Governors

Abbotsbury Primary School Governors

The governors’ work affects most aspects of the school’s work.

They establish, with the Headteacher, aims for the school and approve policies – for the curriculum, behaviour and discipline, for example; and are responsible for the school’s budget and the use and maintenance of the premises. More generally, they are expected to be in touch with the local community and to help guide the school to meet the community’s educational needs. They are also expected to help the school explain to the community what the school is trying to achieve for their children.

The governors, together as a body, have a range of legal responsibilities, so being a governor is an important commitment and new governors should be willing to attend training to help them learn what is entailed. If you feel you would like to be a governor at Abbotsbury Primary School please drop into the school office in the first instance and we will put you in touch with our Chair of Governors to enable you to discuss in more detail what is involved in being a governor.

Abbotsbury Primary School - Governors Information and Register of Interests

Name	Governor Type	Committee(s)
Jan Angel	Staff of Abbotsbury Primary School	Curriculum
Arifa Akther	The Governing Body of Abbotsbury Primary School	FGB Chair Finance, Personnel
Rowena Maybury	Head Teacher	Finance, Personnel & Curriculum
Kriti Ashok	The Governing Body of Abbotsbury Primary School	Personnel, Finance
Khaula Gilani	The Governing Body of Abbotsbury Primary School	Personnel, Curriculum
Kimberley Ketchell	The Governing Body of Abbotsbury Primary School	FGB Co Vice Chair
Nitisha Patel	The Governing Body of Abbotsbury Primary School	Personnel
Emily Raymond	The Governing Body of Abbotsbury Primary School	Finance
Richard Turner	The Governing Body of Abbotsbury Primary School	FGB Co Vice Chair
Muhammad Hamid Ullah	The Governing Body of Abbotsbury Primary School	Parent Governor, Finance

Click here for Abbotsbury Governor Information & Committees

Governor Bios

Emily Raymond

I have worked as a teacher at Abbotsbury since 2003 and became the Teacher Governor in 2023, serving as part of the Curriculum and Business Committees. I am currently a KS2 teacher and have been the Music Lead since 2004.

Khaula Gilani

Khaula has been appointed as a School Governor in autumn 2021 and has recently been made Curriculum lead and Maths link Governer. She has been in the teaching profession since 2009 and worked at Abbotsbury Primary School from 2011-2017 as a Class Teacher. Following this she decided to take a career break to raise her two sons and focus on her family. She has started a phased return to teaching by working part time. In her spare time Khaula likes to volunteer in the community, for example she is Chair of her son's school's PTA. Also she is an active volunteer for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association and has helped to strengthen the relationship between the school and Baitful Futuh Mosque.

Nitisha Patel

Richard Turner

I work in renewable energy within the education sector, focusing on accelerating deployment in collaboration with the government. I graduated from the University of Manchester in 2022 with a Master's degree in Sustainable Development. I became a school governor to make a meaningful impact in my community while gaining a deeper understanding of decision-making processes in school's. It's been great to see the amazing work at Abbotsbury, and I look forward to supporting in any way I can.

Muhammad Ullah

Arifa Akther

I am working in corporate sustainability pushing big businesses to do the right thing for people and the planet. I graduated from The University of Warwick (2019) studying Politics, International Studies and Global Sustainable Development.

I became a school governor two years ago, because i wanted to do something more pro-active and positive for my local community and ensuring children's wellbeing and quality of education was a great purpose to support. I enjoy being a governor and proud of all the work being done at Abbotsbury to ensure a good start to these children's lives.

Kimberley Ketchell

I have two daughters, the youngest is in year 3 at Abbotsbury Primary School and the eldest is in year 9 at a Harris Academy. My eldest daughter has had to cope with undiagnosed ADHD/ASD since year 4 or 5 so I have an enthusiastic interest in the SEN provision within the school environment. I am passionate about education and as a Parent Governor would like to find ways to help all children that struggle in some way at school.

I also have experience of the transition process from Primary to Secondary school with a SEN child, and have realized the difficulties in transitioning and planning around a demanding school curriculum with a child that is undiagnosed officially by CAMHS.

I have been a qualified Nursery Nurse since 2007; I have a CACHE level 3 diploma in Childcare and Education.

I have confidently offered views and opinions, gathered from other parents via a Whatsapp Group and parents share their concerns with the group. My main priority is making sure our children have a safe and secure environment to learn in and thrive at Abbotsbury and are given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

As a Parent Governor, I would like to learn more about SEN, the challenges, provide feedback with curriculum development & evaluation when required, and help improve its perception among the local community. Considering that my eldest daughter had adapted so well at Abbotsbury, it may be likely that several of its educational approaches could set an example and be beneficial in other mainstream schools.