I have been on the governing body at Ellington for over twenty years and I am proud to be the Chair. I was formally the chair of the PTA and have been involved with the school since my daughters attended many years ago. I live locally and own my own business which sees me working in the village throughout the year! I help the school in any way that I can; through interviews, monitoring, meetings, maintenance, summer fairs and other community events. I am passionate about helping the children at Ellington be the best that they can be and have the very best start to their education.

Following a degree in Psychology I began working in Secondary Education and I have done so for 15 years. Due to my current role as Head of Sixth Form and Careers, I am able to contribute many of the skills required to support the school in ensuring our children achieve their potential. I myself attended Ellington l and I have continued to live in the village for the majority of my adult life. As a result, I care greatly about the community the school serves and by taking on the role of Vice-Chair of Governors I can actively give something back. I am passionate about the education and opportunities that children receive and believe this is key to them making a successful transition to secondary school and beyond.

Following the completion of my BSc Honours degree in Agriculture and Environmental Science I completed my PGCE in Secondary Geography. Using a few years in between these major qualifications I explored the world and assist others less fortunate than myself. In 1999 I joined Thornhill school as an NQT gaining promotion over the next 17 years until I achieved headship in September 2017. At this point the school was acadamised into a newly formed trust where it slowly evolved into a school where the pupils were centric to everything we did. During the last 22 years I became a parent governor in a Northumberland Primary school and used my educational knowledge and understanding to challenge and support the headteacher over a four-year term of office. I also took over the leadership of a local authority specialist educational unit in 2017 which supports pupils with anxiety and mental health issues. These issues often prevent pupils from accessing main stream education. I lead this unit over a 3-year period from Requires Improvement to Good under the new Ofsted framework in January 2020. I have been the chair of a management committee for an independent school which supports pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health issues in Northumberland. This school faced many challenges over the two years I was chair, but has recently been taken over by a national charity and is now establishing itself as the lead education provider in the North East. In October 2021 I decided to refocus my priorities and family life and am currently employed by another local City Council as a specialist in School organisation and Capital projects. A very different role to previous but one that enables me to support schools and create enhanced learning environments which allow children to enjoy their surroundings and their time in school.

I live in Ellington and I have two children, one who attends Ellington Primary School and I was a pupil here many moons ago. I work as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse within Northumberland’s 0-19 service. Within this role I specialise in safeguarding children, reducing inequalities through the promotion of health and well-being, delivering public health advice and supporting families and children with additional needs, health problems and mental health issues. I work closely with all health professionals, community support services and schools. I have a particular interest in promoting the health and wellbeing of children to ensure they have the best start in life, are happy and are given the best chance to thrive and meet their full potential. As a School Governor, I enjoy being involved in the improvement of our school by supporting staff, sharing my experience and knowledge and helping the school to be involved within the community. I am very excited about the future of our school and the opportunities available to all of the pupils.

I have been involved with Ellington Primary School for well over 30 years now as a parent and a governor. I work as part of the resources committee due to my career as an accountant. I want the best for the children at Ellington and work together with the other governors to ensure the school is always improving and moving forward.

I am a Co-opted Governor at Ellington Primary School. I joined the governing body once I started working at the school in September 2022 as an Assistant Headteacher. I joined the Governing Body as I felt this would strengthen my ability to be a successful Assistant Headteacher at the school. Being on the Governing Body would also help in my ability to ensure all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. This role also appealed to me as it would allow me to support with the strategic planning and direction of the school. This would involve working with governors to develop the aims, policies and priorities. In addition, I hoped to gain experience of helping to manage school budgets as well as working with a governing body to aid with recruitment of staff.

I have worked in primary education in Northumberland for almost 20 years and it is lovely to be able to work with the staff and pupils at Ellington Primary as a parent governor. My son attended the school and absolutely flourished, so it is a privilege to be able to give something back. I am currently a Headteacher in a school of a similar size and I am passionate about ensuring that children in small village schools benefit from a wide range of opportunities. I have a particular interest in phonics and reading and I also enjoy teaching French. As a governor, I hope to support Ellington in creating partnerships with other schools in order to learn from them and share good practice. In my free time, I enjoy walking our dog on Cresswell beach and I am a regular at the local HotPod Yoga studio.

I am delighted to be able to part of the governing body at Ellington Primary School. With over 20 years experience in education, I am a strong advocate for inspiring children to learn in a nurturing and inclusive environment and I believe the ethos and culture of the school plays an important part in that. I am currently a headteacher in a neighbouring local authority and I have a background in system leadership. Through this, I have vast experience in school improvement and providing challenge where needed as well as supporting in developing strategic direction.

I have always loved working with children, and after a year teaching in South Africa, I began my BA in Primary Teaching at The University of Winchester, specialising in Art and English. I began working as a class teacher in Barking and Dagenham in 2008, before making the decision to relocate to Northumberland in 2012. In addition to completing my NPQSL, I’ve enjoyed leading subjects and Key Stages, and last year was fortunate enough to be asked to cover Mrs Sander’s Class Teacher and Assistant Head role at Ellington Primary School, while she was on maternity leave. I enjoyed working with the staff and children so much, it was too hard to say goodbye, so I am excited to take on the role of co-opted governor. I believe strongly in the school’s values and am looking forward to supporting the head teacher and governors in promoting effective ways of teaching and learning. I have prior experience of being part of a governing body and was co-opted governor at Broomhill Primary School when my son attended a few years ago. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, learning about other cultures and meeting new people. I consider myself very lucky to live in such a breath-taking part of the UK. I love spending time with my family and despite having lived in Northumberland for thirteen years, am still discovering new, beautiful places to walk the dog. I look forward to many more years living and working here, and supporting Ellington Primary School in its journey.