Welcome to our Governors’ section!

Mrs Tori Beat, Co-opted, Chair of Governors

I am a parent of a boy and a girl and have loved getting to know the Portway community since 2021 when my daughter started in Reception. I am aware of the importance of challenging societal "norms" to encourage all children to be themselves and, as a family, we are enthusiastic about our role in protecting the planet. Through my previous career as lawyer, I have developed a keen attention to detail and my subsequent study of English Language has sparked an interest in the nuances of communication and language. I am a qualified tutor of English as a second language and am also a volunteer assisting young adult refugees.

Mrs Sarah Gibson, Co-opted, Vice Chair of Governors

I am on the Senior Management Team of a Recruitment Consultancy in Nottingham. I am a Project Manager and am responsible for setting and delivering the technical strategy for the business.

This role requires me to be extremely organised, proactive, adaptable, and have strong communication skills.

I hope that these skills will beneficial to Portway Infant School in my role as a Co-Opted Governor.

Mr Sunil Gupta, Parent Governor

My daughter started at Portway Infants in September 2021. This short period of time at Portway Infants has shown dramatic improvement in her communication, independence and thirst for knowledge and this, in turn, has made me want to become more involved in education, not just for my child, but for all children.

The skills I have developed as a community pharmacist will allow me to offer empathy, understanding and also the ability to engage in effective teamwork with the whole board.

I believe that being accountable for our actions, valuing staff, learning from mistakes and promoting good practice will continue to create an environment where our children can thrive and flourish.

Mrs Lisa McSherry, Headteacher

I am a highly motivated and hard-working teacher with a wealth of teaching and leadership experience. I am passionate about giving children the best possible education which has led to a successful 25-year career in teaching all of which has been spent in EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage), KS1(Key Stage 1) and KS2 (Key Stage 2)

My desire to nurture and maximise the full learning potential of each child led me to join the Portway Infant team as the Headteacher in September 2020, a role which I am finding both rewarding and fulfilling.

I continue to promote values of compassion, kindness, honesty and respect and ensure they infuse our learning culture.

Miss Emily Moore, Staff Governor

I started my teaching career at Portway Infant School in 2019 and have since taught in both Year 1 and Year 2. I currently hold the post of Year 2 Class teacher, RE Lead and Geography Lead. 

I am passionate about supporting and shaping the school as a whole and, as staff governor, I am able to bring first hand experience of the day-to-day running of the school and share the perspectives of both staff and children.

I look forward to playing an active role in supporting and ensuring the best outcomes for the children at Portway Infants.

Miss Emma Patterson, Parent Governor

I am the mum of two boys with my eldest currently in year one. He loves coming to Portway Infants.

I look forward to helping support the school in ensuring all children feeling happy, safe and supported whilst there. I am also currently a member of the Friends of Portway Infants

Before taking a career break to look after my boys, I worked as a secondary teacher for over 10 years, most recently in the role of Head of Biology at a school in Burton.

Mr Stephen Pike, Parent Governor

Picture to follow

As a former Portway Infant School pupil with one child currently in Reception and another child due to start in September 2025, I believe that I have a deep and long-standing connection with the ongoing success of the school.  Contributing to help maintain the excellent reputation of the school would be a privilege, acting with responsibility, discretion and confidentiality. 

I will bring to the Governing Board financial skills and acumen as a Chartered Accountant.  I have 20 years of experience within finance across a range of organisations.  I previously served on the Finance Committee and Full Governing Body (FGB) of Woodlands School, providing oversight of the schools for the future rebuilding project.

I also had a role as Link Governor in Humanities, successfully obtained additional STEM funding and supported careers and interview skills events.  I was able to support the FGB through the Academy audit process and have experience of FMSiS (Financial Management Standard in Schools).  I would hope to leverage these skills and experiences to contribute fully to the Governing Board and to ensure the very best learning and caring environment for all children attending Portway Infant School.

Mr Sam Pilgrim, Co-opted Governor

I believe every child matters and so I want to support Portway Infants to continue to be the best it can for the sake each and every pupil that attends. In my current role, as a local Church Leader, I bring strong community links and an experience of leading within a different setting. I am able to listen well to people from different perspectives and bring these opinions together to aid effective decision making . I also have historic professional experience as a secondary school Science teacher which gives me an understanding of the joys and pressures that can face schools and teachers.

Mrs Cat Smith, Local Authority Governor

I have a keen interest in the future and potential of all children with a desire to make a difference. I am experienced as an NHS IT Manager responsible for managing multiple teams, I deal with all sorts of personalities.

I regularly attend meetings with stakeholders at all levels; well respected in this capacity, actively contributing or challenging decisions that are not in the best interest of the organisation, yet always finding compromise.

Working in the public sector, I understand the challenges schools face with regards to resource and funding constraints.

