Mark Harris
Vice Chair

Parent

What do you do for a living?

I've worked in HMRC for over 25 years and have undertaken many roles from being a Customs Officer at a port through to a few years as a VAT inspector. I am currently involved in re-engineering some of the massive bureaucratic processes across government to make them simpler and more efficient for anyone who has contact with or needs to use them.

What skills and experience do you bring to the governing body?

I’ve undertaken plenty of assurance work and report writing in the past which has helped. I’m also fluent with bureaucracy(!) although in the year and half that I’ve been a governor I’ve seen a big change towards a more streamlined and focused approach to governance.

Why did you volunteer to be a governor?

I have to travel around the country quite a bit so I can’t be as hands on as I’d like with things like picking up and dropping off at school, but still wanted to be part of my son’s school life in some way. This presented me with a good but different opportunity to somehow contribute. 

What do you get out of the role personally?

As a Dad I’ve gained a great insight into the educational system that directly affects my son. I've also gained a massive appreciation of how hard all the staff at Flore School work and the huge level of commitment and passion they have for supporting all children. 

What committees are you involved in or what specific statutory responsibilities do you fulfil on behalf of FGB?

I’ve recently taken on the role of chair of the Safeguarding & Inclusion Committee. This continues to be a steep learning curve with quite a bit of training undertaken throughout the summer. However it is such an important area that I’m happy to take any opportunity to improve my knowledge of the subject. I also serve on the Standards & Quality Committee.

What type of interactions with school do you have? 

As a governor I recently had a great opportunity to talk about the developing school vision and ethos statements with staff. In the next year I intend to spend more time in school during the day talking to staff and children as part of the governor monitoring process. Having said all that, it is important that the governing body also interacts with parents and the local community, which is another area in which we need to focus more on over the coming year.

What top tip would you give to anyone thinking about becoming a governor?

Talk at length to at least a couple of other current or ex-governors to get a feel for what is involved. It is really rewarding work but also challenging & needs a certain level of commitment time-wise.

Mark Harris
Vice Chair

Parent

What do you do for a living?

I've worked in HMRC for over 25 years and have undertaken many roles from being a Customs Officer at a port through to a few years as a VAT inspector. I am currently involved in re-engineering some of the massive bureaucratic processes across government to make them simpler and more efficient for anyone who has contact with or needs to use them.

What skills and experience do you bring to the governing body?

I’ve undertaken plenty of assurance work and report writing in the past which has helped. I’m also fluent with bureaucracy(!) although in the year and half that I’ve been a governor I’ve seen a big change towards a more streamlined and focused approach to governance.

Why did you volunteer to be a governor?

I have to travel around the country quite a bit so I can’t be as hands on as I’d like with things like picking up and dropping off at school, but still wanted to be part of my son’s school life in some way. This presented me with a good but different opportunity to somehow contribute. 

What do you get out of the role personally?

As a Dad I’ve gained a great insight into the educational system that directly affects my son. I've also gained a massive appreciation of how hard all the staff at Flore School work and the huge level of commitment and passion they have for supporting all children. 

What committees are you involved in or what specific statutory responsibilities do you fulfil on behalf of FGB?

I’ve recently taken on the role of chair of the Safeguarding & Inclusion Committee. This continues to be a steep learning curve with quite a bit of training undertaken throughout the summer. However it is such an important area that I’m happy to take any opportunity to improve my knowledge of the subject. I also serve on the Standards & Quality Committee.

What type of interactions with school do you have? 

As a governor I recently had a great opportunity to talk about the developing school vision and ethos statements with staff. In the next year I intend to spend more time in school during the day talking to staff and children as part of the governor monitoring process. Having said all that, it is important that the governing body also interacts with parents and the local community, which is another area in which we need to focus more on over the coming year.

What top tip would you give to anyone thinking about becoming a governor?

Talk at length to at least a couple of other current or ex-governors to get a feel for what is involved. It is really rewarding work but also challenging & needs a certain level of commitment time-wise.