Governance

Southborough High School is governed by a local governing body, which is a committee of the board of trustees of Learning Partners Academy Trust, who have overall responsibility for governance of the school. The committee comprises a group of volunteers who give their time and expertise freely to support the school by:

Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school
Holding school leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils
Overseeing the school’s financial performance of the organisation and ensuring its money is well spent

The specific responsibilities of the governing body are detailed within the trust’s Scheme of Delegation and Terms of Reference.

Governors meet regularly through the term to discuss all main aspects of the school and visit the school regularly to understand, support and monitor school life. They follow government guidance, are supported by the trust and adhere to a code of conduct in all that we do. For further information please contact:

Chair of Governors: Clare Henderson chenderson@southborough.kingston.sch.uk c/o Southborough High school, Hook Road, Surbiton KT6 5AS
Clerk: Aischa Khan akhan@southborough.kingston.sch.uk c/o Southborough High school, Hook Road, Surbiton KT6 5AS

Membership

Our Local Governing Body is based on a stakeholder model, with representatives of parents, staff, and the local community. Members are recruited for a three-to-four-year term on a skillset basis and/or through parental election.

SOUTHBOROUGH HIGH SCHOOL

LIST OF GOVERNORS & TRUSTEES – January 2026
Includes Register of Interest We manage personal relationships with related parties to avoid both real and perceived conflicts of interest, promoting integrity and openness in accordance with the seven principles of public life. We publish this information on our trust and school websites. Please find below our most recent register of interests for the local governing body:
Name	Category	Pecuniary/Business Interests:	No. of Meetings Attended during the period September 2024 - August 2025
James Colbert Governor	Staff Governor (Associate) Children, Families and Community Committee (24.06.24 - 24.06.28)	Staff Governor - employed by the Single Academy Trust - associate member only - no voting rights	5 out of possible 9
Jemma Finglas Governor/Trustee	Community Governor Resources, Audit and Risk Committee (09.06.22 – 09.06.26)		2 out of possible 11
Malcolm Gregory Governor/Trustee	Community Governor Children, Families and Community Committee (Chair) (13.07.24 – 13.07.28)		5 out of possible 9
Clare Henderson Governor/Trustee	Community Governor Chair of Governors All Committees (01.09.25 – 01.09.29)		11 out of possible 11
Matthew Iles Governor	Staff Governor (Associate) Children, Families and Community Committee Curriculum & Achievement Committee (12.09.23 - 12.09.27)	Staff Governor - employed by the Single Academy Trust - associate member only - no voting rights	9 out of possible 10
Rike Jones Governor/Trustee	Parent Governor Curriculum & Achievement Committee (08.03.23 - 08.03.27)	Employer works for the Learning Partners Academy Trust	7 out of possible 10
Jamie-Lee King Governor (3rd Term)	Staff Governor (Associate) Curriculum & Achievement Committee (22.9.24 - 24.06.28) 3rd term	Staff Governor - employed by the Single Academy Trust - associate member only - no voting rights	8 out of possible 10
Lisa Kingsbury Governor/Trustee	Community Governor Curriculum & Achievement Committee (25.09.25 - 25.09.29)
Paul Maguire Governor/Trustee	Co-opted Governor Curriculum & Achievement Committee (27.1.23 - 27.01.27) 2nd term		10 out of possible 11
Haris Malik Governor/Trustee	Parent Governor Children, Families and Community Committee (14.07.22 - 14.07.26)		7 out of possible 9
Tony Sage Governor/Trustee	Community Governor Children, Families and Community Committee (25.09.25 - 25.09.29)
James Skeels Governor/Trustee	Community Governor Resources, Audit and Risk Committee (19.07.22 – 19.07.26)		5 out of possible 11
Niall Smith (ex Oficio)	Headteacher (ex Oficio) Resources, Audit and Risk Committee - SLT	Headteacher	11 out of possible 11
Bob Steed Co-opted Governor/Trustee (3rd Term+)	Co-opted Governor Resources, Audit and Risk Committee ((01.08.25 – 01.08.26) several terms		5 out of possible 11
CLERK
Aischa Khan	Clerk
MEMBERS
Clare Henderson	Trustee/Member - 22.9.2015
John Azhar	Trustee/Member – 01.09.22		1 out of possible 1 (AGM)
Tony Elsdon	Trustee/Member – 04.12.18		1 out of possible 1 (AGM)
Jonathan Walters	Trustee/Member – 01.09.22		1 out of possible 1 (AGM)
Community Governor: 6 (no limit) Staff Governor (Associate only, no voting rights): 3 Parent Governor: 3 (must have a minimum of 1 - no more than 30% of total membership) Co-opted Governor: 2 (up to 3) Headteacher: 1 ex officio 15 out of a possible 20 governors
Governors who resigned during the academic year 2024-2025 (and information)
Jo Carroll Governor/Trustee	Community Governor/Trustee Children, Families and Community Committee Resigned 9/12/2024	Provided Careers advice to school	4 out of possible 4
Michael Renwick Governor/Trustee	Parent Governor Curriculum & Achievement Committee Resigned 1.9.2025		7 out of possible 10
Robin Kent Governor/Trustee	Co-opted Governor Vice-Chair of Governors Resources, Audit and Risk Committee resigned 17/3/2025	Unity Schools Trust – Trustee	6 out of possible 7
Mohsen Mirza Governor/Trustee	Community Governor Children, Families and Community Committee Resigned 27/2/2025		3 out of possible 4
Tim Neale Governor/Trustee	Community Governor Children, Families and Community Committee resigned 15/7/2025		8 out of possible 9
Governors who are Staff Governors are Associate Governors with limited voting rights.

