Governors – Harwell Primary School

School Governors

Meet the School Governors

Sarah Mawle

Co-opted governor

Term of office

21/05/26 - 20/05/30

Roles/Responsibilities

Chair of Governing Board (July 25 - June 27); Chair of Pay committee; Link Governor for Whistleblowing; Link Governor for Inclusion; Member of working party for collaboration with other local school governing boards; Governor effectiveness

Pecuniary/other interests:

Parent of children at the school; doing teacher training at the Downs School, part of the Summit Education Trust

I have four children, the eldest two have ‘graduated’ from Harwell school and the other two are happily embedded in the school community. We moved to the village in 2020 and I really enjoy investing my time and energy into the community. As well as a school governor, I also coach a girls football team and am involved in family events at the village church too. In my spare time I enjoy running, watching sport, eating cake with friends, and being out in the beautiful countryside that surrounds us.

About me

Jude Capper

Co-opted governor

Term of office

16/01/25 - 15/01/29

Roles/Responsibilities

Vice Chair of Governing Board (Sept 25 - Aug 27); Working party to review school policies; Working party for risk management; Governor effectiveness; working party for parental engagement; working party - attainment & data; Link governor - wellbeing

Pecuniary/other interests:

Harper Adams University; Trustee HSA; Other governance roles: National Beef Association; Skills England; Red Tractor

Born and bred in Oxfordshire, I lived and worked in the USA for 8 years before moving back to Harwell in 2015. I have a keen interest in education as I’m a Professor at Harper Adams University and was previously the Chair of the Route Panel for Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care at Skills England. I’m a coach for the SEND team at Wallingford Rugby Club and secretary of the Parents Association at St Helen and St Katherine School. I believe that developing happy, confident, well-rounded children is crucial for their future success and that they should always be encouraged to follow their dreams, whether those relate to academic achievements, sports, art or vocational goals. I have one lovely daughter who graduated from the school in 2025 and in my spare time I enjoy running, baking, sewing and rugby.

About me

Bryn Gibson

Ex officio - Headteacher

Term of office

01/09/14 onwards

Roles/Responsibilities

Pecuniary/other interests:

Wife supplies a service to the school as a Play Therapist

About me

Nathan Cummings

Local Authority governor

Term of office

19/09/24 - 18/09/28

Roles/Responsibilities

Member of Pay Committee; Link Governor for Health & Safety, and GDPR; working party for parental engagement; working party - attainment & data.

Pecuniary/other interests:

Parent of children at the school

I joined the Governing body in 2024, applying for a parent governor position, but ended up filling the position of local authority governor. I have a daughter and a son in the school who are thriving in the supportive and happy environment that the school provides, and I was compelled to contribute back to the school. I work as a Data Engineer for the UK Atomic Energy Authority at Culham Campus.

About me

James Thorne

Co-opted governor

Term of office

27/04/24 - 26/04/24

Roles/Responsibilities

Link Governor for Safeguarding and Attendance; Working party for collaboration with other local school governing boards; working party for Risk

Pecuniary/other interests:

1st Harwell (St Matthew's) Scouts - Trustee & Scout leader

I have lived in the village since 2009 and both my daughters attended the school. Jess left year 6 in 2023 and Hannah in 2025. I was Secretary of Harwell School Association since Jess was in foundation class and enjoyed contributing back to the school. To take that further, I stepped down from that role to become a governor. Professionally, I work at the National Quantum Computing Centre on Harwell Campus. I am also a Scout Leader with 1st Harwell Scouts.

About me

Paul Churchill

Co-opted governor

Term of office

22/05/25 - 21/05.2029

Roles/Responsibilities

Link governor for Finance and Premises & Pay committee

Pecuniary/other interests:

None

I moved to the area in early 2024 with my wife and our two dogs. We have two adult children who have successfully completed their education. I have always valued the opportunity to give back to the community in which I live and I believe that education is a fundamental building block upon which we build our future - shaping not only who we are, but also what we strive to become. I hope my business experience will help underpin the school’s mission - fostering a love of learning and supporting each child to develop the skills and mindset they need to reach their full potential.

About me

Chris Smith

Co-opted governor

Term of office

22/02/23 - 21/02/27

Roles/Responsibilities

Support link governor for Finance and Premises

Pecuniary/other interests:

None

I am a proud parent of three children who have been at Harwell and are all ‘graduates’ of the school. My wife also used to work as a Teaching Assistant - suffice to say that I have a vested interest in the school. I was co-opted onto the Governing body in April 2019 specifically for my finance skills as I am a Chartered Accountant. Prior to this, I served in the Army in London. I am delighted to have been appointed Finance Governor and am happy to put my skills to good effect.

