THELWALL COMMUNITY JUNIOR SCHOOL GOVERNORS
As required by Government legislation, the Governing Body formally adopted a new constitution at the Full Governing Body Meeting in June 2015. As a Community school, our Governing Body includes the Head Teacher, 7 Co-opted governors, 1 Local Authority governor, 2 Parent governors and 1 Staff governor; a maximum of 12 governors in total. The role of a school governor is a voluntary one and governors are appointed to serve for a period of 4 years. All governors have been DBS checked as part of the School’s Safeguarding Children measures.
All Governors are required to attend the Full Governing Body meetings which take place each term. In addition, all Governors attend Joint Governor meetings with the Governors of Thelwall Community Infant School.
|
Name |
Position |
Type of Governor |
Appointed by |
Term of office end |
Biography |
|
Hannah Roberts-Lord
|
Chair of Governors, Safeguarding, Wellbeing and Attendance Governor Finance Committee |
Co-Opted Governor |
Governing Body |
2nd March 2026 |
Hannah joined the Governing Body as a Parent Governor in 2019, becoming Vice Chair in March 2023 and Chair in September 2024. Hannah is a Quality Improvement and Assurance Lead for Children and Young People Mental Health, Adult Mental Health and Dementia for NHS England.
|
|
Emma Thompson
|
Vice Chair of Governors Finance Committee |
Co-opted Governor |
Governing Body |
29th April 2029 |
Emma is a dedicated and passionate practitioner who is fully committed to developing a love of learning and long to see children succeed in their learning. She brings a rich and varied teaching experience to the board, having taught in a number of different settings across Warrington. She currently teaches at Statham Primary School and is a member of the Senior Leadership Team. She also has a wider Trust role, working as a School Improvement Lead.
|
|
Jo Brennan
|
Governor Finance Committee |
Parent Governor |
Governing Body |
1st May 2026 |
Jo is a parent of two past students at Thelwall Juniors and has a background in education. Her most recent in-school position was that of Deputy Head of a large secondary school in Bolton. She is currently working within the central advisory team of a large multi academy trust, where she supports primary, secondary and post-16 settings. |
|
Toby Whittaker-Smith
|
Governor |
Co-Opted Governor |
Governing Body |
29th November 2027 |
Toby works at Chaigeley School in Thelwall. He joined Chaigeley in May 2021 as an apprentice and joined the Thelwall Juniors Governing body in December 2023 and has enjoyed the experience ever since. Toby is an aspiring School Business Manager who has received a distinction and ILM accreditation when studying towards a Level 4 Diploma for School Business Managers. He enjoys working in education because he gets the opportunity to positively contribute to the development of pupils' lives every day. |
|
Johanna Brinkworth
|
Governor SEND Link Governor |
Co-opted Governor |
Governing Body |
14th October 2028 |
Johanna studied Education and Early Years at Liverpool John Moores University and later went on to complete a PGCE. She has been a primary school teacher since qualifying in 2012. Johanna’s passion is Early Education and she has taught in EYFS since qualifying. As well as teaching Reception, she has taken on a number of other roles during her career. For example, leading PSHE, Behaviour, and Personal Development across schools as Assistant Headteacher. Johanna’s current role as Assistant Head is developing and leading Oracy Education from Reception to Year 6. |
|
Paul Bainbridge
|
Governor |
Parent Governor |
Governing Body |
19th March 2029 |
Paul has spent 30 years in School education, in a variety of schools across England, including Middle, Comprehensive and Grammar schools. For the last 15 years of my school career, he worked as a Senior Leader in a Grammar school. His specialisms were whole school improvement of Teaching and Learning, Academic oversight of KS4 students and the training and performance management of teaching staff. He was also the director of a Secondary Teacher Training hub in South Buckinghamshire. Most recently, he worked for Tute Education, a company focusing on providing online learning provision for students across the UK from KS1 - KS5 who are not able to access mainstream education.
|
|
Clair Hallsworth
|
Governor |
Co-Opted Governor |
Governing Body |
27th June 2027 |
Clair has been a governor at the school for over fifteen years. She has worked at the school since 2004 as class teacher and for the last fifteen years as Assistant Headteacher. Clair has a dual Bachelor of Honours degree in Education and English and has completed lots of CPD including NPQH. Clair is the school SENDCo and ECT/ITT mentor. She is passionate about ensuring all children achieve to the very best of their ability and strives to ensure barriers to this are eradicated. She enjoys reading, travelling and spending time with her family. |
|
Ellie Barlow
|
Governor |
Staff Governor |
Governing Body |
24th November 2026 |
Ellie joined Thelwall Junior School as Assistant Headteacher in 2018. She is passionate about nurturing children and their development whilst providing them with varied learning experiences. She has taught in Class 5/6 for seven years and has experience teaching classes across both KS1 and KS2. She enjoys maths and has led on this subject for a number of years. Additionally, she is passionate about music and also leads art across the school. |
|
Alison Waldron
|
Headteacher |
Headteacher |
Governing Body |
N/A |
Alison became Headteacher of Thelwall Juniors in September 2024. She has been a Senior Leader in two Warrington primary schools and was a school improvement lead across a number of schools. She has taught across both key stages and feels positive relationships with children and their families is vital in ensuring all children succeed in school. Alison is also passionate about the role sport and activities play in children’s physical and mental wellbeing. |
