The Members of the Governing Body

The Governing Body of Allens Croft Primary school offers support and advice to the Headteacher and is responsible for planning for the schools’ future, agreeing the school improvement plans, and monitoring the schools’ work in maintaining high standards.

It aims to ensure that children are attending a successful school which has high expectations for their social and academic progress working within a supportive and caring environment. It strives to ensure that this is achieved via a broad, balanced curriculum enriched with creative opportunities.

Mr David Cashmore

Chair of Governors 

Date of appointment: 21/3/2022 (Chair September 2023)
Term of Office: 4 years (March 2022 - March 2026)
Pecuniary Interest: None
Attended all FGB meetings bar September 2022

Link/role: Finance & Staffing, HT Appraisal, Health & Safety, PE Link

Hello, I am David Cashmore, I am fortunate to be the Chair of Governors for Allens Croft Primary school and the link Governor for the Resource Base and Year 6.

I have extensive experience within the field of education, working with children and young people across primary and secondary mainstream and alternative/special provisions. I have a passion for working with vulnerable groups evident through my direct work with students who are disengaged with education, those with hearing impairments and those who are Looked After. I currently work for a company that provides behaviour management and de-escalation training to professionals who support these vulnerable individuals.

I am happily married and have two grown up children. I have grown up and live within the local area and over the years have witnessed how the school’s ethos and values have developed.

I hope that my personal and professional experiences will enable me to positively contribute to the further growth of Allens Croft Primary School giving our young people the opportunities they deserve and the best possible start in life.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of such and welcoming and excellent school, hopefully, I will get a chance to meet some of you throughout the academic year.

Mr Brian Rainbow

Vice Chair of Governors

Co-opted Governor 

Date of appointment: 1/11/2017
Term of Office: 4 years
Pecuniary Interest: Married to a member of school staff
Attended all FGB meetings since September 2020
Attended all Finance, Staffing & Standards Committee meetings since September 2020

2022: Reception and Humanities Curriculum Link

Hello, my name is Brian Rainbow. I am privileged to be the Vice Chair for the Governing Board and lead Governor for Year 6 and Numeracy.

Allens Croft is a fantastic school and the heart of the local community. I am delighted that my son was able to attend prior to him transitioning to secondary school, and being a Governor gives me the opportunity to give something back for all the fantastic support he has received.

I have worked in the Financial Services industry for 25 years and have extensive experience in management of people, financials and delivery of targets. I am happily married with two amazing children and hope that my experience will help me to support Allens Croft as it continues to grow.

I absolutely believe that Allens Croft is a wonderful place for children to learn and we all have the opportunity to give the children the very best start in life that we can.

Mr David Collier

Local Authority Governor

Date of appointment: 26.01.18
Term of Office: 4 years
No pecuniary interests
Attended all FGB meetings since September 2020

2022: Resource Base and Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Governor 

Hello, my name is David Collier and I have been fortunate to have sat on the Governing Body for the past 6 years.

For several years some of you may have come across me as the Chair of Governors and while I was happy to hand this over, I was keen to continue my involvement with the Board.

I was therefore delighted to undertake the role of Governor appointed on behalf of the Local Authority with a specific responsibility for providing a link between the Board and the City Council Education Service.
Within the Board, apart from general matters of governance, I have a special interest in the development and provision of our offer for children with special educational needs and disabilities, both in the main school and our highly regarded specialist resource base. 

I am a strong advocate for Birmingham in general and our area in particular. I was born and raised in the City and worked over 40 years within the public sector in the area. For the whole of my adult life I have lived in the Kings Heath area where both of my daughters attended both primary and secondary schools.
I am now looking forward to another productive and successful year for our school and hope to have the chance to meet some of you during school activities which I like to attend whenever possible. 

Ms Claire Williams

Co-Opted Governor

Date of appointment: 13/10/2017

Term of Office: 6 years

No pecuniary interests

Attended most FGB Meetings since October 2017

Arts Governor 

My name is Claire Williams and I am the church minister at Kings Heath Elim Pentecostal Church. I have been the lead minister there for nearly 12 years. Previous to this I was a Primary School teacher locally. I am married to Tony and we have three grown up sons, all of them married. We also have five grandchildren. I love being part of the Allens Croft Community and am excited to have been accepted as a Governor. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your school...I aim to serve you well.

