Governing Body

About our Governors....

 School governors provide strategic leadership and accountability in schools. Governors appoint the head teacher and are involved in the appointment of other staff. It is governors who hold the main responsibility for finance in schools, and it is governors who work with the head teacher to make the tough decisions about balancing resources.

Each individual governor is a member of a governing body, which is established in law as a corporate body. Individual governors may not act independently of the rest of the governing body. Decisions are the joint responsibility of the governing body.

The role of the Governing Body is a strategic one, to help the school provide the best education for the pupils.  It does this by:

 The Head Teacher is responsible for the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the implementation of the strategic framework established by the governing body.

How much time is involved?

This will vary depending on the number of governing body meetings and the amount of committee work governors choose to do. Governors work as a team and as such the amount of time that each governor can give to the role will vary. In addition to meetings, governors need to get to know their school. This will be done by visiting the school for events, focused visits and attend the more informal activities taking place in school, for example open days, assemblies, school fetes and concerts. Meetings take place after school at 3.45pm.

Why become a school governor?

By becoming a school governor you will;

Name and Role

Type of Governor and Appointment Date

Statement of Interest

Suzanne Cook

Chair of Governors

Numeracy Governor

MFL Governor

Foundation

6th May 2020

I am  a Foundation Governor at Bow Brickhill. My eldest daughter joined the school in September 2019. As a family, we were attracted to the Christian ethos of the school and the warm, nurturing environment that was apparent from our first visit and throughout our experiences to date.

I am a primary school teacher myself at a school in Central Bedfordshire and am passionate about providing great learning opportunities and experiences for all children.  I am excited about having this opportunity to contribute to the development of my own daughter’s school as part of the wider community.

Deborah Brownhill

Vice-Chair

Finance Chair

Health and Safety Governor

Science Governor

Foundation

12th November 2023



I am a Foundation Governor appointed by the Diocese of Oxford,. In my current role of Vice-Chair of Governors, I attend all full Governing Body meetings and am a member of the Finance and Premises Committee, Personnel and Curriculum Committee and also have the role of Development Governor.

I have no relevant business interests but have some knowledge of building and building services which is useful to the Finance and Premises Committee.

I was attracted to becoming a Governor of Bow Brickhill School as I passionately believe that small village schools can deliver an excellent education to their pupils. My own daughter has progressed very much better in the smaller environment of Bow Brickhill than in her previous (much larger) primary school.

I consider the strong link with the Church and the teaching of Christian values to be exactly the ethos I wanted my child to experience.

I am semi –retired at the moment but have worked in the field of sustainable buildings for many years reaching high level management positions. I am happy to bring both my technical and my managerial skills to the table if I can help the school.

Georgy Holden

Curriculum and Standards Chair

SEN Governor

Looked After Children Governor

Safeguarding Governor

Local Authority

9th June 2023

Georgy Holden

I am a Local Authority Governor, appointed by Milton Keynes Council in May 2015 (previously Foundation Governor). I am a member of the Finance Committee and am also a Safeguarding Governor.

I became a governor at Bow Brickhill because my daughters attended the school and had a very positive experience. For several years, as a parent, I chaired the Friends of the School Committee and, when my girls had moved on to their next schools, I moved to be a governor. I am a Christian and support the values and ethos of the school. I have seen the school encourage many children who leave happy, confident and ready to take the next step in their education.

Richard Edwards

Development Governor

Foundation

1st December 2021

I initially became a parent governor in December 2017, changing to a foundation governor in December 2021 .  I attend all full governor meetings and Finance Committee meetings.

I am a Director of an engineering consulting business which provides advice to businesses on strategy, competence, organisational structure, leadership, culture, assurance, audit, governance and finance.  

I have also recently spent 3 years as the President of an international professional institute which is a voluntary role in which I was responsible chairing the Board and Council of the institute and for governance.  This has given me experience of working in a voluntary capacity and the different dynamics and skills this requires.

Rev John Waller

Foundation-

ex  officio

1st January 2024

Isabel Muigai

RE and Collective Worship Governor

Parent appointed

17th November 2021

I have been a parent at Bow Brickhill Primary school since April 2017 and I have recently been appointed as a parent Governor.  I chose the school as I wanted my children to be in a small Church of England school where they could be nurtured and be part of the school community.  My children have had the most wonderful experience of their learning journey.

