Governance

I have been an associate member of our governing body for three years now and, as a staff member too, I have a particular interest in our school curriculum. I lead English at Talavera and am particularly dedicated to ensuring all students in our care leave with the ability to engage in reading books for pleasure and have the confidence to write creatively.  In my role as Assistant Headteacher, I work across the collaboration to support the delivery of the curriculum and ensure best practice is shared amongst our whole team.  As well as a passion for English as a subject, I am invested in our pupil’s attainment, progress and wellbeing in all subjects and therefore strive to ensure our entire curriculum and its delivery is the best it can be.

I first started teaching in 2003 in south London where I gained a strong understanding of teaching and learning as an Advanced Skills Teacher alongside completing a Master's in teaching. These experiences and skills created a platform for leadership, where I have shaped curriculum, cultures and schools.  I have further completed an NPQEH which has supported the growth of our collaboration. I am passionate about our children in Aldershot and ensuring that we provide the best opportunities possible, thus ensuring we improve life chances of our children. 

It is a privilege to be a headteacher for our children. 

My name is Cher and I am so happy to have joined the governing body as Parent Governor. I am married with two children, one of whom attended Talavera Junior School and one who still attends. I want to support the governing body in continuing to ensure every child is happy and learning to the best of their ability whilst at school; I also want to help ensure that the head teacher and all staff members feel fully supported so they can maintain their hard work and commitment to the school. I am a strong believer in school–parent partnerships and believe that communication between parents and the school is key to helping children achieve their full potential.

Aside to this, in my day-to-day work, I work as an office manager in the civil engineering industry for utilities, which has given me great experience in leadership, communication and relationship building amongst other things - skills that I hope will help benefit the staff and children moving forward.

I have been a dedicated school governor for the past 20 years, bringing a wealth of experience from various sectors. As a former Army member (REME), I developed strong leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork skills that I now apply to my role in education governance.

Beyond my military service, I am a qualified teacher, giving me first-hand insight into the challenges and opportunities within education. I have previously been a single parent with two children so I understand the challenges that come with the school system. I understand the importance of ensuring schools provide a supportive and high-quality learning environment for all students.

Since the 1990s, I have been a local business owner, contributing to the economic and social development of our community. My role as a Guildford Borough Councillor further strengthens my commitment to public service, enabling me to advocate for policies that benefit education and local families.

Through my combined experiences, I strive to support our school in delivering the best outcomes for students, staff, and the wider community.

Born in East Timor with a multicultural background of Portuguese and Chinese, I grew up in Perth, Western Australia. I attended Iona Ladies Presentation College where I honed my love of hockey and languages before pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy (OT) at Curtin University of Technology. As a newly-qualified therapist, I worked as a Rural Paediatric OT working within the community and alongside pre-primary school teachers. This early role established a firm belief that good health was more than good healthcare. Many social determinants of health (and wellbeing) fall within the wider community and outside a standard health care setting.

Education can play an important role in influencing the overall health of our pupils. Being a school governor provides an opportunity by which I can lend my knowledge in helping to support the teachers and students at Talavera Junior School.

My name is Gemma Rutter and I am a parent governor. My children are in years 3 and 5 at Wellington Community Primary School and I have lived in Aldershot for 11 years. I am happy to have recently joined the Board of Governors for the newly-formed Bold Futures Federation.

I am a youth and community worker by profession and currently work for the Army Welfare Service. My particular areas of interest are inclusion and wellbeing, and ensuring that all children have the opportunity to thrive and achieve more that they thought possible. I care deeply about making sure that services for children, young people and families are of a high quality. I have recently joined the Personnel, Safeguarding, and Wellbeing and Curriculum and Standards committees.

I am in my third year of teaching at Talavera Junior School and lead both EAL and geography. Leading EAL at Talavera has allowed me to contribute towards creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all pupils, something I feel passionately about. Our school is full of different cultures and experiences and it is a privilege to work here and be a part of sharing these. As a staff governor, I will be able to represent the views of staff across the Bold Futures Federation; this will help to shape a positive working environment for everyone. Having already worked across the federation as a tutor, developing EAL and developing geography, I have created relationships that I am excited to strengthen further in my role as staff governor to ensure that, as a federation, we continue to make positive and long-lasting change for our children.

My name is Jon Farish and I have the pleasure of being appointed as a Local Authority Governor with Bold Futures Federation. A soldier with two decades of experience, I have been serving in the Aldershot area for the last five years; all three of my children have attended Talavera Juniors - so I am very aware of the value of the co-curricular and pastoral components that the school offer. A qualified engineer, having attended Greenwich University, I am a huge advocate of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics within the curriculum, and believe in their value in enhancing life skills.

I have previous experience as a parent governor and on the board of a school trust, which has allowed me to experience numerous school strategies - particularly with special educational needs and dealing with ever increasing pupil numbers. I hope my experience will be useful to the school and I look forward to helping wherever I can.

I have been a teacher at Talavera for 9 years. Alongside being head of Year 4, I am also the Science and Computing lead at the school. It is a great joy to work at Talavera and to be immersed in the different cultures and experiences of our children. Becoming a staff governor for me is about being able to provide a stronger link between the school and governors so they can fully understand and celebrate its achievements. It has been a privilege to be a voice for the school and use my years of teaching experiences to help shape the future of our school.  

I work in local government after a stint in the civil service working for the Department of Business and Trade. I currently work locally, supporting projects and initiatives related to business support, skills and employment, arts and culture and town centres.

