Governors
Our Governors
Briar Hill Primary School is governed by an Academy Scrutiny Committee.
Our governors are:
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Janey CooksleyHeadteacher
Janey Cooksley
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Odudu AssamParent Governor (Vice Chair)
Odudu Assam
Odie was appointed a Parent Governor on 27 February 2023. He believes the school’s culture and the attitude of the teachers and staff members are outstanding. Odie has a strong passion for education, especially for the younger generation and hopes by joining the ASC, he can support in providing an environment that encourages creative thinking in young minds. Odie has nearly a decade worth of experience working as a business analyst plus two years’ experience working as an Enterprise Architect. Mostly delivering IT solutions to public and private sector organisations. He is a member of the Northampton Baha’i (Faith) community and supports a Children’s class programme for a group of five 4 years olds. Odie is also a member of the Northampton Interfaith Forum.
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Joanne FraterParent Governor
Joanne Frater
Joanne joined the ASC as a DRET Appointed Governor on 27 February 2023, wishing to aid the school in providing the best possible outcomes for all children. In December 2024, she took on the Parent Governor role.
Joanne was previously a Children’s day nursery manager and managed the nursery for nearly nine years.
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Angela RockTrust Senior Link
Angela Rock
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Jolen GranthamDRET Appointed Governor
Jolen Grantham
Jolen was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 4 June 2018. He has worked within the system as a practitioner, teacher, leader, consultant, and governor, with a track record of success in securing outstanding outcomes across primary and secondary schools. Understanding the power of education to change people’s lives, Jolen is passionate about improving life opportunities for young people through education – especially in areas of socio-economic disadvantage. Jolen leads governing bodies to be part of the ‘beating heart’ of schools, working with leaders at all levels to champion fantastic practice taking place on the ground. He is currently the Chair in three schools - primary and secondary - and sits on the governing bodies of a further four schools in Northamptonshire – a governance journey that spans neatly a decade. During this time, Jolen has provided coaching and support to evolving governing bodies and their chairs, in the heart of sharing good practice, to support overall improvements in education within Northamptonshire and beyond.
Jolen achieved ‘National Governor of the Year’ in December 2023, and received this prestigious award in the 2023 National School Awards in recognition of his commitment to governance across the system, and with the David Ross Education Trust.
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Gareth ThomasDRET Appointed Governor
Gareth Thomas
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Shannon HarrisDRET Appointed Governor
Shannon Harris
Shannon joined the ASC as a DRET Appointed Governor on 10 June 2022. She is an experienced KS1 teacher and would like to support other schools with the knowledge and skills that she has. As a teacher, Shannon has working knowledge of the national curriculum. Furthermore, she is also a maths subject lead and has a strong knowledge of the teaching of maths in the early years and key stage one. Shannon is also a trained designated safeguard lead and educational visits co-ordinator. A passion of Shannon's is swimming - which is why she is a trained swimming teacher. She also enjoys going to the theatre.
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Johanna MothanderDRET Appointed Governor
Johanna Mothander
Johanna was appointed a DRET Appointed Governor on 27 May 2022. She wanted an opportunity to apply her skills and contribute with her experience beyond her professional life. Johanna works in the professional services with a background in Consulting, with and for the public sector specifically with experience of higher-level apprenticeships. She brings experience from the business world, expertise in strategy, operations and project management, as well as expertise in work-based learning, employability skills and opening multiple routes for young people into business. Equality and diversity, opportunities for all irrespective of background. On a personal level, Johanna is a passionate skier, both downhill and cross country.
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Lisa SummersDRET Appointed Governor
Lisa Summers
I became a governor to learn more about the role and develop my understanding of education. I also want to support the school in achieving the best possible pupil outcomes. I am enthusiastic and always willing to develop my skills. I like to meet new people and try new things. I work in administration and have had the responsibility of managing a team of 10. I deal in customer service and have experience of dealing with complaints.
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Amanda ScottDRET Appointed Governor
Amanda Scott
Amanda was appointed a Parent Governor on 4 December 2020, and became a DRET Appointed Governor in December 2024. She has lived in Northampton since 2017 and her two youngest children are currently at the academy She joined the ASC hoping to contribute in a positive and valued way to the success of the academy Amanda has worked in the public sector her entire career and is currently the administrator for Re:store Northampton, a local charity based in the town centre She enjoys reading and spending time with her children doing outdoor activities, playing board games or watching movies.
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David HollandDRET Appointed Governor
David Holland
As he wanted to play a part in ensuring our students have the best possible education and learning environment possible David joined the ASC in January 2025.
David works for the DRET central team, focusing primarily on buildings and Health & Safety. As part of his role, David ensures the Trust's buildings are maintained to a high level, and that are environments are safe, comfortable and compliant. He is also a qualified Fire Risk Assessor.
Outside of work, David enjoys spending quality time with his family, and engages in creative pursuits such as art and writing music when possible. David also enjoys taking long hikes with his wife, and each year they endeavour to scale a mountain.
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Allan CrozierStaff Governor
Allan Crozier
Allan joined the ASC at Briar Hill on 9 October 2018, after being elected by his colleagues. He has enjoyed being a governor across three DRET schools (Welton, Rockingham and Briar Hill) for five years over different roles. He originally decided to become a governor as he wanted to support the academies he worked for. Through being a governor, Allan has obtained a lot of experience of being in structured meetings and shares his insights of day to day life through a staff member's perspective. Allan is a class teacher and member of the SLT at Briar Hill Primary School. Allan's biggest passion is spending time with his family. He has three children and loves spending as much time with them and his wife as possible. On the odd occasion you may find him out on the golf course.
