Our Friends (PTA)

Who Are The Friends of Colwall School?

The Friends is just another name for the School’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and is a group of friendly parents and carers with one main wish – to help give all of our children a happy and memorable school life.  When your child joins the school, you automatically become a member of the Friends.

We work closely with the teaching staff and Governors primarily to raise funds but also to support the school with hands on help when needed, such as the upcoming move into our exciting new school.

Everyone is encouraged to get involved and help make a difference to their child’s school life.  Whether it’s donating your time, a raffle prize or baking a cake, to offering up new fundraising ideas or letting us know what you think about school life, we really value any help you can give.

How You Can Help

There are lots of ways you can help and support your child through the Friends. Offering to help before events or at other times during the year is so valuable. It doesn’t matter if you can’t help on a regular basis, or even if you cannot come into school. There are always jobs that can be done from home e.g. wrapping gifts for the Secret Santa, preparing raffle tickets etc. We really couldn’t achieve what we do without the behind the scenes help that we receive. These days everybody is busy and a shared workload takes the pressure off for everyone.

If you would like to be more involved you can volunteer to be a Year Representative or Committee Member. Or you can simply support the team by attending Friends meetings and giving us your ideas for fundraising events. This is also a great time to let us know what you think.

Our Local Community Links

We are very fortunate to have some fantastic links with the local community.

These include links with the Colwall Rotary Club who support us at events and with fundraising to Colwall Orchard Group who run sessions for our children at the orchard. 

We also have strong links with St James the Great church, Colwall. Throughout the year, our school and local community come together to celebrate important events in the Church’s calendar, such as Easter and Christmas, as well as the Leavers’ service for our Year 6 as they move on to the next phase of their education. Through regular prayer and worship, the rhythm of the Church’s year has become an integral part of our school life and in turn the lives of our pupils.

We are very grateful to all member of the local community for their support and allowing us to work alongside them in a wide range of opportunities for our children. 

Governing Body

Chair

Ellie Ramsay (LA)

Vice Chair

Tom Boyle (co-opted)

Clerk to the Governing Body

Sue Armstrong

Members (type of Governor)

  • Gina Harrison (Headteacher)
  • Brian Ballard (co-opted)
  • Seamus Bradford (Deputy Headteacher)
  • Alan Bridge (co-opted)
  • Naomi Hobbs (co-opted)
  • Melanie Horton (foundation, ex-officio)
  • Phillip Ray (parent)
  • Leigh Gould (co-opted
  • Daff Tambling (co-opted)
  • Andrew Falconer (foundation)
  • Jamie Trumper (staff)
  • Margaret Kunzer (foundation)
  • Tim Scrimshaw (associate)
  • Hester Murrells (associate)
  • Ian Cooper (co-opted)
  • Dan Vallance (parent)

Committee Terms of Office

Brian BallardFGB1 September 2020 – 31 August 2028
Tom BoyleFGB, Deputy Chair, Finance1 May 2022 – 30 April 2026
Seamus BradfordFGB1 June 2022 – 31 May 2026
Alan BridgeFGB, Finance1 July 2021 – 30 June 2025
Gina HarrisonFinance,  HeadteacherEx-officio
Naomi HobbsFGB1 Sept 2021 – 31August 2025
Melanie HortonFGBn/a (ex officio)
Margaret KunzerFBB, Foundation Governor11th July 2024 – 10th July 2024
Jamie TrumperStaff Governor10th Sept 2024- 9th Sept 2025
Ellie RamseyChair FGB, Finance1 April 2022 – 1 April 2026
Daff TamblingFGB1 Dec 2023 – 30 Nov 2027
Phillip RayFGB, Safeguarding1 Sept 2021 – 31August 2025
Leigh GouldFGB1 Dec 2023 – 30 Nov 2027
Ian CooperFGB, Finance10 Sept 2024 – 9 Sept 2028
Andrew FalconerFGB, Foundation Governor1 July 2023 – 30 June 2027
Dan Vallance
FGB, Finance
22 September 2024 – 21 Sept 2028
Tim ScrimshawFGB10 Sept 2024 – 8 Sept 2028
Hester MurrellsFGB10 Sept 2024 – 9 Sept 2028

What Governors Do

Governors are responsible for overseeing the management side of a school: strategy, policy, budgeting and staffing. They enable their school to run as effectively as possible, working alongside senior leaders and supporting teachers to provide excellent education to children. 

