Meet our Governors
Mrs Fiona Boulton
(Chair) Co-opted Governor As a local resident for many years with my own children and grandchildren I passionately believe in the right of every child to have access to an outstanding education. I have worked within education myself for 26 years with experience within mainstream and special education across all key stages. I have had the privilege of undertaking educational research nationally and internationally and working with a local Teaching School. With practical experience as a classroom teacher; a specialist teacher providing outreach; and various leadership roles including headship, I hope that my role as governor will enable me to use my prior experiences and knowledge to support Baldwins Gate Primary School as it endeavours to provide all our children with an outstanding education, tailored to their individual needs, which develops them spiritually, morally and intellectually. 
Mr David Convey
Co-opted Governor I have two sons at Baldwins Gate – in Reception and Year 2 with my two year old daughter set to follow. I am keen to play a part in supporting the school however I can. I grew up in Kidsgrove and then went to University in Sheffield and Law College in York before heading home to work at Knights Solicitors, where I am a Partner and Head of Department. That role involves the ability to organise, listen and work as a team, so to find solutions to challenges. I would hope to use these skills in helping the school to provide the children with the best possible encouragement and education. 
Mr Paul Stern
Parent Governor Our eldest daughter started in Reception at Baldwins Gate in September 2016 and we have already been very impressed with both the ethos of the school and quality of teaching, demonstrated by our daughter’s progress so far. It is for this reason that I wished to become an active part of the school as a Parent Governor. I have some experience of working in a primary school. I was a Teaching Assistant at a school for children with severe and complex learning difficulties in London before studying at university. In particular, I had the pleasure of working with children with autism spectrum conditions. I am confident that this experience will enable me to contribute to many aspects of school policy including that of Special Educational Needs and Disability. My professional background is in Physiotherapy and Clinical Exercise Physiology, although I now work as a member of the senior management team within the Heat Centre at the University Hospitals of North Midlands. As a Clinician I have a particular interest in physical activity and public health. Now as a parent I am passionate about ensuring that children are given appropriate opportunities and encouragement to take part in physical activity, both of a recreational and competitive nature. I am keen to be involved with this area of school strategy and policy, as well as the area of health promotion in general. As a manager in the National Health Service, I like to believe that I not only share the same values encouraged by the school but that I also understand how important these values are to the development and future success of our children. I am also able to offer to the school my experience of managing budgets, strategic planning, performance monitoring and recruitment of staff. In addition, I have developed confidence and experience in presenting to individuals and groups both within and outside of my organisation. My other great interest is music and I have both studied and performed since I was at primary school myself. This is another area in which I am very passionate about ensuring that opportunities are provided for children to learn and participate. |
Rev Nigel Clemas
Foundation Governor Since becoming Rector of Whitmore, Maer and Chapel Chorlton in 1998, I have served 'ex-officio' as a governor. I visit school each Wednesday to take assembly and some years ago set up the Wednesday Lunch Club, when we seek to pass on to the children stories from the bible and what it means to be a Christian. I have tried to develop links beween the local churches and the school. We welcome class visits to the churches and we are delighted that the school has a special service at Whitmore church at Christmas. We try and cater for children in Sunday Worship. At Whitmore on the third Sunday of each month we have a special service specifically for families, especially children. For me it is important that amidst the changes in education, the school maintains its distinctive Christian ethos and that the children leave knowing their bible and what it is to be a Christian. 
Peter Farr
Parent Governor I am a secondary school teacher and have a firm grasp on educational policies. I have been a school based union representative and at a previous school I also looked at Health & Safety. I have two children at the school. I know, understand and support the school philosophy and ethos. I have carried out science roadshows at the school and enjoyed the interaction between the pupils, myself and the staff. I have implemented new policies in some of my previous roles, including rewriting the performance management process so I understand accountability and holding people to account and I am not afraid to do so. As a Head of Year, I interacted with parents and a range of outside agencies, developing a real sense of all the issues that can affect a child’s education experience and, more importantly, the support needed by a child to achieve the best they can whilst at school. 
Mrs Sarah Munton
Parent Governor I am very proud to have two daughters at a school where the staff show true commitment to the young people they teach and where children feel safe and valued. As a Parent Governor I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the school, providing support to the staff and young people of BGPS. Having trained as a secondary English teacher almost twenty years ago, I have worked within secondary and post-16 education since. This has included a number of leadership and management roles that have provided me with valuable experience and insights into school governance. As a Vice Principal for 8 years, I led on school self-evaluation and improvement, as well as teaching, learning and assessment. This has afforded me the opportunity to embed school policy into practice, alongside develop a sound knowledge and understanding of school performance measures and the Ofsted framework. I have also held responsibility for safeguarding. Currently, I am gaining new experience within a SEND school, working with the team to further develop their literacy and numeracy provision, through curriculum development and staff training. Having held responsibility for a number of areas of school leadership that fall under the remit of governance, I feel confident that I can contribute to the school as required. Within my career as a teacher, I have always been driven to achieve the best pastoral and academic outcomes for every child in my care and I welcome the opportunity to support Mrs Lowe and her dedicated team as such. 
