Florence Melly Community Primary School
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Meet our Governing Body – Our Governor Pen Portraits

Janet Matthews – Chair of Governors

My name is Janet and I am the Chair of Governors. I attended Florence Melly myself and after my eldest daughter and son had been in the school a few years a vacancy became available on the governor body and I applied to become a parent governor in 2014. I really enjoyed being a governor and when my parent governor term came to an end, with the backing of the full governing body, I became a co-opted governor in 2018. After receiving a lot of help and support when Ben (who has significant special educational needs) started in the Nursery, I really wanted to be able to help the school move forward and support and challenge the staff. I have a particular interest in Safeguarding and SEND, I am an active member of PATCH and I really enjoy volunteering in the school library. I am married to David, who is a chef in Alder Hey and we have 3 children…Ava who has now moved to secondary school, Ben in Year 6 and Chloe in Year 5.

Angela Wilson – Parent Governor/Vice Chair of Governors

My name is Angela Wilson Gotham and I am Vice Chair of the Governors and also a parent governor. I became a governor to hopefully play an active role in our fantastic school which I also attended as a child too. I hope that my professional skills (I work for a nuclear regulator) and desire to collaborate with others makes me a good choice for this role.

Aaron Leach – Headteacher

My name is Aaron Leach and I am the proud Headteacher of Florence Melly Community Primary School. I live in West Kirby with my partner and two wonderful children, Seren and Hari. I have worked in our school for twelve years and really feel part of this community. I initially came to the school as a student teacher and was lucky to secure a teaching post in Year 5 a couple of years later. Since then I have held multiple positions, progressing to finally leading this amazing school, realising a a long-term DREAM of mine! I have experience of teaching across the phases from EYFS to upper Key Stage 2 and have worked in requires improvement, good and outstanding schools. I am also a Governor at West Kirby Primary School where my son attends and at another local primary school in North Liverpool.

Roxanne Brookes – Parent Governor

My name is Roxanne and I have a daughter currently at Florence Melly – Mollie in Year 4. I also have a son called Jake, and a daughter called Poppy, who also attended Florence Melly and thoroughly enjoyed their time in the school. I work as a secondary school teacher and thought I may be a good addition to the governing body with already working within education. I became a parent governor a couple of years back to take a more active role in my children’s education. After seeing all the hard work that goes into educating our children and how dedicated the staff are, I am confident that Florence Melly offers all children the best possible start in education. The Florence Melly community goes above and beyond any expectations and ensure the pupils always get the best deal possible. My family and I love Florence Melly and thoroughly enjoy all of the brilliant events, activities and opportunities that our school provides for the children.

Carl Gilbertson – Co-opted Governor

My name is Carl Gilbertson and I am a Co-opted Governor at Florence Melly Community Primary School, with specific responsibility for Pupil Premium. I have fifteen years experience as a Governor and was co-opted onto our board in 2017. I am also a Governor at Wellesbourne Primary School, Archbishop Beck Catholic College and St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School in Liverpool City Centre, where I myself attended. Professionally I hold a number of directorships, most notably I am the Managing Director of MGL, the leading provider of IT support to schools across the North West. I am a qualified accountant and have been previously awarded Merseyside’s Business person of the Year. I am a fellow of the National Association of Digital Citizens (NADC) and have undertaken a number of speaking engagements on behalf of the National Education Science and Technology Agency (NESTA). I am also an ambassador for the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Away from business and education, I have been a season ticket holder at Anfield for 35 years.

Stuart Davies – Co-opted Governor

My name is Stu, co-opted onto Florence Melly’s board in 2021 and I am also a Parent Trustee at West Derby High School. I am married to Alisha, and we have 4 children; Libby and Thomas are both Florence Melly graduates and flourishing in secondary education. Elsa currently attends Florence Melly and Ayda will be starting Florence Melly nursery in 2023. Professionally I have over 17 years’ experience in financial services. I have extensive relationship management experience dealing with businesses of all sizes and stages of growth. In my current role I work in a team that provides non-financial business support for small to medium sized enterprises nationally. I expressed an interest in becoming a governor as I am keen to build a stronger understanding of the education system and build a deeper relationship with the school whilst adding as much value to the school and the wider community as possible.

James Kilburn – Co-opted Governor

Hello, my name is James Kilburn and I am a co-opted Governor at Florence Melly. I am also a Governor at another two schools within Liverpool, an Academy High School, as a co-opted Governor, and a Catholic Infant school where I am Chair of Governors and Local Authority representative. I work within education, as a Senior Leader, with responsibility for Safeguarding, Attendance, Behaviour and Extended Services. I feel my everyday experience, and that of being a Governor within other schools for over 8 years brings knowledge, understanding and challenge to ensure our children at Florence Melly receive the education and experiences they deserve. I am the safeguarding link Governor at Florence Melly. 

