Meet the Governors / Trustees

Gareth Blunden ~ Chair

I'm Gareth, I’ve been a Governor since 2022 and alongside chairing the Governing body for our schools have a specific responsibility on the Governing Body for attendance. Whilst being a Trust Governor, I’m also a parent at Whitley. 

Professionally I work in Construction as a Principal Design Manager, leading a number of others and setting strategic goals for Design on projects across the North West. I've worked on a number of school and education projects giving me exposure to a different educational settings, and the views and ethos of different schools. My job has given me plenty of experience in problem solving, developing people and setting goals and objectives. 

I became a Governor in order to give back to the schools that have been a great help to my family, and use my professional experience to bring assistance and appropriate challenge to the Schools so they can be the best they can be.

I'm proud of the fantastic Pupils, Staff, Governors, and Parents/Guardians we have at our schools, and humbled by the fantastic culture of everyone pulling together to  do the best for the Children.

Hannah Broom ~ Head Teacher

As Executive Headteacher across both the Acorns and Whitley, I am privileged to sit on the Governing Body and attend all Committee and Full Governing Body meetings. Our Governing Body is a pleasure to work with. They are a group of dedicated and committed people who strive to ensure the best possible outcomes for all of our pupils. We have worked hard together as a team to clarify our aims and objectives and have a shared vision of every pupil being the best they can be in school and in life.  

Nont Iamkamphaeng - Parent Governor

I am a parent of two pupils at Whitley Village School.  

I am a big believer in the power of Education, and strongly believe that this is fundamental for the development of every child. I am passionate in a holistic development of a child, covering all aspects of learning and developing including academic, health and wellbeing – physical and mental, which is becoming more important given the impacts of the Pandemic, social, emotional and spiritual development. 

In my current role, I am able to fully utilise my belief and passion to support children and young people across Cheshire and Warrington. I have been employed with Active Cheshire, a local Charity with the aim to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents through heathy living. I have been employed as a Strategic Lead for Active Kids since 2013 and I have worked directly with over 200 primary schools across Cheshire and Warrington to support the schools to implement and deliver health and wellbeing plans that are unique to each school. In doing so, I have been able to work with and influence, from senior leaders to operational staff, to utilise health and wellbeing as a key agenda to support overall development and improvement of the school. I have been working directly with Whitley Village School and The Acorns since September 2018 on various projects and initiatives to embed physical activity and healthy living into all aspects of the school and beyond.  

Through my role, I have been able to gain a sound understanding of the education system in the foundation stage. However, I believe that undertaking the role of a Parent Governor would further enhance my knowledge and understanding of how a school operates, including financial performance, governance, policies, etc. I believe that acquiring the knowledge and skills through this role would strongly support my personal and career growth.  

Having worked for a Charity over the last 8 years, I have developed a strong understanding of governance, finance, and policies implementation – skills which I believe would add value to the board of governors. Along with my invested interest in the community at Whitley and my passion for improving health and wellbeing of local children and young people, I have that I can contribute positively to the Schools.   

Dawn Sanders~ Staff Governor

I joined the federation as a supply teacher, initially based in Whitley Village, in 2016 before moving to The Acorns later that year. As a school leaver, I worked in the retail banking sector in a customer facing role within personal and business banking until 2018.

My inspiration for joining the teaching profession began in 2005, when I participated in ‘Help a Child with …’ sessions run by a local college and held at my youngest daughter’s primary school.

Both my daughters had extremely positive experiences at primary school thanks to the support and encouragement they received from adults within the school. As a KS2 teacher and staff governor I hope to contribute towards providing the same positive experiences for all children in the Acorns and at Whitley.

Sue Jones ~ Trust Governor

I recently moved into the area having lived in Derby for  over 30 years. I was a governor in Derby for a federation of two diverse primary schools and wanted to continue with a similar commitment. I have taken on the role of Pupil Premium Governor.

I have taught Chemistry to 11-18 year olds for over 30 years and continue to stay up to date with all changes in education.

In my free time, I am a Brownie Guide leader and a Trainer for Girlguiding.

Donna Knight ~ Parent Governor

Firstly I would like to say it is an absolute pleasure to be awarded the role of parent governor at such a wonderful school.

I have a child currently attending the Acorns, who adores coming to school here and has settled in so well. I can assure you I have the school and its pupils best interests at heart,

During my time in this role I aim to help the school develop and progress to build on an already brilliant reputation. As parent governor I am essentially a representative for the parents of the school, I will take on board all views expressed to me about changes to the school and effectively voice them to my fellow governors. I am also a member of the school’s PTA.  

Martin Nield ~ Trust Governor

I've been a Governor at the Acorns since 1998.  During this time I've served as Chair and Vice Chair.  I also serve on the Finance, Personnel, and Premises Committee and am also safeguarding link governor. 

Before retiring, I spent 35 years in the nuclear industry in various roles, the last being responsible for training at the site. Since retirement, I’ve operated as a part-time Chester Tour guide.

I feel it's very important that our schools provide the best opportunities we can for all our children.

Toni Priddey ~ Associate of The Governing Body

I have worked alongside The Acorns and Whitley since 2015 supporting the teachers with the planning and delivery of mathematics through my role as a Director and Mathematics Consultant at First4Maths. After every visit to both schools, I would leave filled with absolute admiration for what the staff at both schools achieve for the children, through their sheer determination and drive to ensure that they receive the best possible education. The positivity and teamwork in both schools is amazing and I was delighted to be asked to become part of the team of governors in September 2023.

I also work as maths lead across Rowan Learning Trust, leading central training for all Mathematics Subject Leaders and visiting each school on a termly basis to complete moderation of assessments and to support planning. This ensures that best practice can be shared across all of our schools and that all of our maths leads and teachers feel supported within their role. I am passionate about ensuring that teachers love teaching mathematics as this in turn will develop a love of mathematics for the children that they work with.

 Gary Cartwright ~ Community Governor

I have recently retired and have been looking at ways to fill my time, a couple of my friends who work in primary education suggested that I become a Governor, so I thought what better place to give it a go than at The Acorns and Whitley.

I have been in the Construction Industry for the past 30 years where I have worked in various positions including Designer, Project Manager, culminating in me being the Managing Director of my own company.

Although I currently have little knowledge of education, I will hopefgully be able to bring some of my alternative experiences and expertise to the role of Governor.

Lisa Buxton ~ Parent Governor