School Governors
School governors are ordinary people from the local community who wish to make a positive contribution to children’s education. They are the largest volunteer force in the country and have an important part to play in raising school standards. Governors are not involved in the day-to-day management of the school.
Almost anyone can become a school governor. All new governors receive training and support from Ivy Learning Trust and their fellow governors. If you are interested in becoming a governor, please contact governance@ivylearningtrust.org.
The Governing Body
At Round Diamond School, we have a team of local governors who work closely with the Executive Headteacher, school leadership team and staff in order to continue to drive excellence in the achievements of our children, ensuring they fulfil their potential. Through positive challenge, bringing outside experiences in, and supporting the strategy of the school we look to help all the children at Round Diamond to be responsible, determined and successful.
The role of the Local Governing Body is to provide confident, strategic leadership and to create robust accountability, oversight and assurance for educational performance and for the safety and wellbeing of all pupils. The Local Governing Body at Round Diamond is accountable and reports to the Trust Board of Ivy Learning Trust.
The Local Governing Body operates within an overall scheme of delegation for the Trust.
Some of the governors are linked to the Faculties taught within the school, which allows close partnership with governors and teaching staff as they demonstrate their skills, aims and ambitions of these subjects to us. With regular meetings, aligned to the Faculties, the impact of a Link Governor is an in-depth understanding of a subject, the reporting of it and plans for ongoing improvement. There is also a designated safeguarding governor who meets at least one each school term with the Executive Headteacher and / or Deputy Headteacher, to review the school’s safeguarding procedures and practice.
Visits are documented on a Governor Visit Form which details the visit, allowing governors to inform fellow governors on what they have learned during the visit, express what they have observed working well, whether anything needs clarification and any suggestions for improvement.
All members of the Local Governing Body receive training and attend events run by Ivy Learning Trust and external bodies. This allows us to keep up to date with our responsibilities with regard to the latest requirements and expectations, as well as local and national best practice. This training helps governors develop the information, knowledge and skills to hold leaders to account or to review the school’s performance.
Meet the Governors
John Malynn OBE
I am a retired career civil servant, having worked in education policy from 2004 at the Department for Education. Prior to retiring I spent my final years of employment leading on school inspection policy matters within Ofsted. Originally from London where I served as a governor at primary and secondary school level for many years up until 2018, I moved to Great Ashby in 2006. I became a co-opted governor at Round Diamond in September 2020 and am currently Chair of the Governing Body.
Zoe Phillips
I joined the governing body in September 2011 when I joined the school as Headteacher. I have been a governor in my daughter’s school for 6 years and I appreciate the role governors play in the leadership of a school.
Zak Karim
I was elected to join the governing body in November 2022. I currently have a son who joined Reception in September 2022. I am very excited to be a governor at Round Diamond and look forward to getting more involved with the school. I have worked in finance for over 10 years and currently work in the technology sector, providing insight into budgeting, forecasting and other financial specifics.
Stacey Mason
I have been a member of staff since 2017, working throughout all key stages within the school. I am more recently based in EYFS, Nursery and Reception classes. Prior to becoming a Staff Governor, I was a Parent Governor for 8 years, stepping back to work on and obtain my Supporting Teaching and Learning Level 3 qualification. I currently have a child in Year 6 at Round Diamond and my eldest child also attended the school and is now at a local secondary school. The experience that I have being a parent and a staff member allows me to see things from all perspectives.
Cheryl Desborough
I am a Business Analyst at the University of Hertfordshire and have worked there since 2007. I have two children, both of whom are at Round Diamond and am pleased to be able to be part of the school community. I am currently the Vice-Chair of the Local Governing Body.
Dan Galvin
I am a pastoral lead at a secondary school in Stevenage where I have been teaching since 2019. I hope that my varied background in design, education and youth sport coaching helps me bring a useful perspective to the team. I joined the Local Governing Body in March 2024, and I look forward to taking on the role of Governor.
John Bennett
I joined the Local Governing Body in March 2024 as a Parent Governor. My child joined the Nursery at Round Diamond in 2021. I’m really looking forward to adding a parent’s perspective and drawing on my 25 years of experience in supporting capital infrastructure projects, all to make a positive difference at the school for the staff and the children.
| Name | Role | Appointed | Term | Appointed by | Declared interests | Date Interest Declared |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Malynn OBE | Chair of Local Governors | 01/09/2024 | 4 years | Ivy Learning Trust | Member of Hatfield Community Free School Trust | January 2023 |
| Zoe Phillips | Executive Headteacher | 01/09/2011 | Ex-officio | Ex-officio | 1. Executive Headteacher, Martins Wood Primary School 2. Non-Executive Director, Herts Catering Limited 3. Daughter employed at school | 1. December 2022 2. July 2023 3. September 2023 |
| Stacey Mason | Staff Governor | 08/09/2023 | 4 years | Elected Staff | None declared | N/A |
| Zak Karim | Parent Governor | 14/11/2022 | 4 years | Elected Parent | None declared | N/A |
| John Bennett | Parent Governor | 10/05/2024 | 4 years | Elected Parent | None declared | N/A |
| Cheryl Desborough | Vice Chair / Trust Appointed Governor | 01/09/2022 | 4 years | Ivy Learning Trust | Husband is a local governor at another Ivy Learning Trust school; Chair of PTA, Round Diamond Primary School | May 2023 Nov 2023 |
| Dan Galvin | Trust Appointed Governor | 07/03/2024 | 4 years | Ivy Learning Trust | None declared | N/A |
Declarations of Interest
Access the current declarations of interest for Ivy Learning Trust members and trustees.
Scheme of Delegation
Read the current scheme of delegation for Ivy Learning Trust.
Attendance Record
View the attendance record for the Round Diamond Local Governing Body.
Governance Arrangements
Information on governance arrangements is available on Ivy Learning Trust’s website.
Governance documents which need to be available for public inspection can be requested by emailing governance@ivylearningtrust.org.
Stepped Down Governors
No stepped down governors are currently listed for the last 12 months.