Michaela Wright – Co-opted Governor

My name is Michaela and I have two grown up daughters; Hannah is 28 Years old and works and lives in New Zealand. Evie is currently studying Human Geography at Kingston University in London. Cooking and sharing family time is what we love to do. I am an experienced practitioner with 28 years of working with children and families. I have worked as a Parent Support Advisor with Local Authority Extended Services with families and children from diverse communities, delivering parenting courses in schools and children centres. I created various projects for Liverpool Schools including Cyber Safety, Keep Fit, Healthy Cooking and Fuel for Learning Breakfast Workshops. On leaving school I originally trained as a Chef at catering college and worked in the hospitality industry for 12 Years. Good food and nutrition has always been at the heart of my passions. Changing direction in my career and returned to studying in 1993 towards teaching children and families in education and lecturing in Child Health & Development. In 2015 I realised my dream and started my small business Apple of my Eye Food Education Company. I am passionate about giving children lots of different types of opportunities to succeed and learn new skills in school and the wider community. Being part of the Florence Melly family is a great opportunity to be part of a school with dedicated staff where the children who attend have a wide variety of learning experiences and a governing body that seeks the best outcome for every child.

Peter Evans – Co-opted Governor

My name is Peter, I have two daughters, one of whom attends Florence Melly currently and the hope is my youngest will follow in her sisters footsteps. I am married to Jen who works in primary education and I have worked in a secondary education for nearly twenty three years. During that time I have experienced much in the sector and hope that some of my experience can be of benefit to the Florence Melly family. I understand the importance of being a member of a school Governing body and know that pupils, parents, staff and all members of the Florence Melly family strive to do the best and be the best and my sincerest desire is to help contribute to this. My belief is that schools make a community, and that every child who attends school should be given the best opportunities and learning experiences possible to ensure they are equipped to make the best choices in life and succeed in whatever area their hearts take them. Florence Melly was the obvious choice for my girls as I believe this is what the school does best – and has done for many years. My daughter is the third generation of my family to attend the school and I know I will not be alone here when saying that as Florence Melly means so much to so many people.

Hannah Earle – Co-Opted Governor 

My name is Hannah and I am really excited to be a Co-Opted Governor at Florence Melly. I am proud to have been born and bred in Liverpool and love our city. I am currently a Year 3 teacher and Maths Lead at a local school, Broad Square Primary, where I have worked now for 10 years. When I’m not in the classroom, I love reading and running (not at the same time!) and I also love watching films. I am very passionate about all pupils receiving the education they deserve, and I absolutely love my job, I feel very privileged to work with wonderful children and their families every single day. My favourite subjects to teach are Maths, Art and Music (I actually have a Music degree!) and I believe in making every lesson enjoyable and accessible for all. I fully believe in the Florence Melly philosophy of DREAMS and hope my experience and passion will add value to the Governing Body.  

Rose Findell – Staff Governor

My name is Rose Findell. I am the Staff Governor and SENCo. I live with my two sons and our two cats. I’m passionate about tennis: watching and playing and I love walking, especially in the countryside. I’m a practising Christian and a Coeliac. I believe life is very precious and I love to laugh and make the most out of every day. I’ve been at Florence Melly nearly 21 years now and it’s definitely my second family.

Christina O’Keefe – Associate Member/Deputy Headteacher 

My name is Christina O’Keefe and I am Deputy Headteacher and SENCo at Florence Melly. I moved here 18 months ago from St Vincent’s, where I had worked for 13 years. I live with my husband and our two adopted children. My specialism is SEND and I am working hard to make our fantastic school as inclusive as possible. I love reading and I’m dedicated to ensuring that all of our pupils learn not only to read…but to love reading too! I grew up and went to school locally so I strive to be a role model for our pupils, showing that DREAMS really can come true.   

Nikki Bear – Associate Member/Assistant Headteacher

My name is Nikki Bear and I have been part of the Flo Melly family for 12 years. I began this journey as an NQT and now I am an Assistant Headteacher for the Quality of Education. I have raised standards in all year groups I have worked in, promoting high expectations and bringing innovative ideas to the classroom. I am very passionate about providing our pupils with high quality teaching, allowing them to gain essential skills as well as memorable experiences, that will help shape their future. My aim as an Assistant Headteacher is to empower our pupils to dream big, flourish and to reach their full potential.

Elaine Dobinson-Evans – Clerk to the Governing Body