Governors
The Governors feel privileged to be working closely with the Fountains Primary School and our very committed staff teams. As volunteers, governors come from a variety of backgrounds, and represent a diverse range of local interests and bodies.
Chair of Governors: Dr Tim Halford
Esteem MAT Accounting Officer: Mr Julian Scholefield
Esteem MAT Allocated Trustee: Dawn Butler
Please click here to access the Esteem Multi Academy Trust central governance and financial information. This includes the Esteem MAT Articles of Association, Funding Agreement, our audited accounts and Annual Report. Statutory | Esteem MAT
Please click here for more information on how we structure governance within our Trust, the remit of those in a governance role and our Scheme of Delegation Governance | Esteem MAT
We are all proud of our pupils’ achievements and continuously strive for improvement on their behalf.
Tim Halford
Community Governor
Chair of Governors
Link Roles:
Leadership and Management: Overall effectiveness, Quality of Leadership and Management
Outcomes: Outcomes for Pupils (including the analysis of spend on Pupil Premium/Covid Catchup and PE/Sport Premium)
My Name is Tim Halford, my son has been in the school since September 2020, and I’ve been a parent Governor since Easter 2021 and Chair of Governors since September 2021. At home, I enjoy spending time with my son and his baby sister, watching the rugby and having friends over for BBQs in the summer.
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Professionally, I’ve been a University Academic researcher in Engineering before joining Rolls-Royce in 2010, first as an Engineer, then as an Engineering Manager and, more recently, as an Operations Manager. I am currently responsible for the operation of an Industrial/Research collaboration centre, including shopfloor workers, Laboratories, Quality, Health & Safety, IT, Facilities & Maintenance. I hope to be able to combine this Industrial/Operational experience with the skills of the other Governors to be able to support the school as best as possible. I’d encourage anyone who sees me around the school to approach me with any feedback or contact me via the school office.
Al Campbell
Parent Governor
Link Role:
Quality of Education: Early Years Foundation Stage
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Hi, my name is Alasdair Campbell, though I prefer to be called Al.
I am the father of two children, 1 neuro divergent and 1 neuro typical.
My background within both hospitality and retail gives me a unique ability to work under pressure and also maintain a calm and collected approach to situations. My own dyslexia also allows me to see otherwise unthought of solutions to problems.
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I personally love the out doors, to be able to walk and play golf, which both of my kids have now asked me to help them learn how to play.
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My son has been at fountains from Sep 2021, after a very difficult start to his academic career. Since his start I have seen how much of an improvement he has made both within his own ability to control himself and his ability to follow the functional pathway at the school. From seeing both through Matthew and also my own eyes the work that the school does, I feel that I could help shape the education of young people and change the way that people see us and the children within the community.
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During this time and as a result of world pressures during the pandemic my wife and I made a conscious decision that I would become Matthews full time carer to help with his emotional growth. As a result of this decision, I can often be found at the school gates at pickup time if anyone wishes to have a chat. Or I can be reached via the school.
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Pam Simkin
Community Governor
Link Role:
Behaviour and Welfare, Attendance
I was born and raised in Rolleston, and apart from a few years away during my nursing career I have always lived in the local area, so I know Burton well and am familiar with the wide catchment area for children and young people attending Fountains. I am a Paediatric Nurse and have worked for the NHS for over 30 years. After qualifying, I worked on the Children’s Ward at Burton Hospital and then went to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where I worked for 15 years in the oncology unit. Following that, I became the Special School Nurse at the original Crown school and progressed to cover both schools when they became Fountains.
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I worked in this area for 10 years advancing to become the Team Leader for the Special Needs School Nursing Service in South Staffordshire in 2015. I am employed by Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust as part of their Targeted Children’s Community Nursing Teams. My current role involves managing and supporting Special School Nurses who cover schools across the county. I also work closely with the team leader of the North Special School Nurses Service so have close links in the North of the county. Our team works closely with other professionals such as education, social services, physiotherapist, OT, speech therapists and Paediatricians. My career and current position has given me valuable insight into the complex needs of children and young people with Learning Disabilities and the daily challenges faced by them and their families.
Melanie Cotterill
Parent Governor
Link Role:
Quality of Education: Functional, Autism and Engagement, Curriculum inc Reading
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My son became a pupil at Fountains Primary School in 2023. He loves school and I love seeing the amazing progress he’s making in the school’s safe and nurturing environment.
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My background is in research, obtaining my PhD in Genetics at The University of Nottingham and working in a research lab at The University of Sheffield. I am currently the Senior Analyst at the Givaudan Sense Colour Branston site. In this role I ensure that our natural food colours meet our high organisation standards and trouble shoot any technical/quality issues that may arise.
