Meet our Governors

Carol Pearce

About Me

As Co-Chair, I see it as my role to ensure that the work of Governors is focused on Penn Wood’s core purpose and vision 'Better Never Stops’. In essence, this means that we aim for our whole school, children and staff, to be the best that they can be to ensure we are an exceptional school and recognised as such by our community, the wider community, nationally and by those schools that we support on their improvement journeys.

I have had many years’ experience in

governance and continue to work across schools in a range of functions:

• Supporting and challenging school leaders

as a Professional Leadership and Learning Partner.

• Working with governing bodies as an experienced Governor Mark Assessor to ensure that they are fit for purpose, carry out their statutory roles and responsibilities and keep children’s well-being, learning and progress at the heart of their work.

• Delivering the National Chairs' Programme under Hampshire’s License.

• Delivering National Leadership Programmes for the Institute of Education, and Inspired to Lead.

• Designing and delivering a host of professional learning opportunities/programmes for school governors.

• Acting as a leadership coach for school staff at all levels.

• Professional external advice to Governors for Headteacher appraisal panels.

Co-Opted Governor

Governor Role:

Co-Chair of Governors

Child protection & safeguarding

Responsible for liaison with the LA in the event of any Child Protection allegation against the headteacher

Term of Office:

June 2022 - June 2026

Contact information:

Carol_Pearce@pennwood.slough.sch.uk

Rosa Hopkins

About Me

I have worked in school and community settings with Aik Saath since September 2015 and coordinate their training in primary and secondary schools, planning and delivering work around conflict, cohesion and diversity, linking with PSHE and British Values. Through Aik Saath I have worked with several Year 4 and 5 classes at Penn Wood School and also worked with current students/alumni of Penn Wood in Youth Clubs. I have also worked with children and young people in previous roles as a water sports instructor and play worker. I have an MA in Conflict Resolution, I am First Aid trained and have Level 1 Safeguarding. I have a key focus as a Governor in Mental Health. Outside work, I am a volunteer with the youth charity the Woodcraft Folk and enjoy netball, kayaking, cycling and walking.

Co-Opted Governor

Governor Role:

Co-Chair of Governors

SEND Governor

Pupil Premium Governor

Term of Office:

February 2022 – February 2026

Naziya Ahmed

About Me

My career background involves 13 years with Heathrow Airport as a Manager for Terminal 5 alongside my personal business of being a driving instructor. Between my two jobs I have gained extensive experience, knowledge of the skills of senior level management and leadership, managing accounts and tax

returns, reaching decisions with teams and independently. My instructor role has enabled me to know our local community and gives me the skill of teaching using different forms of communication. I am also involved in some charities abroad that help support gynaecology and labour wards. I have two children and one is at the Nursery at Penn Wood. As a Governor I hope to contribute towards the continuous improvement of education and enhance the environment for staff at the school to

enable everyone to flourish.

Parent Governor

Governor Role:

Vice Chair of Governors

Early Years

Term of Office:

October 2019 - October 2023

Arshidh-Ali Mohamed Aliyar

About Me

I have been involved with Penn Wood Nursery and Primary School for over 14 years as a parent and served as a Parent Governor for two terms of office. I have been the Sports Premium Governor for the past 4 years and am keen that children have the opportunity to develop in sport as well as performing well academically. I am an active member of the community and my involvement with sports extends beyond the school grounds as I am a badminton coach at the esteemed Royal Racketeers Badminton Academy in Slough.

Parent Governor

Governor Role:

Sports Premium (Sport/PE)

Term of Office:

July 2016 - July 2024

Saqib Mughal	About Me
	With two children currently in Penn Wood School, I have a vested interest in the school’s wellbeing and performance. My new-born being my third child to join the school (hopefully!) in the next few years, my relationship with Penn Wood will be extending well into the future and so I feel a personal responsibility to help, support and nurture the school's development. Professionally, I come from a finance background. Having originally trained in practice I’ve since moved into industry mainly within Commercial Finance. I recently moved to O2 in Slough – responsible for financial planning and analysis. Alongside this I also worked for 2 years as a Trustee for Citizens Advice Bureaux Slough. My responsibility on the board was to approve the finances, help set the future strategy and to hold the CEO to account for her performance and decisions made in the running of the service. Having lived, worked and schooled in Slough, the local community is a big part of my life and I feel it’s important that someone with extensive local knowledge and community links is represented on the schools governing board.
Associate Member Voting rights at Resources Committee

Term of Office: February 2023 - February 2027

Claire Fletcher

About Me

As a Governor, my role is to:

• Formulate aims and objectives, policies,

targets and the curriculum for the governing body to consider adopting

• Fulfil my delegated responsibility for the organisation, management and control of the school

• Advise on and implement the Governors’ strategic framework

• Report on achievement and progress over time and in comparison with other schools

• Give Governors information so that they can feel confident about performing their duties well

Headteacher / Staff Governor

Term of Office:

September 2023 - present

Tracy O'Shea

About Me

It has been an immense pleasure to be SLT adviser to Penn Wood's Governing Board for several years, and I am keen to make this more official. I have been fortunate to work at Penn Wood School for 14 years, starting as a Learning Support Assistant. I was supported by the school in my teacher training and have been class teacher and Assistant Head for several years now, including two periods as Acting Deputy Head. During this time, I have experienced substantial changes in both the education system and in Penn Wood itself. Penn Wood continually strives to achieve the very best for its pupils, both academically and pastorally, and I have been part of many innovations (e.g. Talk for Writing, Mastery Learning, Talk for Reading, curriculum design) from inception through to successful whole-school embodiment. I will continue to use my experience of the school, its pupils, families and staff, as well as my understanding of teaching, leadership and educational research, to consider carefully the matters brought before the Governing Board and to act in the very best interests of the school and its community.

