A warm welcome from our Governing Body

To contact our Governors, please email Jenny Hocking (Chair of Governors) at Hocking.j@welearn365.com

Governors are the strategic leaders within schools and have the responsibility of promoting high standards of educational achievement, ensuring every child in their school receives the best quality education.  The DfE Governance Handbook (March 2019) states the governing body has three core functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils and the performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

Governors are appointed by different groups.  Within Church schools like ours, Foundation Governors are appointed by the Church, and have additional responsibilities within the governing body:

Foundation governors have the responsibility to secure the character of the school as a Church of England voluntary school, that is preserved and developed in accordance with the school's trust deed and its ethos statement.  This will include facilitating links between the school and its parish and being involved in the preparation of the school's self-evaluation prior to a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) inspection, and possibly attending the inspection itself.

The Full Governing Body (FGB) usually meets four times a year, while the Strategic Leadership Group, which comprises key members of the school staff and governing body, meets three times a year.  In addition, the FGB delegates some of its responsibilities to three committees:

• Performance and Standards
• Resources
• Collective Worship

 Jenny Hocking, Chair of Governing Body

I was born in the UK but emigrated to Australia aged eight, returning to the UK in 1975. I am married with one son, Leo, who attended Barford St Peter’s. I have lived in Barford since 1984 and until 2010 pursued a career in university management. My interests include reading, walking and genealogy. 

 David Woodcock, Vice Chair of Governing Body and Parent Governor

I moved to Barford in 2019 and my wife, Charlotte, and I were married at Barford St Peter's Church.  Our son, Andrew, is currently in Year 2 and our daughter, Georgie, is in Reception.

I work as Global Programme Director for WNS Global Services, and am a keen canoeist in my spare time.

In addition to my parent governor role, I am a member of the Board of Trustees.

 Ann Fawcett, Collective Worship Chair and Foundation Governor

Chris Harris, Resources Chair and Local Authority Governor

I have served as Local Authority Governor since 2011. After qualifying as a chartered accountant, I spent a career in finance and financial management on four continents. We moved to Barford in 1995, and our son and daughter enjoyed growing up in the village. Both have returned from their own globe-trotting to live locally and still have friends in the village. On retirement I wanted to contribute to the Barford community and thought my business, finance and strategy experience might add breadth and value to the governing body. Other retirement activities include cycling, golf and lots of walking with our dog, Jasper.

 Wendy Barlow, Foundation Governor

I have been involved in teaching all my working life.  For the 18 years before retirement I was Head of 2 village schools.
I became involved as a helper with Pre-school on my retirement in 2004 and have subsequently enjoyed a similar role with the foundation years at St.Peter's.
I have 2 children.  My son lives in the village and attended Barford St Peter's as will his 2 year old son.  My daughter lives near Bath and I have two more grandchildren aged 17 and 20.
I am an active member of the local Drama Group, organise the weekly Scout Hut Coffee morning and have been a Parish Councillor for more years than I care to remember!
I have an allotment and am keen on gardening.  You will catch me round the village with my dog or grandson.
I am currently a member of the Scout Supporters Group, working towards a new building which will serve both uniformed groups and the community at large.

 Jane Hinde, Foundation Governor

I joined the governing body at Barford St Peter’s in September 2019; two and a half years ago. However, it doesn’t feel like very long as for many months, because of Covid, we had to meet via Zoom and were not able to visit school to spend time with the children and celebrate with them. I am really enjoying being able to get into school on a regular basis now that the restrictions have lifted.

I was in education for over 30 years as an English and Drama teacher in secondary schools, and before retiring I was Head of English in a secondary school in Nottinghamshire where I also worked as an Advanced Skills teacher across the county.

I moved to the area from my home in Lincoln in 2018 in order to be near to my children and grandchildren, all boys, aged 8, 5 and 7 months. So, as well as my knowledge and skills in education, I also have a close understanding of the primary curriculum.

 Ann Holliday, Foundation Governor

I was employed in a variety of educational settings for most of my working life, and my aim has always been to help children to develop to the full level of their potential.  I have a lot of experience in helping children to acquire literacy skills, and particularly in supporting children with specific learning difficulties.

I have lived in Barford with my husband, Jon, for 28 years, and our three sons were all pupils at Barford.  As a child, I also had a very positive experience of attending a Church of England primary school, and this was a determining factor in my decision to apply to be a governor at Barford St Peter's.

I am an active member of Barford St Peter's Church and enjoy many interests, chiefly spending time with my three grandchildren, playing the piano, reading and crochet.

 Tim Sewards, Staff Governor

I am delighted to have been appointed as staff governor in 2021 in order to further represent and support our excellent school. I have been teaching since 2010, and I joined Barford St. Peter's in 2016 when it was still a mixed-form entry school. Before then, I have taught in Rugby, Nuneaton, Coventry and Leamington, predominately in areas of social disadvantage. This has given me a great deal of teaching and management experience, especially when considering the varying challenges families and especially children face in their daily lives, which is enabling me to provide valuable insight into ensuring our school continues to provide for all of our school community. 

I am fortunate enough to live in the village of Barford, which enables me to become more widely involved in village life. I am a current member of our PCC and have previously sat on our King George's Playing Fields committee too. I'm also involved in a local football group within the village, as well as playing badminton and golf and visiting my five nieces and one nephew in whatever spare time I can muster!

 Amanda Wood, Parent Governor

I have a little boy at Barford St Peter's and feel very strongly about being involved in the life and workings of the school community; in particular, ensuring that the work of the school fulfils its needs to all our children.  As a representative parent on the governing body, I have a unique perspective experiencing the delivery of the curriculum via my child and can share how the school is perceived by parents.

The first part of my career in publishing focused on the commissioning and production of teaching and learning resources for the early years, including phonics and special educational needs.  I spent a lot of time in schools understanding the challenges for teachers and children, and - hopefully - translating those into the products we created.  The last 18 years of my career have been in academic publishing, and I'm currently focussed on developing and changing the culture of our organisation, which is an incredibly interesting and challenging role!

It is important for me to be aware of parents' views and concerns, so I am always available to listen, impartially, to other parents and to advise on appropriate actions or procedures.