The governors
School governors are volunteers who help to run the school. Most schools work with a group of school governors – together they are called the ‘governing body’. They are involved in decisions about all aspects of managing the school – such as running buildings and budgets, supporting staff and setting standards of school discipline.
Governors also help to make big decisions about the school’s long-term goals. They support headteachers, but also ask questions and make sure the headteacher is taking the school in the right direction.
If you are interested in becoming a governor, talk to the current chair of governors who leads the board. When there is a vacancy for a parent governor, all parents will be informed and you will have a chance to stand for election.
Before you put yourself forward, talk to your employer. Many employers recognise the role of school governor as useful work experience and may offer paid leave for governor duties.
Horton School Governors
- Mrs Louise Charlton- Foundation Governor (Chairperson)
My family moved to Yate in August 2010 from a country estate, Englefield, near Reading. Our son and daughter were very fortunate to be offered places at Horton. Our son is now at secondary school. I work as a clinical scientist based at Bristol Oncology Centre specialising in Radiotherapy Physics. When I get time off work I spend time with the children, enjoying watching them develop in their hobbies. I enjoy gardening, playing guitar and mountain biking. I am a Foundation Governor.
- Mrs Nicola Berry – Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Taylor – Staff Governor
I am a HLTA here at Horton school and have worked here since 1997. I am from Wigan in Lancashire and moved to this area 30 years ago when my husband relocated and originally worked in the computer industry. I have two daughters aged 29 and 25, I enjoy quilting, supporting Wigan Warriors, walking the dog and planning holidays!
- Thomas Powe – Foundation Governor
I am pleased to be a member of the Governors at Horton and to support the children of the area in their learning. Following experience in prison security, tour guiding and school finance I am now a systems and services manager in a very large school in Bristol. I am particularly interested in obtaining best value and the health and safety aspects of education. I enjoy reading about history, playing bridge and experiencing film and theater. I am also very interested in encouraging quality children’s literature and performance in schools.
- Mrs Michelle Parsons – Foundation Governor
I have lived in Chipping Sodbury since 2001. I have worked in a large inner city secondary school for the past 16 years. I am currently the 2nd in department within the inclusion team and teach in a resource base for students with moderate learning difficulties and speech language and communication needs. I have 2 children, who attend a local primary school. As family we attend St John the Baptist church and I regularly run the Sunday school there. I wanted become a foundation governor to give something back to the community.
- Mrs Katherine Standerwick – Foundation Governor
- I have lived in Horton most of my life and attended Horton Primary myself, returning to village life when I had my eldest daughter who is now at secondary school. I have 2 younger daughters who are now in Y1 and Y5. I have worked in schools for the last 10 years and am currently working as Finance Officer at a local secondary school. In our spare time we like to make the most of the great outdoors, going for walks, looking after our animals and riding our ponies. I am a Foundation Governor and am Chair of the Staff and Curriculum committee.
- Mrs Rachel Knowles – Parent Governor
My family moved to Horton in 2015 and our two children joined Horton school shortly after. Our son has since successfully moved to secondary school and our daughter is now in year 3 and enjoys every aspect of school. I became a parent governor in September 2017 and am a member of the Finance and Property Sub committee. I am an Accountant by trade and have worked in finance roles for over 20 years. We enjoy going on family trips in our camper van and my main passion is going to the theatre.
- Reverend Canon David Bowers – Ex Officio Foundation Governor
I am from Salford and we have two grown up children. I studied at Manchester University and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and worked as a civil servant for three years before ordination training. After ordination I worked in parishes in Manchester, Bolton and Rochdale before moving in 1998 to the Gloucester Diocese, where for ten years I was Associate Director of Ordinands as well as Vicar of a group of parishes near Tewkesbury. Since 2008 I have been Vicar of South Cerney with Cerney Wick, Siddington and Preston before moving to Chipping Sodbury in 2016. I enjoy walking, travel, music, cooking and entertaining and we have a special interest in Indian culture and food as we have visited the country several times. I enjoy watching sport, especially rugby and football, and have been a lifelong Manchester United supporter, as well as a more recent follower of rugby at Gloucester. I have been a governor since 2016.
- Mrs Mireille Williams – Appointed Parent Governor
I’m mum to 3 children plus 2 grown up step-children.
I work part-time for a learning disability charity within their social enterprises plus volunteer (in my spare time) for several local charities on their Board of Trustees. I’m passionate about our children’s early years opportunities and their learning journey in primary school.
I have a very busy household, am usually running late for something but always interested in helping to shape our wonderful Horton school’s future.
- Mrs Catherine Coster – Foundation Governor
I have lived in Yate and then Chipping Sodbury since 1972. I trained as a teacher and worked in a local Primary school for 12 years. I was ordained in 2000 and served as a self supporting Minister in the Bristol Diocese for 14 years. At the same time I worked as the Diocesan Adviser for schools for 12 years, specialising in the teaching of Religious Education, and had contact with many schools in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and some parts of Wiltshire. I now attend St John’s church in Chipping Sodbury and play a part in the ministry team there, also running the Parent and Toddlers group, and Open the Book team. I am a trustee for Regenerate, which provides a Christian presence in many local primary and secondary schools. I have been married to Ivor for 52 years and we now have 10 grandchildren.
Governor visits to the school
“Congratulations to all the pupils that attended the Mosque in Bristol. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity of witnessing their good behaviour. They represented the school as outstanding ambassadors and we were all so pleased with the example the children showed. I think the Oman was fairly impressed with the children’s extensive knowledge of their religion too! The teachers have done an excellent job in helping to prepare our children for a world that is incredibly diverse. As a parent, I am grateful for the opportunity to have shared in a remarkable day where a Christian School can witness to another faith and with so much respect and friendship. Well done.”
Jeremy Hassell
“We spent a lovely day with the whole school for Science Day. The morning was spent telling the children about what real scientists and engineers do and the processes they follow making and testing designs and theories. They learnt about fibre optics and medical imaging and had a lot of fun trying to work out which chocolate bars were shown in various CT scans! Of course we had to cut them in half to check, which meant they had to eat them!
In the afternoon, we made and launched water rockets. The children worked in mixed aged groups to build their rockets in every classroom. They showed great enthusiasm and were a delight to teach and we were impressed by their outstanding behaviour and politeness.”
Louise and Wez Charlton
“This year’s Harvest Festival was particularly special. All the children joined in to make the service a joy to watch. The theme of helping children abroad with their education was excellent and reminded me how lucky we are that our children have such an excellent education at Horton. The teachers and staff help the children in so many ways. As a parent and governor I am so glad we chose Horton as our son’s first school. I’m looking forward to the festivities at Christmas, especially the school service. I am sure the experience will be up to the school’s high standards.”
Graham Bond
Annual Governance Statement July 2018
Attendance Record for FGB meetings Sept 2017 to July 2018
