Mr Adrian Thornhill – Chair of Governors

	Mr Adrian Thornhill         Foundation Governor Term of office:              03/09/22 - 02/09/26      Roles & responsibilities: Chair of Governors                            Curriculum & Learning Committee Resource Management Committee

Stanton School has played an important part in my life.  My own education began there in the 1970s and for the past ten years I have served initially as a Foundation Governor and subsequently as a Community Governor.  Having supported the federation between Stanton and Rowsley, I was delighted to have been elected Chair of Peak Tor Federation in September 2018.

One of my most important roles as Chair is to help both schools, each with similar characteristics but distinct identities, to learn from and build on each other’s considerable strengths.  I am confident that the experience I have acquired from building and running my own business combined with the specialist knowledge possessed by my fellow governors, many of whom work within the education industry, will help me to achieve this.

I have always believed in the vital importance of primary education.  Not only does it lay the foundations for the skills that are so critical to enable children, ultimately, to lead independent and fulfilling lives, but it should also foster a lifelong love of learning for its own sake. I am looking forward to working with the governing body in providing whatever support we can to the Head and her teaching staff in continuing to achieve both of these goals.

Mrs Alexia Wyer - Executive Headteacher

Mrs Alexia Wyer          Executive Headteacher

Start of office:               01/01/2021        

Roles & responsibilities:      

Resources Management Committee

Curriculum & Learning Committee

Strategic Planning and School Improvement

I am the Executive Headteacher at Rowsley Church of England Primary School and Stanton in Peak Church of England Primary school – just up the hill. I grew up in Manchester, where I attended my local primary school and then grammar school before completing a Biomedical Sciences degree at Keele University. After my undergraduate degree, I moved to Derbyshire to complete a PGCE at Nottingham Trent University and took up my first post in a very large inner city school in Nottingham. I then moved to a large primary school in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire and then taught for nine years at a middle-sized school in Heanor, Derbyshire. This is my first headship. 

I am committed to ensure that every single child succeeds and flourishes, not only academically but also socially and spiritually. I believe every pupil should leave primary school a well-rounded individual with all the skills and values needed to contribute to society and live a happy, successful life. I am committed to upholding the ethos and values of our church schools, where there is a strong emphasis on the development of the whole child: personal, social, moral and academic.

Mr Mike Lilley

Mr Mike Lilley                 Foundation Governor

Term of office:              03/09/22 - 02/09/26 

Roles & responsibilities:      

Vice-Chair

Curriculum and Learning Committee

Mike is one of the three Foundation Governors of the Federation and is a member of Holy Trinity Church, Stanton In Peak.  He worked in education for many years, initially as a Secondary School teacher, teaching Science and Psychology, before moving into the Further Education and Higher Education sectors in management roles, though retaining some teaching mainly on Teacher Education programmes. In more recent years, Mike changed direction and developed a career in the Construction Industry. As one of the Foundation Governors, Mike’s role is to ensure that the Christian ethos underpins all aspects of school life.  A keen walker, Mike also enjoys skiing, church bell-ringing and motorcycling.

 

Thomas Hurford

Thomas Hurford            Co-opted Governor       

Term of office:             01/12/20 - 02/12/24

Roles & responsibilities:      

Curriculum & Learning Committee

Named governor for GDPR and Pupil Premium

Having moved to Warren Carr in 1985 aged two, and now living in Stanton-In-Peak with my wife and two sons, I consider myself a lifelong resident of theparish with only university accounting for any significant time away. I have been a co-opted governor since December 2020 and have a particular interest in teaching and learning and creativity. My eldest son is currently a pupil at Stanton-in-Peak.

After training in Furniture and Product Design and working in related industries, I accepted my first role in education as an Art and Design technician at Chesterfield College. A natural progression into a PGCE in
Engineering followed and led to four years of teaching in secondary schools across Sheffield and Derbyshire. As a keen advocate of life-long learning, a period of employment on the Haddon Estate as a carpenter/joiner afforded me the time to complete a part-time MST in the History of Design at the Department for Continuing Education, Kellogg College, University of Oxford.
Presently, my working week is occupied by lecturing at Nottingham Trent University and working for myself on a range of design and construction projects. Away from work, I enjoy family walks, bike rides, and my latest
hobby, gardening!

