Many hands build a house, many hearts build a school
Welcome to our Governors’ section.
Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.
The Governors at Clyro Church in Wales Primary School welcome prospective pupils and parents. Governors make decisions about how the school is run. They help decide what is taught, they set standards of behaviour, they interview and appoint staff and they decide how the school budget is spent. Governors have legal responsibilities, duties and powers and can only act together, not as individuals. Governors receive training to help with their work. The Chair of the Governors may be contacted through the school.
As you can see from the list below, Governors are parents, teachers and other staff members from the school, representatives of the Church, the Local Authority and the community. Parent Governors must have a child at Clyro, they are elected by parents of the school and they serve, as do other Governors, for four years. Parent Governors bring the views of parents to the Governing body, but they speak and act as individuals supporting the school. They have equal status in the work of the Governing body and they have voting rights. They should be aware of encouraging parent interest and be actively involved in drawing other parents into the work of the school. Governors are encouraged to visit the school and take an interest in school life.
Our Governors
Mr. D. Murphy
Chair & Parent Governor
I’m Damian Murphy, Chair of Governors.
This is my eighth year as a governor at
Clyro and my first as chair. I was previously
a parent governor with my two girls going
through the school, the youngest now in
Year 6. My wife and I originate from the
Northwest of England and came to this
area for work, originally moving to Hay
and then Clifford (Hardwicke) before
settling in Glasbury. Being from the
Northwest of England, I am a keen
Manchester United fan and love football
(this has been a serious conflict for me
over the last few years!). I have coached
under-13 boys football but would love to
introduce a girls team to compete with
other girls teams in the South Powys
Junior football League. I like to read and
write short stories and poetry (badly).
Rev. D. Thomas
Foundation Governor
I am the vicar of St. Michael & All
Angels Church, Clyro. I play an active
role in the school, including taking Collective
Worship every week as well as welcoming the
children and staff to the church. I have been
a Governor of the school for more than 12 years.
I have been a member of school Governing
Bodies in other parishes before moving to
this area. (Totalling over 20 years as a governor)
Mr. D. Hassard
Parent Governor
Hi I’m David, I joined the Clyro School
Governors back in 2020 as a Parent
Governor. I run an Outdoor Education
Centre a few miles down the road
called Maes y Lade and I’m passionate
about young people having the opportunity
to spend time learning outdoors
surrounded by nature. I have been
working for a Youth Charity since 2004
in various roles with a focus on Informal
Education and Outdoor Learning.
Mrs. D. Thomas
Foundation Governor
I am a foundation governor with responsibility
for Safeguarding and I am the ALN link
governor. I have been a primary school teacher
for almost 30 years. Most of my career has been
working at a primary school in Brecon, where I am
the ALN Co with 19 years experience in the role.
I am married to Rev. David Thomas, so I take an active
role in the life of his parishes, including Clyro.
Mr. M. Southcoat
Local Authority Governor (Vice Chair)
I live in the local area, having retired after
working in a variety of roles in Education
across mid and South Wales. My wife and
I have two grown up children, one a teacher
and the other a specialist children’s
physiotherapist. We also have four
grandchildren who take up a lot of our
spare time. I am currently Vice Chair of
the Governing body and have a particular
interest in financial matters and the curriculum.
Mrs. R. Drysdale
Parent Governor
Mrs. H. Elliott
Parent Governor
Mrs. M. Fforde
Community Governor
I became a parent governor when my daughter,
Tabby started at the school back in 2012 and have
been involved in a variety of governor capacities
ever since. I work at Hay Castle as the Learning
and Activities Manager where I love to engage
children and adults with the heritage and stories
of the site and the locality. I am also a passionate
Welsh language learner and enjoy hearing the
pupils using their Welsh at school.
Mrs. P. Richardson
Community Governor
I am the Community Council representative on
the Board of Governors. I have lived in Hay and
Clyro for the last 17 years. I am a retired civil
servant with a background in Policy, Human
Resources and Operational Delivery.
This is my second term as a Governor,
having previously served as Vice Chair,
which included contributing to our
successful ESTYN inspection. We are so lucky to
have such a thriving and excellent school at the
heart of our community and I feel very privileged
to have been invited to re-join the Board of
Governors. I want to play an active role in school
life and to offer my time, knowledge and skills
to help every pupil achieve their full potential
and become confident and active citizens of Wales.
Miss S. Griffiths
Teacher Governor
Mrs. S. Groves
Headteacher (Ex Officio)
(Current vacancies)
Non-Teaching Staff Governor
Mrs. D. Thomas is our Safeguarding and ALN Governor.