Governors Information

After qualification as a dentist my career included being a clinician, researcher, lecturer in dental public health and manager of children’s’ dental services. I then moved into wider public health and worked at the local, regional and national level on mental health, learning disabilities, care of the elderly and interagency community care.

I have held a number of public offices including being a County Councillor, a member of the Merseyside Police Authority, Merseyside Probation Board, High Security Commissioning Board, Chair of Knowsley CAB, Chair of Alternative Futures, an organisation providing community care for people with a range of disabilities, Chair of Sedbergh Parish Council and am currently a Bassingbourn Parish Councillor.

My experience of education includes being a parent governor at my children’s comprehensive school in Rainhill and being a governor and then Chair of Governors at Baliol EBD school (as it was then called) in Sedbergh. These experiences taught me that having involved Governors who challenge but give wholehearted support to a school is invaluable. This is my aim as Chair of Governors at Bassingbourn Primary.

I have been a governor at Bassingbourn Primary School since 2018, having also served as a governor at another Cambridgeshire school for five years. Currently I am vice-chair and also chair of the Standards and Improvement Committee where I hope that my experience and enthusiasm is of benefit to the school.

My professional career has been spent working with primary schools, initially as a teacher, later as a headteacher, and then as a local authority’s Senior Adviser for School Improvement. For the 17 years prior to retirement last year, I have run my own educational consultancy business, providing training and support on a range of teaching, learning and leadership issues to local authorities, governing bodies, schools and individual teachers and headteachers.

As a governor, I am passionate about all children having the opportunity to achieve and succeed in a secure, stimulating and challenging school environment.

On a personal note, I am a keen railway enthusiast and I also enjoy walking, cycling, playing badminton and spending time with my five grandchildren, two of whom attend Bassingbourn Primary School.  

John Carter

February 2022

My two boys currently attend Bassingbourn Primary school. I have a number of relevant experiences and skills which I feet are beneficial for the role of a parent governor.

I attended many different infant and primary schools (as my parents often moved for work), and later a military secondary school (Navy) where I was an active member of the RAF cadets section.

I have a Maths degree and am a Chartered Accountant. I have worked for over 15 years in Financial Services and am currently a Finance Director leading a team that operates out of the UK and lndia.

ln my free time, I enjoy reading; particularly classic literature and history. I also enjoy watching my boys play football and rugby, and during the summer months I often help to coach their cricket teams.

I have always had a passion for learning new things. After completing my accounting qualification, I chose to learn ltalian and achieved an A-Level. During the 2020 lockdown, I embraced a life-long desire to learn to play the guitar and am currently having lessons. 

As a parent governor, I look forward to contributing to the success of the school.

My name is Lesley Bond and we have lived in Bassingbourn for over 40 years. Our children attended Bassingbourn Primary School. I have a heart for community and a belief in local education wherever possible. I believe that all children should have access to quality learning which they can enjoy.

As a trained teacher in Biology, I have taught every age group from 5 to 85; from being a regular supply teacher in the primary school to evening classes for adults in Bassingbourn, teaching secondary school science and in the last 20 years adult basic skills, computing and life skills locally.

Over the last ten years it has a pleasure to serve as a Governor at Bassingbourn Community Primary School; with several years as Chair of the Resource and People Committee.  Governance is central to my professional career as a Chartered Accountant.  During my 11 years with EY and KPMG I have managed audits of various sizes and complexity, including those in the Charity and Education sectors. 

Giving every single child the opportunity to develop and thrive is central to my philosophy.  I am the first from my family to attend university and therefore I understand the importance of using all available funding, from Pupil Premium to COVID booster funding, to ensure that children all abilities have a stable and simulating start to their education journey.    

My name is Matt Sweeney and I am the Deputy Head Teacher at Bassingbourn Primary School. I am passionate about making a difference for all children and helping each one to reach their potential. I also believe that this is the same for everyone who works at or attends the school and that we should all be learners!

