Governors (ID 1224)

• David Stowe
  Chair of Governors - Co-Opted Governor (Sep '23-Sep'25)
  David Stowe

  I moved to Newbury with my young family shortly before my son started at Falkland Primary School in 2016. Professionally, I am a Senior Product Manager for Gatan Inc and EDAX LLC, business units within AMETEK that provide scientific instruments to industrial and academic markets. I have financial accountability for my product lines and am responsible for identifying new market opportunities and defining product development roadmaps and marketing strategies.

  Over the last two years, I became involved in my son’s education more deeply than I imagined that I ever would be. This experience reinforced my belief of the importance of schools to the educational and emotional development of young people and, was delighted that I would have the opportunity to use the skills I have developed professionally to support the school when I was asked to join the board of governors in September 2021. With my daughter starting Reception at Falkland at the same time, I have a strong passion to ensure that Falkland maintains and builds on its reputation for excellence.

• Gabrielle Bowie
  Co-Vice Chair - LA Governor (Jan '24-Jan '28)
  Gabrielle Bowie

  I am originally from Norwich but after graduating from the University of St Andrews in 2009, I moved to Berkshire with my husband. We now live in Newbury with our young family. Our eldest daughter, Cecilia, started at Falkland in 2018 and our youngest, Rosalie, started in 2020.

  After many years working in policy roles for Government Ministers in the Houses of Parliament, I took up a role in local government so that I could work closer to home. I now work at West Berkshire Council as its Director of Transformation. My remit includes redesigning services to provide better value for money and improved experience for residents as well as driving continuous improvement across the sector. I was thrilled to have been appointed as a Governor in 2019 and feel honoured to be able to play an important part in the school community.

• Thakshy Mead
  Co-Vice Chair - Parent Governor (Oct '23-Oct '27)
  Thakshy Mead

  My daughter currently attends Falkland Primary School and my son will (hopefully!) be joining in September 2024 and it has always been a personal aspiration to be actively involved in their educational journey as I understand the upmost importance it plays in laying the foundations for their entire lives. My daughter has thrived in her first year at Falkland and I have been highly impressed with our experience of the school so far and can see its potential to grow and transform even further and I love that I have an opportunity to play a part in this in the role of School Governor.

  The school is going through an exciting transformation with a new Leadership Team in place and I am confident that the varied skills I have developed throughout my career in Technology and Digital & IT will enable me to have a positive impact on this fantastic new chapter for the school and most importantly, for our children.

• Kavash Bamfield
  Headteacher (Sep '23)
  Kavash Bamfield

  I was born and raised in Durban, South Africa, where my parents instilled in me a deep belief that education is a powerful force for change. In the first year post-Apartheid, they made the bold decision to move our family into a previously “White only” area, enabling my siblings and me to attend one of the new multi-racial schools. Their commitment to providing us with quality education inspired my own journey into teaching, which has spanned 24 years across South Africa, Denmark, and now England. Before joining Falkland, I spent a decade teaching in an inner London city school in Lewisham gaining valuable experience in a diverse and dynamic community. I am passionate about mathematics and have had the privilege of serving as a Maths School Improvement Advisor for the West Berkshire, as well as an Assistant Maths Hub Lead for Mobius Maths Hub, where I trained as a Teaching for Mastery Specialist teacher. As both a teacher and a parent of Falkland pupils—my son attended, and my daughter is now in Year 6— I am deeply committed to making Falkland School a place where every child feels valued, inspired, and supported. I believe wholeheartedly that if a school is good enough for my own children, then it is good enough for yours. Guided by compassion, integrity, and resilience, I promise to create a welcoming school community; a sunny place for all our children to learn and grow. I feel privileged to serve as your child's headteacher.

• Alison Atkinson
  Clerk to Governors
  Alison Atkinson

  Appointed by the governing board, I am responsible for advising the board on their constitutional and procedural matters and ensuring compliance within the relevant governance legislation. I also work to ensure the governing board operates efficiently and effectively.
  I have been Clerk to Governors at Falkland Primary School since March 2017.

