Melbourn Village College

The Governing Body of Melbourn Village College consists of twenty governors; there are four categories of governor and these are Parent Governors (7), Local Authority (LA) Governors (4), Staff Governors (4) and Community Governors (5).

The Governing Body has three key roles namely:-

  • a) To provide a strategic view of where the College is heading. The Governing Body achieves this by reviewing policies and deciding the priorities for improvement.
  • b) To act as a ‘critical friend'. A critical friend offers support, constructive advice, a sounding board for ideas, a second opinion on proposals and help where needed. A ‘critical friend' may also challenge, ask questions, seek information, improve proposals and seek to arrive at the best solution for all concerned.
  • c) To hold the College to account for the educational standards it achieves and the quality of education it provides. Setting targets for the College to achieve in light of national and local targets, and then formally evaluating the outcomes, lie at the heart of this aspect of the Governing Body's role.

Governors do not intervene in the day-to-day running of the College; this is the role of the Warden and her staff. The governors work in partnership with the Warden.

In order to work effectively the Governing Body has set up five committees to monitor various aspects of the College, these are the Curriculum Committee, Premises Committee, Community Committee, Finance Committee and Personnel Committee.

Below are a list of governors and a brief description:

 A-Smith.jpg

 Mr A Smith (LAGovernor)
Chair of Governors and Link Governor for PE, CHRE and PSCHEE

Andy is the Chairman of the Governing Body and has been a governor since 1992. He lives in Melbourn and works locally as an analytical chemist for a multi-national company. His main areas of interest are Health and Safety, Finance and Personnel but is knowledgeable about all areas of the work of the Governing Body. He was awarded the Btec Award in School Governance in 2003.
 Hans-van-de-Ven.JPGProf H van de Ven
Vice-Chair of Governors, Chair of Personnel Committee and Link Governor for Humanities
Hans was born and educated in Holland and has studied in the USA. Currently a teacher of modern Chinese history, he has varied experience in teaching, research and charity work. Hans joined the Governing Body in 2004 and lives in Meldreth. Hans had two sons at the college and a third is currently at the College.
 D-Whitaker.jpg

Mr D Whitaker
Parent Governor,Chair of Curriculum Committee and Link Governor for Science

David lives in Foxton and has two daughters, both currently at the college. David has a Chemistry Degree and works for a multi-national company where he is a Director. He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC) and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors (FIoD)" 
 Dr G Coleman
Chair of Community Education Committee

 

Geoffrey, a retired scientist, lives in Thriplow and has been a Governor for thirty-five years. He is a former Chairman of the Governing Body.

 

 

 

Mr G Pullin 
Staff Governor and Head of Art and Technology 

 

Gary is the Head of the Technology Department. He has been teaching at Melbourn for the past eighteen years and has a daughter who went to Melbourn and now at University. 
 Mr K Popat
Parent Governor and Link Governor for Performing Arts

 

Kim is married with three children, 1 of whom is currently at the College. Since moving to Cambridgeshire in 2000 he has worked in the communications industry for a variety of companies with a variety of roles. Before that he worked as an engineer in the Professional Audio and Broadcasting industries. He brings to his role as a governor a broad range of experience of project and technical management as well as a love of the performing arts.

 

 C-Townsend.jpgMrs C Townsend
Parent Governor. Link Governor for Communication

Carol moved to Foxton from Leicester and currently works in schools. She has been an active member of the Friends of Foxton School, assisting with events and netball coaching. She has two children, both at MVC. In her spare time, Carol enjoys playing netball and learning the guitar.
 S-Ellis.jpg Mrs S Ellis
Parent Governor. Link Governor for Library Resource Area
 Sheelagh is a qualified accountant currently working as a Finance Officer for a Cambridge company. She and her husband have lived in Melbourn for ten years and have three children. The eldest attends Melbourn Village College and the other children attend Primary School.
 S-Mallen-.jpg Mr S Mallen
Parent Governor. Link Governor for English

 

Stephen has lived in Meldreth for ten years and has one child at the College and two at Primary School. Having grown up in Royston, Stephen graduated from Cambridge University in the mid-1980s and has a long career in the property and investment industries. Formally a Partner in an international firm of Chartered Surveyors in London, Stephen has also been Director of Strategy for a global investment fund management company. He is currently an international investment consultant, advising various major corporations and government bodies within the UK and overseas.

 

 Loiuse-Carter-Passport-Picture.jpgMrs L Carter
Community Governor and Link Governor for Healthy Schools

 

Louise has two children at the College. She is a primary school teacher, and taught junior age children in North London for 10 years. She is currently teaching infant age children in Cambridge. She is particularly interested in the health of the children at school, both through nutrition and physical education.   

 

 

Ros-Head-shot-Jan-09-003.jpg

 

 

Mrs R Francis
Community Governor. Link Governor for Community and Chair of the Finance Committee.

Originally from the North West, Ros moved to Cambridge in 1992 and now lives in Fowlmere. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a past career with Arts Council England, Corpus Christi College and Long Road VIform College. She is currently working in London as Head of Corporate Services for a Lottery Distributor.
Ros has been a co-opted member on the Audit and Finance Committees of Cambridge Regional College since 2000 and was a member of Cambridgeshire LGPS Consultative Group.

 

 

 Mrs H Hale
Staff Governor

 

Helen has been the Librarian at the College since 1998, and works to raise the profile of reading across the whole school. She also hosts classes from various subjects to carry out research and helps students with their searching skills. She is timetabled to teach library induction and information skills to Year 7 classes. She has been a primary school Governor and Parish Councillor in the past. She is keen to represent the interests of support staff at the College. She lives in Stapleford, has a husband who works in the e Colleges in the University, and 2 (almost) grown-up children.

 

 
Mrs H Mepham
Parent Governor and Link Governor for Languages, Year 7 Induction and Training 

 

Heather works for Cambridgeshire County Council. She has previously taught in a range of Cambridgeshire schools for 23 years, and has been a Mathematics Consultant for the Primary National Strategy. She has had the opportunity to visit schools in France and Taiwan to learn about and compare education systems with that in Britain. She has three sons who have all attended MVC. She has lived in Fowlmere for most of her life and has been involved in a range of community activities, currently as a member of the Sports Group and Treasurer for Fowlmere United Reformed Church. She enjoys walking and jogging.
She is Link Governor for Languages and Training.

 

 

Mrs L Pemberton
Community Governor and Link Governor for Art and Technology

 

Lesley has one child currently at the college, and one at primary school.
She is a primary school teacher and works locally. Her specialist subjects at college were art and music. For many years she was chairperson of the Melbourn and district toy library and also served on other community committees. Her interests include playing tennis, gardening, skiing and theatre going, and she also enjoys art and craft activities such as jewellery making and painting. Lesley is Link Governor for Art and Technology.

 

 

 

Mrs E Stephenson
Warden and Staff Governor


Elaine joined the college in September 2007 from Hertfordshire, although having previously taught Geography in Cambridgeshire for over ten years. She is a product of the village college system herself having attended Impington Village College. She lives in Saffron Walden with her husband and three daughters.

 

  

 

   


The Moor, Melbourn, Royston, Herts, SG8 6EF   T: 01763 223400   F: 01763 223411    E: office@mvc.org.uk    W: www.mvc.org.uk   Warden: Elaine Stephenson MA
Community Manager: Valerie Tookey   T: 01763 260566   F: 01763 223408    E: comed@mvc.org.uk
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