Mr Kelvin Hilton
Foundation Governor 
Mrs Lynn Cowling
LA Governor I worked for the NHS for 15 years during which time I had some involvement with schools whilst managing school nurses. When I worked as a health visitor I worked with social services and other agencies, particularly in relation to safeguarding. I have knowledge and experience in this area and understand the importance of keeping children safe whilst engaging with parents/carers and other people/agencies involved. I have owned a care home since 2005 and feel my skills of engaging with and managing people will transfer to the role of governor. I understand the importance of balancing the different needs of all the people involved in an organisation and with that I am able to listen and question to understand a situation from different perspectives to ensure the best decisions are made. I am no longer involved in the day to day running of the home and now have time to use my skills in a different area and welcome the opportunity to join the governing body of Baldwins Gate CE Primary School. I look forward to interacting with the school, supporting the staff, pupils and governors and learning more about the education sector. |
Mrs Leanne Lowndes
Headteacher I am proud to be the Headteacher at Baldwins Gate Primary School. I began working at the school in 2010 as a newly qualified teacher and never left; this shows my commitment, passion and dedication to the school – it is truly a wonderful place to be part of. I am very excited to take the school forward and build on its current successes. I grew up in Chapel Chorlton and attended Baldwins Gate Primary School as a child, before moving on to Madeley High School and then Newcastle College. Always knowing from a young age that I wanted to be a teacher, I went on to study Primary education at Manchester Metropolitan University. I believe that you never stop learning and since qualifying as a teacher I have gone on to complete my Maths Specialist Teacher qualification and I am currently studying for my National Award for Special Educational Needs Co-ordination qualification. This love of learning, I hope to embed in all our learners. I believe that schools and education have the power to shape futures and change lives, therefore the needs of all the children will always be paramount in the life and decision making within the school. I strongly believe in providing the children with exciting, creative and meaningful learning experiences, which build their enthusiasm for learning and help them to grow and develop positively, not just as learners but as well rounded, spiritual and compassionate individuals. My commitment to inclusion will ensure that all pupils are nurtured and their uniqueness celebrated and valued, as they are supported and challenged to achieve the very best outcomes. 
Mr Andrew Talbot
(Vice-Chair) Parent Governor I am proud to be a governor at the school I attended and it is nice to see how the school has developed over the years. I am looking forward to my time on the governing body and helping the school and children as much as possible utilising the wide range of skills and knowledge I have to offer. I have lived in Whitmore all my life and attended Baldwins Gate Primary School, before going on to Madeley High School. I have been really impressed with every aspect of the school, from the friendly atmosphere and greeting at the gates each morning by a member of staff, to coming into school and helping the children build differently themed outdoor play stations from everyday materials. Watching how they use them to learn and further their development is very rewarding. My work covers a number of areas. I am a fully qualified driving instructor and have run my own driving school for the past ten years. It has been a challenging and rewarding experience, which has helped me to develop good teaching, listening and interacting skills which I will look forward to bringing to my governor role. I also work on my parents beef farm in Whitmore, which has been proudly farmed by four generations of my family for over 60 years and is still going strong today. More recently I have returned to a great passion of mine, carrying out body work on motor vehicles and restoring classic vehicles such as minis and scooters. My career in this line of work began in 2001, when I started as an apprentice at BS Marson & Sons. I still work there and enjoy the different challenges thrown up each day. At the age of twenty my car spraying skills were recognised nationally and I was presented with an award by HRH Prince Michael of Kent for being one of the top five young sprayers in the country. My interests outside of work include spending lots of time with my family creating lots of happy memories as they are grow up. I also enjoy watching Stoke City and keeping fit. 
Mrs S Maude
Staff Governor I have had the privilege of working at Baldwins Gate for almost 12 years! Currently I teach year 2; but have worked with children from nursery to year 5. I am part of the senior leadership team and deputise in the absence of Mrs Lowndes. I lead Key Stage One, Safeguarding and English and have a passion for education and making learning fun for all. Recently I have undertaken the role of associate teacher for the Royal Shakespeare Company and I am excited by the many opportunities that this brings to our school. |