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Teresa ElkinClerk
Teresa Elkin
Teresa Elkin has been clerking academies within the Trust since 2014. As a former Chair of an Outstanding primary school and part of the governance teams at Northamptonshire County Council and the David Ross Education Trust, she decided to become an independent clerk to support governing bodies. Teresa also supports other maintained schools and academies in the county. Teresa's initial career was in advertising and marketing but a move into education, governance in particular ensured that she had a wide range of skills to bring to governing bodies. Teresa is an experienced governor and Chair, a governor trainer and mentor to individual governors and Chairs. Her passions and interests are the Theatre, literature and international travel.
Current Governors
Name | Governor Type | Appointed By | Term of Office | Term From | Term To | Declarations of Interest and other Governance Roles as at 18 December 2024 | Governor Assigned Responsibilities | Attendance 23/24 | Attendance 24/25 |
Odudu Assam | Parent governor | Elected by parents | First | 27 Feb 2023 | 26 Feb 2027 |
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4 of a possible 6 | 1 of a possible 1 |
Janey Cooksley | Principal | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/ principal |
Not applicable | 12 Apr 2016 | Ex Officio |
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4 of a possible 6 | 1 of a possible 1 | |
Allan Crozier | Staff governor | Elected by school staff | Third | 08 Oct 2023 | 7 Oct 2027 |
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4 of a possible 6 | 1 of a possible 1 |
Joanne Frater | Parent governor | Elected by parents | First | 16 Dec 2024 | 15 Dec 2028 |
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5 of a possible 6 (as Appointed governor) | 1 of a possible 1 (as Appointed governor) |
Jolen Grantham | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | Second | 04 Jun 2022 | 3 Jun 2026 |
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5 of a possible 6 | 1 of a possible 1 |
Shannon Harris | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | First | 10 Jun 2022 | 9 Jun 2026 |
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2 of a possible 6 | 1 of a possible 1 |
David Holland | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | First | 17 Jan 2025 | 16 Jan 2029 |
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Not applicable, not in post | Not applicable, not in post | |
Johanna Mothander | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | First | 27 May 2022 | 26 May 2026 |
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4 of a possible 6 | 1 of a possible 1 |
Angela Rock | Trust Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | Not applicable | 01 Sep 2019 | Ex Officio |
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3 of a possible 6 | 1 of a possible 1 |
Amanda Scott | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | First | 03 Dec 2024 | 2 Dec 2028 |
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4 of a possible 6 (as Parent Governor) | 1 of a possible 1 |
Lisa Summers | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | First | 14 Nov 2024 | 13 Nov 2028 |
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Not applicable, not in post | 1 of a possible 1 |
Gareth Thomas | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | Second | 03 Feb 2024 | 2 Feb 2028 |
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5 of a possible 6 | 1 of a possible 1 |
Former Governors
Below is a list of governors that have served in the past 12 months.
Name | Governor type | Appointed by | Terms served | First appointed | Leaving date | Declarations of interest and other governance roles | Attendance 22/23 | Attendance 23/24 |
Damian Panton | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | 2 | 11 Nov 2016 | 10 Nov 2024 |
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6 of a possible 6 | 5 of a possible 6 |
Amanda Scott | Parent governor | Elected by parents | 1 | 04 Dec 2020 | 3 Dec 2024 |
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4 of a possible 6 |
4 of a possible 6 |
Joanne Frater | Appointed governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | 1 | 27 Feb 2023 | 15 Dec 2024 |
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5 of a possible 6 |
1 of a possible 1 |
Contacting a Us
The Governance Officer for Briar Hill Primary School is Victoria Linthwaite. Victoria can be reached at governance@dret.co.uk.
To contact a governor, please contact the Trust Governance Team by emailing governance@dret.co.uk.
If you are looking to contact a Governor to make a complaint or share a concern, please note that as per our Complaints Policy, governors do not investigate complaints at Stage 1 or Stage 2. This enables them to be impartial should a complaint be escalated to a Stage 3 governor panel. If you wish to make a complaint, please complete this form and your complaint will be investigated accordingly.
Scheme of Delegation
Information about the David Ross Education Trust’s scheme of delegation is available here.
Minutes of the Academy Scrutiny Committee
Should you wish to view a copy of the minutes of the ASC at this academy, please contact the Trust Governance Team (governance@dret.co.uk), who will be able to provide you with an electronic or paper copy of the minutes.
Are you interested in becoming an academy governor?
We are looking for new governors to support our academies. Our governors work closely with their academies to support the Trust’s goal of broadening the horizons of young people through a world-class education, equipping our students with the skills and experiences to become their confident, academic best, no matter what.
If you have an interest in, and commitment to, improving education and would like to make a difference within your community, please register your interest in becoming a governor by completing our governor application form. If you have any questions about a governor’s role or responsibilities please contact us at governance@dret.co.uk or review our information pack below.
march 2024 governor recruitment booklet.pdf
What is it like being a Governor with DRET?
To understand what it is like to be a governor with us, take a look at our testimonial booklet and videos which contain insights from serving governors.
governor testimonial booklet .pdf
Emma Bennett
Angela Watts
Stephen Platten
Garry Allen
What training do Governors receive?
We offer an extensive range of training opportunities. Take a look at what is on offer for the current academic year.