Governing Board September 2025

                  Committee Membership                         

Behaviour Principles Written Statement 2025

By the Governing Body

The Governors at Portway Infant School believe that high standards of behaviour lie at the heart of a successful school and enable children to make the best possible progress in all aspects of school life.

Portway Infant School is committed to ensuring high behavioural standards for all pupils, and this statement sets out the broad values and principles regarding behaviours that are expected and promoted. This is a statement of principles, not practice. Actual, practical applications of these principles are the responsibility of the headteacher, who will view each case considering these principles and any relevant policies.

This statement has been approved by the headteacher and the governing board, believing it accurately reflects the school’s values and ethos and that effective learning and development relies on good standards of behaviour.

Principles

The school’s primary concern is the safety, wellbeing, and education of all pupils; actions taken in cases of negative behaviour are with the intention of upholding their wellbeing and academic progress, as well as fulfilling our safeguarding responsibilities.

The school will create a calm, orderly and engaging environment to enable pupils to learn effectively.

The school prioritises inclusion and will ensure that all members of the school community are able to enjoy the activities of the school free from any discrimination. The school will create and maintain an atmosphere and ethos of acceptance, equality, diversity, respect, understanding and kindness throughout the school community in everyday practice. The school aims to foster a collective ethos amongst all members of the school community, and promote values of caring, empathy, teamwork, and coordination.

The school endeavours to ensure that all pupils, staff, and visitors always feel safe in the school environment through a high quality of care, support and guidance.

All pupils have a right to fulfil their greatest academic and personal potential and feel they are valued members of the school community, and should be free from bullying, discrimination, and distracting peer behaviour.

Positive behaviour management techniques will underpin our approach to behaviour management. The school ensures that the golden rules of being ready, respectful and safe reflect and are consistent with the messages taught across the curriculum and are consistently applied across the school.  Negative behaviour is dealt with sensitively and immediately and, where sanctions are exercised, they are in line with the school’s Behaviour Policy and are taken seriously. Good behaviour at school is consistently acknowledged and rewarded in line with the School’s behaviour policy.

The school offers comprehensive support to pupils displaying problematic behaviour, before and/or alongside disciplinary measures, taking into account pupils’ home circumstances and any SEND. Parents will feel engaged, involved and supported in addressing negative behaviours when they arise.

Any kind of violence, threatening behaviour or abuse between pupils, or by members of the school community towards the school’s staff, will not be tolerated. If a parent does not conduct themselves properly, the school reserves the right to ban them from the school premises and, if the parent continues to cause disturbance, they may be liable to prosecution.

Guidance on the use of physical intervention will be agreed upon by the headteacher and governing board and is clearly set out within the school’s Behaviour Policy, Physical Support Policy and Staff code of Conduct.

The school upholds clear and effective policies with clearly defined consequences for poor behaviour, that are applied consistently and fairly by all staff.

General expectations

The school has high expectation for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. These expectations are commonly understood and applied consistently and fairly. The school sets clear routines and expectations for the behaviour of pupils across all aspects of school life, not just in the classroom.

The school makes behavioural expectations and the related policies clear and accessible to members of the school community, and ensures the community agrees they are fair and reasonable. These will be made readily available to read and general expectations will be displayed in classrooms and around the school. The school’s emphasis is on encouraging and praising good behaviour and supporting individuals who are struggling to meet the expected behavioural standards. Each pupil receives the necessary behavioural support according to their specific needs.

The school creates a positive and respectful culture in which staff know and care about pupils.

The school does not tolerate offensive or insulting language in any circumstances and expects polite and considerate behaviour to be maintained by all. Bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual violence are not tolerated, online or offline. The school effectively addresses harmful sexual behaviour in the Behaviour Policy, which details appropriate sanctions that are applied consistently. Pupils are encouraged to report any case of bullying they experience or observe to school staff, and wherever such behaviour occurs it will be dealt with quickly, consistently, and effectively.

The school supports pupils to play a highly positive role in creating an environment in which commonalities are identified and celebrated, difference is valued and nurtured, and bullying, harassment and violence are never tolerated. All pupils are taught to actively support the wellbeing of other pupils.

All pupils are expected to behave consistently well, demonstrating high levels of self-control and consistently positive attitudes to their education.

Pupils are held to high standards of attendance. The school will take swift, appropriate and action to ensure that problems of lateness and absence are handled effectively.

Staff lead by example and model their conduct in line with the school’s standards. This statement, and the policies that are influenced by it, applies to all pupils and staff   inside and outside of school.

Business Interests 

All board members complete a Declaration of Interests form annually and currently none of our governors have any business interest with regard to school.

In addition, we can confirm there no governor has any material interests arising from relationships with school staff.

Financial Benchmarking 

Please follow this link to view the financial benchmarking for 2024 -25 

https://financial-benchmarking-and-insights-tool.education.gov.uk/school/112740/summary?referrer=school-home

Contacting the Governors

Either email the Chair on chair@portwayi.derby.sch.uk or call the school office on 01332 550702.