• Angela Brennan
  Co-Opted Governor (Feb '23-Feb '25)
  Angela Brennan

  I applied to be a school governor after seeing how much support and help my older child received from Falkland in preparing for secondary school — I wanted to give something back. With my second child now in Year 5, my relationship with Falkland School is almost into double digits.

  Governing is perhaps not my natural habitat, but I believe passionately that every child is entitled to a good education and a safe space in which to learn. With school budgets increasingly squeezed, it’s more important than ever that schools have the active support of parents and the communities around them to deliver these things for our children. If I was ever guilty of taking my children’s teachers for granted, lockdown homeschooling well and truly sharpened my focus as to how tough a gig teaching can be, and, before this realisation faded into the mists of history, I wanted to do something to support our staff team in the work of this school.

  My particular interests are in securing external funding for resources and projects, the teaching of RE, well-being and mindfulness in schools, and in exploring ways in which schools can become more therapeutic in their approach to learning.

  I have a varied (random) skill set; I’m a priest in the Church of England, currently based in Thatcham, I’m a vocations advisor for Oxford Diocese and a trainer for a school’s mindfulness programme called ‘Spacemakers’. I currently sit on the Standing Advisory Council for RE, which agrees the RE curriculum in our area. Most of my work is with children, families and schools but before being ordained I was a project manager in IT. With the notable exceptions of accounting and dancing, I am happy to give most things a shot.

  I chair the Pay Committee and sit on the Curriculum Group.

  Rev Angela Brennan

• Jonathan Cole
  Co-Opted Governor (Jan '24-Jan '26)
  Jonathan Cole

  Jon lives in Newbury with his wife and three children, including his daughter in Year 2 [children in Reception and Year 3 from September 24] at Falkland. Professionally Jon is the co-founder of MetricsLed and its Managing Director. Throughout his 20+ year career, he has worked closely with charities, government and local authorities and international development organisations in the UK, Nigeria, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere helping them better use technology to support government programmes.

• Laura Dove
  Inclusion Lead - Associate Governor (Oct '17-Jul '26)
  Laura Dove

  I was born in Berkshire but moved to Hong Kong as a small child where I lived until I was 15. My family then moved back to Reading and I went to the local secondary school. I have be fortunate enough to experience a variety of schools during my childhood and teenage years and I knew that I always wanted to be a teacher. I went to university in Bristol and have been a qualified teacher for 22 years. I have taught in Hampshire and Berkshire and have always had an interest in special educational needs. I became a SENCo 16 years ago and since then have worked in a special school as well as in mainstream schools. I have been at Falkland for 7 years as the Inclusion Lead, where I am able to use my passion for inclusion for all to support every child's growth at Falkland.

• Lyng Ellis
  Parent Governor (Oct '23-Oct '27)
  Lyng Ellis

  My name is Lyng Ellis and I have three girls at Falkland Primary School.

  I am so pleased to be a Parent Governor at Falkland Primary School. As a mother of three children, I’m keen to support the school's team through the primary perspective of a parent for both your children and my own.

  I grew up in Denmark and moved to England at the age of 18 and settled in Newbury.

  I have a BA in Advertising and Brand Management and have worked many years in Marketing in the Telecoms industry.

  As a parent I have seen how the school welcomes all students and makes learning enjoyable by inspiring students through a creative curriculum.

  I am looking forward to supporting the school to provide the best education for all within the local area.

• Rebecca Green
  Staff Governor (Oct '24-Oct '28)
  Rebecca Green

  I was originally born in Hampshire but quickly moved country, spending the majority of my childhood in different parts of Asia and The Netherlands. Due to this, I have had the opportunity to experience a large range of different educational establishments and be immersed in different cultures. Upon returning to the United Kingdom, I attended the University of Reading. My initial degree was in Psychology and I continued at Reading University to do my teacher training. After working for a number of years at Falkland, I became the Staff Governor in 2024 and will work with the Governing Board, sharing staff perspectives, to further develop and improve the school.

• Carol Hawkins
  School Business Manager - Associate Governor (Feb '23-Feb '27)
  Carol Hawkins

  I have been associated with Falkland Primary School since my two sons attended. I was elected a Parent Governor and enjoyed the chance to enhance and influence the education and direction of the school for 14 years. In 2009, I was delighted to be appointed as the Administration Manager and continued to study, achieving my Certificate of School Management. My role is a combination of strategic planning, health and safety management, HR and everything child centred - medicines, dinners, lost teeth, starting or moving school and a myriad of other everyday occurrences! I am looking forward to serving as an associate governor as I believe our children only get one chance for a good education and we need to make sure we strive to make sure that happens at Falkland.

