Governors

Kate is new to the governing body at The Willows and has recently been elected as our Chair of Governors. Kate is a School Improvement Adviser in West Berkshire having been a teacher and then headteacher in Reading for many years. She has 27 years of experience in the education sector. 

Kate has a grown-up son and two very grown-up stepsons and has lived in West Berkshire for 21 years. As someone who works within the local authority and lives in West Berkshire, Kate wants to see that the children within the authority are well supported and thrive and feels that one way to do this is through school governorship. In her spare time Kate has started quilting although is not having much success currently. 

Peter is a volunteer Finance Governor. He works in Abingdon and Reading as a finance manager for an import/export chemical company and a technology company.

Prior to moving to West Berkshire in 2021, Peter was based in West London and spent many years as a financial controller in hospitality.

Jo joined the Willows as Headteacher in September 2018, having worked with the school on a number of occasions in one of her previous roles as a School Improvement consultant for West Berkshire Local  Authority, responsible for Literacy, Assessment, Phonics and Gifted and Talented provision. Prior to her headship at the Willows, Jo was Headteacher at another West Berkshire school for 8 years.

Jo is dedicated to securing a high quality education and good outcomes for all children at The Willows as she believes this is what the children, parents and community of the school deserve.

Nikki is a co-opted governor and has a daughter who has attended The Willows, and after school club, since Nursery. She has an older son who attends St Barts School.

Nikki has nearly 20 years of experience in education and became a governor as she wanted to contribute to the life of her local school.  She trained as a secondary school teacher and has been Head of Department and Head of Inclusion / Special Needs Co-ordinator.  She managed a Pupil Referral Unit for children who were excluded, or at risk of exclusion, in West Berkshire for five years. She now works for Reading Borough Council in the Special Educational Needs and Disabled Children’s Team. She has a particular interest in supporting the education of learners with Autism and ADHD and those at risk of exclusion.  

In her spare time Nikki enjoys cooking, reading, music, comedy and yoga.

Chris is a newly elected parent governor and has a son who attends The Willows.  He was keen to contribute to the community and his local school so when an opportunity opened up to join the Willows governor’s he signed up!

 He has worked in Newbury for over 16 years, after graduating he settled in Newbury and has worked in I.T ever since. After several years in a role solving technical problems he then progressed onto managing several teams responsible for delivering technical services and end user support.

Chris enjoys getting out and about with the family, exploring new places and making memories. He is a keen runner, cyclist and swimmer and (prior to Covid) regularly attends triathlons around the country.

Sarah is a parent governor with two daughters at The Willows; as education is such an important aspect of their lives, she wants to play a part in making the school the best possible place for all pupils to learn. She has lived in Newbury for twenty years, and has had a varied career creating content and designing user interfaces for a number of software companies before becoming a full-time parent and freelance writer.

Spare time activities include reading, baking, long walks, and building Lego (with or without the children's help).

Mike is the Deputy Head of the Willows and he is also the staff governor. Prior to appointment at The Willows, he worked in 2 other West Berkshire schools gaining valuable experience across KS1 and the Early Years. He completed an MA in Education at Reading University in 2016 and has previously worked as a Local Authority EYFS moderator.

In his spare time, Mike enjoys travelling, cooking and participating in a wide variety of sports!