Meet the Governors
Stuart BaylissName: Stuart Bayliss Category: Foundation Governor Responsibilities: Chair of Governors, Health & Safety and Finance Body appointed by: Oxford Diocese Board of Education Date Appointed: 19th November 2024 Term of Office: 4 years until 18th November 2028 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: Retirement Systems Ltd The Annuity Exchange Ltd Care Helpline Ltd The National Careline Limited Family Lives Chairty Director (Director of a number of nontrading companies on Company House) Meetings attended: 2023-2024: N/A
Paula ShawName: Paula Shaw Category: Headteacher Responsibilities: Headteacher Date Appointed: 1 November 2017 on conversion to ODBST Body appointed by: Ex-Officio/Oxford Diocese Buckinghamshire Schools Trust Term of Office: until resignation Business, Personal and Financial Interests: SIAMS Inspector since June 2023 Meetings attended 2023-2024: 6/6 100% Contact: office@ghw.odbst.org Paula is the headteacher and governor at Great Horwood School, taking up the position in September 2014. Her teaching career has spanned 32 years in Primary Education beginning in the City of London. Paula has worked in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire and has taught in a range of schools from inner city to village, community and Church of England Schools. Paula has completed the NPQH & NPQEL (National professional qualification of headteachers & executive leaders) and supports other schools where required. She is also a SIAMS inspector (Statutory inspection of Anglican and Methodist schools), which offers opportunities to visit other Church of England schools. Gaynor DietschName: Gaynor Dietsch Category: Foundation Governor Responsibilities: SIAMS Vision & Values, staff & pupil wellbeing and early years foundation stage (EYFS) Body appointed by: Oxford Diocese Board of Education Date Appointed: 23rd September 2023 Term of Office: 4 years until 22nd September 2027 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: Nil Return Meetings attended: 2023-2024: 6/6 100% Gaynor is a Foundation Governor and lives in a village near Great Horwood School. She worked for several years as an Learning Support Assistant supporting children who had special educational needs, stopping when she had her own children. Since then Gaynor has helped run several committees connected to her children’s education and her two daughters attended Great Horwood School before going to St Paul's School in Milton Keynes. As a Christian, Gaynor’s faith is central to all she does and believes, and she therefore sees her Foundation Governor responsibilities as a way of serving the school and helping the school maintain its Christian ethos and values in a way that benefits all the children and staff attending and working there. Danielle EvansName: Danielle Evans (currently acting as Chair of Governors) Category: Parent Governor Responsibilities: Vice Chair of Governors, Safeguarding & Literacy Body appointed by: Elected by Great Horwood School Parents Date Appointed: 2nd July 2021 Term of Office: 4 years until 1st July 2025 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Qualified Swim England J1 Official – voluntary role Member of Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) Husband is a Great Horwood Parish Councillor. Meetings attended: 2023-2024: 6/6 100% Danielle is a parent governor with one child currently at the school. She lives in Great Horwood with her husband, children and two dogs. Danielle is a chartered tax advisor, who spent many years lecturing for tax and accountancy exams before moving to work for a professional body, working to deliver tax exams to students all over the world. Danielle is a keen runner and can often be found dashing off from drop off to run up and down Pilch Lane before starting work! When she's not doing this, she's often driving her boys to various swimming pools for training or galas, before curling up on the sofa for a well-earned cup of tea and a bit of Netflix. David Hood
Name: David Hood Category: Skills Governor Responsibilities: PE curriculum Body appointed by: ODBST trustees Date Appointed: 23rd October 2024 Term of Office: 4 years until 22nd October 2028 David is a school leadership consultant, leadership trainer and former secondary school headteacher. He started his career as a teacher of English in Germany, then taught German and French in Kent before moving to Buckinghamshire as County Adviser for Modern Languages. Following this, he worked with schools in Milton Keynes, Luton and High Wycombe, gaining experience of a very wide range of educational contexts in the process. Though no longer actively involved in school inspection, David was an Ofsted team inspector earlier in his career. He is an accredited School Improvement Partner and has the National Professional Qualification for Headship.
Governor Leavers in the last 12 months
Name: Kate Holland Date stepped down: 30th January 2025 Category: Staff Governor Body appointed by: Elected by Great Horwood School Staff Date Appointed: 12th January 2024 Term of Office: 4 years until 11th January 2028 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: Nil Return Meetings attended: 2023-2024: 3/4 75%
Name: Stephen O'Connor Date stepped down: 27th January 2025 Category: Foundation Ex-officio Responsibilities: Yet to be assigned Body appointed by: Oxford Diocese Board of Education Date Appointed: 11th July 2023 Term of Office: 4 years until 10th July 2027 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: Trustee of Winslow Charities, Governor at Winslow CE School & Furze Down School Meetings attended: 2023-2024; 1/6 17%
Name: Karen Howe Date stepped down: 17th January 2025 Category: Skills Governor Responsibilities: Vice Chair of Governors and Health & Safety Body appointed by: Oxford Diocese Buckinghamshire Schools Trustees Date Appointed: 19th July 2023 Term of Office: 4 years until 18th July 2027 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: PTFA Accounts Auditor, Company Secretary for Edward Williams Furniture Company Meetings attended: 2023-2024: 5/6 83%
Name: Pete Telfer Date stepped down: 21st November 2024 Category: Parent Governor Responsibilities: None assigned Body appointed by: Elected by Great Horwood School Parents Date Appointed: 31st October 2023 Term of Office: 30th October 2027 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: Manager and Schools Worker for Bridgebuilder Meetings attended: 2023-2024: 2/5 40%
Name: Sarah Biswell Date stepped down: 10th October 2024 Category: Skills Governor Responsibilities: Headteacher performance, Governor's Development Body appointed by: Oxford Diocese Buckinghamshire Schools Trustees Date Appointed: 12th October 2020 Term of Office: 11th October 2024 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: Clerk to Great Horwood Parish Council from 1/9/2023 Meetings attended: 2023/2024 5/6 83%
Name: Tom Williams Date Stepped down: 8th October 2024 Category: Parent Governor Responsibilities: Chair of Governors Body appointed by: Oxford Diocese Buckinghamshire Schools Trustees Date Appointed: 25 November 2022 Term of Office: 4 years until 24th November 2026 Business, Personal and Financial Interests: Udacity Account Director Meetings attended: 2023/2024: 3/6 50% Governing Body Attendance Register
Great Horwood Governors Register of Interests
Governing Body Appointments and Resignations |