Stoke Minster Church of England Primary Academy

Carol Barber

Before becoming a LAC member, I taught in Stoke since 1988. I started at Boothen C.E.(VA) Primary School and transferred to Stoke Minster (then Bishop Stamer) when both schools amalgamated. Over the years, I have always found the school and community to be a friendly and welcoming place. I taught in this area for so long  that I often find that I know the parents of current pupils as I taught them as previous pupils in the past.
Prior to becoming a teacher, I studied for a degree in Pathobiology, with subsidiary Chemistry, at Reading University, staying in Reading to gain my Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). I then taught for 3 years in Hampshire before returning to my hometown.

During my teaching career, my main experience was teaching in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. I have had subject responsibility for Design Technology, Science and Maths and as a senior leader was responsible for many years for assessment and other aspects of teaching and learning. I became Assistant Head in 2008 and then Deputy Head in 2013. This has given me a special interest in maths, EYFS and assessment in the school.

Since retiring in August 2017, I have had more time to enjoy pastimes, such as, cooking, reading and exploring other countries on holiday. I also now find time to keep fit by walking and attending classes at the gym. Most of all, I like to catch up with friends and collegues for coffee or lunch. I love being a Local Academy Member, as Stoke Minster will always have a special place in my heart, and I will do my best to support the staff, children and parents of the school.

This year I became the Chair of the LAC for the first time, a role that I take very seriously. I am also one of the link LAC members for SEND.

David Morgan
I am married with 2 children and 4 grandchildren who are aged from 8 – 15.  I have been a Governor for 10 years and Chair of Governors for 7 of those years.  I was born in Stoke-on-Trent and apart from 3 years in Worcester have taught in either Stoke-on-Trent or Staffordshire.My teaching career began at Moorside High School and then I moved to Worcester where I taught French and Physical Education.  I returned to the area to become Head of French at Biddulph High School and moved on to a City High School to become Head of Modern Languages teaching French and German.
I wanted Sixth Form experience and  became Head of Modern Languages at an 11-18 High School in Stafford.  After 4 years I was appointed Deputy Headteacher at St John Fisher High School in Newcastle where I worked for 21 years as Head of Sixth Form and had responsibility for the curriculum and the timetable.  Upon retirement I became Head of Critical Thinking at Newcastle College for five years.  I was also responsible for the Gifted and Talented programme in the Newcastle area.
I am currently a member of the Diocesan Board of Education and am also on the Barchester Committee which deals with the property and financial aspects of the diocesan schools.
I have been and am a keen sportsperson, playing league cricket in the North Staffs and South Cheshire league for many years.  I also played local rugby and keep active by attending the gym regularly and playing golf.
At Stoke Minster, apart from being the vice chair-person, I am also  one of the link members for safeguarding. issues.

Qualifications
BA (French, Geography, History)
Certificate of Education (Qualified Teacher)
LLB (Bachelor of Law)
MIL (Member of Institute of Linguistics) (French) Institute of Linguistics Grade 2 (German)
Justice of the Peace 2005-2015

I really enjoy the challenge of working in such a delightful, friendly and caring school, in which all the staff are hard-working and very committed to the welfare of the children.

Rev.Bill Durose

 I was born in Abbey Hulton in 1954.  I moved to Stoke in 1978 and I still live there now with my wife of 41 years Carole.  I left school at 15 with no qualifications and I have always worked in the area.  I now work at Sainsbury's in Stoke town centre.  I have a foundation degree in Business Management and a degree in Theology.  I got both of these degrees very much later in my life, something I am very proud of.  I was ordained in 2013 and I am a member of the Stoke Minster ministry team. 

I have been a governor of the school for more than 30 years and my passion for the school is as high now as it was when I first became a Governor.  I have held various positions on the governing body, even a couple of spells as chair. Currently , I am one of the link LAC members responsible for SEND. 

Adele McKie

From an early age I knew that I wanted to be a teacher so I trained  and received a B Ed in 1984. My degree was in History and RE. I initially worked in Yorkshire at a large First School for three years  until getting married when I moved to  Stoke . I have been teaching at Stoke Minster C of E Primary School  ( formerly St Peters C of E Primary  and then Bishop Stamer )since 1988. I have seen many generations of the same families at the school over these years. I have always found Stoke to be a very friendly place and have enjoyed working here. 
During my teaching career, I have taught in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.  I have had subject responsibility for R.E, History and English.  I have been a Senior Leader for many years and as such I have had a responsibility for teaching and learning of other classes as well as my own. I am presently the Deputy Head and English Lead within school.
I became a School Governor in 2008. I have enjoyed working with so many committed people who genuinely care about the children in our school. The now LAC work with the Head teacher to ensure that the children at our school are happy and are making good progress. . 

