Cathy Piotrowski   MBA;  MLPI 

Co-Chair of Governors & Early Career Teachers Lead Governor

Cathy values having the opportunity to support, challenge and influence the leadership of our schools so that our focus remains firmly on sustaining an excellent educational experience for all our pupils in our Federation. Cathy enjoys seeing the positive outcomes and successes that are the result of effective governor deliberations and decision making with school leaders, putting children’s achievements and welfare at the heart of what we do.

Richard Finch

Co-Chair of Governors & Safeguarding Lead

Having lived locally in Little Staughton for a number of years, Richard is well acquainted with the area and the local community. As a result, he is aware that parents have, understandably, high expectations of both Kymbrook and Thurleigh Schools and those that lead them.  His motive in becoming a Governor is about making a positive contribution to the leadership team, our schools and pupils' education so that we can provide the best education possible. 

He has a keen eye for continuous improvement and a passion for developing skills, creativity and knowledge both within and, just as importantly, outside the classroom.

Phil Wayles

Chair of Finance Committee & Health and Safety Lead Governor

Phil has been a governor at Kymbrook and Thurleigh schools for over 10 years and enjoys the challenge of this important leadership role. He is also Chair of the Finance Committee with accountability for managing the budget and making sure value for money is obtained from all expenditure. He is committed to working with the staff and governors to help all the children develop and achieve their best at these two fabulous schools.
He lives locally and all 4 of his children attended Kymbrook school. He is a busy Technical Director working for a large civil engineering consultancy firm based in Bedford. He enjoys travelling, playing and watching sport and also manages the AFC Oakley U17 football team in his spare time.

Simon Iliffe

Vice Chair of Finance Committee

Simon is a parent of two boys, one who attends Thurleigh Primary, and one who has moved up to Secondary School. His eldest son enjoyed his time at the school and flourished in the school's environment, while his youngest son continues to do so.  Simon is a Human Resources Manager for over 200 staff at a manufacturing business, a challenging role which has taught him the importance of a good education.

When the opportunity to become a parent governor arose, he was drawn to the challenge of being involved to help ensure that high standards of education were maintained and that the children have every opportunity to reach their full potential at our schools. Simon passionately believes that education is the key to all our children’s future. He feels that as a member of the governing board he can play a bigger part in the federation schools' future and to ensure that our schools provide a safe environment which lives and breathes its core values.

In his free time he enjoys listening to music and radio and spending time with his family either at home in Rushden or out walking and enjoying the local countryside.

Martin Towler

Combining councillor duties with managing Scald End Farm (his family having owned and worked the farm since 1945) takes up a considerable amount of his time. However, Martin has willingly agreed to be our Local Authority governor, bringing a deep-rooted local knowledge about our area and our local community as well as providing an invaluable link with the council.

As a previous pupil at Thurleigh school, he has fond memories of his school days and values how important education is in shaping the lives of children to prepare them for the adult world.

Bev Strange

SEND Lead Governor & Well-being Lead Governor

Bev moved to Thurleigh 30 years ago after living and working overseas in Kenya and Malawi. Her academic background is in education and psychology and has been involved in education in various different roles throughout her entire career, working with and supporting children with additional educational needs. Her work has ranged from supporting families with newborn babies up to and including post graduate student support. She is also a qualified teacher of the deaf and holds post graduate qualifications that enable her to assess and support learners with specific learning difficulties.

Having been a parent Governor at both lower and middle schools in Bedford, she relishes the opportunity to work with a dedicated team of Governors and staff at both schools, where the focus is on nurturing and providing high quality education to enable every child to fulfil their potential.

In her spare time. Bev likes to be "outdoors" either walking locally or in the hills around Britain. She also gardens and volunteers as a gardener to help restore the gardens of a Grade 1 listed house locally. She is fortunate in being able to travel a lot, spending summers sailing with friends on the west coast of Scotland as often as she can.

Jason Harper

Co-opted Governor

Jason values the opportunity to contribute to society and local communities through the Governor role. He strongly believes in children being our future and investing as much as we can in them as well as enabling them to safely experience childhood while they can!

Working in the IT and Finance industries, Jason built up 14 years of transferable Project and Programme Management experience and brings an important skillset to the governing board. In 2014 he was fortunate to be able to retire from his career and move into property development, voluntary work and business consultancy. Jason has since become a father and his child now attends Kymbrook Primary School.

In his spare time Jason is a keen DIY enthusiast (from electrics to plumbing and carpentry) and also enjoys video production and badminton when he can fit it in.

Fiona Dew

Parent Governor – Kymbrook Primary

Fiona is a parent of two children, the eldest has moved on to Sharnbrook now, and the youngest is loving life at Kymbrook.

Fiona's career has been primarily in the not-for-profit sector, currently she works on strategy for a large professional body.  When the opportunity to become a parent governor came up, she was keen to be able to bring her professional strengths and skills to support both schools to continue to thrive.

Fiona lives with her family in Keysoe and when she's not working she's generally enjoying being outdoors.