The new chair of governors at Whitchurch Junior School believes the school has a bright future after taking over the role.

Nicci Vasey, who moved to Whitchurch with her family last year, has replaced Jane Rylands as the chair of the school’s governing body, with the latter remaining on the governing body.

Nicci, who is managing director of Waterwise – a not-for-profit environmental group – will work closely with headteacher Diana West to keep moving the school forward following an improving response from inspectors Ofsted last summer.

And the 47-year-old former west Londoner admits she is highly-motivated to show parents of prospective pupils the school, in Station Road, is the number one choice for youngsters within the town.

“We’re really keen to build on the relationships with the town and with parents in particular,” she said.

“Governors hold teachers and senior management to account.

“Di West runs the school and my experience of being a governor with her to date is that she is really keen to take on challenges and is serious about the school’s improvement journey.

“I’m really looking forward to being part of a team with her because we both want what’s best for the children of Whitchurch, and developing a happy, confident school for the town.

“We’ve already seen great improvement since the Ofsted report last year. I think we’re on the right track - we had a similar journey with my last school.

“We kept the same head and that was a positive move. I would encourage families to come into the school and look for themselves, or head to the website for what parents are saying about us.

“There’s so much positive stuff on there and we want to communicate with the parents more, both existing parents and those who have kids in Year Two at the Infants, who we’re working more closely with.

“We’re keen to bring them across and show them what we’re about.

“It’s a role we;re re-elected in every year but I’ll stay as long as they want me.”

Last summer, the school was rated as inadequate but following a follow-up visit this summer, their report said: “Leaders and managers are taking effective actions. You (leadership staff) acted with suitable urgency to improve the teaching of reading across the school.

“All staff understand the part they play in helping pupils make better progress so that more disadvantaged pupils reach age related expectations.

“You have taken effective action to improve the attendance of this group of pupils.”

This came as a double bonus for the school following improved SAT results, and Nicci wants to keep the upturn in the school’s fortunes running.

And she admitted there is more than a little bit of a love for the town, despite only moving here recently.

She added: “We moved as a family away from west London. We wanted to go and we looked at Shropshire before we found Whitchurch.

As soon as we saw it, we fell in love with the place immediately.

“We used to live near Heathrow Airport and while we liked it, the air quality was already not good and they’re building the third runway now.

“The children are 15, 10 and seven; when we moved at Christmas we had one child in each school but now the youngest is at the junior school.

“I had been a governor at my previous school in London and they had also been on a school improvement journey. I did that for five years and I was keen to get involved.

“I was asked when there was vacancy for parent governor to join and then Jane Rylands, who was the chair, asked me if I wanted to do that.

“I was really excited about the historic and proud place this school has in the town and with my experience, I just really wanted to get involved.