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Courtland School

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Courtland Governing Body

Our Governing Body is responsible for ensuring that our School conforms with the legal guidelines laid down by Parliament and the Local Education Authority (LEA).

Together with the professionals in school we share responsibility for:

The school’s standards
Its value for money
Its proper management
Its fairness in dealing with its staff and pupils
Its communication with parents and the public
Our responsibility is for overall policy. The day-to-day business of organising children’s learning and of managing time, space, staff and resources is for the professional team led by the headteacher.

Individual governors have no power; the authority we have comes from working together as a governing body. With the professional staff at our school we try to provide the best possible education for all the children.

The governing body must ensure that in delivering its responsibilities, it promotes and safeguards the welfare of children.

Our School Governing Body consists of:

Our Head Teacher
One Teacher Governor – elected by their colleagues
Parent Governors – elected by parental ballot
One LA Governor – appointed by the LA, nominated by the main political parties
Three Community (Co-opted) Governors – elected by the Governors listed above, from the local community

The Governors act through a series of committees. Minutes of their meetings are available for all to read. Please ask in the school office. Additionally the Governors produce an Annual Report for Parents, which is presented for discussion at a meeting to which all Parents are warmly invited.

Our Governors

Chair – Robin Clark (Parent Governor)

Vice Chair – Parag Vaghjiani (Co-opted Governor)

LA Governor – Golnar Bokaei

Parent Governor – Naser Godarzi

Staff Governor – Lisa Walker (Headteacher)

Staff Governor – Davina Tunkel (Deputy Headteacher)

Co-opted Governors:

Douglas Blausten

Laura Keegan

Joanie Adler

Nisha Durgacharan

Alexis Goldfarb

Associate Member – Susan Swinburne

Robin Clark – Chair of Governors

I have been a parent governor since November 2013 and now have two children at the school. It has been a great experience and I have learnt a lot about what it takes to run such a successful school.

I am a retailer by profession, working in blue chip organisations in their buying and selling divisions. I use this experience to help think about the school budget and how we can use our scarce resources to their best effect. I also have experience in managing large teams of people and am keen that we create a great working environment at Courtland.

Parag Vaghjiani– Vice Chair of Governors

My name is Parag Vaghjiani, and I am Vice-Chair of the Governing Body. I have two children at Courtland Primary School. I have worked in the Civil Service for nearly 20 years, having numerous roles across Government, most of them in Department for Education. I have worked at No10 in the policy unit for the Prime Minister, and I am currently working in HM Treasury. I have a broad array of skills, including in finance, leadership and management.

Naser Godarzi - Parent Governor

My name is Naser Godarzi. I was elected as parent governor in 2019. I have two children in the school. It is great to be able to help this great school to run successfully.
I’m a dentist by profession and have over 20 years of experience in healthcare. I have my own clinic and am used to day to day difficulties of running a business. Working and caring for people has always been the central point of my work. So when the opportunity came to join the governing body, it was an easy choice.

Laura Keegan - Governor

My name is Laura Keegan and I have recently had the pleasure of joining the Governing Body at Courtland School.

I have been a primary school teacher for 12 years and I am currently the Assistant Headteacher of another primary school within the London Borough of Barnet. As a teacher, I am absolutely passionate about providing pupils with the best education they can get and believe that every child should receive the same opportunities for success. I hope that my experience in education can bring something useful and positive to the Governing Body at Courtland.

Outside of school, I also enjoy music, playing both the guitar and the piano and I also enjoy running.

Susan Swinburne - Associate Member

My name is Susan Swinburne. I joined Courtland Primary School in 1999 as Year 2 Class Teacher and became a staff Governor in 2001.

I went on to become Deputy Headteacher and retired in 2018.

I am now an Associate Member of the Governing Body. With my teaching experience and knowledge of the school, I am committed to supporting the GB and Headteacher in taking the school forward and achieving the best possible outcomes for all of the children at Courtland.

Aside from School Governor I enjoy travelling, singing with Rock Choir, swimming, walking, reading and spending time with my family. I have two children and two grandchildren for whom I am carer two days a week.

Douglas Blausten - Governor

Douglas Blausten is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and holds a Masters degree from the University of Cambridge in Land Economy. He served as a partner and then Senior Partner of Cyril Leonard, Chartered Surveyors in London and Munich for 37 years and is now a Senior Consultant to Carter Jonas. He runs his own Corporate Real Estate Strategic Consultancy Company. He was Vice Chairman of NHS Property Services and Chairman of its Asset and Investment Committee until November 2015. He was a Trustee of the Mental Health Foundation for 7 years, and a Centre Fellow of the Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research. He has been a Trustee of an Adult Education College for over 10 years and a Local Authority Governor of a Primary School for Westminster City Council. He is a member of the Cambridge Land Economy Advisory Board and Hon. Vice President of the Cambridge University Land Society. He holds a number of executive and non-executive directorships. He is Trustee of a major UK charity which makes grants to charities working in the mental health and education sectors and those dealing with the issues of social inequality. He was Chairman of the Dame Henrietta Barnet Fund until its merger with Toynbee Hall in Tower Hamlets.

He was a founding member of the Barnet Community Relations Council and the Barnet Housing Aid Centre which he chaired for a number of years. He also served as a member of the Barnet Community Police Liaison Committee.

Joanie Adler - Governor

I am a mum of three and an Education Consultant specialising in the primary - secondary transfer. I ensure all year 6 students find the right school to thrive in and reach their potential. I am a former Secondary School teacher and Head of Department for Latin and Classics. I have 12 years teaching experience and am always striving to better education. I am also a proud member of the Mill Hill Community Forum, giving me the reach to help my community thrive and prosper for the future.

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