The Pines School has a constitution of 11 governors, of which a minimum of two must be represented by the Parent body and the term of office for each governor is usually held for 4 years.

Staff Governors and Parent Governors are elected by a ballot of the communities they represent;  LA (Local Authority) and Co-opted governors are appointed by the Governing Board. Governors and the Clerk to the Governors may be contacted on clerk@thepinesschool.org.uk

Who are our Governors?

Chris Pine - Co-opted Governor, Chair of Governors

I recently moved to Bracknell Forest having lived in the area previously for 10 years. I am an experienced governor and worked with Central Bedfordshire council as a Governor with three local schools. I work in IT as a Project Manager and have been contracting for the past 12 years after having run and sold a successful software business. I am also a Non-Executive Director for a start-up business. 

Gill Birch - LA Governor, Vice Chair of Governors

I have lived in Bracknell Forest for 38 years and have been proud to be one the governors of The Pines for over 10 years. I am a local councillor representing Hanworth for the Borough Council, a Birch Hill Bracknell Town Councillor and a retired teacher. On the borough council I am the Scrutiny Chair for Children, Education and Growth so I bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to The Pines.

Currently I am Vice-Chair of the governors and Chair of the Curriculum, Children and Learning committee.

However, my favourite role is being a grandparent to a grandson of 8 years, twins of 5 years and a toddler of 15 months and they keep me grounded and in touch with the aspirations and innovations of young people today.

Paul Jordan - Parent Governor

I am in my second 4 year term as a governor. I have 3 children - 2 currently at The Pines in Years 4 and 6. I am the Director of my own Training Consultancy business and have lived locally all my life and attended school in Bracknell.  I joined The Pines as a governor as I was keen to offer my help and support the school and children.  I am bringing my experiences from a business perspective rather than an educational background and am driven by being able to support the school through the challenging times we have found ourselves in and to try and make a difference. I am a member of the Children, Curriculum & Learning Committee, the Pay & Personnel Committee and I sit on the Head Teacher Performance Management Panel. I am also the PE/Sports premium governor as I have a keen interest in all sports, especially football and golf.

Philip Cereda – Co-opted Governor

I started as a Parent Governor at The Pines school in 2019 and have now been appointed as a Co-opted Governor. I have 4 children at the school currently in years ranging from Nursery through to Year 4. I saw joining the governing body as fantastic opportunity to support the leadership of the school to achieve its aim of ‘be your BEST’ and ensure the very best education for the pupils of the school. I joined at a time of a change with a new Head Teacher recently appointed and a number of new Governors, but this has meant we have all been able to grow together and support each other. I sit on Finance & Resources, Pay & Personnel and also chair the Head Teachers Performance Management. I have been in the Water Industry for approximately 15 years managing teams, budgets and most recently dealing with contract governance and use this experience within the governing body.

Kate Davies – Ex Officio Governor, Headteacher 

I have been the Headteacher at The Pines since September 2019 and am an ex-officio member of the governing body. I have worked in Bracknell Forest for the last 10 years in primary schools covering all age ranges. I have been a parent governor at my children’s school and an associate member at my previous school. I am passionate about education and ensuring that all children have access to a high quality, engaging curriculum. I am thrilled to be the Headteacher of this wonderful school and am determined to make the school even better.

I have two children of my own, one in primary and one in secondary. I enjoy spending quality time with my family at the weekends and walking my dog. I feel it is important to have this time to rejuvenate. I look forward to continuing to   serve our community, working alongside our governors. I sit on all of the committees and attend all meetings.

Katy Drury (Mrs Drury) – Staff Governor

I qualified as a primary teacher in July 2008 and excitedly started my first year teaching at The Pines School in September. I have not left. I am committed to our school and wish for all our pupils to feel valued and see their potential whilst immersing themselves in an engaging curriculum that provides them with aspirations and life-long learning skills. Having been a staff governor for just over a year now, I am continuing to learn new things, be inspired and look forward to being able to keep strengthening our school community. 

Jane Gow - Co-opted Governor                                                                                                                    

I have lived and worked in the Bracknell area since 1997. I have over thirty years of experience as a primary school teacher including extensive experience in school leadership as a serving Head Teacher. As a result I have been involved in school governance for fifteen years and I am now very proud to be a Governor at The Pines.  

Currently I sit on the Curriculum, Children and Learning committee and I am the Safeguarding Governor for The Pines.

Lee Allen - Co-opted Governor                                                                                                                                     I joined The Pines governors as a Co-opted Governor in January 2022. I have lived in Bracknell for over 40 years and was a pupil at The Pines in the 1980's. The education I received at the The Pines was a critical first step in achieving my goal of becoming a scientist. I am a molecular biologist by training and have worked in the biotechnology industry for nearly 20 years. I want every child that attends the school to have the same opportunities that I did. My two nieces attend The Pines in Year 2 and Year 6. Although I am relatively new to being a school governor, I am passionate about every child having a school environment which helps them learn the behaviours, skills and knowledge they will need to achieve their own hopes and goals.

Lauren Porter - Co-opted Governor

I am in my first 4-year term as a Co-opted Governor after being appointed in March 2023. Currently I sit on the Curriculum, Children and Learning Committee and I am the EYFS Governor. I grew up in Bracknell Forest and 2 years ago I moved back to the area. I have over 15 years teaching experience in primary education and am currently a Deputy Headteacher at a school in a neighbouring local authority. I am passionate about teaching and learning and believe that well rounded, happy individuals thrive.  As a governor at The Pines, I am excited to share my knowledge, experience and passions and work with the talented team to support the pupils in all aspects of school life.

Matthew Viccars - Parent Governor

I have lived in Bracknell Forest my entire life, specifically in the Birch Hill/ Hanworth area for the last 7 years. I am currently in my first 4 year term as Parent Governor after being appointed in June 2023. I have 2 children of my own, 1 child currently at The Pines and a second new born who I hope will attend the school also. I work as a Senior Project Manager in the Public Broadcasting sector, however, for the previous 10 years before starting this role I worked for a number of the Local Authorities in and around Berkshire and the NHS. I am looking forward to representing The Pines as Parent Governor and I hope that I can support the school to continue delivering the best possible education and environment for all children.

Emily Hicks – Associate Member, Deputy Headteacher

I am the Deputy Head at The Pines and am an Associate Member of the Governing Body. I joined the school in September 2019 and have particular responsibility for Curriculum Development and Assessment. I am passionate about ensuring that our children receive the best and most relevant learning opportunities to enable them to be successful in the future. I also firmly believe that assessment data is only of any value if it is used to improve teaching and learning in the classroom and therefore am keen to support teachers in analysing and using data effectively. I attend all Full Governing Body meetings and am also on the Curriculum, Children and Learning committee.

Declaration of Interests of the Governing Board of The Pines School 2023-2024

As from September 2015, governing bodies are under a legal duty to publish the register of interest for Governor and Associate members.  The following interests have been declared;

 Date amended 9/10/2023

Record of Attendance for the last academic year 2022 - 2023

We currently have 1 vacancy for a Co-opted Governor

Collecting and publishing Governing Board Diversity data

The governors of The Pines School believe it is important that boards reflect the diversity of the school communities they serve. Diverse boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for staff and young people.

The governors will collect data on the diversity of the board, including data on age, gender and ethnicity. They will use that data to inform their recruitment and training needs and ensure there is always a diverse range of perspectives around the table to support robust decision making.

Due to our relatively small governing board, we will not publish this diversity data online as individual governors could be identified and we have a legal obligation to protect their personal data