Governors
Governing Board of Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form
Welcome to the Governors’ page of the Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form website.
The governing body of Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form (TGS) is comprised of elected parents, academy staff, and representatives from the local community with specialist skills and experience. As volunteers, governors receive no payment for their work and are expected to adhere to a formal Code of Conduct. Their term of office is normally four years.
Making decisions collectively, governors support and challenge the Academy leadership team, monitor the quality of teaching and the progress of school improvement, and oversee behaviour and safety. They also closely monitor the Academy’s finances.
Acting as “critical friend” governors should not involve themselves directly in operational matters, which are the responsibility of the Headteacher and her Senior Leadership Team. The governors’ role is primarily strategic.
To assist in performing their role, governors will attend relevant training courses. The majority of these are run by the local authority and are designed to be governor need specific. During their induction period, new governors are allocated a dedicated mentor from the existing governing board to facilitate their integration. (Andrew Perks - Chair of Governors)
MEMBERS
There are four members, of whom are also Trustees:
Siobhán Lowe (Headteacher)
Andrew Perks
Suna Marfé
Charles Grieve
The Members:
- are the subscribers to the memorandum of association (where they are founding members);
- may amend the articles of association subject to any restrictions created by the funding agreement or charity law;
- may, in certain circumstances, appoint new members or remove existing members;
- have powers to appoint and remove Trustees;
- may, by special resolution, issue direction to the Trustees to take a specific action;
- appoint the Trust’s auditors and receive the audited annual accounts; and have power to change the Trust’s name.
COMMUNITY GOVERNORS | TERM OF OFFICE ENDS | LINK GOVERNOR ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES |
Mr Andrew Perks | 01.07.24 | Chair of Governors, Land Development and Pay committees |
Mr Paul McDonald | 09.11.21 | Equality |
Mr Phil Morton | 15.04.22 | Health & Safety |
Mr Alex Whitehead | 25.02.23 | Careers |
Mr Andy Nowak | 02.09.24 | SEND/Exclusion |
CO-OPTED GOVERNORS | ||
Mr Charles Grieve | 02.07.21 | Finance (F, A & A Chair) |
Mrs Henrietta Hillman | 24.09.21 | HR (HR Chair) |
Ms Abigail Howard | 01.07.24 | Teaching & Learning |
PARENT GOVERNORS | ||
Mrs Suna Marfé | 13.12.22 | Pupil Premium/Looked After Children |
Ms Sara Miller*(Resigned) | 20.11.20 | Safeguarding/Attendance Lead |
Mr Ismail Laher | 20.11.20 | Outcomes |
Mr Karthi Kuppuswamy | 24.09.21 | Vice Chair – F, A & A committee |
Mrs Cheryl Day | 20.03.23 | HRC/Single Central Record |
STAFF GOVERNOR | ||
Mrs Siobhán Lowe | Headteacher ex officio | |
Miss Eleanor Parker | 28.03.23 | Teacher Governor |
Mr Michael Farnon*(Term of office ended) | 15.11.20 | Support Staff Governor - Health & Safety |
Mrs Angie Williams | Clerk to Governors/Company Secretary |
GOVERNORS’ BIOGRAPHIES **
GOVERNORS’ 2020—2021 MEETING SCHEDULE
Full Governing Board and Committee meetings are currently being held virtually.
Please click here for the meeting schedule for this academic year
GOVERNORS ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
What do governors and trustees do?
The governing body operates at a strategic level leaving the Headteacher and senior leaders responsible and accountable for the operational every day running of the school.
Please refer to the National Governance Association (NGA) for more information: https://www.nga.org.uk/Be-a-Governor/Be-a-Governor.aspx
The governing body have three key functions:
- Overseeing the financial performance of the academy and making sure its money is well spent
- Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
Contact
To contact the Chair of Governors, please use the following email:
To contact the Clerk to Governors, please use the following email:


