Meet the Team

Hello, My name is Emma Tidby and I am your Chair of Governors. I was elected Chair in 2018 and am now in my third 2 year term as Chair.

I was first elected as a Governor in December 2009 which means this December will be 13 years serving as a Governor. I have a child attending school at present and have another that has completed his time at Meldreth. I work closely with the head teacher to support and challenge where appropriate and I lead a team of diverse and enthusiastic volunteers who provide strategic leadership and accountability. The governors work hard to ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction , overseeing financial performance and ensuring accountability for the educational outcomes of the pupils. The governing body also has a strong focus on the well being of the students and staff at Meldreth Primary school.

I have been part of the Meldreth Primary community for many years, I have seen it grow and change over the years and am immensely proud of the achievements I have seen. I am honoured to have the opportunity, as the Chair, to support such a great school.

I am the Head teacher at Meldreth Primary and therefore a School Governor.
I work in partnership with our Governors on all aspects of school life. I inform and advise the Governing body about children's progress and their levels of attendance and the quality of teaching and learning. It is very rewarding being part of such a dedicated and energetic group of governors who work tirelessly to make sure every child and their families have the best experience this school can offer.

Hi my name is James Bridges and I became a governor at Meldreth Primary school in 2020. I currently have two children attending Meldreth so obviously have vested interest in the schools continued success. Although no teaching background, I hope to add value in other areas to enable the school to achieve its aim of continuous improvement. My interests include golf, cricket and playing the guitar badly.

My name is Janet Williams. I am Link Governor for Safeguarding, and I sit on the Resources Committee. I live locally, in Melbourn, and am delighted to have the opportunity to serve as a Governor at Meldreth Primary School.
My background is in teaching, from which I have recently retired, and I hope that my experience as a classroom teacher, deputy and Headteacher will enable me to support Meldreth Primary School in maintaining its ethos of enjoyment and love for learning within a safe and stimulating environment, in taking forward its values and vision, and in providing the best possible educational experiences for all its children.

My name is Claudia McGinty. This will be my 8th year as a teacher at Meldreth Primary School. As an NQT, Meldreth helped support and encourage me in developing my teaching skills. It is such a supportive environment and somewhere that I feel very lucky to be a member of staff. As such, I enjoy the opportunity of being the Governing Body staff representative, so that I might help to continue the hard work, which has led to such a welcoming and inclusive school community.

My name is Neil O'Regan, I first joined as an Associate Governor in September 2015 but a year later became a full member of the Governing body. I'm part of the Resources Committee and as part of that I help with finance. I have only lived in Meldreth for three years but I can see the important role the school plays in the village. I work in educational publishing in Cambridge.

Hi - I’m Dianne Dow and I became a governor at Meldreth in the autumn term of 2019. I don’t have a background in education or teaching (unless the recent homeschooling counts!), but I’m very keen to help out and support the school. I have one child at secondary school who attended Meldreth and another still at the school, so I can represent the parental view and I have a vested interest in the school's success. As a governor I am a member of the Children and Learning committee.

Community is something that is very important to me, and I welcome the opportunity to use my professional experience to help and support one of our local schools.
I enjoy supporting my children with their learning and I like to engage with the school to help and ensure that my children are getting the best support that they can across the curriculum.
Through my employment at BBC Research and Development I have taken a voluntary role as a BBC STEM ambassador. I am involved in a number of outreach activities actively promoting STEM subjects to primary and secondary students.
I am a coach at Royston Rugby Club, a parent representative for the Melbourn Dynamos Football Club and an active member of Royston and District Round Table.
I hope that my experiences can benefit the school, especially to ensure that young people are prepared for their continuing education

I have over 30 years’ experience of developing learning content and assessment solutions across a wide range of local and international contexts, subjects, languages and levels. I have also developed bespoke curricula, assessments, consultancy and training for Ministries of Education. I am particularly interested in learning strategies for developing academic skills, effective studying and learning, and writing skills.

My name is Paul Samways. I have two children at the school, and have more than 25 year experience as an English Teacher, currently as Head of English at an outstanding secondary school. My role provides me with a day to day knowledge of education, the National Curriculum, as well as an understanding of special education needs and safeguarding.

I have been a staff governor at my school for many years, as a result I have a broad experience of school governance and understand the responsibility of budgeting and of making decisions in a collective manner.

Personally, I have always been an active member of the community and have a genuine desire to give back to it. I am a keen sportsman and still play cricket. In my school I currently referee the girl’s football, and I have recently become the manager of the under 7 Melbourn Dynamos football team.

I am committed to helping people fulfil their full potential whatever their background, special educational needs or disabilities. I am not afraid to ask difficult questions if necessary on behalf of all the children Meldreth school serves. I am also keen to support the school and all of its dedicated staff who work so hard to give the very best start in life to its pupils

Our family recently joined Meldreth Primary School. Although my son has only been at the school for a short time, it is clear to me that it is a fantastic place for learning which supports children to develop values and skills to become the best they can be. As a parent of a child I would like the opportunity to help maintain the school’s many strengths, and do what I can to support the school in its future development.

I am currently a governor at a local NHS Trust. In this role I work with other governors to hold leadership teams to account for the Trust’s culture, clinical outcomes and financial performance on behalf of patients, the public and Trust staff. I would like to bring this experience to the role of parent governor for the benefit the school community.