Mr David Knight

I am a former Deputy Head of an inner urban Secondary School (retired in 1994) and a former company director, now retired, of a medium sized facilities management company, servicing many schools and other organisations in both the public and private sectors.
I was born in Devon, raised in Sussex, went to Leicester University and then spent the next 50 years living and working in the culturally diverse London Borough of Brent. When I retired from teaching I became Chair of Governors of two primary schools and continued to be a governor of both until in 2016, I moved to Lancaster to be near my family.
I am totally committed to raising standards in schools (I have worked with "failing" schools, both as an "additional governor" at schools in "special measures" and an education consultant in several London boroughs) and supporting good schools, such as Bowerham, to get the resources/funding required to always seek to improve their offering.
I know what it is to live in poverty (as a child, I was brought up "downstairs" in a typical "upstairs/downstairs" household) and this - together with extensive travel in Europe, North America, the Caribbean (I worked there for 6 months), Africa and the Middle East - has led me to believe that all schools and society itself should value and wholeheartedly support "inclusiveness".

Tamsin Kind

I became a Co-opted governor for Bowerham School in January 2019. I have been involved with the school since my eldest daughter started reception in 2012 and currently have 3 children attending the school in Year 1, 3 and 6. I work as the Stroke Therapy Team Lead at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. We are a team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and technical instructors delivering rehabilitation to Stroke patients both within the hospital and in the community. As part of my role I manage approximately 20 members of staff. I am a keen runner and swimmer and enjoy being outdoors. I am very keen as a governor to get involved in health promotion, increasing physical activity and healthy eating, encouraging interest in science and health careers and encouraging everyone to be kind to themselves, each other and the. Environment.

Mr Stuart Box

I joined Bowerham School in January 2018 and I currently teach in year 5. I lead the science and computing areas of the curriculum. I have previously worked in a variety of primary schools in Lancashire and taught in various year groups.

Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked for Rolls-Royce both in the UK and in various locations including Tanzania, Mali and the British Virgin Islands. I managed teams of engineers on site, installing power stations in various industrial settings. As well as working in an engineering environment, I have worked in marketing and communication roles, having specialised in this when studying for my degree. I was Communications Manager for an offshore oil and gas manufacturing company.

I am proud to work at Bowerham and was delighted to be elected to the role of Staff Governor. I wanted to become a governor because I am committed to seeing Bowerham continue to thrive as both a school and a vital part of the local community; I grew up within a quarter of a mile of the school and have a very strong affiliation to the area. I believe that my skills and experience both in education and in other roles means that I am well placed to complement the expertise of the governing body.

Dr Laura Premack

I am a coach, facilitator and writer with a strong background in education. I worked in academia for over a decade and before that was a schoolteacher in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts (my home state). I have an EdM from Harvard University and expertise in curriculum design and assessment. Subjects I’ve taught include art, ecology, social studies and language arts. Much of my teaching was with bilingual children and their families in diverse classroom environments. I have particular interests in teaching writing across the curriculum; developing cultural awareness and tolerance; and supporting outdoor education, sports, and the arts. I have a daughter in Year 1 at Bowerham and a two-year-old son. We like to spend our free time hiking, swimming, baking, reading, and messing about in the garden.

Mrs Joanna Young

I’m a parent at Bowerham School with two children, in years 6 and 4, and I’ve been a Governor at Bowerham for around seven years. I’ve really enjoyed learning and understanding how schools work, and getting an insight into a sector so different from my own which is Head of Client Services which I have found particularly valuable.

I work as an Account Director for a marketing agency, working with clients in all kinds of sectors on their communications and marketing, and I’m also Chair of Trustees at a local Foodbank where I do quite a bit of campaigning work around issues to do with poverty and social exclusion. I hope this might be useful in the context of both schools comms and anything I can do to understand the issues concerning our more vulnerable pupils (As Chair I am child protection governor). I’m really keen to keep learning and to support staff and Jo, and work with school to continue to provide all our children with an outstanding education at Bowerham.

Mrs Vicki Haslam

I have been a parent governor since September 2016, when my daughter was in Year 1 at Bowerham. I am the current SEN governor and am also responsible for governor training at Bowerham. I have loved getting to see ‘behind the scenes’ and learning about how a school really works. It’s been a privilege to be involved in the setting of goals and priorities and to be directly involved in, for example, the recruitment of new staff. For my ‘day job’ I work as a teaching co-ordinator at Lancaster University. Skills from my employment that I can bring to Bowerham include experience of writing policies and designing procedures, sitting on and servicing committees, writing and editing information e.g. handbooks for both staff and students, recruiting and leading a large team of pastoral advisors for one of the University’s undergraduate colleges, and contributing towards strategic development at both department and university level. I have a particular interest in student mental health and, in addition to supporting university students on a one-to-one basis, I regularly deliver mental health awareness training to both staff and students.

Mrs Rebekah Redmile

I am passionate about supporting the local community and there has never been a more critical time to do so. I am a breastfeeding support mentor, mother of two and have a background in education and the arts. In 2013 I graduated from university with a degree in three-dimensional design and for several years following this I ran a successful jewellery business. Before returning to Lancaster I worked as a Design Technology technician and as a TA with SEN children. This time gave me a good insight into the workings of high schools and I hope that my new role as parent governor will enable me to gain a greater knowledge of the running of primary school systems. My eldest child has just started in reception (and absolutely loves it) and my youngest will follow in a few years meaning that I will be involved with Bowerham Primary School for many years to come! The passion and drive of the staff at this school is incredible and I plan to work with the other governors to support them with the work that they do and challenge when necessary to ensure that this school continues to be the nurturing and aspirational school that it is.

