Hyde Park Infant School
T: 01752 225493
Hyde Park Infant School
T: 01752 225493
Hyde Park Infant and Junior Schools now have a federated Governing Body that covers both schools.
Our aim is to provide an inclusive, warm, caring and stimulating environment where every child can gain self-confidence and learn to become independent. It is important that the children are not only encouraged to have self-respect but that they are given the opportunity to appreciate the value of others. Each individual child is helped to develop his/her own personality within a secure environment whilst always being aware of the needs of others.
We firmly believe that children learn effectively in a secure, caring atmosphere where they have access to a wide range of first hand experiences. We aim to develop in the children a sense of responsibility, self-discipline and a thoughtful attitude towards others. We deliberately create situations in which they can show initiative, self-reliance and consideration. Opportunities are given for working co-operatively with other children and adults as well as on individual tasks.
We have high expectations of the children and encourage them to set themselves high standards of work and behaviour. Our broad and balanced curriculum meets and extends the requirements of the National Curriculum, providing continuity and progression; this means that we are concerned with the acquisition of knowledge, the understanding of concepts, and the skills of problem solving, aesthetic appreciation, physical development and the application of these to every day situations. We are committed to a child centred educational approach, which enables the individual to develop their own potential so that they may become independent, responsible, useful, thinking, confident and considerate members of the community.
This list is by no means complete but might go some way to show the enormous task we willingly undertake. It is important to remember that children are individuals and do not all develop at the same pace and that they must be valued for what they are not for what they have achieved. We recognise the crucial role which parents play in their children’s education and make every effort to encourage parental involvement in the educational process in a partnership style.
The Federated Governors currently serving the children and the schools are as follows:
Ms Rachel Mathis - Chair
Ms Kim Hall - Clerk to Governors
Mr Glyn Price - Vice Chair
Mrs Kate Harvey - Co-opted Governor
Mr Warren Stonebridge - Parent Governor
Mrs Sara Degg - Staff Governor
Mrs Lucy Richards - Parent Governor
Ms Jane Ford - Co-opted Governor
Mr Clive Browne - Co-opted Governor
Dr Leah Daley - Co-opted Governor
If you wish to contact the chair of the school governors by email please use the email below:
hydepark.office@horionmat.com
or by post to:
Rachel Mathis
Hyde Park Schools
Hyde Park Road
Plymouth
PL3 4RH
Please note I work part-time hours. I will respond to your message as soon as I can, however, if your query is urgent, please contact the central team on 01752 770962.
Hyde Park Infant School became part of the Horizon Multi Academy Trust on 1 January 2019. Hyde Park Infant School and Hyde Park Junior School are a federated governing board.
Horizon Academy Trust is a company limited by guarantee and is an exempt charity.
Horizon Multi Academy Trust is registered at Companies House [Registration no. 08084557]
The Horizon Multi Academy Trust Board is accountable in law for all decisions about its academies.
However, the Trust Board have agreed within their Scheme of Delegation that many decisions can and should be delegated to the local governing bodies.
The Governing Body of the school is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds. The school governors are a group of individuals, who are elected, nominated or co-opted and are representatives of parents and staff, and the local community. School Governors work with the Headteacher and are responsible for setting the strategic direction of the school.
Our purpose as a governing body is to support and improve the school through our involvement, providing supportive, active and critical voice to ensure that the school achieves its maximum potential and every pupil achieves.
The three key functions for the Governing Body are:
To ensure that the vision, ethos & strategic direction of the school are clearly defined;
To ensure that the Headteacher performs her responsibilities for the educational performance of the school;
To ensure the sound, proper & effective use of the school’s financial resources.
The Governing Body adopts an executive responsibility approach to its functionality & reports through Governor meetings held six times a year. Where committees are required, the chair of those committees is listed below:
Review Committee - Rachel Mathis
Head Teacher Performance Review Committee - Glyn Price
You can contact the Chair by emailing trustboard@horizonmat.com
You can see information about our governing board below.
 | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Rachel Mathis |
| Category: | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body: | Trust Board |
| Term: | 07/2019 - 07/2023 |
| Responsibilities: | Chair, Safeguarding |
| Register of interests: | Nil |
| Other Governorship: | Nil |
| Profile: | I have recently been appointed as a co-opted governor (September 2019) and am excited about joining the Federated Governing Body. I look forward to using my skills in supporting
the leadership teams to ensure that each and every child has equal opportunity to reach their full potential. I retired in December 2018 following a 35 year career in the energy sector, working in IT and latterly in Supply Chain. During my career I have amassed skills that are transferrable to the role of governor. I feel that these skills, and the time commitment I can make, will enable me to provide a significant contribution to the Governing Body. |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 83% (5 out of 6 meetings) |
 | |
| Name: | Glyn Price |
| Category: | Parent Governor |
| Appointing Body: | Parent community |
| Term: | 02/2017 - 02/2021 |
| Responsibilities: | Vice Chair, Supporting new governors, Head Teacher Performance Management, English |
| Register of interests: | Child attending the school |
| Other Governorship: | Nil |
| Profile: | Newly appointed to the Board of Governors in March 17, I have a long term vested interest in the success of both schools; being the parent of a child about to transition between Infant and Juniors (Sept 17), with another not due to join Early Years until Sept 2018. I am passionate about supporting both schools to ensure that every one of our children enjoy a positive, challenging experience and above all maximise their potential. I have held a senior leadership role within a large utility company for the last 20 years, which has hopefully afforded me skills that can be exploited to the benefit of the Hyde Park Federation. |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 83% (5 out of 6 meetings) |
 | |
| Name: | Kate Harvey |
| Category: | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body: | Trust Board |
| Term: | 09/2019 - 09/2023 |
| Responsibilities: | Maths, Early Years, SEN |
| Register of interests: | Nil |
| Other Governorship: | Nil |
| Profile: | I am newly appointed to the board of governors as a co-opted governor, I have recently moved to the area and enrolled my children in the schools. I now have a personal and long-term vested interest in Hyde Park Federation and would love to offer any experiences I can to support the school. I believe that a big part of teaching is the ability to collaboratively work together; children, parents, teachers, leadership, schools and academies. Sharing views and maximising a range of skills and experiences which will ultimately ensure the children have the best opportunities in a safe, warm and happy environment. I am a primary school teacher and for the last five years I have been in years 5/6. My subject lead is DT and I have a great passion for STEM and raising children’s aspirations, there are some amazing community STEM links and I place a lot of importance on utilising these links and encouraging the children to experience real-world lessons regarding science, technology, engineering and mathematics. |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 100 % (6 out of 6 meetings) |
 | |
| Name: | Lucy Richards |
| Category: | Parent Governor |
| Appointing Body: | Parent community |
| Term: | 06/07/2021 - 05/07/2025 |
| Responsibilities: | Pupil Premium |
| Register of interests: | N/A |
| Other Governorship: | N/A |
| Profile: | I was fortunate enough to be elected as Parent Governor and I am determined to drive the school towards continued success. I therefore approach the position with a commitment to the parental body of the school while taking a strategic approach to governance. Having always been passionate about education, I began teaching while studying to become a professional dancer. Following my training at The London College of Dance, I enjoyed a life of performing before delivering my subject into Secondary Education in both London and Devon, becoming Head of Dance and Head of Year. I also had the privilege of being appointed Artistic Director of Devon Youth Dance. While delivering Dance in Secondary schools and the further education sector, I started my own school and led staff and pupils for ten years, focusing on attainment in technical genres while making vision and ethos the priority of our dancers' development. Consequently, and drawing from my current profession as an Artist, I believe the Arts to be a vital subject in state education and I look forward to encouraging it’s safe future in all schools. Additionally, from my work in education, and especially as a Principal, I was able to support disadvantaged families and I now intend to use my experience in this critical area to ensure that we are optimizing every possible opportunity to ultimately benefit the learning of each and every pupil. I am so honoured to be part of the Governing Board of the Hyde Park Schools and am truly committed to supporting the educational performance of the school and, thus, our children’s future. |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 100 % (6 out of 6 meetings) |
 | |
| Name: | Warren Stonebridge |
| Category: | Parent Governor |
| Appointing Body: | Parent community |
| Term: | 06/07/2021 - 05/07/2025 |
| Responsibilities: | Curriculum, Maths |
| Register of interests: | N/A |
| Other Governorship: | N/A |
| Profile: | Newly appointed to the board as a parent Governor in July 2021, I feel I have joined the school at a very exciting time. My son Ted left last year and my daughter Emily is about to start Year 4. A bit about me. I worked in the voluntary and charity sector for 10 years as a professional mediator and trained counsellor and spent several years in international IT recruitment. In 2001, I was fortunate enough to travel through South East Asia and drive around the whole of Australia. For the last 13 years, I have been a primary school teacher at an outstanding school in Plymouth. I have been the subject lead in both computing and maths for the last 5 years and consistently aim to raise standards in all areas of my school. I also take an active lead in PSHE. I am also a PLE (Plymouth Leader of Education) and assist other schools with professional development in many areas. I feel my particular set of skills and experience will be of benefit to the Hyde Park community and I look forward to working collaboratively with the team. |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 83% (5 out of 6 meetings) |
| Name: | Sara Degg |
| Category: | Staff Governor |
| Appointing Body: | Trust Board |
| Term: | 03/2022 - 07/2026 |
| Responsibilities: | |
| Register of interests: | |
| Other Governorship: | |
| Profile: | |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 100 % (6 out of 6 meetings) |
 | |
| Name: | Jane Ford |
| Category: | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body: | Governing Body |
| Term: | 05/2022 - 05/2026 |
| Responsibilities: | |
| Register of interests: | |
| Other Governorship: | None |
| Profile: | I have recently been appointed as a co-opted governor on the Federated Governing Board and I am looking forward to working collaboratively with both schools.