Being a school governor involves a commitment to attending Governing Body meetings to consider issues such as setting the school vision, mitigating financial risk and scrutinising educational outcomes. Governors are also involved in the school community, acting as critical friends to the headteacher and senior leaders. 

Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise from their professional and personal lives to the Governing Body and have a fundamental interest in education and children’s wellbeing.

Committees

Current committees are:

The school budget is governed by the Full Governing Body and the FGB must approve the school budget plan submitted to the LA at the beginning of the financial year (April). 

The Finance Committee acts on behalf of the FGB and reports back to it on decisions taken – including staff pay, pupil premium, etc. The committee also links the priorities in the School Development Plan to the budget and evaluates the effect in the school of investing in these priorities. It monitors expenditure and income and takes action to revise the budget plan if the budget position is not in line with the set budget plan.

The Committee also plans ahead (generally for three years) by reviewing the priorities in the School Development Plan and factors such as pupil projections, condition of the school and realistic lifespan of equipment/resources to determine potential pressures on the budget.

Committee members for 2022/2023 are:

  • Alan Bridge
  • Tom Boyle
  • Kate Conway
  • Gina Harrison (Deputy Head)
  • Joanne Hickling
  • Norman Moon (Finance Officer)
  • Ellie Ramsey (acting Chair)
  • Helen Webb
  • Ruth Whitehouse

About Us

My name is Ellie Ramsey and I am the current Chair of Governors. I joined the governing body in 2019 because I wanted the opportunity to give something back to the community and school.  I have worked in education for around 20 years and having been a school administrator, teaching assistant and teacher I am now the Education Systems Manager for Herefordshire – assisting the Local Authority and schools in meeting their statutory duties.  In my spare time I volunteer as a rugby coach and am a qualified England RFU referee. 

Brian grew up in Colwall and attended Colwall Primary when the old site was the “new” site.

After studying engineering at Nottingham University, his first job was at Dyson before he went on to work for several design and engineering consultancies in and around London, working on a wide variety of projects ranging from medical ventilators to tube trains and nuclear power stations.

After moving back to Colwall in 2010 his days are now divided between managing and maintaining properties with the occasional bit of consulting and software development to keep things interesting. After hours I try to entertain my two boys, co-lead Colwall’s beaver scout colony and muck about in a shed. 

Alan has lived in Colwall for 18 years and is now retired as Deputy Chief Constable after 35 years police service. He has experience at board level in two Police Forces coupled with 7 years working in the international security and justice sector, holding the Human Resources, Training and Development and Professional Standards portfolios in both Greater Manchester Police and West Mercia Constabulary.

Additional skills include Tribunal Chairmanship and adjudication, developing Strategic Management, Executive Coaching, Budgetary Control, Conference Facilitation and High Potential Assessment and Selection.

Alan was introduced to the very impressive range of school activities through being (past) President of Colwall Rotary Club and looks forward to working with the school both as a Governor and a Rotarian.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the environmental sector, I currently work as a Governance, Risk and Compliance Manager for an environmental consulting and contacting business and have extensive experience in health and safety, quality and environmental compliance, together with responsibility for risk management, contract administration and negotiation functions. I have lived in the village for nine years and have children at Colwall school. I really appreciate the opportunity to support the school as a Governor, and enjoy being part of such a dedicated and enthusiastic team!

Lawyer. Teacher. Parish priest. The phrase jack of all trades and master of none could have been invented for me! This diversity however means that I bring flexibility and a variety of different skills and experiences to the role of foundation governor. In particular my legal experience supports my role as safeguarding link governor. My abiding passion as a governor is the holistic experience of the children as they go though Colwall school, that they know themselves to be unique valued and valuable individuals, part of a wider global family of people of faith.

Hi! my name is Tom Boyle and I am the Vice Chair of the governing board. 

Having forged a career in leisure and managing swimming pools within Herefordshire and Worcestershire. I decided I needed a career change…

I have been immersed in education for the last five years, having started out as a sports lecturer in FE. I made the decision to teach primary education and have loved every minute, and currently teach in a small school over the hill in Malvern. In my current school I am the Maths and PE lead, instructional coach for pedagogy and data analyst.  I am also a Primary School Maths Specialist for the Gloucestershire and Worcester Maths Hub GLOW Maths. 

