Our Academy

Governors

A Local Governing Body are actively involved in supporting and challenging the staff at Willow Primary School to be the best we can.

The Local Governing Body’s overall purpose is to:

ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school;
hold the Headteacher and senior leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its children and the performance management of staff;
oversee the financial performance of the school, making sure delegated money is well spent against the identified priorities and within the agreed budget;
actively embrace community, parental and staff engagement to raise the profile of the school within the locality and beyond; encourage growth of the pupil population and support in staff recruitment and retention.

Governors operate within the remit of a Scheme of Delegation which can be downloaded from the Trust website at https://www.exceedlearningpartnership.co.uk/

The Governing Body consists of the following members:

Willow Primary School Governor Links
Governor	Role	School Improvement Priority link	Other monitoring focus	School link leader
Ellie Churchward	Chair of Governors	EYFS Leadership	Mental Health and Wellbeing Remote Learning	Davina Sumner
Chris Huntington	Appointed Governor	Curriculum Pupil Premium Recovery Premium	Pupil Premium	Mike Parkinson Kate Ward
Saffy Alam	Appointed Governor	Reading and oracy	Careers Framework/ Curriculum	Sally Burgen Laura Pownall
Iona Fairham	Appointed Governor	Behaviour and Attitudes	Website Compliance	Laura Pownall Diane Morley (website)
Liz Barkham	Parent Governor	SEND and Inclusion	SEND Safeguarding	Tracy Kirsopp (SENCo) Mandy Kean (Inclusion)
Scott Smith	Parent Governor	Leadership	Health and Safety PE/ Sports Premium GDPR	Davina Sumner (H & S) Alice Moores/ Kate Ward (PE) Diane Morley (GDPR)
Angela Winter	Staff Governor
Simon Martin	Staff Governor

Governor Pen Portraits

Ellie Churchward (Chair of Governors)
I have an extensive career working in education, working as a maths and English tutor with adults, families and communities. I am passionate about learning, and being part of a team that creates a positive environment where children can learn, and thrive. I have many interests that involve keeping fit, and immersing myself in local culture when time permits a holiday.

I have many aspects to my career that includes training as a chef, nine years as a soldier, and finally fulfilling my childhood aspiration to become a teacher. I have worked for Doncaster Council for ten years, and latterly as the Quality Assurance Manager within the education directorate. I feel that my skills, experience and expertise in the world of education, can be utilised to support the school effectively, and have a positive influence on the pathway ahead for the children. I have a passion for adult learning which can hopefully support the aspirations of families too.

Angela Winter (Staff Governor)
I have been a member of staff at Willow Primary for many years in various roles and responsibilities. I am committed to making sure that Willow continues to progress and develop ensuring all children are provided with the best education to meet their individual needs. I have experience of working, both at home and at work, with a range of different professionals. Outside of work I have been involved in a range of volunteering roles and committees. I am married with 3 children and 3 grandchildren. I enjoy walking, cooking and voluntary work.

I look upon myself as being a second mum to the younger staff (some may say just like their Grandma) Only member of staff who can have four names in one year, depending on the season.

Iona Fairham
I have been a Governor at Willow since 2017 and enjoy being part of a team that has real interest in the education and personal development of young children

As the mum of a young daughter at another local Primary School I have a real interest in how schools provide children with the both academic and social skills to give them that all important start in their lives

I work for one of the UK’s largest Banks which, alongside the customer and financial aspect also has a real focus on individuals and their wellbeing. I am able to use some of my own experience of working in this industry to help the development of children at Willow.

Scott Smith
I have recently become a parent governor at Willow. Both my children attend the school and are in year 3 & 5. I’m looking forward to playing a part in the development and progression of the school in the coming years.

My current employment is with a global logistics firm called GEFCO. My role is site Manager for a large vehicle storage and technical facility near Epworth, responsible for 100 staff. Being part of a large organisation means I also have key responsibilities for Health & Safety, Quality and Environmental activities.

Currently I manage Bessacarr FC U10 Green’s, I have done this for 2 years and hold a FA Coaching Level 1 badge. My squad contains eleven boys all in year 5 at Willow.

Liz Barkham
I became a parent governor in June 2020, in the middle of the COVID pandemic.

I am a Consultant Forensic Psychologist, currently working as a Head of Service for a local organisation providing specialist residential placements for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. I have spent my professional career developing and maintaining clinical services for many groups of people. I have authored academic textbooks for students and for over fifteen years have played a senior role in examination assessments for a national exam board.

I am committed to assisting the school in whatever way possible, and contributing to the development and experience of all Willow students.

Chris Huntington
I was delighted to join the Willow Local Governing Body in the Spring 2021. I volunteered for this important role because I wish to share my professional experience within my local community, supporting and challenging the staff at Willow to make the school be the best it can.

I have 30 years’ professional experience working across a diverse range of challenging and highly regulated market sectors in the UK and abroad. My academic qualifications include MBA, Project Management Degree, and various Engineering certificates. I am a Company Director of a global scale Engineering and Construction company.

I live in Bessacarr with my wife and primary school aged son, and I also have two grown up children. In my spare time I enjoy watching football, cooking, and playing golf.

Saffy Alam
Personally, I am passionate about education having been raised with the ideology that education is a ‘golden ticket’ that enables social mobility, thus improving the lives of participants and therefore the wider community / economy.

Professionally, our 3 companies are all involved with education and training in some form; from recruitment in the training / Apprenticeships sector to attracting talent for the education sector and most recently supporting the raising of aspirations via employability/careers development training and workshops for local people.

Becoming a School Governor is an opportunity to further enhance my knowledge in an area I am already very interested and active in, with the unique angle of understanding it from ‘within’.

Whilst I’ve been involved in education / training for over 10 years, I’m relatively new to being a parent so I’m learning new aspects about the education system every day, from a completely different and fresh perspective; through the eyes of a parent and the experiences of my child.

As a Governor I will be able to utilise my broad business management skills and experiences to support the school and our community and gain a deeper and wider understanding of school/parent/children’s needs.

Being involved in my child’s development is especially important to me and having seen a snapshot of the way in which Willow Primary is run combined with the way in which my son has thrived in some areas of his learning (despite a pandemic!) has been inspiring.

Being part of a strong team that aims to help develop young people’s education and improve lives, is ultimately the key motivation for me and I’m excited to support these goals moving forward.

Simon Martin (Staff Governor)
I am one of the staff representatives on the Governing Body. With over 30 years of experience of teaching and having held a variety of leadership roles including headship, I am ambitious for the school to offer the best possible provision for its pupils. Arriving in 2016, I joined a school at the start of a significant and rapid journey of improvement. The drive for improvement has been relentless. I am delighted to have the opportunity to support this both through my role within the leadership team and, since Christmas, on the Governing Body. I believe that central to every decision must be what impact it will have on the children so that we develop rich and memorable experiences which enrich the children's lives. I am looking forward to the new opportunities and networks offered by joining Exceed Learning Trust in spring 2022 in order that the journey of improvement can continue, enriched by the experience, learning and research of a larger trust.