Hornby St. Margaret's C of E Primary School

Governors

Structure of the Governing Body

We can have a total of 14 governors; this is laid down in our “Instrument of Government” which is the legal basis of any school governing body.

We must have a majority of “Foundation Governors”: these are governors nominated by either the Parochial Church Council, or from the Blackburn Diocesan Board of Education. In our case we have 8 Foundation Governors, which includes an ex-officio member (3 of whom should be parents of children at school if possible). There are two elected “Parent Governors” (this number is dictated by the number of pupils at the school). There is one representative nominated from the LA. Finally there is a staff representative and a clerk. The Headteacher has the option of joining the governing body and we are fortunate that our head has elected to serve. Governors normally serve for a period of 4 years.

Below is the list of governors, their designation and term of office end date.

To help you get to know your governors we have provided a brief description of ourselves and any financial or business interests / positions on ours and other governing bodies.

Kerry Stafford-Roberts – Headteacher

I have been in education for 33 years as a teacher, Local Authority Adviser, Governor and Headteacher. I am currently Head and on the Governing Body of both Hornby and Leck schools. I am married to Jacqueline and have three children, my youngest still at university. We live near Kendal. When I am not working I enjoy outdoor pursuits, DIY and volunteer for the Ambulance Service as a First Responder and Kentdale first aid for event cover.

Michelle Norris – Chair of Finance & Staffing Committee

Originally from Caton, I attended Caton St Paul’s Primary School and Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School. I returned to the Lune Valley in 2007 with my husband, Mark, (who attended Hornby St. Margaret’s) after living in Enfield, North London for seven years. I have been a secondary school Science teacher for over 10 years although I am currently taking a break from this to spend time at home with my young family. I have a daughter in Year 7 and Year 3 and a son in Year 5, plus numerous nieces and nephews that have or will attend the school.  Since moving to Hornby I have enjoyed getting involved in village life through my former role as Clerk to the Parish Council and look forward to getting involved in the life of the school as much as possible. I hope that my experience in education will help me to be an effective governor and I look forward to supporting the Head-teacher and staff in the excellent work they do.

Peter King- Chair of Curriculum & Communications Committee

I moved to Lancaster on taking up the appointment as headteacher of a local primary school, having previously taught in Coventry and Ellesmere Port, and subsequently took on the same role in a much larger school in West Yorkshire. Following my career in teaching, I worked for a few years at Royal Mail – the last two years of which I was the Delivery Office manager in Grange-over-Sands. It was during this period that my wife and I moved to Hornby five years ago. For just over three years I have been the editor of Contact and more recently became Treasurer of Hornby Village Trust. My initial involvement with the school was in the running of a lunch-time computer coding club. I became a Foundation governor at the beginning of the 2015/16 school year.

Dr Andrea Towse- Chair of Governors, Finance & Staffing Committee

My background is in psychology and I am fascinated in how children learn. I have a PhD in cognitive development and have carried out research in areas such as non-verbal reasoning, memory and reading comprehension. I have been a governor since 2015 and I enjoy being able to support the school by grappling with the fine detail and data. This is my first year as Chair and I have a lot to learn but I hope that I can make a positive contribution to Hornby St Margaret’s.

I live in the lovely Lune Valley. My son is currently in the juniors here at school and my daughter has recently moved on to secondary school. I love being outdoors, so you’ll often find me up a hill, in a lake or in the school garden. When I have to be indoors, I particularly enjoy learning languages and playing board games with my family.

Lyndsey Winston- Finance & Staffing Committee Clerk

I am a solicitor, currently non-practising, specialising in commercial property law. I am married, have three children (one at university, one at LGGS and one at school) and have lived in the Lune Valley for the past 13 years. In my spare time, I enjoy singing, reading and walking.

Ian Vincent- Premises, Health & Safety Committee Clerk

I am a primary school teacher at a school in Morecambe.  I teach Year 1 and am also the school SENCo.  My eldest two sons attended Hornby St Margaret’s and are now at Queen Elizabeth School, while my youngest son is due to attend Hornby St Margaret’s in 2023.

Ross Hunter- Curriculum & Communications Committee

I was a teacher and headmaster for four decades,  half in northern England, half abroad. Since we retired and came home, Sue and I are back in her home village of Burrow; we were married in Tunstall Church, where she is churchwarden and I am, for my sins, chair of the PCC (of TM&L). I enjoy writing, book collecting, reading, cycling and travel. I speak (ef)fluent French and occasional Russian. In December, you kindly voted me on to Lancaster City Council, to represent Upper Lune Valley Ward; do please get in touch if I can help with local issues.

Governor Meeting Attendance Last Year