Staff Governor

Governor Role:

Term of Office:

September 2022 - September 2026

Nusheba Matloob	About Me
	I have a degree in English Literature with Language Studies, and I am a Financial Professional with over 11 years of experience within Financial Services. My working career has helped me to develop my skills in leadership, building lasting relationships with communities and having the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse range of individuals. I am a great team player and I strongly believe the progress in society depends on how well individuals work together. Good collaboration and teamwork is an attribute a Governor should hold . This is a key skill I have and highly utilised in my day to day role. I am extremely hard working , committed and an enthusiastic individual and these qualities will be transferred into the role of Governor. What I will also bring to the role is a drive and ambition to make Penn Wood an even more inclusive school. I am highly reliable and extremely engaged individual as well as creative . For example, for my current organisation I create media content for the business. My creative flare will enable me to think about new ways of how Penn Wood can reach their ambitions.
Parent Governor Role: Mental Health and Wellbeing Equality and Diversity
Term of office: January 2022 - January 2026

Fahad Mahmood	About Me
	I am currently a Product Manager for Veolia Water Technologies - a global environmental company working in their water division. My responsibilities include driving the commercial performance of our products, owning the strategic direction of my products, setting a series of objectives that need to be achieved in order for the wider business goals to be met, solving customer pain points and setting KPI's to help measure performance. I work closely with key stakeholders, communicating with the Executive Board and the wider group on progress and continuously evaluating progress against our main objectives. I have a background in Chemical Engineering with Business Management and have a proven capacity to learn, assimilate and interpret information allowing me to make decisions to achieve a successful outcome. I am hugely motivated by my daughter's education and progress at the school and my ambition is to guide her to be the best that she can be. I am at a stage now with my career where I am able to invest time back into the community and I'm confident that with the Governor role, I can make a valuable contribution not only to my daughters education but the education of her peers.
Co-opted Governor Role: Computing/Science/Filtering and Monitoring
Term of Office: February 2023 - February 2027

Debbie Dannatt	About Me
	I have worked in education for over 25 years in various settings and roles. I fundamentally believe in the inclusive principles of education, ensuring all reach their potential. I have worked in Slough for many years, most recently as a Vice Principal in an all through school, where I was strategic lead for curriculum and staff development. I was also a member of the safeguarding team and was the secondary link with Human Resources. This experience included refining policies, liaising with the Unions and evaluating the impact of our processes. Other roles I have held are: Assistant Head of an international boarding school in NYC; Director of Student Success, which included liaising with outside agencies and families to ensure the right plan was in place; Assessment and Curriculum Advisor for Slough Local Authority, where I worked with Penn Wood one day a week to gain experience in a Primary setting. I believe myself to be highly resourceful, able to quickly read through current research and publications and make strategic decisions about how best to use this in the setting I am in. I am not afraid to change my thinking and am adaptable. I am passionate about developing strong literacy in schools and keep up to date on the literacy agenda, in particular the teaching of reading and oracy.
Associate Member Role: Culture Deputy Safeguarding Governor
Term of Office: July 2022 - July 2026

Anika Ahmed

About Me

I believe my skillset and background in financial services are well suited to the requirements of the Governing Board at Penn Wood School. I have worked at Nationwide Building Society whilst also studying my final year at university. I then moved into the corporate world at Halifax, now known as XE Foreign Exchange. Within XE I transferred from customer services to the compliance team. During my time in compliance, I learnt about financial crime, transaction monitoring, auditing and politically exposed persons and sanction reporting.

Since my son has started his journey in school, my interest has grown into understanding the mechanics of the education system and how I can make a difference. Therefore, the Local Authority Governor role is very fitting, where I will be able to relay my thoughts and support the successes the school is achieving. The key skills I can bring are the following:

Analytical skills - Having studied politics, it has helped to develop me to analyse objectives and policies. In my previous job role, I conducted reports and monitoring documents in financial crime that had to be thoroughly analysed to achieve a valid consensus.

Communication and Collaborative Skills - I believe I work well with others and deliver clear and concise messages. I have always worked in teams in all my previous job roles. I am proactive in making suggestions, and if there is anything that I do not understand, I feel confident enough to question it.

LA Appointed Governor

Term of Office:

October 2023 - October 2027

Pauline Williams	About Me
	As Governance Professional, my role is to work with the Governing Board and Senior Leadership Team to ensure that the Governors can work effectively and are supported with advice and guidance to fulfil their statutory duties. I work in other schools, including academies, as their Clerk, across different Local Authorities, which ensures that I can learn best practice and share this with all my Governors. I am an Accredited Clerk.
Governance Professional
Term of Office: April 2016 - Present

SLT Advisers

Joanne Shears	Surjit Sandhu

Deputy Headteacher	Business Manager
SLT Adviser	SLT Adviser

Sakina Shah	Emma Mann

Acting Assistant Head	Deputy Headteacher
SLT Adviser	SLT Adviser

Jennifer Edwards	Andi Boultwood


Acting Assistant Headteacher	Co-School Business Manager
SLT Adviser	SLT Adviser