Governors

I have lived all my life in the North East of England. I was born in Jesmond and at age seven the family moved to Wideopen where I lived until leaving school and home to gain the qualifications necessary to enable me to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher.
I undertook my training to become a teacher in the North East of England and when I gained my qualifications I started my professional teaching career in secondary education working on Teeside. I spent sixteen very happy and successful years teaching on Teeside before moving back to Northumberland to take up the position of Deputy Headteacher at Haydon Bridge High School.
When I made the move back to Northumberland in 1991 I choose to live in Fourstones and have lived here ever since.
My working career has now reached its natural end thus affording me the opportunity and time to increase my voluntary contribution to community life and activity.
My knowledge of Newbrough and Fourstones gained over the twenty four years I have lived here, the experience I have gained during my career working in schools, the youth work I have undertaken over forty years and the school partnership projects I have undertaken with Newbrough School I hope will provide relevant expertise that can be drawn upon and shared within the governing body of Newbrough School for the long term benefit and development of the school.

I came to live in Newbrough in 2000 when I moved from Yorkshire to take up a job in Newcastle. I am now retired from full time employment but spent my career working in further education. I have been a governor in secondary and primary schools before this so believe I have some experience to offer. I volunteer at the school and enjoy working with the children and the staff. I hope my experience in education is also of benefit to Newbrough school and that as a governor I can make a contribution to the community the school serves.

My wife and I moved to Fourstones 28 years ago, not knowing at that time that if would be such a permanent move! Both our son and daughter, now in their twenties, were born here and attended Newbrough First School until moving on to middle school. I am looking forward to finally be able to put something back into the village school that formed the cornerstone of the happy formative years of our children.
I am an accountant by profession, retiring in 2011 after spending my final decade or so commuting weekly to London. I have since found rather more time to pursue more satisfying interests such as walking, travelling, playing music and watching rugby. I am a member of Warden Parish Council and a keen campaigner for the re-opening of the Fourstones village pub; previously I contributed to the initiation of the Stanegate Festival and completed a spell as trustee at Newbrough Town Hall.
I hope that the experience I have gained in financial management, planning and operational management roles can be put to good use at our school.

To be a disciple of Christ is to be one who learns, for that is the literal meaning of the word disciple. Consequently the church and the education of our children have been close partners for over 1000 years. I am passionate about our children and young people and firmly believe that we have a duty to provide the most stimulating educational experience we can. I see it as my role, as the parish priest, to work with all who come through the school doors to enable a Christian Community to flourish. Also to help build the Christian ethos on which school life is founded, and to be a link (one of many I hope) between the school world and the world of the wider parish.
Before being ordained I undertook teacher training and I am currently studying for an MA in Rural Ministry and Education, through the Arthur Rank Centre for Studies in Rural Ministry.

I have lived in Fourstones for nearly 21 years and have been a governor at Newbrough School for about 15 years, since my children were pupils here. I work as a Community Paediatric Physiotherapist and part of my job is to advise school staff about how to best assist pupils with additional physical needs. I feel that this expertise is valuable in my role as special educational needs governor and that my training and involvement in safeguarding issues at work enables me to fulfill my role as child protection link governor.

Chris Wigmore – Parent Governor: I wanted to become a governor to be part of the development of the school and learning environment in my local rural community. I am currently working as a Technical Manager for a pre-cast concrete manufacturer; in my current role I have responsibility for production, design development and R&D. I have a background in manufacturing, management including site installation and all associated tasks. I’ve lived in Fourstones for 9 years. I have a daughter at the school and my wife is part of the PTA. I enjoy walking, cycling, water sports, gardening and house renovation.

November 2021 - Since my son started at the school 18 months ago, I have been very impressed by the ethos and the “feel” of the school. This inspired me to become involved as a parent governor, to be able to play a part in maintaining this and to see how the school develops into the future.
I have lived in Fourstones for the last two years, but I have been relatively local most of my life, and attended Newbrough nursery myself many moons ago. I am a Physiotherapist by profession and I am really motivated by social interactions and connecting with people. I enjoy spending time outdoors and exercising. I hope that I will become a valuable member of the team working as a parent governor.

We first fell in love with Newbrough in 1988 when my mother moved here, and came to live here ourselves in 1996 after many years overseas. My son spent a very happy time at Newbrough CE Primary school and I got involved with the Friends of the school, fundraising, helping out in class at times, running some German language play sessions and having a lot of fun with some wonderful people! I then worked away for 10 years and came back to live in Newbrough in summer 2020 – such a good move!
My business helps companies of all shapes and sizes with international business development – how to grow global sales in spite of digital, language and cultural differences. We also offer coaching to help professionals navigate challenges they may face and support their mental and physical well-being and ultimately their happiness and fulfillment.
I love being outdoors in nature, music, dancing, reading and connecting with people and community. Gardening is also on the agenda this year. I am especially looking forward to meeting more people at the school and helping out as best I can.

I was born in Carlisle and lived in Keswick until I was married in 1979. I came to Settlingstones and have lived here for 43 yrs. I first qualified as a cook and was in the catering industry until I had my children in 1982 and 1983. When my daughter was old enough to go to nursery there was no provision in Newbrough so a group of us young mums with children the same age set up our own nursery school in the WI house (now the bunk house) next to the town hall. I always wanted to be with young children and education so when my daughter started school and my son was 4 yrs old I took on the role as a registered childminder and did this for 14 years and then I went on to qualify as a tutor with the National Childminding Association and worked with Childminders in Northumberland to encourage them to do training courses to improve their skills and knowledge of childcare. This was whilst I was the regional development officer for the north east . I also worked on the play bus which was supported by Children North East.
In 2002 I joined the staff at Haydon Bridge High School as a vocational teacher for the cache early years education and childcare courses level 1-2 and 3 and went on to become head of department for Health and Social Care. I was made redundant in 2018 after training many young students to become nursery worker and primary school teachers . I have 3 grandchildren now and love spending as much time as I can with them.