Governor Pen Portraits
The Governing Body is part of the strategic leadership of school. They are here to support Leaders in creating the right school culture to ensure children who come to Newby Primary School become future leaders who are kind, confident and successful. They come from all walks of life.
Below is a brief Pen Portrait for our Governors so you get an idea of the broad cross-section of society represented on the board.
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Jackie Walters: Chair of Governors
My first experience of governing was as a parent governor at Newby Primary . Since then I have been a college and secondary school governor but most of my experience is in primary schools. As a National Leader of Governance I am sometimes asked by the Local Authority to support other governing bodies. I chair Newby governing body and am the link governor for Special Educational Needs and Disability.
I passionately believe that a good education is the right of all children and that families and schools together can support and encourage children to aim high and achieve their ambitions. I worked in education and children’s services before retiring, both in the UK and abroad.
I enjoy being out in the fresh air, walking, running, cycling, bird watching and coaching at my running club. I also enjoy learning poetry with my Mum, reading and singing in a choir. Most of all I like to spend time with my family, especially my grand-children.
- Ibrahim Bilal Maynard - Deputy Chair of Governors
I have been the community governor here at Newby Primary School for about 19 years as well as experience of being a governor in other schools. The role of the governors is to have responsibility for determining, monitoring and keeping under review the broad policies, plans and procedures within which the school operates. I acknowledge accepting office as a governor involves commitment, time and energy. My governor role is responsibility for oversight of the Pupil Premium and school policies.
I am committed to the importance of attendance as I believe that every school day counts. I do attend various courses and I’m prepared to update my knowledge for the best outcomes for the school. In 2019 through my voluntary/community role as Governor I received the Safeguarding Champion Award.
My career from work and training was in the Children’s Social Care Services, supporting young people in coping with life skills and helping teenagers into Education, Training and Employment, Personal Educational Plans and Pathway Plans. I am married with four children. My youngest has moved into upper school year 7 and this has certainly been a new challenge for us due to COVID. As a parent I believe we all have a role to play in our children’s teaching and learning as we should be all in it together. I believe it is important to spend quality time with your child in particular as a Dad, reading with them and watching TV game shows that are fun and have words or numbers, or question and answer shows that are educational.
I like poetry and reading. My favourite colour is red.
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Atif Khokar
Following a period as a local authority governor, I am now one of the co-opted governors at Newby Primary School.
I hope to bring my skills and knowledge to benefit the pupils and staff at Newby Primary School. I am a qualified Chartered Accountant with expertise in the audit of large FTSE100 corporate financial services business as well as expertise on compliance matters. I set up and built a newly formed Internal Audit department within the Insurance sector, which I now manage.
I believe that supporting and challenging the school as it continues its journey from a good school to becoming outstanding is an important role, one to be taken seriously. The pupils, staff and community deserve the best efforts of the governing body to ensure that children have the very best education. My passion for young people and for education mean that I will endeavour to secure the very best for the school community, the staff and most importantly, for the children.
- Riffat Nasser
I have worked in the area for over 8 years as a Bradford Trident employee. I have worked in the voluntary sector for approximately 18 years now on various public health, education and early intervention projects. One of my first voluntary positions was at a local community centre where I helped to run a homework club on weekends for local children who were experiencing multiple levels of deprivation including language barriers and isolation and therefore found it challenging to complete their work at home.
I currently work for Better Start Bradford, a ten-year programme which is all about giving local families and children the best start in life through a host of evidence-based projects. I am hopeful that many of our local children will benefit from the programme will go on to thrive and become happy and successful individuals in the future. I love making a difference to the lives of others, hence my interest in joining the governing body at Newby Primary School. The values of the school and governing body align nicely to my personal values and preferred way of working and I have always found both of them to be passionate, proactive and solution focussed.
I love reading non-fiction and have an interest in psychology, public health and early intervention. I believe that acquiring knowledge will help me to grow as an individual and in turn, I will be better placed to help others. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking and spending quality time with my family and friends
- Elvir Kesedzic
I started my role as a parent Governor in September 2016 and currently, one of my three children attend the school. The role as a governor is very rewarding and my contribution and responsibility ranges from achievement data, head teacher performance management and finance.
I strongly believe that we, (parents, community and school) are all responsible for providing a good education foundation with opportunity for all children to achieve their ambitions.
I have worked in education for the past two decades with interest and focus on technology, programming and maths. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) and IoT (Internet of Things) are two areas I enjoy researching and developing, with a focus on encouraging children of all ages to get involved and have fun and at the same time develop employable and future skills.
Spending time with my family and being part of my children’s development are challenging at times but very gratifying.
In my spare time, I enjoy playing football and travelling. I support Manchester City and also have strong support for Bradford City. My favourite colour is green.
We all have to play our part in education delivery and development, helping and supporting others as well as taking responsibility by creating bright futures for the younger generations to come.
- Elaine Palframan
I have been a governor at Newby for a number of years, initially as Staff Governor. When I retired I was invited to remain on the Governing Board as a community governor. I chair the Finance and Resources Committee of the Governing Board. As a former primary school teacher I have always had a strong interest in education. I am committed to ensuring that all children achieve their full educational potential whilst at the same time retaining their enjoyment, wonder and pleasure in the world around them.
Since retiring I work for two mornings a week with a volunteer group improving and maintaining our local park and also volunteer as a room interpreter in our local National Trust property. I enjoy walking with friends and regularly walk between 5 and 10 miles around the beautiful Bingley countryside and up in North Yorkshire. I really enjoy reading, particularly classical authors such as the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and Jane Austin. However, I also enjoy modern literature including crime novels and thrillers. I love spending time with my children and grandchildren.
- Shaista Haider
I was a parent governor for many years, with three children who had excellent and positive experiences at Newby. Now, I am a co-opted governor as my children have grown up and left Newby.
The reason I became a governor was to empower parents with a voice, thus narrowing the gap between the parents and the school. I believe that every child is able to achieve their very best academically and socially, with the encouragement and support of their parents and teachers.
I have worked as a primary schoolteacher for over 20 years and I am passionate about teaching and learning. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, knitting and spending time with my family and friends.
- Gareth Baterip
I was lucky enough to be appointed as Headteacher to the wonderful Newby Primary in April 2022. As the headteacher, I also become a Governor.
As a Governor, I work alongside a supportive yet challenging team of people who all have the same shared vision of strategically steering, creating and maintaining a great school for our children.
I am passionate about ensuring that every child is given the best possible opportunity in our school, be it academically, creatively, socially or emotionally. Therefore, the important role of Governance is to ensure that we are all accountable for our decisions and actions, ensuring financial security, research driven educational vision and rigorous monitoring and evaluation.
Away from school, I enjoy spending time with my family. I have two children (both at Primary School) so my evenings and weekends are often spent taking them from one after school club to the next. I enjoy learning new things and spending time outside. We enjoy walking as well as visiting Museums and Galleries.
- Janaid Khan - Parent Governor
I am a relatively new Governor - my Pen Portrait is on its way.
- Sobia Farooqi - Parent Governor
I am a relatively new Governor - my Pen Portrait is on its way.
- Sajid Shah- Parent Governor
I am a relatively new Governor - my Pen Portrait is on its way.