I have one daughter at the school and this was my initial interest in joining the governing body. My main aim is to help ensure the strategic vision of the school has the children at its heart, with each and every child shining bright and fulfilling their potential – whatever that may be. 

Dan moved to Malvern with his wife and family in 2021, and his eldest son attends Colwall Primary School. 

Dan graduated from Imperial College London with a 2:1 Honours degree in Mathematics, and is a now Chartered Accountant with 20 years’ experience in the Civil Service. Throughout his career, he has implemented governance frameworks, enhanced financial and budget management processes, successfully negotiated strong funding settlements with HM Treasury, and held senior stakeholders to account over the delivery of multi-billion pound programmes. 

Dan now wants to use his knowledge and experience to help Colwall continue its journey of providing an excellent learning experience for its pupils.

I am a father of two, my eldest daughter is at currently at Colwall schoo. I have served in the military and have over 20 years service as a police officer.

I really wanted to be a governor at the school so I can be a part of all the children’s education, I firmly believe it is all of our responsibility to ensure that all children receive the best education they can. I want to make a positive contribution to Colwall and the wider community.

Phill has two daughters at the school and has lived in Malvern for about 10 years. He joined the Governing Body in September 2021 having recently retired as a Police Officer after 30 years’ service. 

Phill brings a wealth of experience in the areas of safeguarding and child protection and sits on the safeguarding committee as deputy safeguarding lead, and the Premises committee.

Phill works part time in an exploitation capacity for the Local Authority and in his spare time he enjoys mountain biking and also coaches at the local swimming club.

“Being a member of the Board of Governors gives me a great insight into the running of the school, allows me to use my experience to advise on safeguarding matters and provides me with a voice to influence and support the future direction of Colwall Primary School.”

I have worked in education for nearly 40 years and I think I have taught in every Primary School year group apart from Reception over that time! I also worked as a Music specialist for many years. For the last 15 years I was in school leadership as a deputy head and then a head teacher in a large CE primary school in Oxfordshire. Since moving to beautiful Herefordshire I have a part time teaching post in a Special School in Worcestershire. I have  particular interests in outdoor learning, SEN, Spirituality and anything to do with music! I am really looking forward to being a governor at Colwall Primary school as it’s such an exciting time! 

First and foremost I’m a parent of two who both attend Colwall Primary. Professionally, I am in the technology sector, focused on transforming business through system development, this basically means I do a lot of talking, to a lot of people. I live in Colwall, and really enjoy the warmth and life the village offers. For me personally the school is the primary focus of the village and is central to Colwall. My personal ethos in all aspects of life is to positively impact people’s lives.

Why I wanted to be a Governor:

Simply put, I wanted to give something back to the community, and help the school achieve everything it wants to achieve. Since moving to Colwall three years ago I have felt welcomed and happy. To give back as a School Governor, is a fantastic opportunity to live my personal ethos, and to contribute to what I think is a great village and community. 

I am a Foundation Governor which means my appointment was approved by the Diocese of Hereford; this is because Colwall Primary School is a Church of England school. I served in the Royal Air Force for many years where I specialised in personnel and training, particularly the development of young people. During that time I travelled across Europe and served throughout the United Kingdom. On leaving the RAF I embarked on a second career as a school bursar. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamism and exuberance of life in a large, diverse school where teamwork was the key to success. Since I retired I have been a school governor (I’m a glutton for punishment!) and have been involved in voluntary work with many organisations including the church, Rotary International, The Prince’s Trust and a number of military charities. I have also served as a Magistrate in the Criminal and Youth Courts.

I moved to the Malvern area from Dorset in 2014 and my two children joined the school in 2020. I started my career as a qualified social worker and following a period as a lecturer and researcher at Cardiff University, I worked in London in public affairs/communications, before moving back to the public sector in health/social care regulation, latterly in quality and risk assurance. In my spare time I enjoy supporting Wales in rugby, watching cricket, live music/theatre, quizzes and walking the lovely Malvern Hills.

