Gavin Hill-John, Chair of Governors

Following my re-election in May 2017 as County Councillor for Pentyrch I was very keen to take an active part in supporting the school. I was elected to the governing body in October 2017 and am determined to provide the support the school needs when dealing with the local authority. Pentyrch Primary School is an integral part of our community and along with my fellow Governors we are determined to make sure it remains so for many years to come.

 

Outside my Councillor role, I have recently set up a new business providing coaching and support for business owners in Cardiff. This is on the back of over 20 years’ experience in both the corporate business world and owning my own businesses. This commercial knowledge in conjunction with my experience within the local authority allow me to make a positive contribution to the school.

Nicola Harding, Community Governor  

 

I am a mummy to a 6-year-old little girl and 3-year-old little boy. We moved to Pentyrch in 2016 and have been connected to the school since my daughter began in 2018. I feel extremely passionate about helping to support and enhance the local village school which is an integral part of our community and my children’s upbringing. I have worked in Marketing for over 15 years and I am a Senior Manager of our family-run garden centre’s ‘Pugh’s Garden Village’ in both Morganstown and Wenvoe, which have been a long-standing part of the local community for over 60 years since my grandparents set it up. I have been a key driver in implementing new strategies for business growth over the past 6 years and feel my experience will lend me in good stead for being a community governor and especially beneficial to the committees that I have been appointed too. Community is in my roots and I feel that there is a wonderful support network around the school, I am passionate about the wellbeing of our children and feel the school is an intrinsic part of village life and I will continuously strive to make a positive contribution to the children’s education in our community, helping Pentyrch Primary continue to thrive and grow, applying both a strategic approach alongside an independent balanced viewpoint.

Nicola Crocker, Parent Governor

I have been connected with Pentyrch Primary School since I was 4 years old and attended as a pupil myself!  My daughter joined the school in 2013 followed by my son in 2016.  I was FOPSA chair from September 2014 until January 2017 and whilst I enjoyed my time in FOPSA, I wanted to be more involved in general school life.  I was elected as a Parent Governor in December 2016. 

 

I am involved in the Finance, Premises, Health & Safety, Standards and Marketing & Communications committees where we are working hard to meet the Estyn recommendations and enhance our relationship with parents, carers and the whole school.

 

On a day-to-day basis, I am a Property Development Executive, financing smaller developers to build homes in Wales.  I want to make a positive contribution to children’s education and am not afraid to challenge and question to ensure that our children are getting the best out of the school and that they continually strive for excellence.  

Jonathan Fortune, Parent Governor

I wanted to contribute to and help improve the school, where I could, and was elected as a Parent Governor in December 2016. I don’t have a background in education, and so some of the terminology involved in running a school does take some getting used to, but having worked with the British Council and  Welsh Government developing and delivering policy, I am able to bring a different perspective to be a critical friend to the work the governing body does. I sit on the Performance Management and Curriculum Standards Committees and enjoy working with the leadership team as we seek to optimise the school experience for our children.

 

We have lived in Pentrych for a number of years now and love the village and especially the community that is built around the school. We have two children in Pentyrch Primary – a daughter in KS2 and a son in Foundation Phase.  As well as socialising at FOPSA events, I enjoy music,

watching Cardiff City and the cricket, cooking and spending time with my family and friends.

Owen Wood, Local Authority Governor

I have a close association with the school as I am Assistant Headteacher at Radyr Comprehensive School.  As the vast majority of Pentyrch Primary pupils go onto attend Radyr Comprehensive I wanted to get involved more at the primary school level in order to ensure the transition from primary to secondary runs as smoothly as possible.

 

My role at Radyr is quite varied, I oversee Learning and Teaching, but am also in charge of data analysis.  So, my day to day role is linked heavily to raising standards across the school, hence me being a Governor on the standards committee at Pentyrch.  I feel I have a lot to offer in terms of contributing to this area and any other areas Pentyrch Primary may need in order to improve and grow.

 

Before I was appointed to my role at Radyr, I was a Mathematics teacher for 8 years and a Head of Mathematics in two very different schools for 7 years; having this range of experience means there is not much I haven’t seen before!

 

Outside of education, I am a Cardiff City season ticket holder, attending all home games and I enjoy keeping fit and spending time with my family.  I have two daughters who both attend a welsh language primary school on the other side of Cardiff.