Hello, and welcome to our Governors' Section. 

All UK schools have a Governing Body established in law as a Corporate Body. St Richard's is a Catholic Primary School in the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton and the majority of our governors are appointed by the Bishop. All governors are volunteers who meet at least once a term to oversee the running of the school and help the Headteacher in keeping the school as successful as it can be. The Governing Body set aims and objectives, agree targets and monitor them, agree budgets and review all school policies, and are also responsible for  appointing the Headteacher and the Deputy Head. Governors can sometimes bring skills and experience from their workplace, such as building or financial, or can offer an alternative opinion on any area of running the school.

The Governing Body's role is similar to a ‘critical friend’ who will challenge the school's management team on issues of performance and effectiveness but will leave the day-to-day running of the school to our highly qualified and experienced Headteacher and Senior Management Team.

Tony Lucas - Chair of Governors and Foundation Governor

Rebecca Bird - Vice Chair of Governors 

As a former pupil of St Richard’s Primary School and a Year 5 teacher in a local primary school, I was delighted to be appointed parent governor in October 2019.  I am married to James and we have two children in school: Joshua in Year 5 and Henry in Year 2.  I am on the finance committee and am the Sports Premium Link Governor.

Jonathan Phillips - Foundation Governor

Revd Jon Harman - Foundation Governor

I am a Foundation Governor, having been part of the Chichester parish for over 20 years. My two youngest children went to St Richard's school and on to St Philip Howard and so I have experience as a parent of what it means to have children learning in a Catholic educational setting.

I am part of the Parish Clergy Team as the Deacon in the Parish and my particular focus as a Governor is the Catholic life of the school and how the partnership between Parish, School, Nursery and Family is nurtured and encouraged.

I work full-time for the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, as Formation and Spirituality Adviser, which involves working with Parishes, Deaneries, Clergy and Lay to plan and deliver programmes to build God's Kingdom in our communities.

Liz Hogan - Staff Governor

I have had the honour and privilege of working at St Richard’s Catholic Primary School since 2013. During my time at the school I have gained a vast knowledge and experience of our children, our school and its needs. I am reception class teacher and Early Years phase leader. Early Years is my passion and I firmly believe that a good foundation is the key to a good education.

As a member of the governing body, I feel that my knowledge and experience of our school puts me in a good position to work alongside fellow governors and our Headteacher, to make sure that our school enables every single child to reach their potential during their time with us at St Richard’s.

Tim Boon - Foundation Governor & Safeguarding Governor

I have been a Foundation Governor since 2020.  I am married to Kathryn and we have three daughters, one in Year 1, another in St Richards Nursery & another who is 9 months old.  I am an IT manager at a global e-recruitment business and wanted to become a Governor to give something back to the school and our community.  Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my family, sailing and surfing.

Anushka Fernando-Goonetilleke - Foundation Governor

Dominic Black - Parent Governor 

Nick Casburn - Local Authority Governor 

I am a former pupil who now currently has two children in the school. I have served in the RAF and worked within engineering fields, I now work with the Army on Thorney Island managing a service contract for the maintenance and repair of military hardware. Outside of work I enjoy all manner of sports including football and triathlons as well as getting away with the family in our touring caravan. 

Ann Anthraper - Foundation Governor 

Olivia Darby - Foundation Governor

I have a long-standing belief in the transformative power of education and the importance of promoting the flourishing of children and educators. Since 2012 I have worked for WONDER Foundation, a charity which I co-founded. WONDER focusses on lifting women, girls and their families out of poverty through education and we now work in 24 countries. Prior to this I worked in a range of roles relating to education and education policy – my first job after graduating was leading the youth service of a women’s centre in Brixton, where I set up a programme for out of school migrant teens which is still running. I have over 20 years’ experience in youth work as a volunteer and professional, designing and delivering programmes in the UK and abroad and training youth workers from all over the world. Until recently I was a trustee of a national anti-trafficking charity, the Medaille Trust, and was previously trustee of a charity supporting Somali families.

This is my first time as a school governor, and I am excited to become part of the school community, to learn from everyone in it and to contribute in any way I can.