Nothe Fort Trip – Owls

As a former parent of St Luke’s School myself, I have always wanted to do what I could to help the school. When the opportunity arose to join the governing body, I was glad to be able to assist. I have been chair for a few years now; it is a pleasure to support such a talented and dedicated group of teaching and support staff.

Professionally, I have worked in a number of local schools in business management roles. I also run a local IT support and consultancy business with a close friend. The majority of my career has been focussed on IT, finding ways to improve efficiency and operability of existing systems, and specifying and designing new solutions.

My wife and I are committed Christians and active members of Moordown Baptist Church, where we both help in a number of ways. A keen pianist, I regularly play for the church, and for relaxation at home. We have one daughter, currently in Year 7, and a small, white fluffy cat.

I have four children currently at St Luke’s, three in the Juniors and one in the Infants. I wanted to be a Governor as I have a lot of relevant skills to help contribute to the continued development of the school. I believe in the vision and ethos of the school. It is vital that we ensure that all children are able to access and get the most from their learning opportunities. I am committed to enabling all children to feel supported and able to achieve their true potential.

Before having my children, I worked as a primary school teacher for 13 years; working in schools in Surrey, Brixton and Verwood. During my time teaching I took on leadership roles including Senior Leadership Team, Literacy Lead and EAL Lead. I experienced two Ofsted inspections as well as regular SIAMS inspections. I taught at Verwood C.E. First School for 10 years which gave me a good understanding of the ethos and aims of a Church of England School. I feel my experience and teaching skills combined with my experience as a parent give me a good oversight and the ability to challenge and support the school as a ‘critical friend’. I am a good listener with many years’ experience of communicating effectively with children, parents and colleagues. I also have experience in building relationships with a variety of people across various roles within an education environment. I feel that these skills help me to effectively carry out the role of Governor.

I wanted to be a governor at St Luke’s Primary School to share all of the school improvement successes with our governing body and inform them about our progress journey. I believe it is vital to my role as Deputy Headteacher that I fully understand the school governance system, so being part of the governing body allows me to understand the role the governors play in developing our school.

I have previous experience of being a governor at a different school and understand the importance of a governing body. I believe that I bring a wealth of experience from my teaching career to support our governors in understanding our journey and progress. I am analytical and believe this is crucial when analysing data, trends and progress. I am incredibly strategic and very goal-focussed.

School is a big part of our family life – an extension of us. I wanted to support the school in being as inclusive, successful and accessible as much as possible and my role as the SEND governor is especially exciting!

As a sole parent to three children (two at St Luke’s), I am organised, flexible, and adaptable; as a parent to a child with complex special educational needs (now in special school but was at St Luke’s until March 2021), I have practical knowledge of SEND processes and policies, health, care, the local offer and – simply – I know the challenges (and rewards) that parents with SEND children face daily. Professionally, I work for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, where I lead on the delivery of advanced telecommunications and digital infrastructure projects across the UK, so I bring a strategic viewpoint to the governing board with experience of managing large financial budgets, programmes, people, delivery and governance.

Geoff was first elected a parent foundation governor in 2004, and was on the panel of governors that appointed a new head teacher in 2007, subsequently being elected chair of governors in 2007 and serving for a further five years.

After an eight year break, Geoff is now delighted to be back on the governing body of St Luke’s.

Geoff has served as chair of trustees of a local charity, and has been a presenter for local Hospital Radio for over 24 years. He currently works part time for a local school and is a freelance voice over artiste and audiobook narrator.