Mr Nick Rafferty

Only a couple of months after my eldest daughter started in Reception at Bowerham Primary and Nursery School, the opportunity arose to become a parent governor and,
given my background is in secondary teaching, this gave me the chance to learn about those all important Key Stage 1 and 2 years, whilst also, hopefully, bringing my own
experiences to the primary sector. I have taught English at Lancaster Royal Grammar School for the past 5 years, having been at Ripley St. Thomas for the previous 6 so
education in the local community is something I care deeply about. At LRGS, as well as my day-to-day job I also coach a cricket team, run all the schools' quiz teams, organise school-wide reading challenges and have, with the help of my form, raised over £12 000 for charity in the last 4 years. In my spare time I am a keen sportsman and love reading,listening to music and going to the theatre. As a family, we spend as many weekends as we can outdoors in the wonderful, local countryside. I have been a parent governor at Bowerham since November 2018.

Mr Craig Smith

As a co-opted governor and parent of 3 boys at the school, I hope to make a difference to the school through a combination of my personal drive for high performance and achievement, whilst utilising my 20+ years of corporate commercial and supply chain experience.

From my time at Kellogg’s, Nestle and now at Warburtons I have led teams on various matters of commercial management including finance, negotiation, business planning, IT systems, strategic goal setting, communication and engagement.

My hope is that as a member of the governing board my experience and skills can complement those of the other governors to ensure as a collective we achieve the best for the school, pupils, teachers and parents.

Dr Pete Thomas

I have been a governor at Bowerham for more than 20 years, firstly as a parent governor and then as a co-opted member. I work at Lancaster University in the Management School and teach and research Human Resource Management and Organisation Studies, experience which is really helpful in understanding how the school works and how resources can be used most effectively. I am currently researching organisational wellbeing and this includes work within the school looking at teacher workload issues.

Mrs Geraldine Pollock

I have worked at Bowerham Primary and Nursery school for over twenty years, where I have a number of roles and responsibilities. Primarily I work in Key Stage two, where I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching and supporting the children.
Over the last ten years I have also been the Senior Lunchtime Supervisor of a large team of staff. I have overall responsibility for the development and smooth running of our ICT department and co coordinating the vast number of volunteers we have in school.
I am immensely proud of my achievements at Bowerham and consider myself a valued member of the Bowerham Family. I feel very committed to the success of the school and enjoy being a part of the Governing Body; which I have been involved with for the last fifteen years. The post of School Governor is one which gives me the opportunity to share my own knowledge of education alongside other people’s expertise, and to strive in continuing to make our school a place where all children are given the best possible opportunities to develop and grow within a safe and nurturing environment. As such a long standing governor I have been part of Bowerham’s continued improving journey and believe I offer an experienced vision of life at Bowerham for staff and children.
I have over twenty five years of retail management experience. During the weekend and school holidays I manage a local charity shop and coordinate the deployment of volunteers. As an NVQ assessor I also source funding for volunteers and give them the opportunity to undertake retail management qualifications.
In my spare time I am a keen crown green bowler and love spending time with my grandson and stomping in the countryside.

Mrs Joanne Banks

This is my eleventh year of headship at Bowerham Primary and Nursery school. I came with a range of leadership experience as an existing headteacher; I have worked as a teacher in Lancashire for 25 years. During my teaching career I have regularly taken on the role of Governor and found this to be insightful and has made a made a huge impact on my leadership to date. Being a school Governor brings me into contact with like minded people who are focused on ensuring the very best education for all our pupils. School Governors often come from a wide range of backgrounds, bringing a wide range of experiences and this, for me, is the exciting part of the role. The critical challenge that different member of the governing body bring ensure that our school continues to reflect, improve and grow, this is pivotal to our school aims and ethos.

Mr Dan Baxter

I am a parent of two children at Bowerham, currently in Year 3 and Reception. I have previously been an LEA appointed Governor at another school in Lancaster, so when the opportunity arose to support my children’s own school, I was really excited to get involved.

I studied Educational Research as a Post-Grad at Lancaster University and throughout my career have always worked in the areas of young people and education. I currently work as a Manager for the Government’s national youth programme, overseeing engagement and communication with schools and colleges across the country. I’m hoping to bring my experience of training governors, writing policy and procedures and building relationships to engage community partners to the role, whilst continuing to learn more about how our school works.

I became a Parent Governor at Bowerham just as the COVID-lockdown was starting in 2020. It has been a privilege to support an extraordinary staff team who constantly go above and beyond, and I’m looking forward to continuing to support them in delivering an outstanding educational experience for the Bowerham family in the years ahead.

Ben Hanley

I am a parent of two young boys who both attend Bowerham, in Reception and Year 2. When the opportunity arose to join the governing body, it seemed like the obvious next step in me supporting the education of the children in the local area. This is my first time being a governor, and I'm keen to see where I can help and how I can add to the Bowerham Family.

I have a strong interest in child protection and deprivation, after spending almost a decade in the emergency services in Lancashire, and hope to learn more about how the school focusses on these issues. I was driven to apply to join the governing body after seeing the strong leadership and commitment to children that the school demonstrated, during the pandemic.

I currently own two digital agencies which keeps me at the forefront of new and emerging technologies. As part of my work with the governing body, I hope to be able to help solve problems and save time through the use of IT.

Simon Oakley

I am a parent of one child in reception, with another to join the school in a few years. I became a parent governor at the first opportunity that arose once my child started school, I intend to be actively involved in school life in any way that I can.
My day job is as a research scientist investigating the impacts of land-use and climate change on greenhouse gas emissions, so having an eco-school link is very aligned with my interests. I hope my skill base of investigative thinking, attention to detail, and project management can benefit the Bowerham family and governing body as it continues to provide an outstanding setting for educating the next generation.