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Working in academic and scientific environments has nurtured my strong interest in learning and research. These skills have been invaluable to me since becoming the parent of a SEND child, and I enjoy researching new Strategies to best support my child’s development and wellbeing.
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I am aware of the important role governors play in maintaining the standards and integrity of the school, and I believe my skills in critical thinking and problem solving will be beneficial to the team. Being a member of the governors’ team affords me the opportunity to be part of important decision-making processes to support Fountains Primary and I relish the chance to foster their positive and inclusive environment, working towards the school’s goals and vison.
George Turner
Community Governor
Vice Chair of Governors
Link Role:
Personal Development: Equality and Diversity / Personal Development
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My current role as Deputy Headteacher at a local special school for students aged 2 to 19 has enabled me to be a forward-thinking educational leader. I’ve worked in several SEND and Mainstream schools over the last ten years. I am highly motivated to ensure that students with additional needs are successful learners fully included in the local community.
In my role as Vice Chair of Governor, I am eager to ensure there is a positive school climate, culture of success and to promote rigorous performance standards based on continuous improvement and best practices implementation. I’m privileged to be a part of a wonderful school and support the Senior Leadership Team to provide a quality first education to all students.
Amy Dunne
Staff Governor
Link Role:
Leadership and Management: CPD / Pupil and Staff Wellbeing
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I am Amy, I am a mother to 3 amazing children and a doggy mum to Mylo. I have worked at the school for 22 years, initially starting as a student at Burton College on placement. Throughout my time at Fountains, I have taught in every curriculum and I have an excellent understanding of all the children and systems in place in the school. I also take an active part with the Parent Teacher Association as well as supporting the leadership team and a range of different house call events and activities currently. I am responsible for the repairs, communication enrichment and other tasks as identified by the leadership team.
Kay Bentley
Community Governor
Link Role:
Leadership and Management: Safeguarding including Online Safety, GDPR, Looked After Children
I’m Kay, an effective practice development officer in East Staffs and I have worked for Staffordshire County Council for 10 years. Prior to working in Staffordshire, I worked in early years settings, a residential school for children with special educational needs, as a registered manager in children’s homes and as a school-based family resource worker.
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As an effective practice development officer we work with a range of colleagues from across the wider partnership to embed good practice around earliest and early help. We often help people navigate the whole family working systems, which are informed by the 'Building Resilient Families and Communities' (BRFC) programme agenda.
Working with partner organisations across all sectors in Staffordshire is an area of my role that I particularly enjoy as we can achieve so much more for children and families when we work together.
David Symons
Community Governor
Link Role:
Leadership and Management: Heath and Safety
I'm David Symons, a semi-retired shop keeper of Symons Convenience Store on Calais Road, Burton upon Trent. I have always been an active member of the community and invariably expressed a keen interest in education over the years. I have two grown up sons, one a Police Officer and the other a Teacher.
I have been a Governor in local schools since the 1980s and currently sit on four different Governing Bodies. My first position was with Victoria Community School and secondly Fountains Primary School, previously Crown Special School.
I often find it difficult to put into words what a caring, wonderful and amazing atmosphere the school has become. During my time at Fountains Primary School, it has evolved into a wonderful, embracing place that does so much good work for its pupils. It is evident the amazing staff make such a difference to the pupils and the opportunities the school is able to offer are fantastic. I am proud to be part of the Governing Body and the successful school team.
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Emma Kealey
Clerk to Governors
Role of the Clerk
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Provide administrative support to the governing body and its committees, including minute-taking and convening meetings.
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Ensure the governing body is properly constituted.
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Manage all governing body information effectively following legal requirements.
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Provide support to the governing body to meet all of its statutory duties.
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If you would like to contact the School Governing body, please use the button below to contact Emma. She will then ensure your message or request is forwarded to the appropriate Governor.
Contact Emma Kealey
Clerk to Governors
Bryony Gilbert
Parent Governor
Link Role:
Leadership and Management: Sustainability Lead
My name is Bryony Gilbert, my son has been at Fountains Primary since 2023.
My current role is Operations Director. My main responsibilities are to oversee financial management and the day to day operations of the business. I also have taken responsibility of all of our company health and safety and more recently our commitment to sustainability.
Outside of the office, I am a keen dancer and had been working as a Dance Teacher for 14 years prior to having my children.
I have many skills from my personal and professional life that combined with the other Governors skills, I believe we will continue to support the school to provide the highest standard of education to ensure every child achieves their potential.
Requests for copies
If you require a paper copy of any information published on the website or would like it in a large print, dyslexia-friendly or alternative format, please contact the school office and this will be provided free of charge.