Welcome to St Mary's Priory Schools Governing Body
Welcome to the Governance page of Plympton St. Mary Infant school and Old Priory Junior Academy Governing Body. Both schools are part of St. Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust; “A strong family of outstanding schools, serving their community and contributing fully to the provision of education, collaborating with other partners to achieve common goals.”
Governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in all St Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust schools however the ultimately responsibility for the school lies with the Board of Directors with much of the work delegated to the Local Governing Body (LGB).
In trusts, the purpose of local governance is to provide:
· strategic leadership
· accountability and assurance
· strategic engagement
Governors set the aims and objectives for the school and set the targets/policies for achieving those aims and objectives. They monitor and evaluate the progress the school is making and act as a source of challenge and support to the headteacher.
Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise from their professional lives to the governing board and schools benefit greatly from working with skilled volunteers.
If you are interested in hearing more about becoming a governor please contact; old.clerk@stcmat.org
In her role as Headteacher for Old Priory and St Mary's, Kathryn is also part of the governing body. She works closely with all of the governors through school visits and at our termly meetings.

Hi, my name is Ray Nair and I currently have a daughter and son who attend Old Priory. I'm originally from London and have worked in retail for over 20 years in various management capacities. As governor I feel it's hugely important that both schools are operating to a high standard and giving those attending every opportunity to flourish and grow into confident and capable individuals.

Hi I am Tony, and I have a son at Old Priory. I am originally from Cardiff and have a background in security, education and training, and am a director of security, care and training companies. I am looking forward to helping the school in any way I can.

Hello, my name is Vicky, I have one son at St Mary’s and one son at Old Priory. I have also worked at Old Priory in the past so know the school well. I have a background in education, I spent 12 years as a secondary English teacher, and I have recently made the transition into primary teaching. I have witnessed the journey both schools have been on over the past 7 years, and I am keen to help ensure they continue to thrive and flourish after coming so far.

I am a parent of two lovely children, one is in year 5 and the other is in Year 1. I have been teaching for 17 years in various Primary schools across Surrey and Devon and previously been a staff Governor. I’m hoping to support both schools within their journey to being the best they can be.
Staff Governor
|
Name |
Type of Governor |
Appointing Body |
Role |
Term Start |
Term End |
Registered Interests |
Attendance 2024/25 |
| Kathryn Catherwood | Headteacher (Ex-officio) | na | Headteacher | 01/09/24 | n/a | 6/6 | |
|
Emma Kingwell |
Staff |
Staff |
|
31/08/22 |
30/08/26 |
None |
6 of 6 |
|
Ray Nair |
Foundation |
Trust |
Chair Safeguarding Deputy Maths |
01/09/22 |
31/08/26 |
Retail Manager Furniture Industry |
4 of 6 |
| Charlotte Sluman | Associate | Local Governing Board | 05/10/23 | 04/10/27 | Staff member | 5 of 6 | |
|
Victoria Whittingham |
Parent |
Parents/carers |
Vice Chair Wider Curriculum |
21/09/22 |
20/09/26 |
Owner/proprietor of DMW Plumbing |
5 of 6 |
| Tony Merrick | Foundation | Trust | Safeguarding | 28/02/24 | 27/02/28 | Company Director/proprietor: City Security Ltd, City Security Training Ltd, City Security Consultants Ltd, City Security Solutions Ltd, City Care South West Ltd, City People Ltd, Ocean City Holdings Ltd, Mayfair House RTN company Ltd | 4 of 6 |
| Vicky Phillips | Foundation | Trust |
English Disadvantaged |
28/02/24 | 27/02/28 | None | 1 of 3 |
| VACANCY | Foundation | Trust | |||||
| VACANCY | Foundation | Trust |
Governors who have left in the last 12 months
|
Name |
Type of Governor |
Appointing Body |
Role |
|
Term End |
Registered Interests |
Attendance 2024/25 |
|
Sarah Shelton |
Parent |
Parents/carers |
EYFS |
|
July 2025 |
Friends of St Marys School & Old Priory Juinor PTFA member. |
|
How to get in touch with our Governors:
If you wish to contact the Governing Body then please email the clerk to the Governing Body
Could you be a school Governor?
We currently have vacancies. Click on the poster below to see what we are looking for. If you think you could be a Governor then we would love to hear from you. You can download the application form below and send it to old.clerk@stcmat.org
| 30/09/25 | 02/12/25 | 27/01/26 | 17/03/26 | 12/0526 | 07/07/26 | |
| Kathryn Catherwood | Present | |||||
| Ray Nair | Apologies | |||||
| Tony Merrick | Apologies | |||||
| Vicky Phillips | Present | |||||
| Victoria Whittingham | Absent | |||||
| Emma Kingwell | Present | |||||
| Charlotte Sluman | Absent |