Governance

School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools.  They are responsible for appointing the head teacher and deputy headteachers and hold the main responsibility for finance. 

Governors work with the Headteacher and Senior Leaders as 'critical friends' and provide support.

Chair’s Welcome

Hello,

I'd like to introduce myself. I am Kristofer McGhee and I am the Chair of Governors at Princess May Primary School. I am a solicitor by profession, and General Counsel and Company Secretary of the Rail Delivery Group.

I joined the Governing Body in 2007 and became Chair in 2009. I have an interest in education and young people having previously been active on the boards of the British Youth Council and the Scottish Youth Parliament.

We have seen some great improvements in standards over the past five years which we can attribute to a strong and developing Leadership Team and a Governing Body which acts as a critical friend. My aim - which is shared by the governors and the Senior Leadership Team - is that the school becomes the school of choice for parents and pupils in the local community. We want, also, to be an Ofsted "Outstanding" school in the next few years. 

I've been proud to be be part of the school's rapid improvement and am looking forward to the next phase. We have some exciting plans for the school building which will hopefully make the school a more attractive place for our pupils to learn. 

I am grateful to the hard work and time commitment from my fellow governors as well as the dedicated teaching and non-teaching staff. We are continually looking for parents and the local community to play an active part of school life - if you are interested, do get in touch via the School Office. 

Best Wishes

Kristofer McGhee
Chair of Governors  

Meet our Governing Body

Role of a Governor

Governors normally serve for 4 years.  The Chair and Vice-Chair are normally elected at the first Governing Body meeting of the school year.

Each Governor is expected to be part of a least one of two committees of the Governing Body. The Committees are;  Learning and Development Committee and Finance, Premises and Staff Committee.

What the governing board and its committees do

The full governing board sets the school's vision and strategy, holds the headteacher to account for pupils' education and outcomes, and oversees how money is spent. Some decisions are kept for the full board: approving the annual budget and the scheme of delegation, receiving audit reports, approving contracts over £40,000, approving the lettings arrangements and appointing the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Other work is delegated to two committees, set out in the board's scheme of delegation and the committees' terms of reference. Each committee has at least three governors, meets at least once a term and reports back to the full board.

Learning and Development Committee (Chair: Kristofer McGhee) oversees the quality of education and pupils' outcomes. It monitors the curriculum, pupil performance data, the impact of pupil premium funding, provision and progress for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils, behaviour, attendance, pupils' wellbeing and safety, parental engagement and the school's equality duties. It also recommends the accessibility plan, the statement of behaviour principles and the relationships and sex education policy to the full board.

Finance, Premises and Staff Committee (Chair: Louise Allen) oversees the school's money, buildings and staffing. It prepares the draft budget for the full board, monitors spending at every meeting, approves virements between £25,000 and £40,000 and contracts up to £40,000, and makes sure the school meets the Schools Financial Value Standard and responds to audits. It is responsible for premises, health and safety, insurance and lettings; approves the staffing structure and the appointment of assistant headteachers; makes sure staff have professional development; and carries out the annual pay review.

Governors who stepped down in the past 12 months: Naima Abdi Abdullahi, parent governor (elected by parents), appointed 2024, stepped down in December 2025. Hiba Ali, staff governor (elected by staff), appointed 2023, term ended in May 2026.

Our governance professional (clerk) is Gemma Sakamoto, Judicium Education.

If you are interested in becoming a governor please contact admin@princessmay.hackney.sch.uk 

Key Documents

Please see below for key governance documentation. 

• Governor Code of Conduct
• Governor Register of Business Interests
• Governors Attendance Register
• Instrument of Government

School financial information

You can view our school’s income and spending, and compare it with similar schools, on the Department for Education’s Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.

Princess May Primary School financial benchmarking

Staff paid over £100,000: one member of staff has a gross annual salary of more than £100,000, in the £100,000 to £110,000 band.