Meet Our Governors
Mr C
hris Rowlands - Chair of Governors
I have been a governor at Mrs Bland's for several years, and have held positions as chair of the pupil progress and finance and resources committees, and the vice chair of governors. I currently serve as the chair of governors on the Federated Board. I am passionate about ensuring we hold ourselves and our schools to the highest standards to ensure we give all children the best possible start in life.
I am a serving member of the Royal Air Force, where my role is to provide assurance of standards across flying instruction and within operational units. I recently completed a Post Graduate Certificate of Higher and Professional Education and plan to undertake an MA in education in the future.
We are extremely lucky to have an excellent team at our Federation of Schools - the staff, senior leadership and the governing board are proud to work closely together and strive to provide the highest standard of education for all of our children.
Mr Kevin Mortimer - Co-Vice Chair
I'm a technologist at heart and manage the teams that operate the IT infrastructure for Reading University. I was keen to become a governor as I see at higher education level the real shortfall in exposure to technology and I wanted to help my local community in trying to close that gap, especially with less privileged children.
I am passionate about ensuring the teaching staff are comfortable with technology and supporting them to improve the experience the children have. I live in Burghfield Common with my wife and two boys, who attend Mrs Bland's.
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Mrs Vicky Collins - Co-Vice Chair
I have two children, one at Garland Junior School and one at The Willink.
My professional background is in Higher Education as a teacher and leader of educational programmes. I have played integral roles in projects on wellbeing in the curriculum, online learning, and the academic engagement of students. My specialism is English as an additional language and intercultural communication, which I believe could benefit the increasing diversity of the school population. I hope that I can bring my experience of quality assurance, and team leadership to the Federated governing board, staff and pupils.
Mrs Jenina Soares-Mistry - Co-opted Governor
My name is Jenina Soares-Mistry. I am a commercial solicitor and a recently-appointed co-opted governor. I live in Burghfield Common with my husband and our two sons. My eldest son is at Garland Juniors and my youngest at Mrs Bland’s.
This is my first role as a school governor. I hope both my professional skills and my personal experience will be an asset to the governors. I am excited to play an active part in the governing body’s work and to make a positive impact on the running of the school.
Mrs Ruth Bowen - Parent Governor
I am a parent governor and held this role for over a year. Previously, I have been an active participant in school PTA events.
My two youngest children attend Mrs Bland's and Garland Junior School. I wanted to become a parent governor to gain an insight into the organisation of my children's school and to have an influence to ensure the continuing high standards across the schools.
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Miss Rebecca Evans - Parent Governor
My name is Rebecca Evans, I live in Burghfield Common with my partner and have 3 sons, 1 of which attends Mrs Bland's and my other son had an enjoyable 3 years at Mrs Bland's and now attends Garland.
This is my first time as a school governor. I continue to enjoy working with the entire team to ensure both schools continue to provide an excellent education for our children.
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Mrs Sarah Wilkins - Parent Governor
I live in Burghfield Common with my husband and our two daughters. My eldest started her Mrs Bland's journey in Acorns nursery in 2021, and hopefully my youngest will join her in the coming years.
I am a parent governor with a SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) focus. I have been a Speech and Language Therapist for over 16 years and worked with many schools and early years settings, including with children with EAL (English as an Additional Language). I hope my professional knowledge, skills and experience is useful to the schools, but I also strive to be able to give back to the community in which we live and to support the schools in continuing to be the best they can be.
Miss Dani Harrison - Co-Opted Governor
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Dani is a teacher and Form Tutor at The Willink Secondary School and is currently Acting Head of Criminology.
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Mrs Sarah Williams - Staff Governor (Head of School Mrs Bland's)
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Sarah is the Head of School at Mrs Bland's and has previously been the Deputy Headteacher at the school since....
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Mr Angad Soares-Mistry
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Mrs Rosemary Sanders-Rose OBE
Resident in Sulhamstead and Burghfield since 1971, Rosemary served 16 years on Newbury District Council, including the offices of Chairperson and then Leader. She also represented the division on Berkshire County Council.
A school Governor at Infant, Primary and Secondary level over some 40 years, she has been Chairperson of The Willink, Sulhamstead and Ufton Nervet Primary and Mrs Bland’s Infant School.
For 12 years, a member of the main board of Sovereign Housing Association, she also chaired the largest subsidiary board, which included West Berkshire.
In the local community, she is president of the Burghfield Horticultural Society, patron of the Bland’s Luncheon Club for the elderly and a committee member of the local British Legion Branch. In West Berkshire she serves on the Macmillan Cancer Care Committee and was a Governor of the Mary Hare School for the Deaf.
Awarded the OBE in 1994 for political and public service.
Mrs Barbara Hunter - Associate Member
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Barbara is a recently (early!) retired Headteacher who now works independently as an Education Consultant. She has recently been supporting the schools with school improvement work and, since September, has offered to become an Associate Member of the board to offer support with governance. Associate Members are on the board to increase expertise in a specific area; they are not voting members but can offer support and advice.
Barbara is an experienced Chair of Governors and delivers Governor training for WBC.
Mr Kevin Hughes - Associate Member
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