Latchford St James CofE Primary

I am privileged to serve as a Foundation Governor for  Latchford St. James Church of England School.

I have now retired after 42 years in secondary education – 10 of those as Headteacher of two Church of England High Schools. I am an active member of St. Thomas’s Church and have also served as a Governor at St. Thomas’s Church of England School.   My interests include reading, travelling, Pilates and spending time with my five grandchildren!

I am looking forward to supporting the school – its staff, pupils and parents, in the important work and Christian values that underpin all that the school represents.

After spending 18 years in the education system I retired from lecturing.  At my previous College / University I set up the Welfare (Wellbeing) Department and The Careers Department which earned me the Colleague of the Year Award, and membership to the Careers Development Institute (CDI).

I was elected onto the Board of Governors at the University in 2016 and I am ardent about the education and nurture of all children and I hope to bring a wealth of experience to the Governing Body of this school.  As the Curate at St James Church I will enjoy working with the Headteacher and the school, in making the connection between the church and the school’s vision of supporting the belief that all children are created in God’s image and are therefore unique, special and valued.

I will be a link between Church and School by providing a variety of services and  activities both at Church and School.   In 2019 I became Curate at St James’s and St Hilda’s after completing my Post Graduate Studies at Durham University and moved into Latchford in June 2019 along with my wife Debbie and my English Springer ‘Patch’.

I am now the Lay Reader/Minister at St. James Church after a teaching career of 36 years’ experience, 24 years of which were served at St. James School. I am passionate about the education and nurture of all children and I hope I bring a wealth of experience to the Governing Body of the school.

At present I provide the link between Church and School by providing a variety of services and activities at Church and School such as the Jesus and Me Club, Experience Days and assemblies. I also prepare families for baptism and confirmation and I am an active volunteer in the community.

I am link advisor for year 6 and also SEND and enjoy working closely with staff and classes when possible. Any spare time I have is spent at the theatre, travelling and with my family.

   My name is Mike Jackson and I am a foundation governor at Latchford St James. 

   I am retired having previously spent 36 years in primary education. For 25 of those years I was a primary school headteacher in three different     Warrington schools, two of which were Church of England schools.   During my retirement I have served on two governing bodies, one of         which was St. Thomas’ C of E school. I have also served as Chair of Trustees for a MAT (Multi Academy Trust) in Cheshire. These roles have allowed me to keep up to date with what is happening in  education today.    I am an active member of St Mary Magdalene’s Church and am also a member of St. Thomas’ PCC. My main interests are writing, creating educational resources, travelling and our two young grandchildren.

My name is Sarah Smith and I have been a parent at the school for almost 11 years. Whilst my eldest child has moved on to High school, my second eldest still resides at Latchford St James and I am planning for my youngest to start at the Nursery in the next couple of years. During this time I have volunteered at the school on day trips, helped out in the classroom and even spent some time in employment at the school as a lunch time assistant.

As a mother of 4 (my 3rd child goes to a special school here in Warrington), I keep myself very busy, but I always make time for important issues and I believe strongly in the education system. I’m looking forward to working alongside the other governors, contributing ideas and tackling crucial decisions in order to make a brighter future for our children.

When I’m not busy being mum, carer, and chief cook and bottle washer, I enjoy craft of all kinds, especially crochet, singing, and spending time with my friends.

I am an elected councillor representing Latchford West and work to support people living in the area and to bring about improvements both locally and more widely in Warrington.

Before becoming a councillor I worked as a secondary school teacher for several years, specialising in music and drama, and  I was a governor at my children’s primary school.  I believe strongly  in the power of education to shape children’s lives and to open opportunities for them.  I am also a strong advocate for improving access and support for people with disabilities – young and old – so that they can play a full role in our society.
 

I fully support the Christian ethos and values at the heart of our school.

I am a chartered health and safety professional and have been employed in the construction and associated industries for over 30 years. During that time I have worked on and have experience with new school builds and existing school refurbishments. I have also advised on providing safe working environments during school closures and while school has been operational.

I believe that the school environment should be healthy and safe for the children and staff that use it and for all that visit us. All facilities inside and out should be free from significant risk so that the children and teachers can focus on learning and everyone should go home healthy and safe at the end of each day.

As a governor, I provide the school with advice and support to develop and implement policies, procedures and processes and ensure that inspections and audits are carried out to deliver compliance and good practice, along with advice and guidance with ongoing maintenance and development of the school. In addition to this, we develop the staffs level competence through regular training to ensure that health and safety is part of the culture at Latchford St James.

My name is Danielle Kavanagh and I am new to the role of staff governor at Latchford St James. I am currently the nursery teacher and I joined the LSJ family in September 2019.

I have been teaching for 7 years and I have a keen interest in Early Years. I am passionate about teaching and learning and ensuring every child has the best possible outcomes in life. It is so important that we set children up to become successful in their learning right from the very beginning.

I am so proud to be part of the Latchford St James family and I will work with children, staff, governors, our community and our church family to help the school to run as effectively as possible and provide an excellent education for every child in our school.

My name is Bushra Booth and I have just recently taken up the role of parent governor at Latchford St James. I have 1 child in the school and my other child has moved onto high school.

Currently I am working for the NHS in the mental health sector.  I’m hoping my finance background of 23 years will bring some valuable contribution and will help to take forward the school in giving the children the best possible opportunities to succeed.

I am very passionate about supporting the children, parents, staff and the other governors in being the best school we can be. In my spare time I enjoy kickboxing, reading, watching films and spending time with my friends and family.