I wanted to join the governing body to give something back to the community and to the school that has provided my children with such positive experiences. I hope my skills and experience will help support the governing body and school in striving to deliver the best possible outcomes for the children of Colwall Primary School. 

I am a Foundation Governor which means my appointment was approved by the Diocese of Hereford; this is because Colwall Primary School is a Church of England school. I served in the Royal Air Force for many years where I specialised in personnel and training, particularly the development of young people. During that time I travelled across Europe and served throughout the United Kingdom. On leaving the RAF I embarked on a second career as a school bursar. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamism and exuberance of life in a large, diverse school where teamwork was the key to success. Since I retired I have been a school governor (I’m a glutton for punishment!) and have been involved in voluntary work with many organisations including the church, Rotary International, The Prince’s Trust and a number of military charities. I have also served as a Magistrate in the Criminal and Youth Courts.

I have primarily worked as a careers consultant and manager within Higher Education, specialising in social mobility and curriculum design. I won a teaching award in the University of London for my work with postgraduate and MBA candidates and a Times Higher Education Award for developing micro-placements in the curriculum for Media Arts students. I have previously worked in the House of Commons within a political role; and as a Funeral Director. I have degrees in Politics with Law (Aberystwyth) and Theology, Ministry & Mission (Durham). I was ordained into the Church of England by the Bishop of Hereford in 2023 and retain an interest in education and training.

My first contact with Colwall was in the early 1960’s when my father started work at the RRE in Malvern. We moved to a bungalow at the top of Evendine Lane. My sister and I walked or cycled down the hill to school on The Green and dragged ourselves back up the hill in the afternoon.

After a year or so we moved into Malvern where I attended the CofE Primary School on Clarence Road and then went on to The King’s School in Worcester. Whilst I did well in some sports and the CCF I did less well academically. Having failed to get the grades to go to university I started work as a clerk at Lloyds Bank on Belle Vue Terrace… before moving away to develop my career in other ways.

So why join the Governing Body?

Well, this lad who failed to get into university managed to become a senior business manager with Abbey National running a large Administration operation with over 600 staff. 

He, also, became an independent management consultant and interim manager supporting small and large private, public sector businesses and charities in finding ways of improving processes and developing staff to be more effective. 

He joined the Colwall Parish Council and Village Hall Management Committee after moving to the village in 2014. He became a Trustee and Chair of Trustees with Community Action Ledbury… and now a volunteer driver.

He was a Tutor in Adult Education, helping people develop the skills to find work and to find their place in the community.

Along the way this academic ‘failure’ gained professional qualifications in Financial Services, Project Management, Training and Development… plus a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management Studies as well as an MSc degree.

That was achieved with the help and support of people who could see potential beyond the failed A levels… and some hard work on my part!

The school motto resonates… ‘Sparking Curiosity, Unleashing Potential’ as I believe it is our responsibility as Parents, Teachers and Governors to work to ensure each individual child is offered the opportunity to grow in the way that suits them best.

I look forward to doing what I can to help.

Hi, my name is Hester Murrells. Professionally, I am a Primary School teacher, and currently English Lead and EYFS Lead at a small Malvern school. With 15 years of experience, I have a passion for quality education and look forward to contributing to the board of governors.

As a family we have lived in Colwall since 2019. We love nothing more than active days out on the Malvern Hills. I take pride in sending our two children to such a fantastic, local, village school and nursery. I am invested in the success of the school and look forward to helping Colwall Primary School to continue to provide children with a happy, memorable start to their time in education. 

Declaration of Interests

The following Declarations of Interest have been made by governors in the academic year 2022/2023:

GOVERNORDeclarations of Interest
Brian BallardParent
Tom BoyleParent, teacher at primary school in Malvern Wells
Seamus BradfordTeacher at Colwall School
Alan BridgeColwall Rotary, Outdoor Classroom project (part-funded/managed by Colwall Rotary)
Gina HarrisonHeadteacher
Naomi HobbsParent
Melanie HortonRector of St James the Great, Colwall
Ellie RamseyParent
Leigh GouldParent
Phillip RayParent
Daff TamblingParent
Jamie TrumperTeacher

Full Governing Body Meetings 24/25

Contact The Governors

To contact the Board of Governors please get in touch by emailing the Clerk at clerk@colwall.hereford.sch.uk