John Allum

Chair of Governors

Type of Governor: Co-opted

Appointed by: The Full Governing Body

Term of Office: Start 13/03/03  Finish 31/7/22

Committee Membership:  F&GP and P&P Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: Relationships with school staff: None

Contact: jallum@eskdale.notts.sch.uk 

My name is John Allum, a retired Company Director, and currently the Chair of Governors at Eskdale School.

I was born in Chilwell, went to school in Chilwell and after serving 10 years in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm I eventually returned to Chilwell to live and work.

Both my son and daughter were both pupils at Eskdale, enjoying a brilliant education and preparation for their successful futures.

It was during my children's time at Eskdale that I was encouraged to join the Friends of Eskdale and after a few years to apply to become a governor.

Being part of the Eskdale community for nearly 20 years has been very enjoyable and has enabled me to have a very broad insight into how the education system works and how difficult it is for schools to prepare and deliver budgets, and at the same time maintain the high standards, outstanding pupil achievement and development, all through outstanding leadership and teaching.

My role as a Governor has involved monitoring finances and leadership, including interviewing and appointing the Head Teacher.

Everyone who is part of the Eskdale Team and community should be justifiably be proud of the school.

Mr Rob Scruton

Headteacher

Type of Governor: Staff Headteacher

Appointed by: The Full Governing Body

Term of Office: Start: 1.1.11 

Committee Membership: F&GP and P&P

Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: None

Relationships with school staff: None

I have been head teacher of Eskdale Junior School since January 2011. Prior to becoming head teacher I was deputy head in two different schools, one in Sutton-in-Ashfield and the other in East Bridgford.

As head teacher of the school I sit on both governor committees and welcome the support and challenge that the governing body bring to the school.

Being headteacher of Eskdale Junior means a lot to me. My wish for the pupils, parents and governors of the school is that we continue to provide a high quality education for all pupils using our core values to develop children both personally and academically.

My hope is that we can provide all pupils with memorable experiences that they will look back on years to come with great fondness.

Kashmir Purewal

Type of Governor: Local Authority

Appointed by: The LA

Term of Office: Start 1/09/06 Finish 17.10.22

Committee Membership: F&GP

Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: None

Relationships with school staff: None

My name is Kashmir Purewal and I am the Vice-Chair of Governors at Eskdale. I was a sub-postmistress of a local post office for 24 years and now semi-retired. Having a post-office means I bring to governing a whole set of experiences such as finance, compliance, and Health & Safety.  I also have a legal background.

I joined the team at Eskdale in 2016 because I wanted to contribute to the school which both my sons attended and had many happy experiences.

I am passionate about education and want to support the school in the best possible outcome for pupils. My individual links at the school are Behaviour and Attendance, Head teacher’s appraisal and Finance.

Outside work I enjoy travelling, photography and keep fit.

Mrs Sharon Briggs

Type of Governor: Staff 

Appointed by: Elected by school staff 

Term of Office: Start 26/02/16 Finish 29/02/24, 

Committee Membership: P&P 

Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: None 

Relationships with school staff: None

I have been a teacher at Eskdale Junior School since September 2013. Since qualifying as a teacher I have gained experience from teaching in a number of different schools, teaching children across the primary years, which has provided me with a unique perspective on school effectiveness.

Pursuing a new challenge I arrived at Eskdale Junior School, where I immediately felt welcomed and have enjoyed being part of such a brilliant, hardworking and fun group of people. Now that I am staff governor, I aim to support fellow governors in their understanding and involvement in all aspects of the schools work and future development. In addition to this, I welcome the opportunity to provide both support and challenge for school leaders in ensuring we continue to make Eskdale the best it can be. It is great to work as part of our strong team of governors who are dedicated to securing the high quality teaching of skills and knowledge as well as, enjoyable learning experiences for all our pupils.

Outside of school I love to spend time with my busy family building memories.

Mrs Rachel Arnold

Type of Governor: Co-opted

Appointed by: The Full Governing Body

Term of Office: Start 23/05/18 Finish 01/05/25

Committee Membership: F&GP

Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: None

Relationships with school staff: None

I have been Business Manager at Eskdale Junior School since November 2017. Prior to becoming a School Business Manager I worked in the logistics industry in a variety of roles from business planning, management, change leadership and process re-design. Eskdale Junior School means a lot to me, I strongly believe in the visions, values and ethos of Eskdale.  it is important that the school, staff and children all strive for continuous improvement.

I became a governor because as a mum myself I believe passionately that all children should have the best education, opportunities and school experience possible.  I want to contribute towards the continued development of the school and I believe that my business, change management and financial experience would bring a useful contribution to the governing body. I am also keen to learn more about other elements of school outside of my work responsibilities and to contribute to other areas. I believe that I will be able to provide challenge and support for leaders in school ensuring that Eskdale is the best it can be for pupils, families and staff.

Mr Richard Daniels

Type of Governor: Co-opted

Appointed by: The Full Governing Body

Term of Office: Start 10/10/18 Finish 17/10/25

Committee Membership: F&GP

Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: None

Relationships with school staff: None

I became a School Governor for Eskdale Junior School in October 2018 as a co-opted member, whilst my eldest son was studying at the school.  After initially attending the parent / Governor meetings, I felt that I wanted to contribute to the school's future development and where possible use my transferable skills for the benefit of the whole school community.

