George Fairweather - member of Curriculum and Performance Committee

I have lived in Deanshanger for the past eight years and have one child currently in School and another due to enter in September 2018. I am married to a local lady who herself attended DPS.

Now in semi-retirement, I have had a lifelong involvement with agriculture and the countryside.

I have been a Fellow of both the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rural Division) and the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers. During my career in this field, I have been responsible for all aspects of land management, in particular, managing large rural estates and farms which involved (amongst other aspects) total responsibility for financial control and forward planning.

In addition to the above, I have also Chaired a Parish Council and been a Church Warden for many years

My last full time employment was in Compliance. This involved running a team of Inspectors to verify compliance of Animal Feed Manufacturers to a number of different Certifiable Standards, mainly in the UK but also in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

My mother was a teacher for many years. She and many others over the years instilled in me the joy and importance of learning.

Having already successfully put three children through their education, and another two to go, I feel I have the ability to help DPS achieve their goal of an Ofsted “Outstanding School”.

Pecuniary Interests  -  Parent of a child in school 

Current Term of Office   17th July 2017 - 16th July 2021

Chris Stevenson - member of Personnel Committee, Finance Committee (Vice Chair), Curriculum and Performance Committee membership (shared with George Fairweather for English Lead Gov Role)

I've lived in Deanshanger for the last 13 years, and have two children - one who is in Year 3 and the other that has left Deanshanger Primary School and is in Year 8 at EWS.

I have always been involved in supporting the local community - having previously been a DPS governor 8 years ago, a parish councillor and also work supporting my youngest sons Deanshanger Colts football team. 

Professionally, I spent many years working in high street retail across a number of management functions and have many years experience in personnel management, change and project management, operations and online work.  I am currently the UK e-Commerce Operations Manager for a global electrical retailer.

With my work supporting DPS, my wife's role as chair of the PTA and the many years of barbecuing at various school fetes; it goes without saying that I am completely committed to ensuring that the children and staff of DPS have the best possible opportunities."

Pecuniary Interests - Parent of a child in school, wife member of staff/PTA.

Current Term of Office: 4th December 2018 - 3rd December 2022

David Aaronson  -  Chair of Governors, Committee Membership: Chair - Personnel Committee,  member of Curriculum and Performance Committee

I have been a Governor for nearly 30 years and my reasons were so I could help support the school in the work it does in providing positive experiences for all the children regardless of ability, to see that we became a transforming force in the wider community and ensure that we delivered the best educational opportunities we could.  Before retirement, I worked in the field of Special Education with Adults with Learning Disabilities and as a SEN link governor, this has enabled me to support the school in this very important area.

I was a District and Parish Councillor up until 2014 and this allowed me to build up links between the School and wider community,  as well as accessing support and funding from outside agencies. 

Pecuniary Interest –None             
Current Term of Office  1st September 2015 - 31st August 2019

Michelle Fernandez - Joint Vice Chair of Governors, Committee Membership:  Chair of Finance Committee, member of Personnel Committee (Pay and Performance Committee)

I am a Senior Finance Manager for Mercedes Benz Financial Services and have worked in finance for over 20 years, with many large blue chip companies. I bring extensive all-round financial skills to the governing body, including budgetary, financial accounting, control, procurement and analysis. Along with this I also have many years of management experience, to include coaching, training and performance management. Having started my accounting career in the public sector I understand how budgets are managed, reported and recorded.  

Pecuniary Interest - Parent of a child in school         
Current Term of Office   31st August 2015 -  30th August 2019

Andy Limbert - Committee Membership:  Chair of Curriculum Committee, Vice Chair Personnel Committee

I am a retired hotelier with over 40 years of experience running large hotels, both in this country and overseas.

Having lived in the village for more than 30 years, I have always taken an interest in both the primary and secondary schools. In their youth, both of my grown-up children attended the schools and benefitted from the excellent education which they received.

When running hotels I have been active within schools in a number of areas, having worked with education establishments as a careers advisor, mentor and other supporting roles.

I truly believe in the importance of a sound education and I hope I will bring to the team at the school, the knowledge and experience which I gained from the variety of roles which I have held in industry.

For many years I have been active within the village community, serving as a Parish Councillor, and together with my wife, we started and ran the Deanshanger Feast for over 16 years.

I am looking forward to furthering my involvement in the community, by supporting and working with the team at the school. 

Pecuniary Interest -  None
Current Term of Office   17th July 2017 - 16th July 2021      

Nyree McKenzie - member of Curriculum and Performance Committee, Finance Committee

I am a proud mum of two teenage children. I have lived locally, in the Milton Keynes area, since I was five years old.

In 2009, I was employed by Northampton County Council as a Learning Support Assistant in Foundation Stage at Deanshanger Primary School. Whilst working within the Early Years Team, I trained on the job and attended Northampton University, to gain my Early Years Teacher Status qualification in July 2016.

I realised the importance of an educator and acknowledged that the EYFS framework has the foundations of each child’s lifelong learning experiences. It is these foundations that I want to build upon, with Parents, Governors, Staff and the Local Community, as partners. I am both excited and delighted to be a new member of the Governing body and to experience this journey with you all.

Becoming a member of the Governing body will add a new dimension to my role. I am hoping it will give me further opportunities for me to make a difference and help to move our school forward. I enjoy and thrive on the challenge that comes with every aspect of school life and am passionate about high quality education for each and every child to reach their potential. I would like to contribute to providing an outstanding education where children are motivated and inspired to achieve in a creative and caring school. I am also keen to ensure this school is a safe, secure and happy environment for staff and pupils alike.

Pecuniary Interest – FS Teacher
Current Term of Office   13th September 2018 - 12th September 2022

Peter Nickoll - Committee Membership: Vice Chair Curriculum and Performance

I have had 47 years experience working in and supporting primary schools across the country.  I began my teaching career in Kent in 1971, moved for promotion to Buckinghamshire and finally to Northamptonshire. 

I was headteacher of a primary school in Buckinghamshire 1984-1990 and at Deanshanger Primary School between 1990 – 1997.  In 1997, I was appointed General Education Inspector and Adviser.  During my time as an inspector I undertook over 40 OFSTED Inspections leading 20 of them.

In 2005, I was appointed Principal Adviser for Primary Education in Northamptonshire and was responsible for the quality of and standards in Northamptonshire Primary Schools.

In 2008, I resigned from the Council and worked for myself as an Independent Consultant providing advice and support to over 45 primary schools. 

I finally retired in 2018 but wish to share my knowledge and expertise by offering advice and support to the headteacher and governors of Deanshanger Primary School. 

Pecuniary Interest: None

Current Term of Office: 01/04/2019 - 31/3/2023

Rachel Rice - Committee Membership: All Committees

As Head teacher I feel privileged to work in such a vibrant and community focused school. We are well supported by all stakeholders, have a very active PTA, parents that show a huge interest their child’s education and very importantly, happy and polite children that come to school eager to learn – the recipe for learning success. I am also very fortunate to work alongside a committed team of governors that constantly challenges us as critical friends whilst supporting our forward direction. We work strategically to ensure that our School Improvement Plan is acted upon in a timely manner and that all other advice is reflected upon to ensure our school is constantly moving towards being outstanding in the widest sense. 

Pecuniary Interest - Employee
Current Term of Office started –  31st August 2014

DPS Governing Body Meeting Schedule: FGB and Committee Meeting Dates, September 2018 – September 2019

Agreed FGB 13/9/2018