Lynne Willis

Originally from Birmingham, I moved to Stoke-on-Trent to study back in 1983 and fell in love with the generous spirit of the people within our city. Needless to say, I stayed. I have worked in both Staffordshire and Stoke schools during my 26 year teaching career and have been a Headteacher now for 10 years.
I have been the Head of our school since 2008 and feel very privileged to work with such committed and excellent staff. I am completely committed to life-long-learning and in 2010 achieved one of my many goals by receiving my Masters in Educational Leadership, with a distinction, from Brian May (THE Brian May from Queen – it was amazing!) at Liverpool John Moores University. I still aim to reach my ultimate goal of achieving a PhD by the time I am 65 (only 13 more years to go so I must get a move on). 
I became a Christian when I was 24 and my faith remains hugely important to me which is why I chose to lead a Church of England School. I find the values of love, tolerance and respect for all are the driving force in both my personal and professional life. I appreciate that we are not perfect (I am far from it) but I believe we are here to form relationships, make connections and support each other to be the best that we can be. 
It is my hope that I am able to continue to serve the children and families of our community for a long time to come.

Usra Shah

I started working at Stoke Minster primary school in 2012-2014 as a volunteer for two years whilst doing my STLS level two and level three course in childcare. As a volunteer I enjoyed working with such amazing children and outstanding staff. I gained a tremendous amount of experience during my two years as and was proud of the achievements of the pupils of this school. 

I started working as a Inclusion Support Assistant in 2014 till date. During my 7 years at this school I have admired the school's driven force of love, tolerance and respect for all. I have seen the school grow in many ways and it has been a priveledge to a part of this change.   

As a parent of two children, one who has left but taken the values and teachings of the school with him to high school. The other child continues to grow in this school and  I know how important the value of a school - parent relationship is.  Bearing this in mind I joined the governing board in 2015 as a governing associate to gain a better insight of the school. The school has had many achievements as well as challenges, which we have faced and risen from. I believe we can continue to work hard as a school community to help the pupils of Stoke Minster the best way we can through teamwork of the LAC, staff and parents.

In 2018 I changed my role to parent LAC member and I am now the joint link governor for Pupil Premium.

Graham Hutton
I am married with 2 children and moved to Staffordshire in 2015.  I was brought up in south Manchester but have always loved South Cheshire/North Staffs as a region and decided after 30 years living in London that this is where I want to live.  I have been a Civil Servant and Management Consultant for the last 30 years.  I was a school governor at a large comprehensive school in Surrey for 8 years, 7 of which I was Chair of Finance.  I was also a co-opted member of Surrey Education Committee.

I am passionate about life-long learning and practice what I preach.  I believe that education and qualifications are the only sure way forward if you want to progress in life.  My MBA is from Cass Business School (1996) and I have other qualifications in Mediation (2013) and Mentoring of small businesses (2014). My wife is a teacher and one of my sons is also a teacher.

Because of my background one of my main interests in the school is the business aspects.  I am delighted to be supporting the school and am a participative LAC member so pupils, parents and staff can expect to see me at most of the school events, listening to children read, working with the School Business Manager and other staff as well as the other volunteer LAC members. This year, I have  taken on the link role for health and safety.

I would like to state how delighted I am to be part of this school.

Fiona Williams

I am married with three children and have lived in Stoke on Trent since 1978. I was born and brought up in Ireland (both North & South of the border). I obtained a B. A. Hons in Geography at Aberystwyth University in Wales and obtained a College Certificate in Biblical Studies alongside my PGCE, which covered both primary and secondary education.

My first job (of six months) was working on a research project at Keele University to produce educational materials on historical buildings located mainly in Shropshire. Then I got a job teaching Geography to 11-18 year old pupils at the Orme Girls School (now Newcastle under Lyme School) in Newcastle under Lyme and retired from there in December 2015, after just over 36 years of teaching. I also taught Religious Studies and had various roles of responsibility including Head of Year to pupils in both years 8 and 9, mentoring experience, as well as experience in conducting careers interviews with year 10/11 students. Also, for many years I coordinated the senior school’s annual prize giving.  I thoroughly enjoyed my years of teaching, especially sharing my passion for geography and being involved with young people. 

Since retiring I enjoy a variety of pastimes including walking, reading, craftwork and visiting new places (must be the geographer in me!). Also I volunteer twice a week at Harpfield Primary Academy where I listen to pupils in Reception and Year 3 read and where possible I accompany those classes on school trips if requested. I really enjoy the interaction with this age group and especially to be able to see these children blossom and flourish.

I am very pleased to be accepted as a LAC member at Stoke Minster Church of England Primary Academy as I wanted to become more involved in the local community and especially to be able to invest in the learning and development of children and young people. This year, I have taken on the joint link role of safeguarding.