Meet the Governors

I have recently joined as a governor at Harrison School and am on the Learning & Teaching committee, having previously been in education as a college lecturer whilst studying for a PGCE. These days I work as a software developer at a local IT company that provides a platform to host eLearning to businesses across the country. Besides wanting to offer my skills and experience, I have a vested interested in the success of the school with my son having started in year R in September ’21. In the short time I have been governor, I have been impressed with how the school is run and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.

A life long resident of Fareham I have experienced many changes, the challenges faced by the "outside world" indicate that education needs to equip all children to be adaptable and knowledgeable to progress in the ever changing society in which we live. 

My history is within the surveying and education environment and I appreciate the ongoing changes that constantly develop. I believe education is life long and the challenges and opportunities need constant appraisal and action. Clearly this can be influenced by our education hence my interest in understanding the provision education can make. Being a Governor at Harrison School is exciting as principles and actions are constantly examined and developed enabling the first class educational experience for the children of Harrison to excel. As a Governor, this enables a contribution to this process to be made and discusses the school proposals and progress, "as a critical friend". 

I have been a Governor at Harrison Primary School for many years and enjoy experiencing the exciting environment which the management and teachers provide. I believe the children have an extraordinary opportunity to excel and provide for  a secure future, enabling a foundation to a successful Secondary education. The positive support and nurturing for children is demonstrated in the children's attitudes and behaviour which is always displayed routinely. I cannot praise the staff enough, in their constant efforts to provide a stimulating learning environment where children appear happy and challenged to provide their up most efforts. I feel immensely proud of Harrison Primary School and confident that the outstanding provision awarded is confirmation of the supreme efforts made to secure every child's aspirations and future.

I would recommend being a governor to everyone who cherishes the opportunities to contribute the opportunities education can bring to our children at Harrison.

I have been a Governor since 2019 and I currently act as the Development and Training Governor (DTG). In my role I support the governing body in navigating the training opportunities available to us to be able to understand, and adequately support, the challenges faced by the school leadership team.

I decided to become a Governor because the school system has greatly changed over the years and, as someone unfamiliar with school-life in the UK, I was curious to understand how education works in this Country. The best part of being a governor is being able to experience the environment, the work and the rationale behind the everyday life of our children (I have a child in Y3 and I am, for this year, the link Governor for Y5).

This gives me the opportunity to learn myself, but also to question what I see and identify possibilities for continuous improvement from the point of view of my own personal and professional experience. I am a Marine Ecologist by profession and my day-to-day job involves data analysis and technical writing. There is always something new to learn and I greatly enjoy being involved with the work of a team of professionals that supports the development of the curious ‘lifelong learners and open minds’ of the future.

I have been a Governor at the School for 25 plus years, and two of my Grandchildren attended Harrison. I was the Office Manager at the School for 27 years and a Staff Governor for 10. I was keen to keep a connection with the School after my retirement and was fortunate to be able to continue as a Governor.

I am Chair of Finance & Resources. Part of this Committee’s remit is to oversee School Budgets, and to ensure that the School is able to fulfil its financial obligations. We also have a responsibility to ensure that financial decisions are made in the best interests of all the children.

I have seen the School grow and evolve over the years into a successful and highly regarded place with happy and engaged learners. We do our best to improve constantly and it is a privilege to be part of this journey.

Hello,

I’m Katie, I have been a governor since Feb 2019. I currently am the safeguarding governor and I am aligned to the Year Cohort 3. I sit on the Full Governor Board and the Learning and Teaching Committee. 

I am a serving Police Officer within Hampshire Constabulary, having 20+ years of policing experience. I currently work within the Youth Offending Team covering Portsmouth, Southampton and the IOW. I work as part of a multi-agency team in order to help prevent young people from offending/re-offending. 

As safeguarding governor I draw upon my professional experience to help support the Designated Safeguarding Lead. The DSL and I discuss policies and procedures to make sure that all pupils are safe and to ensure any risks are identified and referred to relevant partner agencies – ensuring confidentially at all times.  From my observations Harrison is a safe and nurturing environment. All staff are aware of their duty of care in regards to safeguarding.  Training is always ongoing to ensure all staff are fully up to date on all aspects of safeguarding. I maintain my understanding of ‘Safeguarding’ through continuous professional/personal development.

My Son joined Harrison in 2018 and this prompted me to enquire about becoming a governor. I was curious as to what a governor did and I wanted to become more involved within the school.  Being a governor has provided an amazing insight into the workings both strategically and operationally within Harrison Primary. As a year link governor I have the pleasure to observe lessons and witness the teaching of pupils from year R to the current year 3. I would like to continue this role until the cohort finish their Harrison journey at the end of year 6. It is very reassuring to see how much dedication, professionalism and care goes into the teaching and the support of every pupil. It is a great privilege to be a governor and it is very rewarding knowing that you are having an positive impact.

Having been involved with the risk and insurance aspects of schools for the past decade, I became a Governor at Harrison in 2021 in order to gain insight at both a professional and personal level. 

It is an incredible amount of work running a school and becoming a Governor has really shown me the value of trusting the learning and development of our children to professionals who want nothing more than for our children to be the best they can be. As with other governors who are parents of pupils attending Harrison I feel a great sense of privilege in being able to understand how the school works to improve and to hold the school to account for that improvement. 

I sit on the finance and resources committee and look forward to helping the school any way I can as we move away from pandemic and look ahead to a successful future.

I was very pleased to be elected as a Harrison governor in January 2023, with a specific role as a Curriculum governor. I also sit on the Finance and Resources Committee. This has given me an incredible insight into the operational aspects of how the school is run. In my day job, I am an analyst for the Ministry of Defence.

I became a governor in order to give something back to the school and community which has given so much to my family. My daughter is a former pupil at Harrison and my son is currently a pupil here, so it is an honour to contribute more directly into the school. It is remarkable to see the amount of thought, work and caring that is put into every facet of the school life by all of the staff for the benefit of every pupil.

I look forward to understanding more about how the school operates and getting to play a small role in the future of Harrison Primary School.

I became a governor in 2021, and am on the Learning & Teaching Committee. Some of the governors are attached to specific year groups, and I am aligned to Year 1. I work as a Cost Manager at a large UK Bank, and also volunteer as Chair of a local Scout Group. Since getting started in the Governor role in a very challenging time, it's great to see how professional and committed all of the team in Harrison are. I wanted to get involved as a Governor as both my children have attended the school (eldest son now in Year 9 at Cams Hill and my daughter still in Harrison in Year 4), and I do believe in the importance of quality education and developing young people to their best potential.