I have volunteered with the school FOTS and in other school activities and I’m passionate about the partnership between school and the parents, as it's an essential support system that improves the children’s learning experience and helps to meet the school goals.

I am a community Mental Health Nurse and I enjoy working with families. I work within a multidisciplinary team where I have gained transferable skills that would allow me to contribute to my daughter’s school.  I am a Christian and believe in the school ethos and values.

Kim Gallacher

Safer Recruitment Governor

Literacy Governor

Parent appointed

28th February 2022

I became a parent governor in early 2022; I also serve on the Finance and Premises Committee.

Having moved to the village over 10 years ago, we were attracted to the small, nurturing village school. I currently have two children attending the school. My eldest also attended the school but has recently moved onto secondary education. Having been secretary of Friends of the School (FOTS) for several years now, I decided I would like to broaden my involvement in the school, and the wider community, by becoming a parent governor.

Before having my children, I worked as a solicitor in a commercial firm in London which I believe has provided me with skills relating to team work, resilience, communication and data analysis which will greatly assist me in helping the school achieve its goals and the pupils leave as happy and capable children.

Winifred Barnard


Parent appointed

22nd March 2023

Alejandro Bertello


Parent appointed

27th September 2023

When our family first moved to Milton Keynes in 2022, having looked at schools in the area, we were immediately drawn to the warm, caring and supportive environment provided by Bow Brickhill. We knew that it was a comfortable and safe place for our son to flourish and grow and are extremely happy that he is now enjoying the excellent learning opportunities and full support of his teachers on a daily basis.

I have a busy role as a Marketing Manager for a very large travel and tourism company, but I was equally keen to contribute to the continued success and ongoing development of Bow Brickhill. To that end, I became a proud parent governor of the school in September 2023 and look forward to playing a proactive part in achieving its future goals.

Pam McBurnie

Headteacher

Staff Appointed

1st September 2014

Pam McBurnie

I have been a member of the Governing Body for a number of years, initially representing colleagues as a Staff Governor in my previous role as Assistant Headteacher. Since becoming Headteacher I attend all governor meetings and sit on both the Finance and Curriculum and Personnel Committees.

As Headteacher, my role is to drive the school forward, working in collaboration with governors to develop a vision and strategic view for the school to ensure every child gets the best possible education in a caring and stimulating environment.

Claire Kemp

Assistant Headteacher

Foundation

18th April 2020

Claire Evelyn

Having previously completed my teacher training at the school a number of years ago I returned in the capacity as Assistant Headteacher in 2014.

I currently teach in the Foundation Stage but prior to this worked in key stage one. I am a staff governor and represent my colleagues within the school. I have been on the Personnel and Curriculum Committee since January 2015.

Elinor Wiemer

Staff Appointed

30th November 2020

I am employed in school as the School Business Support which entails setting the school budget and ensuring that the school needs are met within the set annual financial plans as well as taking into account any longer term projects within the School Development Plan.  I serve on the Finance and Premises Committee and the full Governing Body as a staff representative.  Previously I worked in the school as an LSA primarily in the year 5/6 class.

I enjoy the variety of my job which involves a great deal of interaction with the pupils and staff as well as liaising with parents and outside agencies.  The school is a caring and nurturing environment where we truly believe that every child has the potential to achieve their best and it is a pleasure to see them develop during their time at Bow Brickhill.

Sarah Gammon

Clerk to the Governors



Past Governors

Sharan Soora 9th September 2022 - 1st September 2023

Andrew Malleson 1st January 2020 - 31st December 2022

Fiona Hodgkin 29th December 2019 - 1st November 2021

 Governors Diversity Data

As a school we recognise that a diversity of thought, voices and perspectives is essential to good governance and the effective running of any organisation. We regularly collect diversity information from our governors and, depending on current data, can use this to;

However, we are unable to publish this information as it would mean that individual members of our Governing Body are identifiable.

Statement of Behaviour Principles.pdf

 

A summary of governor attendance at Full Governing Body Meetings during the last academic year can be found by clicking here 

A summary of the roles and committee membership can be seen by clicking here

The governors of Bow Brickhill CE Primary School do not have any business or financial interests in the school.