Governors

Firstly I was lucky to be a pupil at this wonderful school and look back at my time here with fond memories! I am a full time mum to my two wonderful boys, one who is a pupil at Reid Street.&nbsp;&nbsp;Myself and my son are registered as severely site impaired so I have a lot of experience with understanding disabilities and the challenges that come with accessing mainstream education as someone with a sensory impairment.

I was registered blind at birth and have recently experienced additional site loss which has been a challenge but I have also recently been lucky enough to welcome my lovely Guide Dog Yarren into the family home where I live with my husband and children; he is a wonderful addition and a family pet as well as my mobility aid! I am extremely passionate about pupils with disabilities accessing the same opportunities as their fellow pupils without impairments! My goal as a visually impaired parent to my visually impaired son is to show him he can achieve whatever he wants regardless of his impairment. I strive to be a good blind role model for my son using mobility aids and other adaptations to normalise his impairment and be confident in his disability! As a family we like to enjoy days out, long walks with the dog and just generally spending quality time together, We are always up to something exciting as a family! I am also an avid audiobook listener and also have an interest in anything arts and crafts - I always have a bit of embroidery on the go or a craft project to keep me busy!&nbsp;

Hi My name is Morvyn Sanderson, I am a long time governor and parent of Reid Street with my youngest now in Year 3. As a parent to 5 children I have experienced 4 rounds of reception to year 6 and have always been really impressed with our staff's commitment and passion.

They are really committed to the children and the school, bringing lots more to their lives than just Maths and English. I love that we have a school that embraces art, dance, singing, sport and enterprise - all our children have different gifts and talents, so it’s great that we have a school that understands that and enables our children to be proud of who they are. I have just qualified as a social worker. This means I work with children whose family needs support. I think this helps me with recognising the issues lots of families face and the way that schools can play a part in making life better for them. It’s great that Reid Street is really proactive in supporting its pupils. My husband is a teacher so I hear all about school life from every perspective and I hope I bring an understanding of what makes a good school community. Feel free to say hello when you see me around at school.

I’m Carol Saunders and a long serving, very proud member of the Governing Body at Reid Street Primary.&nbsp;

I have served Reid Street as Chair for many years and was instrumental in taking Reid Street into a Single Academy Primary School Trust.&nbsp;My current role is Vice-Chair of which I am very privileged to hold.&nbsp;

My working life has been in Education and have worked in one of the top secondary schools in the country. My aim as a Governor has always been to try and provide the best start in life and hopefully for the children to aspire into whatever future they wish to venture into.&nbsp;

I am a very keen sports woman having biked: the Coast to Coast, Edinburgh 100km during the night for Womens’ Cancer and currently Route 66 Virtual 2278 miles during lockdown. My biking nickname is 'The Legend' as my rides usually give me this for the person who has ridden a route the most times. I have a very active life outside Reid Street enjoying strength training and gym work. I am also a community champion litter picker for the local area as well as Darlington.&nbsp; I am married and have a grown up son who was once a pupil at Reid Street and has successfully achieved in life academically, spiritually and morally, just some of the values that are part of the life at Reid Street which make it a very successful school

I have been a Governor at Reid Street since 1992. It has changed in many ways since then, but it has always been a wonderful school. A fun fact about me ..... in 1986 I went to Kailahun, in Sierra Leone, West Africa to teach in a secondary school. I worked there for 2 years. I taught Mathematics and Chemistry. I learned to speak Krio. I relax by spending time gardening. When I have time, I love to read.

Hello! I’m Stephen Harker. I grew up in Stokesley, just 20 miles away from Darlington. &nbsp; I moved to Darlington in 1990 because of a new job – writing and designing software for British Railways. I continued with the same work for 30 years. For a long time I worked in Stooperdale Offices on Brinkburn Road.

I love spending time with my husband and our son and daughter. We like exploring Northumberland and finding new places to take our caravan. We love holidays in sunny climates too&nbsp;.

Hi I'm Emma Millington. I'm a new parent governor and very excited about my role.&nbsp;

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Look inside to find out more about the governors of        Reid Street Primary School.

Hello, I am Karina Dare and I have been a Governor at Reid Street since 2018 - originally as a parent and more recently as a Member Appointed Governor.

My sons both attended Reid Street before moving on to Hummersknott Academy. They both loved their time at Reid Street. They made the most of all the opportunities including joining in with The Pie Challenge, taking part in running for Children’s Cancer Run and learning to play brass instruments which they both continued.

I grew up in New Zealand and studied History at University. After a variety of jobs including working in local government as an archivist I moved into the health and disability sector and I have worked in healthcare for almost 30 years. I moved to the UK in 2001 where I met my husband and settled in Darlington. I currently work for NHS Property Services. I work with NHS organisations developing and delivering strategies to build or sell healthcare buildings. My favourite ways to let off steam are karate and tai chi. When I get the chance, I love to get out on the water especially canoeing and kayaking.

My name is Kris Garthwaite and I joined Reid Street as a governor in June 2021. I have a son and daughter at the school and was prompted to look to join as a governor on the back of the incredible support we got from the school during the COVID-19 pandemic. In what was a fraught situation for all involved, the support that both I and the kids received during the first wave was something I'll always appreciate and brought home to me how caring a school Reid Street is.

I've worked in the NHS for 11 years after progressing through their Graduate Trainee Scheme and qualifying as a chartered management accountant. I've worked at various NHS organisations in the region before settling at Co. Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust - who run Darlington Memorial Hospital - since 2014 and have been in a senior management position since 2016. I'm looking forward to applying the skills I've learned in these roles with the school. Outside of work I'm (unfortunately) a big Newcastle United fan and I try to keep an active lifestyle. We have recently got a puppy who will definitely help on the active lifestyle front!

Hi My name is Trevor Alley.&nbsp; I am SO proud to be Chair of Governors at Reid Street Primary School!

My last full time post was CEO at South West Durham training, where I led the recovery from an Ofsted judgement of requiring improvement to 'Outstanding' in 2 years. I have served for 15 years as an Additional inspector with Ofsted (in the FE sector).

I have been a governor at the school, on and off, for 20 years. I started as a parent governor when my son and daughter were lucky to be children at this amazing school. Both of them have made excellent academic progress, I believe, because of the (also excellent) start that they had as pupils at Reid Street. I try to spend as much time as I can assisting with the teaching of Maths, usually with Year 6 learners, and I really enjoy this!

My background has been in Further Education and training. After graduating as a mechanical Engineer (following an excellent apprenticeship), I had over forty years of experience in lecturing and managing in colleges of further education, firstly in Swindon, where I grew up, and later in Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Darlington.&nbsp;

Outside of work, I have been happily married for over 35 years and have 2 children&nbsp; who make me proud every day! We have a white (crazy) German Shepherd dog called Skittle (who may have barked at you if you pass our house in Greenbank Road) and we love taking her out for walks. I am a very keen cyclist and try to get out for a few miles each day and when the weather is good I enjoy riding my Kawasaki motorcycle. I played rugby to a good standard and now enjoy refereeing (when I’m allowed to!)

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