My professional background has always been in education. I have taught extensively at both primary and secondary level in both the UK and in Malta.
Positions of responsibility include: History lead teacher in a primary school, co-ordinating external examinations in Malta and being Head of English in a secondary school in Plymouth.
I have served as a governor in the past at both a Plymouth primary school and a secondary school community college. I am no longer working as a teacher but am still very passionate about education and believe that it is vital that every child is given the opportunities to achieve their potential in a safe and caring environment. I would like to use the skills that I have developed as both a teacher and a governor to support the important work of the Federated Governing Board. As I live locally, I also have a good understanding of the area. |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 100 % (6 out of 6 meetings) |
 | |
| Name: | Leah Daley |
| Category: | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body: | Governing Body |
| Term: | 09/2022 - 09/2026 |
| Responsibilities: | |
| Register of interests: | |
| Other Governorship: | None |
| Profile: | Appointed to the Federated Governing Body in September 2022, I am excited to be part of the Hyde Park team and help support both infants and juniors in reaching their
full potential. The school has already provided my daughter – who has just completed Early Years - with a great educational foundation, and I would like to help ensure that all children thrive
in a supportive, welcoming environment that focuses on attainment, friendship and inclusivity. I am a television producer with over 10 years experience in the media industry and I hope to bring some of the skills I’ve developed to the Governing Body. I’m passionate about providing the best opportunities for children in order to help them grow as individuals. I’ve worked closely with the charity, Plymouth Children in Poverty, to produce films that demonstrate what local children can achieve in the city and can aspire to in the future. I have a PhD in Geography and as well as an advocate for the environment and STEM education, I love learning… and my wish is that every child at Hyde Park can experience that same love too. |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 67% (4 out of 6 meetings) |
 | |
| Name: | Clive Browne |
| Category: | Co-opted |
| Appointing Body: | Governing Body |
| Term: | 01/2023 - 01/2027 |
| Responsibilities: | |
| Register of interests: | |
| Other Governorship: | None |
| Profile: | Appointed to the Federated Governing Board in January 2023, I'm excited to have joined a team who are clearly committed to helping provide the best opportunities possible
for Hyde Park school children. I've watched the schools provide my own two children with a great start to their education and am keen to offer my support in ensuring that all children enjoy
similar opportunities. My professional background lies primarily in the IT industry where I've spent over 15 years supporting, delivering and project managing a wide range of IT services. Unsurprisingly, given this background, I'm really interested in STEM topics and passionately believe that all children should have access and exposure to as many opportunities as possible in this area. I shall always be a champion of providing as many and varied experiences as possible to our children and will work within the Governing Body to support the schools in providing such opportunities in a safe, caring and secure environment. |
| Attendance for Previous academic Year: | 100% (4 out of 4 meetings) |
Previous Governors:
Phil Hart - Apr 2022
Anthony Greenfield - Mar 2022
Hannah McNamee - Mar 2022
Denise Razey - Mar 2022
Dominic Ring - Oct 2020
Mark Briffa - Oct 2020
Hyde Park FGB Business Interests 2023-2024
Chair of Governors Welcome Letter