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 Principal and staff. The governors work in partnership with the Principal.

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.

Please click here for the list of Link Governors for 2011 / 2012

The Governing Body

	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.
	Prof 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.
	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	Gary 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, 2 of whom are 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.
	Mrs 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.
	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.
	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.
	Mrs 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.
	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 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.