Governors

The Governing Board is an essential leadership group within the federation and has three core functions:

• Ensuring there is clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the federation and its pupils and the performance management of staff.
• Overseeing the financial performance of the federation and making sure its money is well spent.

We have eleven governors on the board which meets once each half term and two committees, Finance and Resources, and Standards and Curriculum, which meet termly. In addition, governors come into school regularly to monitor the progress the schools are making to ensure that every child receives the best possible education.

Governors at Bursledon are ambitious for the federation and are committed to improving both educational and pastoral outcomes for everyone in our learning community to live out our vision:

To see God’s LOVE thrive in our Bursledon community: where no-one is lonely, isolated or unsupported; where we RESPECT diverse beliefs and we all speak well of each other; and where we all ASPIRE towards a fulfilling future of lifelong learning, built on strong relationships and hope. 

Click here to read our Governor Handbook. 

Our Governing Body

Mrs Hilary Bax   

Foundation Governor and Co-Chair of Governors 

Hilary has been closely associated with the schools since she moved to Bursledon in 1982. Her three sons attended the infant and junior schools between 1982 and 1995, where they flourished at the start of their learning journey. She has been a foundation governor for a number of years and is very involved in the life of the church in Bursledon, as well as being involved in many other aspects of village life. Hilary is also a NGA Federation champion - click here for more information. 

Appointed: 5th May 2009 

Committee: Finance and Resources, Pay, Policy, Standards and Curriculum

Rev John Pawson  

Foundation Governor and Vice Chair of Governors

John returned to Bursledon with his wife Helen, in July 2018 to take up the post of Vicar at St Leonards and St Paul’s churches. As a family they spent time in Bursledon between 2002 and early 2006 when John was serving in the parish as a trainee vicar (Curate). During this time their children attended Bursledon Infant and Junior schools, making lots of good friends and laying the foundations for future academic success. During the 12 years they were away from Bursledon John learned a lot as a Governor in a New Forest school and is looking forward to serving with the committed team that leads the Bursledon Federation.

Appointed: 26th July 2017

Committee: EHT Performance and Finance and Resources

Mr Jim Paine  

Local Authority Governor

 Jim has lived in the area for most of his life, growing up in Hedge End.  He previously served as an Elected Parent Governor at Kings Copse and Wildern schools between 2004 and 2013. 

After a 24 year career in the Royal Navy, working in the propulsion world of nuclear submarines, Jim moved into the power industry and took a sideways career step into occupational health and safety, supporting power stations across the UK and leading and delivering safety culture projects. His last role included supporting all facilities management operations in the UK from a safety point of view.

Jim believes strongly in team work and collaboration and brings a valuable set of leadership and management skills to the Governing Body

Appointed: 4th July 2023

Committee: Finance and Resources

Mrs Kerry Stamp 

Executive Headteacher 

Kerry joined the Federation in January 2021 having been a Headteacher and National Leader of Education for many years in different schools.  

Appointed: 4th January 2021

Committee: EHT Performance, Finance and Resources, Pay, Policy, Standards and Curriculum

Mrs Carly Mason 

Staff Governor

Carly is one of our newest members of the governor board and will be a teacher representative. She trained as a primary school teacher at the University of Chichester and has been fully qualified and teaching for 7 years. Carly has lead year groups within other schools and is currently the head of Year 2 at Bursledon Infant School. Whilst leading year groups Carly also has subject expertise in MTPs across the year groups and is currently leading Computing. Carly is keen to use her leaderships skills and subject knowledge to help contribute towards enhancing standards and curriculum within the Bursledon Federation with the aim of giving every child the opportunity to shine.

Appointed: 11th December 2023

Committee: Standards and Curriculum

Mrs Holly Radford  

Parent Governor

Holly was elected in 2021 and has a daughter who joined the school in 2020.  As an ex-teacher, Holly has a good understanding of issues relating to teaching and learning.  Holly is studying for a PhD in Psychology and volunteers as an Autism Ambassador for Autism Hampshire.  She has a keen interest in equality, diversity, inclusion.