As a proactive member of the school community, I look to offer supportive challenge to the Senior Leadership Team at Eskdale Junior School both at the termly Governor meetings and throughout the academic year.  As a parent and as a Governor, I have had the pleasure of seeing the school's ethos, vision and values in action in the classrooms and during whole school activities and have seen the positive impact these experiences have had on pupils whilst studying at Eskdale Junior School.

The STARS school values are at the centre of all aspects of school life and as such, as a Governing Body we have also adopted these values in our approach to governing at Eskdale Junior School; as outlined in our Governor Strategic Plan.  By following these values, as a School Governor I remain up-to-date with the latest national, local and school policies both through attending regular CPD events and school workshops.  The Governor Strategic Plan means that I can confidently discuss the ethos of the school via my school visits, attending link meetings, spectating at school sports events and watching assembly performances.  With the STARS values, much like with the pupils at Eskdale, it helps us as Governors remain focused on the tasks in hand and encourages us as a collective to do the best we possibly can as a Governing Body.

I am passionate that throughout their school life, a child should have the opportunity to celebrate their individual talents and experience as many new experiences as possible to help them grow into enabled, confident and compassionate adults of the future.  

When not carrying out my duties as a Governor at Eskdale, I am a Director and Non-Executive Director for a number of companies, as well as also being a Chair of Governors for a local infant school and a Chair of Trustees for a local registered charity.  I am a father of three boys, a long-suffering Nottingham Forest supporter and a fan of the theatre. 

Dr Odhran O'Sullivan

Type of Governor: Parent

Appointed by: The Full Governing Body

Term of Office: Start 23/05/18 Finish 14/12/25

Committee Membership: F&GP

Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: None

Relationships with school staff: None

I’m originally from Dublin in Ireland but have been living in the UK for nearly 20 years and in Chilwell for over 10 years. I came to the UK to complete a PhD in Environmental Science and ended up staying for a whole host of reasons and now work in local government as a Programme Monitoring Officer. Essentially this involves checking my colleagues work to ensure it’s up to standard, monitoring finances, providing appropriate challenge, and reporting on performance as we work to deliver the county’s capital programme.

I feel I have the skills to contribute to the school’s vision and success which is why I put my hand up to become a governor. I already have one daughter attending Eskdale and hopefully her younger sister will be joining her in 2022. My background in science means I take a very logical and analytical approach to any problems that come my way, but strive to keep an eye on the bigger picture to avoid getting lost in detail.

Although my background is very academic, I am a firm believer in a rounded education to help broaden pupils’ horizons. I’m passionate about environmental issues, music and healthy living. In my spare time I enjoy playing piano, running to keep fit and going to the cinema when I can (although it’s mostly kids films these days). 

Anne Downie

Type of Governor: Parent

Appointed by: The Full Governing Body

Term of Office:   Start:  15/12/21 - Finish 14/12/25

Committee Membership:

Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: None

Relationships with school staff: None

I am delighted to have been elected to be a Governor of Eskdale Junior School. I am a semi-retired teacher and have three grandchildren attending Eskdale. I entered the teaching profession in 1987 and have since held various roles to include Head of department, Head of Year, Head of Faculty and Assistant Headteacher.   Additionally I have been the initiator of SIMBA Education Nottinghamshire  a Community based education programme working in partnership with local schools in order to rise educational attainment

I have been a Governor at College House Junior School (The Lanes) and Bramcote Hills Secondary School (Bramcote College) whilst my children attended these schools.

I decided to become a Governor at Eskdale as this provides the opportunity for me to continue to be involved in children's education as a retiree. My strength within education has been the raising of achievement through specially designed programmes and I will be able to use my knowledge and skills in this area within my role as a Governor at Eskdale.

I embrace Eskdale's Governor's Strategic Plan as it clearly outlines the governor's role within the school. It also provides a clear structure for monitoring and implementation to ensure delivery of the three core functions of Governors.

My ultimate goal and interest as a Governor at Eskdale to see all pupils achieving at their best and to ensure accountability to parents for their achievement.

Governors who have held office in the last 12 months

Mrs Louise Robinson

Type of Governor: Co-opted

Appointed by: The Full Governing Body

Term of Office: Start 9/12/20 Finish 8/9/23

Committee Membership: P&P

Register of Governor (Business and Pecuniary) Interests: None

Relationships with school staff: None

First and foremost I am a parent of three children all of whom have been pupils at Eskdale, including two who have successfully transitioned to secondary school.

I have been a paediatric nurse for over 25 years and love working with children and families. My current role centres around supporting children with special educational needs to reintegrate into education following acquired brain injury and/or cancer treatment. As part of this role I have visited, and continue to work closely with, numerous schools across Nottinghamshire, and have become increasingly knowledgeable regarding different strategies of educational support. As a result I have a keen interest in cognition and learning, special educational needs, and emotional and psychological wellbeing.

A healthy lifestyle is important to me and translates personally to an interest in nutrition and my hobbies: swimming, cycling and reading.

Over the years I have been impressed by the education and support offered by Eskdale, and was keen to give something back to the school therefore and after a period as the secretary of the PTFA I became a governor in 2021.

As a relatively new member of the governing board, (and one who has only been involved in a remote capacity so far), I am eager to learn more about the direction/aspirations of the school. Also now that governors can return into the school environment I’m enthusiastic to understand the pupil’s experience and work with the other governors to enhance this. Hopefully my life experience will enable me to contribute in an insightful and productive manner.