About me

Will Gregory

Parent governor

Term of office

29/09/25 - 28/09/29

Roles/Responsibilities

Shadow link governor for Finance and Premises; working party for policies

Pecuniary/other interests:

Parent of children at the school

I have two children at the school and my eldest left the school in July 2025. I enjoy being part of the governing body and helping the school where I can. My professional background is in Finance where I help to manage Pension Funds.

About me

Stefano Utili

Parent governor

Term of office

29/09/25 - 28/09/29

Roles/Responsibilities

Link governor for Health & Safety and GDPR

Pecuniary/other interests:

Parent of children at the school

I have three children at the school. I am passionate about education – I have taught in UK Universities for the past 20 years, and I am a professor of Engineering. In my job I can see the difference a broad foundation in the primary years can make to future academic and professional success

About me

Asha Begum

Parent governor

Term of office

29/09/25 - 28/09/29

Roles/Responsibilities

Link governor for SEND and Inclusion; working party for policy review

Pecuniary/other interests

Parent of children at the school

I moved to Harwell in 2022 with my family. I have 2 daughters, my eldest just started Reception Class at Harwell and my youngest attends Little Pippins Pre-school Nursery. I am also a Parent Committee Member at Little Pippins Pre-school Nursery for the second year. Prior to moving to Harwell, I used to work in London Borough of Hackney and have over 12 years' experience working in Early Years.

About me

Kate Guntert

Staff governor

Term of office

01/09/25 - 31/08/29

Roles/Responsibilities

Link governor - wellbeing

Pecuniary/other interests

Parent of child at the school

About me

Zoe Howell

Co-opted governor

Term of office

15/07/26 - 14/07/30

Roles/Responsibilities

Link governor for Safeguarding; working party for parental engagement

Pecuniary/other interests:

Parent of children at the school

I joined the Governing Body in 2025 as an Associate member specifically to work with the parental engagement team and was appointed a co-opted governor at the next available board vacancy. I am keen to contribute to the school community that my two sons attend. With 20 years experience as an Executive Assistant, I bring strong organisational, communication and relationship-building skills to the role. Having previously led the Harwell School Association for two years, I’m passionate about supporting the school and helping ensure it remains a happy, inclusive, and thriving environment for all pupils.

About me

Becki Holbrooke

Co-opted governor

Term of office

10/09/26 - 09/09/30

Roles/Responsibilities

Shadow link governor for SEND and Inclusion

Pecuniary/other interests:

Parent of children at the school

About me

Governors who have stepped down within the last 12 months

We want to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves and the role we play at Harwell Community Primary School.

Whilst Bryn Gibson, as Head Teacher, is responsible for the management of the school, the Governing Body has an important part to play in raising school standards. We set the strategic direction for the school, ensure financial accountability and monitor and evaluate school performance. Our role is often described as acting as ‘a critical friend’; we support and challenge the school to attain the best possible performance and to give all our pupils the best possible education.

We fulfil statutory duties to ensure that the school is a safe, healthy and inclusive environment. We provide support and challenge to the school leadership on all issues that affect the learning and welfare of our pupils. We have responsibility for agreeing policies and procedures essential to the operation of the school. We also have a responsibility to handle complaints, though it is important to note that individual problems should first be directed to your child’s teacher before contacting a member of the Senior Leadership Team or the Head Teacher.

The Governing Body is drawn from the parents, staff of the school, and the wider community that our school serves. The usual term of office is four years but many governors serve more than one term. Staff governors and parent governors are appointed via elections. Other governors are appointed on the basis of the knowledge, skills and experience they possess. The Full Governing Body (FGB) may appoint Associate Members (AM) based on skills set. AM have no voting rights on the FGB.

The Full Governing Body meets seven times a year, and has working parties dealing with: pay & performance; governor effectiveness; governor communication (including parent survey), risk and policy review. Once approved, the minutes of the FGB meetings are added to the website, put on the Governors noticeboard and are also available from the school office.

If you are interested in the work we do and would like to find out more or have any other questions, please contact the school office. You can also contact the Chair of the governing body, Sarah Mawle via our Governance Professional at clerk@harwellprimaryschool.co.uk

Diversity

As a school we recognise that a diversity of thought, voices, culture and perspectives is essential to good governance and the effective running of any organisation. We regularly collect diversity information from our governors and, depending on current data, can use this to:

target recruitment to address gaps in experience and diversity
develop and adapt board practices to ensure full participation
prioritise training and awareness-raising in identified areas
address potential ‘blind spots’ through seeking wider advice and perspectives on current and upcoming opportunities, challenges and risks

However, we are unable to publish this information as it would mean that individual members of our governing body are identifiable

FGB ToR and Code of Conduct

Pay Committee – ToR 2025-2026

2025-26 Governor Record of attendance Full Governor Body meetings