Sadly, I must announce the stepping down of our Chair of Governors Mr Anthony Mollet. He has been an inspiration and the driving force for the governing body for a few years now and he has been an incredible support for governors and staff alike.
Mr Mollet started as a parent governor and his kind, industrious and efficient manner made him ideal as the Chair. Shortly after becoming Chair of Governors the school met with the challenges of Covid lockdown and then not long after by my serious illness and absence. Mr Mollet was extremely supportive of the school during lockdown where key worker children were in school and remote learning started to develop. Later, whilst I was away, he was a pivotal in implementing the appointment of acting up leaders Mrs Day and Mrs Crabb and the school continued to function fully and effectively. He visited me in person and reassured me how things were all going well and for this I am exceptionally grateful. However, this autumn, a significant increase in his professional work commitments and more importantly health issues in his own family have meant he is unable to continue and it is with much reluctance that he has stepped down from this role.
He will be greatly missed as he has always been a popular, approachable and enthusiastic Chair with a keen sense of positivity that is so crucial to have in order to recognise the efforts and successes of a school whilst seeking assurance through visits, interviews and interaction with children and staff. Mr Mollet strongly supported school events and attended training days where governors oversee the school development plan (SDP). I am personally, extremely grateful for all that he has done for the school, for his enduring support of me as head teacher and although not a governor any longer he will continue to be a close ally of the school.
In addition to this, I am very pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chair of Governors, Mr Chay Champness. He is an ex-parent, an experienced Chair of Governors who has a friendly, altruistic and reliable nature, which makes him ideal for the position. He knows the school ethos and the excellent levels of behaviour and achievement of the children from when his own children attended Wallace Fields Juniors. He has reacquainted himself with me and has met with the current governors in order to establish a clear view of how he intends to take the role forward. I would like to wholeheartedly wish him a warm welcome to the governing body and welcome him back to the school. I am sure he will be a very supportive, fervent and effective Chair of Governors and I look forward to working with him.
A word from our new Chair of Governor who is pictured above.
"I am delighted to be Chair of Governors of such a great school with a fantastic ethos - so evident when my two children attended the school. The role allows me to contribute back to the school by leading our highly experienced and passionate Governors in supporting the school leadership team and staff to deliver the very best education and experience for each and every pupil.I am a qualified accountant and have worked at board level for over 20 years including roles in Higher and Further Education. I have previously been a volunteer charity trustee for over 12 years an organisation supporting people with learning difficulties, a trustee for the national Samaritans charity and a governor at a local secondary school. It is a privilege to be a Governor of Wallace Fields Junior School and I look forward to working hard to overcome the inevitable challenges as well as celebrating the school's many successes" Chay Champness
For more information about our School Governors go to our Governor page by clicking here.