I am partner of a local Solicitor’s practice and am also a Director of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I sit on the board of Trustees at Wakefield Theatre Royal and am Vice President of the Wakefield and District Law Society. I applied to become a Governor at Flushdyke School when my eldest child started in reception. Because of my job, I would have very little interaction with school if I was not a member of the Governing body. My experience of the school has always been and remains to be extremely good, the school has a fantastic atmosphere and all of the stakeholders fully buy into the ethos of the school. The staff are dedicated and always strive to improve the outcomes for the children. In the time that I have been a Governor ,I have taken on the role of Vice Chair and I also sit on the Finance and Resources committee and the Strategic Committee. I feel like I am giving back to the school that has provided my children with an outstanding education and introduction to learning.

Tim Welton – Chair

I joined Flushydyke’s governing body in 2017 with the ambition of supporting governors, teachers and pupils in creating the perfect learning environment. My current role within financial services allows me to share my knowledge of managing budgets and financial planning. This enables me to ensure the strategic direction of the school, encouraging both teachers and pupils to reach their full potential. I strongly support the schools ethos of high educational standards, behaviour and development, and look forward to building on the school’s current success.

James Coyle

I am a managing director of an event management company and also a director of Wakefield Bondholders Ltd.  I sit on the committee at WACCL, which raises money in aid of local young people’s charities in the Wakefield district, and also a strong supporter of Wakefield Theatre Royal.

My daughter is a pupil at Flushdyke J & I School and I joined the governing body in 2019.  Being a Governor allows me to get a real insight of how the school runs and I can safely say that our staff and pupils always give 100% and in many circumstances going above and beyond.  I feel that I can bring my expertise of management, regulation and safety into an educational setting and help to keep the already high standards excelling at Flushdyke.

Daniel Smith - Vice Chair

I think that Flushdyke is an excellent school, which provides high quality learning opportunities. I believe the first years of a child’s education are crucial to their later academic achievements and their development of social and other life skills. I am an experienced teacher, particularly in the early years and key stage one and in my role on the governing body I hope to help Flushdyke maintain the high standards that I feel it has.

Alison Spalding

I am the Assistant Head teacher here at Flushdyke School. Being part of the governing body is both a privilege and insightful. As a staff governor, I am able to communicate and celebrate all the amazing learning and enrichment opportunities that happen in school. I feel well-supported and encouraged by our other knowledgeable governors who take a genuine interest in what happens in our school – both now and in the future. This is a very proactive, welcoming governing body which offers challenge and assistance to staff in equal measure.

Jenny Barnett

I have always been very keen to support Flushdyke School since my son first joined in 2015, both of my children are now pupils. I became Chair of Friends of Flushdyke, the charitable organisation that raises funds and organised activities for the pupils of the school and their families.  As elected Parent Governor I look forward to bringing my experience and HR skills/knowledge as Business Manager for a well established Finance & Accountancy Specialist Recruitment business to work alongside the rest of the governing body in ensuring Flushdyke School achieves its strategic objectives while continuing to deliver, what in my opinion are already very high standards it has in all areas.

Karen Pitchforth

I am a parent-elected Governor at Flushdyke School.  Two of my three sons currently attend the school and I have always been keen to support the school however I can.  I am a member of Friends of Flushdyke, our school charity, which provides activities for our children and raises funds for the school.

In my professional life, I am a catastrophic injury solicitor, working with and for those who have sustained life-changing injuries.  I believe there are a number of skills I have acquired in this role that also help me to perform my governing duties.

Most importantly, I am very passionate about high quality education for every child.  We have a highly talented and motivated staff at the school that works incredibly hard to monitor and improve standards.  I am committed to supporting our school in providing our children with the best possible start in life, setting them up to achieve their goals.

Lucy Mills

My two boys are pupils at the school and I have had a keen interest in supporting Flushdyke School and making sure our boys, and parents get the most out of school life. I have been an active member of Friends of Flushdyke, which organises activities and raises funds, all of which benefit our children and school.

In my professional life I am a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Tissue Viability and my role means that I work closely with the Safeguarding team within the hospital Trust. I regularly deliver teaching sessions to hospital staff to ensure they remain up-to-date with relevant policies and procedures.

Throughout my previous role as a Sister on a ward, I gained skills such as managing budgets and motivating teams, recruitment and sickness management. 

I believe these skills can be transferred into the educational setting and enable me to support and work alongside the existing governing body and teaching staff to continue to deliver the high standards that Flushdyke already has.  I relish the opportunity to work alongside the current governors to develop and build on the school’s success.

Nikki Dunnill