Appointed: 16th December 2021

Committee: Standards and Curriculum

Mr Dan Button 

Co-Opted Governor     

Dan has had a career in the military for 24 years, where he has developed a broad skillset and experience. He hopes the leadership and management experience he has gained in the Royal Marines will benefit the Federation and team of governors.

Educated to postgraduate level in music education, he has a growing understanding of the education system. His employment in recent years has included leading a team through an Ofsted inspection, and he currently manages over 50 members of staff.

Married with two young children, Dan and his family feel very settled in Bursledon and hope to have a positive impact in the local community. 

Appointed: 21st November 2023

Committee: Finance and Resources, Pay

Mr Bailey Bradley 

Co-opted Governor 

Bailey was elected to the Board of Governors in 2024, bringing valuable expertise and a strong connection to the local community. Having lived in the area for several years, he knows it well and is committed to supporting local education. As an ICAEW Qualified Chartered Accountant, Bailey has extensive experience in financial management and strategic advisory. He currently works in management consultancy in London, where he applies his skills to help organisations navigate complex challenges. Bailey is dedicated to contributing his knowledge and insights to benefit the school and its pupils.

Appointed: 21st May 2024

Committee: Finance and Resources

Dr Alex Lambert  OBE 

Co-opted Governor and Co-Chair of Governors 

Alex has a daughter at the Infant School and joined as a Governor in Jan 2022. With a PhD and early career in scientific research, Alex has spent the last 20 years delivering public services in the central civil service. Recently responsible for setting up COVID infection testing in households and schools across the country, he is now part of the leadership team at the Office for National Statistics. Alex is keen to use his leadership, business management, HR and finance skills to support the school achieve its vision and aims. 

Appointed: 18th January 2022

Committee: EHT Performance and Finance and Resources

Mrs Charlotte Goodson  

Co-opted Governor

Charlotte attended both Bursledon Infant and Junior school and has lived in the local area all her life. Her eldest daughter is now in attendance at the Infant School. Charlotte has been qualified as a Solicitor for over 5 years and is currently practicing at a regional firm in Portsmouth.  She is keen to become involved with the school's ongoing development both as a parent and local member of community. 

Appointed: 18th January 2022 

Committee: Standards and Curriculum, Pay

Mrs Sharon Hopkins         

Co-opted Governor

Sharon is a mother and grandmother and lives in Bitterne. She taught in independent schools for several years before she joined the Civil Service as an officer, working there for 15 years. She is now retired, having spent the last five years of her working life as a registered childminder. She is particularly interested in children’s mental welfare, and the support of special educational needs. 

Appointed: 21st November 2023

Committee: Standards and Curriculum

Dr Ann Ashburn

Foundation Governor

Ann has lived in Bursledon for 43 years and her 2 daughters both attended Bursledon schools. Ann was a medical Doctor for 36 years and has now been retired for over a decade. She regularly attends the local churches and looks after the gardens there on Oak Road. Ann's interests include cycling, botany and learning Italian, she is also passionate about education and that is a life long experience. 

 Appointed: September 2024

Committee: Standards and Curriculum

Mrs Racheal Sodden

Parent Governor

Racheal is a fully qualified Procurement professional with over 20 years’ experience across Education and NHS sectors, the last 10 years has been spent as Head of Procurement at a special needs school.  Racheal has a daughter in the infant school and is keen to bring her professional skills and the valuable experience gained as a parent to the role.

Appointed: 

Committee: Standards and Curriculum

Clerk to Governors - Natalie Compton / Adriana Haggard

Appointed: 21st November 2023 / February 2024

Committee: EHT Performance, Finance and Resources, Pay, Policy

Please click here to read our Overview of Governance.    

If you would like more information regarding the roles of Governors please click this useful link DfE Governors information. 

If you would like to get in touch with the Chair of Governors Mrs Hilary Bax and Mr Alex Lambert - please contact either school reception and they will organise this for you. 

Governor interests and register 2024-2025

Attendance Register 2024-2025

Declarations 2024-2025

Committee Members