I was delighted to be asked to become the local Authority Governor at Roe Farm Primary School. I attended my first Governors' meeting in April 2022. I have worked in education for almost 40 years. I spent over 25 years of my professional life working in a large, successful comprehensive school in Derbyshire where I was a member of the Leadership Team. I now work part-time delivering training and working with students who are training to be teachers.

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Although originally from South Yorkshire, I have lived in Derby for 30 years. I have 2 sons,the eldest has just graduated from University and the youngest has just started at University. I enjoy keeping fit and can be spotted regularly running on local trails. I am at my happiest spending quality time with family and friends.

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I know already what a caring, nurturing and happy school community Roe Farm is! I hope to be able to use my knowledge, skills and expertise working in partnership with the Head teacher, my fellow governors, the staff and parents to ensure that the pupils at Roe Farm achieve their best possible educational outcomes and enjoy school. I passionately believe that positive educational opportunities and choices are life changing.

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'Together we can make a difference!'

Hello, my name is Leszek. Originally from Nottingham, I have lived and worked in Derby for over 20 years, and am married with three adult girls. With a long career at Rolls Royce, I recently retired from running my own small engineering business and decided to get involved in school governance once again, having previous experience at a school in Littleover. I am delighted to join the governing body at Roe Farm and look forward to working with the senior leadership team, staff and parents to improve outcomes for the children that come to our school.

My name is Helen Weston and I am a member of the School Governing Body. I have worked at Roe Farm Primary for 19 years and began my journey as a Teaching assistant in Year 1/2 in 2003.

From a very young age, I had always wanted to work with children, influencing and guiding them on their journey through life. I am 100% committed to ensuring children feel safe and secure and that they are given the best chances in life through a broad and rich curriculum which is fun and engaging.

In my role as Head teacher i am here not only for the children but for families, providing guidance and support where needed.

In my spare time I enjoy going to the gym and spending quality time with my family, watching my two boys learn and grow.

I am married with 2 children aged 21 and 16 and I work for Rolls-Royce Submarines as  a Team Leader in the Service Data Centre. My team and I are responsible for the collection of submarine operational data which is utilised within the business. I started at Roll-Royce on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) aged 17. My first placement was as a telephonist and whilst in this role I realised the opportunity was there to progress within Rolls-Royce. I took this opportunity and became a sponsored student and studied part-time to gain a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I am a trained internal auditor and STEM ambassador, involved in various schools Science Alliance project. I enjoy working for Rolls-Royce and appreciate the development opportunities I have been given during my career. Hobbies include going to the gym, walking and socialising with family and friends.

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Hello everyone my name is James Lloyd and I am delighted to have recently joined the Roe Farm Governing Body as the Staff governor. This is my first year at Roe Farm Primary, however I have been teaching for 5 years. I am currently a class teacher in Year 4 and also joint Science lead.

I have always been really passionate about supporting children with education. I am excited to be part of the Governing Body and to have the opportunity to help shape and continue to strengthen our school and community.

Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my family and also love taking part in all sport especially tennis. I also follow the mighty foxes!

Hello, my name is Emma Edwards I am 36 years old and I have two amazing children aged 18 and 14.

I went back to university at 30 years old after working on a wildlife reserve in South Africa where I joined anti-poaching patrols to protect one of the worlds most endangered species, the Rhino.  I gained a bachelor’s of science with honours 1st class degree in Animal Management Zoo and Wildlife, and received the University of Derby's Vice Chancellor Dean award both years for my academic achievement. 

I also have a level 2 certificate in Children and Young People's Workforce and a level 3 Counselling Skills qualification. 

Since then I was education and operations manager at an animal welfare organisation where I managed a team of professionals to produce and deliver high quality factual information to audiences ranging from primary school children, right up to university students.  I have since left that position to home educate my youngest son who was diagnosed with ASD.  

Education is something I am extremely passionate about and I truly believe that every single child deserves to have opportunities presented to them to learn in ways that best suit them as individuals, in an environment that promotes healthy, physical, mental and emotional development. 

My name is Maria Petropoulou and have recently been appointed as Parent Governor.

I am a Chartered Structural Engineer, with a BEng (hons) in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Structural Engineering. I work in Consulting and my current role is that of a Senior Structural Engineer Consultant.

I have two children who attend Roe Farm Primary School and thus have a vested interest in the success of the school. It is essential for me as a parent to support our children’s education including the headteachers and staff.

I have enjoyed getting to know the excellent staff at the school and admire their dedication and professionalism. I am grateful for the opportunity to help and support the school and be a part of its exciting future. I look forward to ensuring the success of Roe Farm Primary School for now and for the years to come.

I have always valued the importance of education and feel schools have a duty to provide a range of experiences and opportunities in a fully inclusive manner. My passion is around developing children's social, emotional and mental health and have been instrumental in developing our Woodland room, (nurture provisions) as I truly believe that social and emotional wellbeing and academic success are intrinsically linked and are of equal importance. Children with additional needs should also have the same chances of success without any limit or ceiling as to what they can achieve.

I originally joined Roe Farm in 2012 as a Yr 3/4 teacher and subsequently became the Yr 3/4 Team leader and SENCo. In 2019, I left to take up a new position as a Deputy Headteacher in a small rural school in Staffordshire, becoming Headteacher in 2022.

I then had the pleasure of returning to Roe Farm Primary School in 2023. I am currently extremely proud to be Co-Headteacher and acting SENCo, having previously been in the role of Acting Headteacher during the most recent OFSTED inspection. I am looking forward to playing a key strategic role in developing the school further and ensuring we can continue on our journey from good to outstanding. 

In my free time, I enjoying spending time with my wife, three children and Border terrier, mountain biking, cooking, spending time in France and reading.