Contact the Governors

School Visits

As governors we conduct school visits to observe how they operate, how the curriculum is delivered and to learn about the organisation and its ethos. We consider that strong strategic leaders have a good understanding of their school(s) the organisation that they support, and that they actively contribute to improving the learning and outcomes for all children.

Our visits serve a number of purposes including:

Improving knowledge of the school, its staff, needs, priorities, strengths and areas for development
Observing children’s behavior and their engagement in the school’s activities
Acquiring knowledge to enable governors to act as critical friends
Monitoring and evaluating plans, budgets, and achievement
Observing the condition of the school’s buildings, facilities, grounds and its security arrangements
Monitoring and assessing how the school’s and trust’s priorities are being delivered
Helping the local governing body and the trust to fulfil their various statutory duties

Code of Conduct

As governors we follow the trust’s code of conduct, of which a few highlights are below:

We will encourage open governance and will act appropriately
We will actively support and challenge the school and executive leaders
We will accept and respect the difference between strategic and operational leadership, ensuring that we work collectively for the benefit of the organisation
We will consider carefully how our decisions may affect the school and local community, as well as other schools
We have a duty to act fairly and without prejudice, and in so far as we have responsibility for staff, we will fulfil all that is expected of a good employer
We accept collective responsibility for all decisions made. This means that we will not speak against majority decisions outside meetings
We agree to adhere to any rules, policies and procedures agreed within the trust or as required by the law
We will always be mindful of our responsibility to maintain and develop the ethos and reputation of the trust and its schools

Becoming a Governor

Becoming a governor is an incredibly rewarding experience. You will be joining a movement of over 250,000 people nationwide and team of over 100 Learning Partners’ governors, all skilled individuals who give their time freely to support children and young people in their community.

Please consult our trust Governance webpage and contact our Chair of Governors for more information.

Further Governance Information

Southborough Governor Committees

Governor Committees take on the delegated functions of the Full Governing Body.

Terms of Reference of All Governor Committees

The following committees
meet regularly – (standing committees)

The following committees
meet as required –

Resources, Audit & Risk (RAR)

RAR Terms of Reference

Pupil discipline/behaviour

Staff pay and performance

Complaints