Lavant Governing Board

  • Mrs Ann Smith

    Parent Governor

    Ann has been involved in school life at Lavant for many years, as a parent, grandparent, pianist and more recently a Governor for 5 years. She is a qualified teacher with experience in both primary and secondary education, specialising in music. Ann is particularly interested in championing SEND and disadvantaged children.

    Roles: Chair of Governors, Policy Reviews

    Committee Membership: Teaching and Learning, Staff and Finance, Premises, Health & Safety

  • Mr Chris Hawker

    Local Governor

    Chris has over 20 years of governor experience as well as an established career in IT. He sits on the governing body of a few other local schools including those in academies, which gives us a good insight into what others do. He is also co-chair of West Sussex Governor Association, which looks to support and represent Governing Bodies across the county. Chris brings a wealth of knowledge on our statutory and compliance obligations.

    Roles: Safeguarding

    Committee Membership: Premises, and Health & Safety

  • Ms Caroline Rickard

    Local Governor

    Caroline is a qualified teacher with a passion for maths. As well as tutoring, Caroline spends lots of her time mentoring and assessing trainee teachers. She brings with her many years of governor experience and has a strong focus on ensuring pupils’ progress and professional development of school staff. Caroline is also our representative Governor on recruitment panels to ensure we find the very best staff!

    Roles: BLLP Trustee, Recruitment

    Committee Membership: Teaching and Learning

  • Mrs Lorraine Whitaker

    Local Governor

    Lorraine is a retired primary school teacher who started her teaching career in her home county of Cornwall within a mainstream school, before moving to Hampshire and teaching children with Social , Emotional and Behavioral difficulties. She then made the move to West Sussex and became Teacher in Charge of a Primary PRU. She says "I am particularly drawn to supporting children who need a little more guidance".

    Lorraine brings a wealth of knowledge and experience which has been recognised having been awarded BEM in 2020 for Services to education in West Sussex.

    Roles: Lead Governor for EYFS

    Committee Membership: Teaching and Learning

  • Mrs Georgina Blair

    Vice-Chair Governor

    On Georgina's first visit she knew it was a special place when the first thing she saw was the year two leaving assembly still singing songs. She has spent twenty-five years working in secondary so is looking forward to learning about the primary sector. Throughout this time, she was a teaching mentor, developing and delivering training to spread good practice and improve student outcomes.

    Georgina also trained student teachers and supported those new to the profession. She has learnt a great deal from these experiences, although she says, there was nothing better than being in the classroom teaching history.

    In 2015, Georgina branched out into writing history textbooks for Pearson Edexcel GCSE. IGCSE and A level as well as designing hundreds of learning activities for them and on-line learning platforms such as Seneca. She also worked for Peak publishing writing social studies books for years 4 and 5 and history books for years 6 and 7 and now writes full time.

    Her favourite way of spending her free time is with her great nephews and nieces. Otherwise, she loves drawing and watercolor painting alongside learning to write middle grade fiction with the Golden Egg Academy.

    Role: Vice Chair of Governors, Lead Governor for SEND Pupil Premium and Disadvantaged children

    Committee Membership: Teaching and Learning, Premises, Health and Safety

  • Mr Jacob Worne

    Teacher Governor

    Jacob is a dedicated member of our teaching team here at Lavant, with a passion for excellence in all aspects of school life. Chosen to represent the staff team, Jacob will bring the 'teacher' point of view to our discussions with a particular focus on staff wellbeing, and pupil development. Within our discussions as a Governing Body, Jacob will contribute in any way he can to drive school improvement and enhance the lives of Lavant's teaching staff. 

  • Mr Kier Sessions

    Parent Governor

    Having recently joined the local community, my family and I have been thoroughly impressed with the school and the efforts made to ensure we feel welcomed and settled. With two children currently loving being part of Lavant C.E. Primary School, I am highly motivated to serve the school as a way of giving back to the community.

    My professional background as a Learning and Development Manager across the retail and defence sectors gives me relevant expertise in strategic staff development and performance oversight. I am keen to utilise these skills to support the governing body and the teaching staff in continuing to drive the school's success.

  • Mr Luke Rogers

    Parent Governor

    As a parent of two children currently at Lavant C.E. Primary School, I have a very keen interest in the running and leadership of our fantastic school. I have worked in education for over ten years, including two recent years at Lavant, as a Primary School teacher and now a Forest School leader. With this experience, I hope I can offer fresh eyes to help further develop the brilliant education and opportunities our children have.

  • Mr Tom Baron

    Parent Governor

    Tom is a parent to Lavant CE Primary with his son in year 1. Tom is a project manager in the civil engineering industry, he hopes to draw on his professional experience managing budgets, schedules, quality and health and safety, to bring positive change at Lavant C of E Primary. Tom is particularly keen to collaborate with the Bishop Luffa Partnership to pool resources, share knowledge, and develop best practice. 

    Committee Membership: Premises, Health and Safety, Staff and Finance

  • Rev Laura Darrall

    Foundation Governor

    Rev. Laura Darrall joined Lavant Primary School as a Foundation Governor in 2024, she hopes to bring her commitment to community, wellbeing, and children’s spiritual development to the governing body with a focus on the Christian ethos of the school and pastoral support for pupils and staff. As the parish priest for the local area, she is closely connected with families and community groups, enabling her to offer valuable insight into the school’s wider context. Laura is passionate about fostering an environment where every child feels valued, supported, and encouraged to flourish both spiritually, academically and personally. With experience in pastoral care, leadership, and community engagement, she is proud to support the vision and governance of Lavant Primary School.

  • Dr Frances Talbot

    Foundation Governor

    Frances has been a member of Lavant Churches for over 20 years, helping with Junior Church throughout that time. Over four years ago she started a youth group at the church. She was appointed Children and Families Worker at Lavant Churches nearly four years ago. In that role she started a monthly Messy Church and contributes to the weekly church-led Collective Worship in school and to special services. Many of the children involved in the church activities attend Lavant School.

    Before moving to Chichester, Frances led a cub scout group for 16 years in Portsmouth.

    Frances is a mathematician; after university she joined the Ministry of Defence research establishment in Portsmouth, where she continues to work.

    Frances tries to help all ages to fulfil their potential and is keen to ensure the excellent relationship between church and school continues.

  • Mrs Carol Skeens

    Clerk to the Governing Body

    As well as a valuable Teaching Assistant at Lavant CE Primary, Carol is also Clerk to the Governing Body.

    Carol’s role is to provide the Governing Body with professional advice on governance, constitutional and procedural matters. She is also meticulous at recording everything we say in meetings (and it’s a lot), as well as ensuring all our documentation and correspondence are up to date and distributed. We couldn’t do without her!

  • Mr Dan Taylor

    Observer

    Whilst not a member of the Governing Body, Dan attends our meetings as an observer and provides us with lots of detail on what the senior leadership team are busy improving in school.

  • Mr David Peart

    Associate Member

    With two children gone through Lavant and 1 remaining still, he’s not short on being given plenty of advice on how to improve school! Using this first-hand experience, he’s able to consider the impact of our decisions across the wider school community. David’s corporate business background is a great asset to the governing body as we continue to strengthen our strategic vision. Since joining as a Governor, David has also been analyzing our existing contracts and spend, as well as championing safer routes to school.

    Roles: Chair of Premises, Health & Safety Committee, Website Compliance

    Committee Membership: Premises, Health and Safety, Staff & Finance