I am a co-opted governor and served for a number of years on the Governing Board of the Federation of Wellington Community Primary School and Marlborough Infant School. I have one child currently at Wellington School with another now in secondary school after many happy years at Wellington. I am the Safeguarding Lead across the three schools ensuring oversight and scrutiny of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice. I am a member of the Personnel, Safeguarding and Wellbeing Committee and the Pay Panel.

I am a school governor and the Chair of the Resources Committee. A serving member of the Army, I initially joined the Royal Signals as a soldier before transferring to the Royal Army Physical Training Corps and later commissioning as an officer. With previous experience leading on physical training, course design, research, governance and assurance, as well undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in psychology, I bring a wealth of knowledge to the committee.

I am married to Dawn and have two grown-up children that have each been through the education system from infants through to university. As a forces family, we have experienced first-hand the challenges and constant adjustment of having to move frequently. We have lived within the Aldershot area on and off for 12 years, and both children attended local junior schools. With a lived experience of the local area and children having gone through the education system, I am keen to ensure the school continues to provide high standards of education and the wellness and support to achieve success for all pupils and staff.

My hobbies include swimming, water polo, kayaking and hillwalking; I have two dogs and a tortoise named Basil.

My name is Maria McClure and I am a former teacher and educational manager with a clear knowledge of the requirements necessary to run a successful school, particularly related to teaching, learning and safeguarding. I have been a governor at Talavera for 8 years and I am particularly involved in the Special Educational Needs provided by the School.

In addition, I am Vice Chair of the Board of Governors and Chair of the Curriculum Committee. I visit the classes regularly to observe the children at work and I am always impressed with the commitment of the teachers, the Learning Support Assistants and the pupils themselves. I totally agree with Talavera’s motto that “every learning minute counts” as it instils into the children the importance of focus and commitment which is something that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.

It is clear that the children believe this and they are always proud to evidence it when the governors visit. It is a privilege to be a member of the Board of Governors for Bold Futures and I wish them well in their efforts to maintain excellence.

Living locally for over 40 years, I am the retired Managing Director of an international management consultancy and therefore able to dedicate some of my newly-found spare time to benefit our young people in our community. After retiring in 2017, I joined the Alderwood Through School Governing Board. During my time on the board, I have been actively involved with most governance areas, particularly school management & leadership, leisure facilities management, governor training, and pupil careers.

Coincidentally, in 2017, I was also co-opted onto the governing board at Marlborough Infants School where I undertook various roles during the subsequent federation period with Wellington Community Primary School. In 2022, I was appointed Chair of the federation Governing Board.

Following the highly successful period of collaboration with Talavera Junior School which commenced in 2023, I fully supported the move to form the Bold Futures Federation in December 2024 where I was appointed Joint Vice Chair of the Governing Board. I believe children in our wonderfully diverse community deserve the best educational experience that can be provided, and I have great faith in the ability of all members of our governing board to provide what is required to support all our dedicated school staff colleagues to that end.

I have now been a co-opted governor for a year and sit on the Personnel, Well-being and Safeguarding committee of our new Bold Futures Federation governing board. I am committed to our children's future and believe it is paramount that we improve educational outcomes for them, whilst also creating a safe and purposeful learning environment. I am particularly keen to ensure that all children are safeguarded and have high ambitions, whatever their background, special educational needs, or disabilities, for their futures. Most importantly, I am passionate in supporting schools to foster a love of learning so that all children are learners and the best days lay ahead of them. I am extremely enthusiastic to now support the federation on its journey, as a governor. 

Some of the community may also recognise me as a current Year 6 teacher at Wellington and I am also Key Stage 2 English lead and the Art & Design lead at Marlborough and Wellington. I have been teaching for 10 years and have experience working across the primary age range at schools in both Hampshire and Surrey. I have led a variety of areas and subjects such as Assessment, RE and Design & Technology.

I have 16 years of experience in the British Army and currently serving within Aldershot Garrison for the last six years. My daughter attends Talavera Junior and enjoys going to school. As a serving parent, I understand the nuanced issues a military community often face.

I have been a Parent Governor at Talavera Junior for over a year. I thoroughly enjoy the responsibility and the amount of knowledge I have gained is immense. Contributing to strategic discussions which determine a wide range of topics such as school priorities and targets, Special Educational Needs, curriculum, budget and staffing structure. As a parent governor, I have grown a passion for education and a commitment to furthering the life chances of all the children.

As a member of the community and a parent, I hope my experience will benefit the school and I will continue to contribute to the work of the governing board in ensuring high standards of achievement for all children in the school.

I have been a co-opted governor at Wellington and Marlborough since February 2024. I have strong links to Rushmoor, having lived in Aldershot and North Camp my whole life.

I have a teaching background and currently work as lecturer for a university teaching on International Initial Teacher Training programmes whilst studying for a PhD in Education and Social Justice. I also work with a local college developing their teacher training programmes.

I am one of the EAL and Inclusion Governors and a member of the Curriculum and Standards committee.

I am an experienced communications specialist with strong commercial awareness and an understanding of communication in diverse cultures working as an assistant director of engagement within the NHS. I enjoy working as part of a team, while also being a strong team leader who produces results under pressure. I have excellent written and verbal communications skills across multiple media, and a proven record of influencing and innovative thinking. I’m a self-motivated, driven individual with the ability to form and maintain strong cross-functional partnerships and deal discreetly and effectively with sensitive issues. 

I joined the Talavera Junior School Governing Body as I wanted to give back for the exceptional learning they were giving my daughter. I absolutely love my school days – seeing the learning in action and the passion that the whole staff group has to making every learning minute count for pupils is inspiring. This school has an exceptional leadership team, dedicated staff and simply wonderful pupils and I am proud to be part of the Bold Futures Federation governing body.