Welcome to our Governors’ section.

North Cotswold Schools Federation's Instrument of Government was sealed on 6th October 2020.

Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured. Please see the PDF below with the governors roles and responsibilities. 
 

Governor's relevant interests:

Katrina Scott: Governor at The Cotswold School and Temple Guiting C of E Primary School

Any communication with the Governors should be addressed to the Clerk. The email address is clerk@stjeb.school 

Previous Governors since the formation of the North Cotswold Schools Federation:  

Andrew Webber (Parent) ended 23.11.21

Rachel Burns (Parent) ended 17.05.21

Robin Davis ended 05.02.2021

Amanda Tudor ended 01.02.2021

Graham Doswell (Co-opted) ended 05.10.2020

Sarah Harkness (Co-opted) ended 05.10.2020

Mark Fremantle ended 05.10.2020

Sue Pearce (LA) February 2019 - November 2019

Anne McNally (Foundation) Sept 2016 - Oct 2019

Mike Prior (Foundation) Sept 2016 - July 2019

Simone Hourihan (Parent) December 2017 - July 2019

Steve McHale (LA) Sept 2016 - February 2019

Martin Hobbs (Co-opted) September 2016 - June 2018

Katie Walker (Staff) September 2016 - 

Matthew Bamfield (Staff) 

Emma Clark (Parent) September 2016 - 

Chair of the Governing Board: Martin Nicholas, Foundation  

A retired GP who worked in Cheltenham I am a former pupil of Cold Aston School and I still live in the village, where I keep a flock of sheep on the remnant of the family farm.  I'm still active in GP education, and am keen for our rural schools to thrive and develop.  In time off I walk, run, bike and ski, enjoy theatre and cinema. 

 Jo Bowen-Jones, Co-Opted 

I am a busy Mum of two, one child at the St James site and one child at CCS in Chipping Campden. My husband is an arable farmer so home life is hectic at times ! I have worked in a variety of roles in the past, gaining experience in people management, budgeting, financial planning, print procurement in the digital and litho sectors, project management for a multi-national company and most recently, a career change into the Early Years sector, where I worked at a local playgroup for a number of years.

I feel very strongly about safeguarding for all children and staff, and for every child to have equal and fair opportunities to enable them to develop and progress to the best of their abilities, with all of the support that they need to achieve this.

The opportunity that we have to work with all of the schools within the NCSF to develop and grow all children to their full potential is fantastic and I am looking forward to working with everyone involved to achieve great things for our schools.

Mark John, Foundation  

I have been a Parent Governor for the last 5 years and currently elected Foundation Governor for the parish of Swell. I have two children Amelia who is in year 10 at Cotswold School and Dan who is in year 5 at Swell.

I am passionate about ensuring we give our children the very best opportunities both in School through academic achievement and outside of school through trips, residential camps, outside learning and sport. 

I am excited to be working with an enlarged federation and all of the opportunities that will bring to us all.

Sophie Burrard-Lucas, Foundation.     

I am passionate about ensuring our children have the best possible experience in their early education. As a parent of a child at Longborough Primary School and a teacher myself (although I am currently on an extended maternity leave!), it is brilliant to be able to join the governing body as the Foundation Governor for Longborough.

I wanted to be involved as a governor to help ensure the continuation and progression of the outstanding standards that have been established across the Federation. As a teacher, I am completely committed to taking a ‘whole child’ approach to teaching and learning. I believe that, more than ever before, the young people in our schools need us to look beyond academics alone and to nurture their social, physical and emotional development. I am looking forward to getting more involved with school life and supporting the Federation with giving our children an exceptional school experience.

Bryony Meek, Parent Governor 

Vice-Chair of the Governing Board: Katrina Scott, Co-opted 

Katrina is Area Dean in the Church of England for the North Cotswold area, and as such works closely with our local churches and clergy. Katrina was appointed as an additional Governor of St. James' and Ebrington Church of England School in May 2016, and in May 2017 Katrina took on the ex-officio Foundation Governor role and the Chair position.

She has been a governor of 6 schools over the past 20 years, in both urban and rural settings, including a range in size, structure and stage of schooling too. Katrina enjoys the opportunity to work with schools to offer the best possible experience of education that engages with the whole child and develops their potential.

Within this Governing Body, Katrina is keen to develop good relationships with our communities, staff, churches and to see the Schools go from strength to strength.

Clare Saunders, Co-opted 

Clare Saunders lives in Cold Aston and her four children all started their education at Cold Aston Primary School. She is a former secondary school English teacher who now works for an education trust. She is currently serving her second year as a co-opted Governor and chairs the Standards Committee. She is also a member of the English, Phonics, Reading and Writing focus group.

Jamie Macdonald, Foundation 

Jamie is married with 2 teenage boys at local schools. He and his wife have been deeply involved in the school community in Ebrington ever since their boys attended St James and Ebrington School. Jamie has held senior leadership roles in multinational corporations for many years and brings a deep understanding of areas such as IT, finance and strategic planning to his role as a Governor. His focus is on helping all the schools in the expanded NCSF achieve an Outstanding OFSTED rating. 

Jan Sibthorpe, Co-Opted   

I live in Cold Aston and have recently joined the Governing body for NCSF as a co-opted governor. I firmly believe that every child should have the opportunity of a rounded education that nurtures and encourages them to achieve their full potential.

For the past 8 years I have volunteered with the NSPCC Schools Service ‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ programme. The safeguarding of children is something I feel very passionate about, so I am delighted to join NCSF where every child is given the opportunity to develop and flourish academically in an environment where their welfare and well being is paramount.

I am looking forward to working with everyone across NCSF in providing every pupil with the best possible primary school experience; one which recognises and supports each child as an individual and prepares them to embark on the next stage of their education with confidence and enthusiasm.

Penny Harris, Local Authority   

After a number of years living in Shanghai, Penny now lives near Bourton-on-the-Water with her partner Leslie, and two children Alexa and Cerian, both of whom attended Cold Aston school following the family’s relocation to the Cotswolds. 

With a background in marketing strategy, Penny is a Partner in the small global brand consultancy she founded with her partner. 

Working from home allows her the flexibility to volunteer for South West Ambulance Service as a Community First Responder in addition to her role as a Governor.

Christina Winter, Parent Governor  

My eldest son attends Longborough school and my middle son is part of the Longborough Pickles Nursery. I am personally committed to ensuring the ongoing success of the Federation and bring a range of skills and experience from both inside and outside work with a strong emphasis on finance, project management and policy management. 

I have previously held Governor roles at two other primary schools, one a small village  school and the other a South East London Federation of several schools; here I worked closely with the schools, helping them achieve a Good Ofsted rating where they had previously been rated Requires Improvement. I also sat on the Finance Committee and was involved in recruiting a new Executive Head for the Federation.

I am currently a Trustee for a small charity who support victims of modern day slavery find accommodation where I am nominated safeguarding Trustee. Prior to this I have volunteered as a Mentor with the Princes Trust and provided Financial Capability Training at Community Centres in East London. 

I have worked in Financial Services for over 13 years where I have had a wide range of roles, all with a strong elements of project management, oversight and challenge in relation to compliance, conduct and regulation. 

I grew up in the Cotswolds and love spending time out and about in the country side with my 3 boys and husband. When I do find some rare time on my own, I enjoy running and yoga.