Dear Parent / Carer

I am writing to advise you that there were more nominations than vacancies for the recently advertised post of parent school governor. 

Therefore a ballot will take place.

How to vote:

Please read the information from each candidate and then vote for the parent you would like to see appointed as parent governor.

- Only parents/guardians of registered pupils at the school are eligible to vote.

- No parent/guardian is entitled to complete more than one ballot paper (irrespective of the number of children at the school).

- Please return the ballot paper by time on date 

The results of the ballot will be publicised immediately after the count.
 
Thank you for taking the time to vote.

Yours faithfully
 

Question Title

* 1. Sarah Gorev

My son, Tom is in Year 1 and this is my second year as a parent at St Andrews Benn. I have applied to be Parent Governor because I believe it is a good school and think my skills and experience could help the governing body improve it further.

I understand the challenges of SAB include balancing the need to improve Ofsted results while being sensitive to our unique mix of students and the importance of giving staff the opportunity to help every child reach their true potential. This includes having a safe and enjoyable school experience as well as one that achieves results academically.  

My mum was a primary school teacher and my husband was also a teacher. We have also been in to SAB to help with lessons. This has helped me to understand the educational needs of our children from a parent’s perspective while having some insight in to a teacher’s perspective. 

I have an Honours Degree in Business Studies and my work experience includes Marketing Management positions with Cadbury Schweppes and Douwe Egberts where I regularly held meetings with businesses such as Tesco, Asda and Amazon and fought my corner for the British coffee market with the heads of Phillips and Sara Lee in Belgium. This shows that I am not afraid to stand up for my cause even in intimidating or challenging situations. 

Working in such large companies has also given me experience of working well as part of a team and managing complex projects that involve understanding the detail while appreciating the bigger picture which are important skills for an effective governor.

To enable me to balance working with committing to school activities and meetings, I started my own business in 2010 training local businesses on social media and marketing. I have since worked with over 100 local businesses, led a networking group in Rugby and presented to the Federation of Small Business.

I am fully committed to taking part in Governor training and meetings and having my own business means I can manage my time to ensure this happens.

My eldest is at another primary school in Rugby and I know people on the governing body at that school. I think this insight in to another Rugby school and what has worked there would be a benefit in understanding what can improve our Ofsted results.

I grew up in the Church of England and converted to Liberal Judaism after getting married. Religious values can give our children a strong understanding of what it means to be a good person and aid in learning right from wrong. The Christian framework of the school is clear and very important. The SAB school values help our children make the right choices in life and I fully support them as values embraced by all the religious faiths represented at this school. 

As parent Governor I will commit to listening, supporting and challenging the school to the continuous improvement of education standards and Ofsted results while ensuring a safe and enjoyable environment so all of our children can enjoy a rich school experience.

Question Title

* 2. Lisa Macey

I come from a creative background, and as a parent of two children at St Andrew's Benn, I juggle my time between running my own publishing business, studying (I am currently completing an Arts & Humanities degree through The Open University) and, of course, being a parent. I have worked in publishing since 1996 and having gained a wealth of hands-on experience through managing a number of magazines over the years, decided to launch my own magazine and publishing company in 2004 together with my husband. Since then, I have continued to work as publisher/editorial director and manage large and diverse groups of contributors across the world, whilst keeping a handle on all aspects of the day-to-day running of the business, as well as shaping our company's vision and long-term strategy. As a Parent Governor I could offer skills and experience in a number of areas; in particular, I am able to form objective and innovative solutions to problems, am a good communicator - I enjoy speaking to other parents about their own experiences in school - but perhaps most importantly, have a natural bias towards wanting the school our children attend to be the best it possibly can be, and to truly inspire them all to suceed as they progress beyond the school gates and into adulthood. It goes without saying then that if my professional skills and experience can help in any way, then I am happy to volunteer them.  
 
Whilst myself and my family are not religious, I fully support the school's vision, ethos and values - having moved my own children from a secular school they were unhappy at to start at St Andrew's Benn in October 2014, it is absolutely fair to say that SAB's values have played an integral role in their happiness and enjoyment of school.

Question Title

* 3. Please state your preference for the new parent governor.  Thank you.

T