On this page you will find details of the names and terms of office for all of our Governors, together with details of their category of Governor, positions of responsibility and details of any additional committees that they serve on. We have also included details of the business and financial interests of each Governor and information about any Governance role they play in other schools, as well as a full breakdown of the structure and responsibilities of the governing body of our school and its committees.

As Governors of Folly View Primary School and The Elms Primary School we would like to hear from you if you have any views or concerns about the schools, and have any ideas as to how we can further improve the schools. You can contact the governors, including the Chair of Governors using the school address or via our clerk at: almolton@faringdonlearningtrust.org.

The structure and remit of the FLT Members, Trustees, and its committees including the LGCs is available on the Trust website and can be found here https://faringdonlearningtrust.org/about-us/governance/.

The Local Governing Committee (LGC) constitution allows for up to 14 governors and the LGC meets formally once each term. It is an integral part of the senior management team of the school. It sets strategic targets and monitors pupil progress through detailed analysis of academic results. Outcomes are continuously tracked at the Quality of Education Committee and supporting elements are enabled though the Resources Committee.  The Safeguarding committee ensures we meet all our statutory obligations in terms of keeping children and staff safe. Teaching staff performance is monitored at performance management reviews.  

“We have a strong and well balanced team that acts as a critical friend to the Head of both Schools and their staff”.  

Pauline Forbes, Chair of Governors

Pauline Forbes

Term of office: 13/05/23 - 12/05/27

Community Governor

I am the Chair of Governors at The Elms and Folly View Primary. I have been part of the Governing Body for both Faringdon schools for the past 7.5 years and I was elected as Chair of the joint Governing Body in May 2022. I have 19 years’ worth of experience working within the education system and I am excited to be able to help shape both schools during the new challenges ahead.

I have 2 children who both attend schools in Faringdon. I have been very impressed with the opportunities my children have been given during their time at school and I want to help ensure that all children have the best start to their school years.

The Governing Body works closely with the Trust to help ensure that any improvements raised by OFSTED and the school’s own self-assessment process are acted upon and the progress towards the improvements can be tracked. If you need to contact the Governors to raise any issue in confidence, you can do so either by letter via the school office or by email to the Clerk.

Tracey Smith, Executive Headteacher

Ex-Officio

I have been a successful Headteacher of three primary schools in Oxfordshire (Bladon, Tower Hill, and New Marston), after teaching across all age groups as a Primary Teacher over many years. I have also been a National Leader of Education and a Pupil Premium Reviewer. I have also been a School Improvement Consultant at Oxfordshire Local Authority and used to run the Early Headship training course for OTSA (the Oxfordshire Teaching Schools Alliance).

I am a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and a Teacher Development Trust Associate, having researched and studied the importance of effective CPD both for my Associateship and for my Master’s in Educational Leadership. Other interests include values-based education, education for social justice, restorative practices, trauma-informed education, mentoring, cultural capital and the importance of closing the word gap, where I have worked closely with Oxford University Press. I have most recently been running teacher and leadership training at a university.

As well as being a very experienced Headteacher, I have also been an Executive Headteacher across two schools. In my new role I will have overall responsibility for both schools and will oversee the strategic development of primary education in Faringdon.

Jo Baird

Head of School, Folly View Primary School

I have worked at Faringdon Infant School and now Folly View Primary School for 6 years. I have had various roles from teacher, year lead, SENCO and Assistant Head. My teaching experience has involved working in different roles for over 20 years and I have experienced working in a range of primary schools across the UK and in Australia. I am now privileged to lead the staff team at Folly View as Head of School. I am excited to use my knowledge and experience to further develop the provision of Primary Education in Faringdon and share this journey with the Governing Body.

Calum Ison-Jacques

Head of School, The Elms Primary School

My name is Calum Jacques and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. Over the past 11 years, I have worked a variety of schools throughout the country.  I feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to lead The Elms and work together with parents/carers, children, Governors and the local community to make it a place where pupils receive high quality learning experiences. The vision for The Elms is to be a community where everyone is inspired by a love of learning, children are supported and encouraged to believe in themselves.

Debbie Hulme

Term of office: 17/11/20 - 16/11/24

Community Governor

Having attended Faringdon schools myself as a child I am thrilled to be able to be part of the governing body. I have three young daughters, two of which already attend TEP and the third due to start in 2023. I work in Forensics and have done for the past 20 years.

As a governor, I am subject link for Mathematics and also part of the Safeguarding committee. I look forward to watching our school thrive over these next months and years.

Fillipp Skiffins

Term of office: 17/09/22 - 16/09/26

Community Governor

I have lived in the local area for the past 8 years and have joined the board of governors as a community governor for Health and Safety 5 years ago, with the aim of giving back to the local community and gaining a greater depth of understanding about the primary education provision in the local area. Throughout my time as governor the school has seen a number of changes and I feel lucky to be a part of this, especially moving to a new school site and being a governor for both Folly View and The Elms schools. Aside of my Health and Safety governor link, I also assist on the resource committee and I am a link governor for design and technology for both of the schools.

I look forward to continuing my role as Health and Safety governor and being part of the local primary school provision within the Faringdon community!

Hazel Meckler

Term of office: 07/11/23 - 06/11/27

Community governor

Wayne Hinton-Lewis

Term of office: 19/12/22 - 18/12/26

Parent Governor

I have lived in Faringdon since 2018 and joined as a Parent Governor in September 2022. I have a daughter at Folly View and another at FCC. Although I have no experience in education I am keen to help the schools in the education of our children from a parents perspective. I am the SEND link and Geography link Governor. 

Em Ellins

Term of office: 23/10/23 - 22/10/27

Parent Governor

Hi, I’m Em!  I’m a doting mother of two children at The Elms Primary and have been actively involved in setting up and developing the Parents Association there.  Central to my core values is building meaningful relationships – as Governors we should, and shall, strengthen parent-school partnerships.

Professionally, I’m a business consultant who’s spent 20 years working in strategic marketing and commercial roles.  I’m a creative thinker and problem solver who loves collaborating and ‘getting things done’.  Appointed in October 2023, I hope to bring freshness and energy to the team.

Michael Outen

Term of office: 19/12/22 - 18/12/26

Parent governor

Hi, I am Mike and im the father of 2 boys at Folly View Primary School. I have been in the military for 21 years, starting off in the Army and now in the RAF as a Training Officer. We moved as a family to Faringdon in Feb 2020 and, wanting to give back to the community, I volunteered to take a place on the Board of Governors. I am a member of the Quality of Education Committee, the GDPR link Governor and the Safeguarding Governor for The Elms Primary School.

Kate Morris

Term of office: 03/11/23 - 02/11/24

Staff Governor

I have been a teacher on the Reception team at FIS and now Folly View Primary for ten years and have also spent three years as an Early Years practitioner in a nursery in Witney. I value being part of the school community in Faringdon and enjoy working with staff to support all children and their families in the best ways possible. I am passionate about being part of the school team delivering high quality teaching and learning to all children. I believe all children and their families should be included and supported by the school community, regardless of individual needs.

I am very much looking forward to using my teaching experience, my knowledge of our Faringdon communities and families and my strong relationships with our current staff to support our school governing body.

Amelia Woodward

Term of office: 07/11/23 - 06/11/27