Type:
P = Appointed by parents
CG = Co-opted Governor
L = Local Authority Governor
V = Staff Governor

Attendance Data for Governors 2022/23

Attendance Data for Governors 2021/22

                                             Governor Business Interests 2021/22

Governors

Name: Ian Mills

Type: Chair of Governors

Statement:

I am the Chair of Governors at Waterfoot school and have held the post for over 15 years, firstly as a parent governor and now as a community governor. I chair the Buildings and Site committee and serve on the Finance and Curriculum committees as well being the nominated governor for safeguarding. My governor journey began when the first of my four children was in reception back at the old Thornfield avenue site some time ago; all are now either working or in the further stages of education having loved their time at Waterfoot. By day I am a Product Manager for a large computer software company specialising in Workforce Management, based out of Detroit but fortunately with an office in Rawtenstall. In what spare time I have left I enjoy the great outdoors; dog walking, biking, climbing, skiing, you name it. All the better when enjoyed with children, such as on the year six residentials of which I have helped on a few.

Name: Nancy Sharples

Type- Staff

Prior to joining the team at Waterfoot Primary SchooI,  I worked over the hill at a large primary school in Burnley.  With over 25 years teaching experience including recent experience of working within Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2,  I am in the unique position of having an overview of the challenges and rewards of teaching in every year group.  More recently, I undertook the role of SENCo and achieved the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination qualification (NASEN).  I am also team lead for our wonderful Key Stage 1 department and a member of our Senior Management Team.  I am proud to represent my colleagues on the governing body and enjoy working in partnership with other governors towards the continued development of our school.

Name: Hannah Wilkinson

Type: Parent

I joined the Governing Body in 2021, not long after my daughter started her journey at Waterfoot Primary and I am delighted to be able to support the school.  I serve on the curriculum committee and am the link governor for PHSE. I work in the education sector, teaching on the Educational Psychology degree programme at the University of Manchester. I have a passion for high quality education, which develops children as a whole; principles which share a strong affinity with Waterfoot’s School Values.  In my free-time, my interests include crafting, reading and running.

Name: Linzi Richardson

Type: Co-opted Governor

Statement:

I became a Parent Governor at Waterfoot Primary in 2018. I am a member of the Finance Committee and am the nominated Governor for More Able and Talented Children and for Languages. I am an active member of our school Parent Teacher Association and have helped to organise fundraising events. I have two children: my daughter now attends BRGS, having loved her time at Waterfoot and my son is currently in Key Stage 2. I am also a Community Governor at Staghills Nursery School, having also served as a Parent Governor, during my children’s time there. 

Before having children, I worked as a Solicitor at a large Manchester firm, though I am currently a stay at home mum.  I am also Secretary of the Constituency Labour Party and am active in local politics. My other interests include history, reading and travel

Name: Helen King

Type: Staff Governor

Statement:

I have been a governor at Waterfoot School for over 17 years, initially as a parent governor and now as staff governor, since my three children are at University and beyond.

I sit on the curriculum and standards and effectiveness committee and am the nominated governor for SEND and the School Council.

My first involvement with school life was to take a lead role in setting up the before and after school club .Currently I am a Teaching Assistant based in KS2; a post I have held since 2004.

I love hiking in the hills and mountains in this country and abroad, I run regularly and enjoy skiing in the winter.

It has been a privilege for me to accompany the year six children on their residential for the last few years.

Name: Chris Chambers

Type:  Co-Opted

I have been on the Governing Body for more than ten years, starting at a time when my children were at Waterfoot School. I feel that the school provided them both with an excellent foundation for their future, developing in them the ability, espoused in the school motto, to think for themselves but feel for others.
 
I now serve as a community governor and chair the curriculum committee; in addition I am the nominated governor for English. I am now retired from my job as a Principal Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Manchester Metropolitan University. Prior to that, I taught history for 18 years in school. I still am involved in the primary curriculum for history through my work as an Educational Consultant for BBC Bitesize. Outside of my professional life, my interests include sport, particularly cricket, and the Arts: theatre, music and literature.

Name: Carol Ellis

Type: Co-opted

Statement:

I am a co-opted governor at Waterfoot Primary School and have been on the Governing Body since 2005. Previous to this, I was a parent governor at my oldest two children’s primary school in Stockport, before relocating to the Rossendale area.

I have been clerk to the Buildings and Site committee and the governor for Health and Safety at Waterfoot for many years now. I am also the governor for the curriculum area of music and a member of the Pupil Discipline Committee. During my time serving on the Governing Body, I have seen Waterfoot develop and change – amalgamating with Cloughfold School and then relocating from Thornfield Avenue to the modern building on Wolfenden Green, which provides new and exciting learning opportunities for our children.

