Board of Governors

The school governors play a key role in the life and running of Bevington Primary School. Comprehensive information in line with the statutory guidance on the constitution of governing bodies of maintained schools can be read here.

The Board is an elected body drawn from the School’s various stakeholders including parents, staff and the local community. It has important legal powers and has strategic oversight of the school and its activities.

Other roles of the Board are to:

promote high standards of achievement;
act as a ‘critical friend’ to the School;
provide robust monitoring and evaluation of School performance;
oversee all aspects of School governance;
ensure that the School’s finances are managed properly;
offer support and challenge to the Executive Headteacher, Head of School and staff;
get involved in higher level staffing and building matters.

Current Board:

Amanda Sayers – LA Governor, Chairman of the Board, Leadership and Management and Staff Wellbeing, Link Governor for Training and Visits

I have been a governor in RBKC since 1999. I was previously Chairman of the Board at Bevington (2005-2015), then an Associate Member until 2020. I qualified as a barrister in 1984, spent ten years working in the corporate finance department of a Swiss bank (both in the City and in New York) before leaving to bring up my two sons. I have also been Chairman of the Board of Governors at All Saints Catholic College since 2015 and was Chairman of the Board of Governors at Park Walk Primary School from 2012 until 2020. I currently serve as Chairman of the Chairs’ Forum for RBKC, and as a member of Schools’ Forum for RBKC as well as on the Scrutiny Committee for Children’s and Family Services.

Dr Michael Harrington – Co-opted Governor, Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee, Link Governor for Procurement and Benchmarking

My doctoral research was in the field of psychodynamics; I am a summa cum laude graduate, an alumni of the Harvard Business School and London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama; with expertise in Emotional Intelligence and school governorship. In addition to acting and writing, I am an experienced business leader and former Justice of the Peace. In the voluntary sector I’ve been a night volunteer at a London homeless shelter, driver of an old people’s minibus in North Kensington, and a mentor at an international aid agency.

Jagdeep Birdi – Ex-Officio Governor, Executive Head Teacher

I first started teaching in 1992. Since then I have been a governor of a variety of schools for over 30 years. In 2002 I became a Deputy Head Teacher and after that the Head Teacher of Colville Primary School. Having taken Colville to through to an Outstanding Ofsted 2019 I became the Executive Head Teacher of the Colville and Marlborough Federation having volunteered as a governor at Marlborough Primary School for five years. Both schools are exceptional examples of excellent practise. I started working at Bevington in on 22nd April 2024 and I look forward to building on the school’s strengths.

I am an active member of a number of boards and steering groups including Schools’ Forum and the RBKC LGPS Board.

Jonathan Damsgaard – Co-opted Governor, Vice Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee, Link Governor for Safeguarding

I have a 15-year career in financial services, and currently work in investment management, with a focus on UK and international real estate. Prior to that, I was an investment banker for five years. I have an undergraduate degree from the London School of Economics (LSE) in Government and Economics (Bsc). In the voluntary sector, I am on the board of the Rugby Portobello Trust (RPT) Foundation, a local youth club in North Kensington. I live locally in Ladbroke Grove.

Chris De Marco – Co-opted Governor, Finance and General Purposes Committee, Link Governor for Risk Management and Fundraising

I joined the Board in May, 2024. I have worked in financial services for thirty-six years, mainly in London, but also in NY, across banking, consulting, investment management and insurance. I have served as a trustee to one of Legal & General’s life insurance companies as well as a trustee on the company’s pension schemes. I am currently a trustee for Trekstock Limited, a cancer charity, and an active volunteer for Crisis, the homeless charity.

Paula Evans – LA Additional Appointed Governor, Chair of Curriculum and Standards Committee, Link Governor for Quality of Education and SEND

I have worked in teaching since qualifying in 1986. I have worked in secondary, middle and primary education. During my time in education, I have held various roles, both pastoral and curriculum based. Most recently, I worked at Park Walk Primary School, Chelsea, for 10 years, where I held the post of Deputy Head Teacher. During this time, I held the Acting Headship on two different occasions and, for the last two years there, supported the Headteacher as the SENDCo.

Jessica Asher – Co-opted Governor, Curriculum and Standards Committee, Link Governor for Quality of Education and Personal Development

I joined Bevington’s Board of Governors in September 2023. Before joining, I was bringing up my two young children as well as caring for my parents, both of whom were suffering from long term degenerative illnesses. Previously I worked as a solicitor, beginning my career in the City but moving to, what was then, a smaller niche firm, Russell-Cooke LLP, specialising in dispute resolution, disciplinary and administrative law. I worked at Russell-Cooke for approx. 17 years, becoming a Partner in 2003. I was eager to join Bevington’s Board and hoped that my professional skill set and experience would prove useful not only in an educational sphere but specifically at a school in my local community.

Jack Collett, Staff Governor, Curriculum and Standards Committee, Lead Governor for Behaviour and Attitudes

I have been a teacher at Bevington Primary School since 2015. I have been the Maths Co-ordinator for the past six years and Top Floor Phase lead for the past two years. This is my second year in the role of Staff Governor.

I attended Westminster Cathedral Primary School in Central London, followed by St Thomas More Language College in Kensington. I then completed my A-Level studies at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, also in Kensington. I hold a degree in Primary Education with a specialism in Mathematics from the University of Roehampton.

Vicky Fisher – Co-opted, Curriculum and Standards Committee, Link Governor for Communications and Quality of Education

I have over 14 years’ experience in the education sector in a variety of roles including teaching and school data management. I now specialises in impact and evaluation. Having worked with schools across the country to measure the impact of interventions and strategies used by schools, I work for the Raspberry Pi Foundation. As part of my role, I measure the impact of their work encouraging children around the world to get involved in coding.

Financial Benchmarking:

Click on this link to compare this school’s finances with other schools.

Salary Finance Statement:

No individual is paid more than £100,000 from this school’s budget.