Governor Information
|
Governor Policies |
SFVS Documentation |
Training
Useful Links Governor Recruitment |
Meet the Governors- pen portraits of our Governing Board
| Matthew Watkins |
Chair Term started:
22 Sept 2023
|
I became a Co-Opted Governor of the school in September 2023 and became Chair of Governors in December 2023. I have experience in School governance as I spent 10 years as a Governor in a local secondary school, with 6 of those years as Chair of Governors. I also have a daughter who attended Furze Down school and have experienced education in a specialist SEND school. I want to bring my governor experience and my many years of leadership in the Information Technology industry to full use in leading the Governing Board at Furze Down School. |
| Hugh Ellerton |
Co-opted Governor Term started:
17 May 2021
|
In 2019 I retired from a career in financial services, having worked in the UK, France, Hong Kong and Singapore; I have no direct experience in education, but I felt my expertise as a Chartered Accountant and professional trustee could add a positive dimension to the governance of Furze Down School; my lifetime interest in nature, I am a trustee of the Butterfly Conservation, is an advantage to develop the extensive outside area of the school grounds to benefit and stimulate pupils’ interests in wildlife and nature. I have lived, or owned a residence, in the Winslow area for over 60 years. I became a Governor of the school in 2021 and I relish the opportunity to use my skills and experience to contribute to improving and expanding the existing high standards of excellence. |
Tess Kirkby |
Clerk to the Governors |
I joined Furze Down as Clerk in January 2022 and I am also a Clerk for Oxfordshire County Council, with whom I have been working since the autumn of 2020. Previously, I was a Civil Servant in the Home office and the Ministry of Justice in a variety of operational and administrative roles over 20 years. I first started working in schools in 2020 and I thoroughly enjoy it. The opportunity to work with such dedicated Governors and staff whose priority is to support and empower children and young people is really rewarding. Tess can be contacted on: clerk@furzedownschool.org.uk |
Louise Gregory |
Parent GovernorTerm started:
10 Sept 2022
|
I am a parent to a pupil in the school. This means my experience is that of the parent side of things; the importance and value of parent voice; pupil voice and the wider community. My background is of over 15 years in Health, Safety and well-being including working for the Department of Education at the University of Oxford. |
| Elton Norris |
Vice Chair Term started:
17 Oct 2022
|
This is my first experience as a Parent Governor, however in my professional career I often advise and interact with both Senior Leadership Teams and Governing Bodies. I have worked with the Department for Education delivering capital projects to Academies, Local Authority funded schools and Specialist SEND Schools, from securing funding to delivery of projects. My daughter joined Furze Down in Key Stage 2 from a local mainstream school and seeing the level of care and nurturing offered by all staff on her educational journey, inspired me to try and add value to the school and offer my experience to support the Senior Leadership Team as a Governor. I have lived in the Buckingham area for over 20 years and my roles as Scout and Cub leader locally has also allowed to me to engage in the community and add value to organisations beyond my day to day career, which I hope to do with Furze Down School in the future. |
Clare Bourne |
Staff Governor and Deputy Business LeaderTerm started:
21 Mar 2023
|
I joined Furze Down School in 2007, as a member of the admin team and completed a CMI Senior Leader Master’s Degree Apprenticeship for School Business Professionals in 2022. My operational knowledge of the school supports my role as Staff Governor and I have attended Quality of Education, Finance & Resources and Full Governing Body Meetings since March 2019. My previous career was in Customer Service Management for a Telecoms company, managing support and delivery of solutions to a diverse customer base. I taught Riding for the Disabled for many years and I am an accredited UKCC/EQL L2 Coach, the skills and experiences I gained from this complement my business and project management experience. I am dedicated to the continuous development of our school as a Centre of Excellence for SEND. |
| Diana Campbell |
Governor Term started:
22 Sept 2023
|
I recently became a Governor at Furze Down. My background is HR and Training having worked for John Lewis for twenty years, starting on the shop floor and I was fortunate enough to have a varied career within the Partnership culminating in working at John Lewis Direct, their online platform. More recently I have been dedicated to raising money for worthy charities, having raised a significant amount in the past eight years. I intend to dedicate the coming years to raising funds for our school and look forward to working closely with our wonderful staff & children, parents and my Governor colleagues. |
|
Reverend Stephen O'Connor |
Governor Term started:
24 Nov 2023
|
I became the Rector of St Laurence Church Winslow in the spring of 2023 and very soon became aware of this centre of excellence at the heart of the parish. I do not have children of my own, but worked as a volunteer and junior housefather at a residential school for the children of missionaries in Senegal, West Africa in the 1980s, after which I trained and worked as a nurse in London and elsewhere for 35 years. This included experience working with children with SEND in a day care centre in Lambeth as well as those with acute illnesses in the paediatric unit at St George’s Hospital Tooting during my training. Later, as a palliative care nurse I championed the need for better education and training to meet the needs of parents and children with SEND experiencing life-limiting or terminal illnesses which included the development of an online Advance Care Planning course which included a module on helping to meet the psychosocial, spiritual, information, and health needs of parents, children and young adults affected by SEND. I fully support the aims and objectives of the school and its governing body. As a former nurse academic I have experience of curriculum design and quality assurance in higher education, as well as a professional interest in staff and student well-being, equality and diversity issues, cultural competence, and the development of moral and ethical reasoning. |
