Meet the Governors
My background as a School Business Manager gives me a deeper understanding of the wider issues in education and this has helped me to support the school in a variety of different areas. With changes around meeting the needs of all pupils it is particularly important to stay abreast of current legislation and guidance. This is an area that I feel I can contribute to because of the role I have and the training I undertook to become a School Business Manager over 3 years.
I particularly enjoy coming into school to speak to the children and learn about their lessons. They are always keen to let you know what they have done and show you their work in their books.
Orrets Meadow is a fantastic school and the children are happy and settled. This is testament to the wonderful team there and how they work diligently to improve self-esteem and confidence so that all children can progress and achieve their very best. I have adopted class 3.
I look forward to another exciting year and feel confident the school will move from strength to strength.
LA Governor – Amanda Pierce
I currently work for Wirral Borough Council as a Locality Attendance Officer, supporting schools across Moreton and Leasowe in improving their school attendance. Orrets Meadow is one of the schools I am responsible for. I work closely with my schools to try and encourage attendance at school and making every day count, as we say “you can’t teach an empty chair!”.
I qualified as Primary Teacher in 2010, I then went to work for the NSPCC for seven years and during this time I had a variety of roles. I started as a practitioner on the national helpline, offering safeguarding advice and support to parents, carers and professionals and making referrals as appropriate. I finished my work there as a Contact Centre Manager, managing a team who were responsible for communicating referrals to the Local Authority and Customer Service.
Outside of work I have two young children, so do not have much spare time, but enjoy them keeping me busy! This is my first position as a Governor and I am really excited to find out lots more about Orrets Meadow and hope my skills and experiences will be of value.
I have been a qualified solicitor for 25 years, specialising in commercial property development work. I hope to be able to bring my skills in relation to problem solving, contract negotiation and project work to support the School.
I am a parent of four children aged between 9 and 19, two of whom have special education needs. My passion for helping children with additional challenges comes from my personal experience of seeing my own child struggle in a mainstream environment which did not meet their needs. As a family we have been on a long journey over the last six years navigating the difficulties this presented and the negative impact it had on my family. It has made me realise how an understanding, flexible and calming environment can transform the learning outcomes for a child and I wish all children could have the benefit of a positive and nurturing learning environment similar to that provided at Orrets Meadow.
I spend a lot of my time tracking updates in SEN matters, attending courses and reading articles about the challenges facing SEN children and their families. I also feel strongly about sharing experiences and supporting others and so I formed a support group at my youngest child’s school for the parents of his Year 5 and Year 6 peers facing similar challenges. We meet regularly to provide support to each other, share articles/course notes and discuss our respective experiences and it has proved invaluable. It gives me a huge sense of fulfilment to be able to help others when they are facing similar challenges to those we faced and I hope my experience in this regard will be of benefit to my role as a governor.
I am a working mum of two boys, the eldest is in year 6 of a large mainstream whilst my youngest started in the Wolves class at Orrets Meadow in September this year after his foundation year at mainstream.
I am currently working as a Teaching Assistant at a Special School for children with moderate to severe and complex learning disabilities, therefore have a good understanding of children’s needs as well as the struggles schools have in meeting these needs.
I am all too aware of the difficulties and the fight that parents have, to get the support they need for their children and accessing the correct facilities, as I have been through this process myself. We are only at the beginning of our Orrets journey but can already see the benefits from being in the right setting and look forward to helping the school as a Parent Governor throughout our time with the Orrets family.
I am an energetic and enthusiastic Early Years Foundation Stage teacher and SENDCo. Throughout my professional career high expectations, diversity and inclusion have played a pivotal role in ensuring that all children are provided with the opportunity to develop to their full potential.
By allowing children to gain a sense of achievement as a direct result of their contributions and efforts, no matter how little or often they may choose to present them, inspires and motivates children to strive towards achieving their own successes. I believe that by presenting children with planned learning opportunities in contexts that they find relevant, fun and interesting; ensures the foundations are in place which allows children to become emotionally and socially secure within themselves.
Since starting at Orrets Meadow my son has thrived in an environment that takes the time to nurture and care for his individual needs. Creating the right emotional environment to support children's learning is vitally important when developing resilience and independence. It is the responsibility of all adults involved in this process to present a positive ethos when guiding and facilitating individual children through their formative years. Forming an integral part of this methodology is the understanding that all adults have a Duty of Care in the nurturing and education of children.
I am a class teacher at Orrets Meadow and currently teach in a class of year 4 pupils with a range of needs. During my PGCE, I mostly trained at SEN schools as this was my specialist subject area. I came to Orrets Meadow as an NQT seven years ago and have taught a range of year groups and abilities. The staff and children have supported and developed me as a teacher allowing me to flourish into the teacher that I am today. I am very grateful to be part of the Orrets Meadow family.
I have always been interested in working and supporting children with additional needs, especially through the medium of the Arts. During my degree, I taught drama in an SEN school also offering forms of Drama Therapy. I have also taught Drama in a PRU, bail hostel and women’s prison. After my degree I worked as a 1:1 teaching assistant for a boy with ASD before completing my PGCE.
I have been science subject leader for around five years and this year I will be working towards achieving the Science Quality Mark in school. I am really looking forward to the challenge.
Outside of work, I am a very proud Mother to a beautiful, curly haired little boy who keeps me very busy! Having a young child of my own has made me even more passionate about teaching my students and giving them the confidence to fulfil their potential.