Barrow Hall Primary School

Chris Forrest – Chair of Governors, Safeguarding Governor
Type of Governor: Co-opted
Date appointed: 15th March 2010
Appointed by: Governing Body
Term of office end: 13th October 2026

Chris joined the Governing Body as a Parent Governor in March 2010, becoming Vice Chair in September 2012 and Chair in 2014 . He has lived in Whittle Hall for more than 18 years and has two daughters, both at Great Sankey High School. Chris is a fair weather cyclist and enjoys supporting the school in any way he can.

Michael Clews
Type of Governor: Co-opted
Date appointed: 14th October 2014
Appointed by: Governing Body
Term of office end: 13th October 2026

Mike joined the Governing Body in 2008 when his daughter started at the school. Born and bred in Great Sankey, Michael attended local schools, and is a time served multi-skilled engineer with 21+ years’ service. Also father to two boys, both at the school, it is his wish to improve the school, with the aid of his professional skills, to make it the safest and most enjoyable educational environment it can be.

John Littler
Type of Governor: Staff – Headteacher
Date appointed: 1st January 2013
Appointed by: Governing Body

John joined Barrow Hall as Headteacher in 2013, his previous post was Headteacher at Locking Stumps Primary School in Birchwood, a position he held for over ten years. Prior to this, he was Deputy Headteacher at Locking Stumps and taught at two primary schools in Widnes. John has two children, Billy and Eva, and spends any spare time he has indulging his obsession with Manchester United.

Julie Page
Type of Governor: Local Authority
Date appointed: 16th February 2017
Appointed by Governing Body: Nominated by Local Authority and appointed by Governing Body
Term of Office end: 15th February 2025

Julie joined the Governing Body in September 2016. A resident of Great Sankey, and a former pupil of Barrow Hall, Julie is keen to be part of a team that promotes learning and encourages children to reach their full potential on their school journey. With a Master’s Degree in Child Psychology and a career history in social research, Julie is keen to use her valuable skills, knowledge and experience in the role of Governor to support the school to be the best it can be.

Amanda Avery
Type of Governor: Co-opted
Date appointed: 18th May 2017
Appointed by: Governing Body
Term of office end: 17th May 2025

Amanda has a keen interest in education holding a Masters degree within Teaching and Learning and currently works for the Local Authority within education. Both of her children attend the school and Amanda is keen to support and challenge the school so that all learners can achieve their very best.

Kate Linford
Type of Governor: Co-opted
Date appointed: 8th December 2022
Term of office end: 7th December 2026

Kate joined the governing body in 2023 as a co-opted governor.  Kate has lived in Great Sankey most of her life attending Barrowhall lane school herself which is the reason she decided to join this school when looking for a governor role.  Kate is married with 2 daughters and a dog who she loves to walk in her spare time.  Kate is a qualified accountant with experience in Commercial, Governance (industry) and Project Management which she hopes to share her experiences to the betterment of the school as part of her governing role.

Gareth Fryar
Type of Governor: Co-opted
Date appointed: 16th November 2011
Appointed by: Governing Body
Term of office end: 13th October 2026

Lorna Hill
Clerk to the full Governors
Term of office end: September 2022

Lee Ratcliffe
Type of Governor: Co-opted Governor
Date appointed: 9/4/18
Appointed by: Governing Body
Term of office end: 13th March 2027

Lee was elected to join the Governing Body as a Parent Governor in April 2018. He has two daughters: Lucy currently attends Barrow Hall Primary School and Emilia is set to follow in her footsteps soon. Lee is the Headteacher of a large secondary school in Liverpool and has worked in education for 20 years. He is passionate about schools and communities, believing that schools should be moral centers for the communities that they serve. He is proud to work with Barrow Hall in that regard. Outside of education, Lee is committed to his family, his football and his cycling!

Shelley Short – Staff Governor
Type of Governor: Staff
Date Appointed: 24th October 2023
Appointed by: Staff
Term of Office end: 23rd October 2027

Shelley was elected as staff governor in October 2023 and has been working as a teacher in EYFS at Barrow Hall since May 2021. Originally from Herefordshire, Shelley then lived in Devon and Cornwall for 18 years before relocating to Warrington in 2019, to settle near family. Shelley has been working in Early Years and Primary education for 20 years, with a Nursery background and has been teaching for 12 years. With expertise in Early Years, she is currently studying for a National Professional Qualification in Early Years Leadership. (NPQEYL)

Outside of work Shelley spends as much time as possible with her husband, three children and triplet sisters, along with her extended family members. She loves to visit Cornwall as frequently as she can, particularly St Ives. 

Shelley values the fortunate position of welcoming new children each year to Barrow Hall and getting them off to the best possible start. She is proud to be a governor of the school and to be a voice for the staff community. 

Leyla McGhee
Type of Governor: Parent Governor

Date appointed: 5th April 2019
Appointed by: Parents
Term of office end: 4th April 2023

Leyla joined the governing body as a parent governor in 2019. Leyla has lived in Great Sankey for most of her life and has two children who currently attend Barrow Hall. Leyla has worked as a Curriculum Lead in Business and Computing for 17 years in a range of secondary settings most recently at successful High School in Warrington and is now working for a large University in Digital Technology Degrees and master’s Apprenticeship programmes supporting employers throughout the UK meet their IT skills requirements.  Leyla is keen to utilise upon her educational experience to assist the school in developing further opportunities for learning and development. Leyla is a keen football fan and also plays for a lady’s vets’ team and coaches a local girls’ Under 10 football team.

Mary Horrocks
Date Appointed: 9th May 2019
Appointed by: Governing Body
Term of office ends: 8th May 2027

Mary has been part of the Barrow Hall community since 1990. She has had a varied career here, as headteacher, deputy headteacher and latterly as a supply teacher.  She has a wealth of experience in teaching and remains passionate about learning.  Away from Barrow Hall Mary is a devoted grandmother.  She is very proud to continue her commitment as a governor.

Andrea Davies

Type of Governor: Parent
Date Appointed: 24th October 2023
Appointed by: Parents
Term of Office end: 23rd October 2027

Andrea joined Barrow Hall as a Parent Governor in September 2023. She has 2 children, Evan and Heidi who are enjoying school life at Barrow Hall. Professionally, Andrea has worked for the Home Office in a variety of roles over the last 14 years, assisting vulnerable families, training staff and leading on Business Change. Andrea would like to bring a commitment to seek all views and perspectives to enrich the decisions made by the school board for all pupils. To recharge, Andrea enjoys swimming and walking her dog, Maggie.