High quality education is as defining for the individual as it is for the society they will contribute to. I am bright and passionate about robust teaching and learning and very much look forward to supporting the school staff, my governing colleagues and the wider school community in achieving our shared goals.

 

Matthew Isherwood

Matthew Isherwood              Foundation Governor Term of office:                    16/03/22 - 15/03/26       Roles & responsibilities:            Resource Management Committee  Named governor for Websites

I joined the Peak Tor Federation's governing body in March 2022. My daughters have been pupils at the school since 2018 though, so we have been very invested in the school community for a while, and indeed the wider local area, having grown up down the road in Bakewell.

Like all governors, my aim is to be a critical friend to the school - supporting and giving accountability, and lending my skills where I can. As a foundation governor, I have a particular focus on helping contribute to and maintain the Christian ethos of the schools, which is particularly close to my heart, being a committed member of the local Church community.

My professional background has moved over the years from being in design & marketing to web development and team management, giving me a broad range of skills and experience that I hope the school can also benefit from.

In my spare time, I love getting lost in the outdoors, or playing piano, guitar and singing in barbershop quartets!

Lee Webb

Lee Webb       Parent Governor

Term of office: 16/03/22 - 15/03/26           

Roles & responsibilities

Resource Management Committee

Named governor for Health and Safety

I have two children at Stanton-in-Peak, and I therefore have a strong commitment to making sure there are high aspirations for all the children in our schools and a driven commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for all the pupils. 
I am the owner of a local business, Birchover Reclamation Ltd in Middleton-by-Wirksworth. I have worked in the stone industry since leaving school, I started from home, but now have a 2 acre yard full of stone with 14 members of staff. I therefore feel I have a number of skills which I can offer to enable the school to realise its vision.

 

 

Dan Burton                   

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Dan Burton        Parent Governor

Term of office: 06/12/23 - 06/12/27           

Roles & responsibilities:

Resource Management Committee

I am a parent governor for the Peak Tor Federation, having started my term in December 2023. I went to Stanton-in-Peak C of E Primary School in the 90s and my two children go there now. I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering and have mainly had roles looking after site infrastructure, originally from a technical perspective and, for the last 13 years, from a leadership perspective. Health and safety is always my number one priority. My current role is Head of Production at SureScreen Diagnostics, where I lead the Engineering and production teams of up to 150 people. I hope my experience brings something unique and valuable to the board. I am passionate and committed to the continuous improvement of our schools and the positive, rounded impact the schools have on our children.  

 

Maggie Lightowler-Cook

Mrs. Maggie Lightowler-Cook       LA Governor

Term of Office - 29/03/23 - 28/03/27

Roles and Responsibilities

Curriculum and Learning Committee
Named governor for Mental Health, Special Educational Needs, Parental Engagement

My background is in Education. I have a Masters’ Degree in Applied Educational Studies, and taught in Primary Education. I also qualified as a Teacher of the Deaf, which I worked in for many years and had the responsibility for training teachers. I possess a Diploma in Childhood Autism and taught children with Autism in specialist schools for a good many years. My last role was in a nursery attached to a C of E Infant School.
I feel privileged to be a Governor and hope that the breadth of my experience will enable me to make a helpful contribution to the Governor Team. I am committed to ensuring that all pupils thrive spiritually and educationally and that each child achieves their full potential. Education should be challenging and pupils need to be engaged and also have some fun.

 

Sarah Earlam

Mrs. Sarah Earlam   Parent Governor   

Term of Office - 01/05/24 - 01/05/28

Roles and Responsibilities

Resource Management Committee

Named governor for Safeguarding

 

 

 

 

Hi my name is Sarah. 

I’m so excited to be a part of the governors and aim to help as best I can. I love being involved in my local community. I work for a local charity where we offer a variety of help, such as debt support, food and have a clothes bank. We support and equip people to be empowered for a healthy and prosperous lifestyle. I hope that this back ground will help me as a governor.

In the past, I lived abroad for 7 years and had a great experience living in different parts of the world. I taught English as a foreign language for a number of years in South East Asia. 

Prior to this, I managed a cluster of restaurants and employees. I have gained experience in finances and organisation through this and from my degree in events management. 

I have a very happy child at Rowsley and I’m happy to be a part of the team.