• Margaret Marsh
  Co-Opted Governor (Sep '23-Sep '25)
  Margaret Marsh

  I was delighted to be invited to join the Governing Board at Falkland Primary School in September 2021. I am a member of the Marketing Group and Link Governor for EYFS.

  My husband and I moved to Newbury from Lincolnshire in 2016 to be close to our daughter and her family. Over the last five years I have watched our two granddaughters grow and learn. The elder is now in Year 1, the younger will join the school in 2022. I have enjoyed their educational journey and was privileged to be part of it during lockdown in early 2021.

  I have worked in secondary education, all of my working life. I have been a teacher of MFL, a middle manager and an Assistant Headteacher in a large Lincolnshire secondary school. In retirement I have volunteered for a Mental Health Charity and Childline. I would like to use the skills I have acquired in my working life and retirement for the benefit of Falkland Primary School.

  I look forward to working with the Governing Board and staff. As a relative new comer to Wash Common, I am keen to get to know people and to contribute to school life and the local community.

• Frances Rayson
  Co-Opted Governor (May '23-May '25)
  Frances Rayson

  I was privileged to be asked if I would like to join the Governing Board of Falkland school as a Community Governor following the departure of the previous Vicar of St George’s, who had himself been a Governor. This provided a continuing link between St George’s and the School, something that has been valued by both the Church and School over many years.
  After graduating in Economics, I worked in Local Authority Management Services and then latterly for a small healthcare company working in all areas from finance and administration to sales and marketing.
  I am now in my fourth term as Governor and it continues to be both a challenge and a pleasure. I was a member of the Curriculum Committee for three years prior to a reorganisation of the committee system and have since served as Chair of the Resources Committee, Vice-Chair of Governors and Chair of Governors until July 2017.
  I very much enjoy Governor Days in school, which provide opportunities to speak to pupils and staff and to experience daily life of Falkland School at first hand. I retired seven years ago and this has enabled me to contribute more to the school than I had previously been able to do. I am always impressed by the achievements of the children and the commitment of the staff. It is a pleasure to be associated with the school.

• Liz Sayer
  Deputy Headteacher - Associate Governor (Oct '24-Oct '28)
  Liz Sayer

  I have been a teacher for nearly 20 years working in a variety of schools but always with the central aim of striving for the best outcomes for the pupils I work with. I look forward to working with the Governing Board to provide staff perspective and in delivering the best learning environment for our children and the best working environment for staff that we can.

• Amie Stanbury
  Co-Opted Governor (Jan '24-Jan '26)
  Amie Stanbury

  My name is Amie Stanbury and I'm thrilled to be part of the Falkland Governing Board.

  My eldest son, niece and nephew all attend Falkland and are thoroughly enjoying their time here, and I hope my youngest will be joining them in September 2024.

  I’m a passionate believer that everyone deserves a chance and can achieve if given the right environment to thrive, which has been the driving force behind wanting to be involved in a School Governing Board.

  Having worked in various CPG Sales and Marketing roles over the last 19 years, I believe my skills and passion for people, wellbeing and mental health can readily be applied to support the School and its new Leadership Team.

  I am dedicated in helping steer and support the vision for Falkland to inspire our children, and the next generation.

• Susan Wright
  Co-Opted Governor (May '23-May '25)
  Susan Wright

  I have lived in Wash Common for over 30 years and both my son and daughter enjoyed their time at Falkland school which gave them a solid foundation for their life’s journey. I have recently given up my full-time work as head of a multi million pound university purchasing consortium and would like to use the various skills and knowledge that I have gained to help the school continue to excel in an ever more challenging environment.

  Falkland School is an asset to the community of Wash Common and I would like to ensure that the young people continue to have a safe and stimulating environment in which to learn and develop their full potential.

• James Manuel
  Co-Opted Governor (Jan 20-Dec '23)
  James Manuel