I currently have a daughter in juniors at the school. All three of my older children also attended Waterfoot and look back on this time with fond and happy memories.

By day, I work part-time in two different secondary schools – one mainstream and the other a special school. Working with special needs children and ensuring that they receive the highest quality of education is a great passion of mine and a role which I find thoroughly rewarding.

Name: Jan Styan

Type: Co-opted Governor

Statement:

I feel very fortunate to be one of the Co-opted Governors for Waterfoot Primary, and have loved playing this small part in the school for about 7 years. My children are now in their 30s, but when they were at primary school in Todmorden I was an active Governor then, too.

The role of the Governors has changed since then, demands made on schools have changed, and the world of work is changing - fast. By the time our pupils are in their 30s they are inevitably going to be facing very different career options. They will need to adapt to change, constantly.

So as well as educating our pupils, we need to help them start to develop all the skills they will need in the future - creativity, problem solving skills, the ability to work well in a team, adaptability, and resilience. The ability to research and find things out for themselves, test out their ideas, and prove their viability.

Although I'm now retired, I have enjoyed a number of jobs over the years, including youth work, market research, supporting people with a learning disability, and more recently as a Policy Officer for the County Council, and a Caseworker for an MP.

I try to bring the range of experience I have had in my jobs to my role as a Governor - asking key questions, analysing school data, thinking about the responsibilities of the school for the child as an individual, because every one of our pupils is unique.

Name: Micheal Woodhead

Type: Parent

I’m a parent governor, currently serving on the Resources Committee and the Curriculum Committee.  I’m also the nominated governor for the Science curriculum. 

My family moved to Rossendale in 2016 and we have two young daughters attending Waterfoot Primary. The school is such an impressive, important and valuable part of the local community, so it’s a pleasure to be able to contribute as a parent governor.

My experience includes many years as a Chief Finance Officer and Director of Finance/Estates/IT in large public sector organisations in the NHS and Local Government as well as having worked previously in the Further Education sector.    I’ve also been a non-executive director of several charities and have occasionally worked as a professional writer and actor.

Name: Helen Fishwick

Type: Co-opted Governor

Statement:

I have been a parent governor since January 2018, and I hold the role of chair on the Resources committee and I am vice chair of the full governing body. My professional experience in my career, the support of other governors and my drive about the education, learning opportunities and happiness of our children at Waterfoot Primary School greatly assists in my governors role.

My family and I moved to the Waterfoot area approximately twelve years ago, and I was passionate that my two children attended their local community school, with my daughter being in the first intake into the new school building. My son is still at the school at this time and I know that he loves spending his time here, learning lots and having some amazing experiences with his friends. 

Career-wise, I am a police officer based in the Pendle area attending to both emergency and non-emergency reports from members of the public. Any free time I do have typically involves the kids and I being outdoors (running, rambling over local tracks, visiting local parks), and enjoying music, art, shows and coffee shops!

Name: David Morris

Type: LA Governor

statement: 

I joined the team of Governors at Waterfoot School in July 2021 as a community governor. I sit on the committee for Resources as well as the Curriculum Committee. I chose to apply for a governor's role at Waterfoot to help give back to the teaching staff that are educating my two children, both of whom still attend the school. Apart from being a full-time father and husband, I am an architect with my own practice that specialises in forensic construction disputes and resolutions. If you are wondering, yes, it is as boring as it sounds!  In the little spare time I have, I am an avid football fan and have been a season ticket holder at Manchester City for 40+ years. I also enjoy playing golf, something I am happy my son is also a big fan of, meaning we can play together as he grows.

Name: Clare Hough

Type: Parent

Statement:

I joined the Governing Body in 2022 whilst my son was in Key Stage 1 at Waterfoot and I am the nominated Governor for History. I work in the education sector, leading the Adult Nursing degree programme at the University of Bolton.  As an adoptive mum I am particularly interested in how we support children with Special Educational Needs and how we as a school can best use the Pupil Premiums to benefit those eligible children.  Away from work I surround myself by animals and am always looking to expand the quantity and diversity of the ‘family’.  I love being outdoors and have a keen interest in walking, camping and travel.

Name: Siobhan Carney-Grenfell

Type: Parent

I became a parent Governor in 2022 and very much look forward to becoming part of  Waterfoot School.  I would describe myself as being academic, hard working and very open to representing more parental views than beyond my own. I have two children at the school. Since being elected, I have become the phonics link governor but also have an interest in child wellbeing beyond the curriculum. 

As an English teacher at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar I also have a keen interest in reading and the power of stories to inspire children to be the best person they can be. Writing is also incredibly important to me and my family as this is a perfect creative outlet for children to explore their own identity and how they fit into the world around them. At work, I am a SEND ambassador for my subject and have also carried out significant mental health and wellbeing training which I hope will be useful in my capacity as a parent governor.