fan and I support Ipswich Town. 

Staffing Governor     

Mrs Vicky Morris

Academy Standards and Ethos Committee Register of Interests 2022-2023 (LINK)

Governor Attendance, 2023 - 2024