My career has been varied and I’ve had a range of leadership and governance experience and am looking forward to developing this further at Bassingbourn.

I am a huge Marvel and Superhero fan and in my spare time enjoy taking part in amateur dramatics and running marathons.

My name is Leigh Harper. My two daughters attend the primary school and I was chair of the Friends of Bassingbourn Primary for just under 3 years, which has enabled me to build a relationship with the school and parents.

I am an operational security risk manager working in corporate security roles before moving into consultancy 9 years ago. I manage a team of people who work with companies that span many sectors, performing reviews and audits and undertaking risk assessments to understand security risks and develop strategies that provide effective mitigation controls.

Working in an engineering firm I manage large-scale security design and build projects and am responsible for the account management of many of our clients.

My skills are transferable and will be well suited to taking on the role of parent governor, helping support the school to achieve its goals.

A little bit about me!

I am Elaine Douglass and I have just celebrated my 60th birthday.

I have worked and been the Manager of various childcare provisions including full Day Care Nurseries, for the last 30 years. Currently I am the Deputy Manager of BOSC, the before and after school club as well as a 1:1 TA with a child with Special Educational Needs in Year 5 here at the primary school.

I have been a Parish Councillor for the last 8 years and I am now in my fifth year of being the Chairman to the Parish Council. I am a member of the Practical Solutions Group run by our District and County Councillor, Susan Van de Ven and I am also a Trustee of the local mobile warden scheme. I take these roles very seriously as I believe that communities should work together to achieve the best results.

Even though I finish my paid employment within the Primary school at the end of July, I would still like to be involved in the school in a voluntary capacity once again. In my role as a Parish Councillor, I am keen to help facilitate the wider community being part of the school’s activities. Also, to support the children in taking ownership of their surroundings with the small changes that they can make to improve their environment and make it a better place to live in.

My name is Tracey Potter and I have lived in Bassingbourn for 15 months, in fact I live in the old schoolhouses adjacent to the school. As a newcomer to the village, I am keen to get involved in village life and have recently become a Parish Councillor in Bassingbourn. I am currently employed as a Bank Director in London with a commitment to attend the office once a week. The Bank actively encourages us to volunteer within our communities and offer us time off work to support this. Whilst working for a previous employer I was a school governor at a school based in Tower Hamlets, which I found very rewarding despite the challenge of being a multi-national school. As a grand-mother and an aunt to young children I am still actively involved in their school lives which I enjoy. Should I be successful in becoming a school governor I would look forward to supporting the school, staff and pupils in the future.

My husband and I moved to Bassingbourn almost 11 years ago before the birth of our first daughter. I have always loved living in the village being a part of the local community. Both of my daughters have enjoyed their time in Bassingbourn Primary and are now in years 4 & 6.

Teaching and learning are my passion, having worked in education for almost 20 years. During this time, I have worked across several schools as Head of Maths, Assistant Headteacher, Lead Practitioner and Advanced Skills Teacher primarily supporting other schools across Bedfordshire to improve standards.

I am currently a Primary Deputy Headteacher in a local school and teach in year 6 so fully understand the joys and challenges of working in a school.

As a parent governor, I would hope that I could support the school while continually learning along the way.

I live in Bassingbourn, with my three children attending Bassingbourn Primary School, and work full-time for a satellite communications company based in London.

I have a keen interest in ensuring that the school maintains a high standard of education and continues to ensure the children’s wellbeing. Becoming a parent governor provides me with an opportunity to contribute to the long-term strategy and direction of the school.

I am particularly interested to contribute to the way that science and mathematics are taught at the school, whilst also keen to understand how phonics and English teaching should progress. I am also interested in the range of extra-curricular activities available to the children.

From my background working for a multi-national company, I believe I bring valuable experience into the parent governor role, including being able to work effectively with different stakeholder groups, providing an objective overview, and supporting the assessment of school performance and future direction and planning.