Mr Peter Dixon

Parent Governor

Date of appointment: 29/11/2017
Term of Office: 4 years
No pecuniary interests
Attended all FGB Meetings since September 2020
Attended all Finance, Staffing and Standards Committee meetings since September 2020

2022: Year 1 and GDPR, ICT and Computing Curriculum 

Hello, I am Peter Dixon and I am a Parent Governor at Allen’s Croft.

I have worked as a creative practitioner within many schools and arts organisations running projects and workshops primarily with a musical and radio focus. Currently I manage the IT in a large all-through school but alongside this, I am often seen behind the mixing desk at gigs and festivals working as a sound engineer.

Working with such a variety of schools has given me first-hand experience in the diversity of approaches and the attitudes that schools take to their delivery of the curriculum.

Being a parent Governor at Allen’s Croft allows me to give some of my time and experience to our already excellent school and I feel that I can help support and challenge Allen’s Croft to maximise opportunities that will allow all of our children to develop and flourish.

Mr Martin Fisher

Parent Governor

Chair of the Finance, Staffing and Standards Committee

Date of appointment: 26/10/18
Term of Office: 4 years
No pecuniary interests
Attended all FGB Meetings since September 2020
Attended all Finance, Staffing and Standards Committee meetings since September 2020

2022: Year 2 and Science Curriculum Link

Hello, I am Martin Fisher and I am a Co-opted Governor at Allen’s Croft.

I work as a manager at Sainsbury Bank during the day, promoting good governance and investment analysis within the bank and the wider Sainsburys group. Currently I'm working on process improvement and cost efficiencies across the whole range of activities we do in the bank.

My working life has been mostly financial analysis focused so that gives me an excellent grounding to head up the Finance, Standards and Staffing committee for Allen's Croft.

Being a governor, and parent at Allen’s Croft allows me to give something back to our community and to help make an already excellent school even better.

Mrs Kristy George

Co-opted Governor

Term of office : 3 years

No pecuniary interests 

Attended all meetings since Spring /March 2021

2022: Safeguarding and Pastoral Lead Governor

Hello my name is Kristy George, I’m very fortunate to be Co-opted governor for Allens Croft Primary School and I am so happy to be apart of the Allens Croft family.  

I have extensive experience in education as I have taught for many years, mainly Science disciplines to secondary school students and A level, as well as Physical Education alongside coaching Gymnastics in several different boroughs across all key stages/ ages. I have a passion for teaching and learning and I specialise in working with children from all walks of life, with various barriers to learning by adapting diverse strategies to learning to support young children in school. 

Learning inspires me and I value that children have as much to teach the world as the world has to learn from them. Allens Croft's culture and ethos is amazing and the atmosphere and warmth it emits everyday made me trust in sending my own little family to the school.                          

Mr David Wheildon

Staff Governor

Co-opted Governor

Date of appointment: 6th July, 2022 
Term of Office: 4 years
No pecuniary interests
Attended all FGB Meetings since July 2022
2022: Year 5 Class Teacher and Communication & Community Lead 

Mrs Paula Weaver

Head Teacher 

Dr. Suzanne Carter

Co-opted Governor 

Date of appointment:  13/09/2023
Term of Office: <1 year
Director of Our Scene CIC
Attended all FGB Meetings since September 2023
 

Hello, my name is Suzanne, and I am a local community connector with 20 years’ experience of designing and delivering community heritage and arts projects, events and activities across the city.  The children from Allens Croft Primary School and Resource Base have already been active contributors in four collaborative art campaigns I have managed since 2018.

In 2021 I decided to invest my community engagement skills and my passion and enthusiasm for inclusion and community into Brandwood, the area in which I have lived for over 15 years with my husband, two children and two dogs. I set up a community development non-profit called Our Scene CIC to work in a very hyperlocal and place-based way within Brandwood neighbourhoods to make a difference to how people felt about the area and to create new opportunities and reasons for people to smile!

Our Scene CIC runs collaborative community ‘building’, active citizenship and environmental improvement activities to bring together local residents from all backgrounds to work towards the same goal; to connect more people and reduce isolation, brighten up the area, increase community spirit and spread positivity. You may know us for some of the activities we have run including community fun days in Dawberry Fields Park and yarn-bombing all the post boxes in the area a few times! See what else we have been doing to lift up Brandwood at www.ourscene.org

I have always enjoyed working with the school and was delighted to be invited to work more closely with them as a co-opted Governor. Brandwood is a huge resource of learning for the children, both as a place and as a place shared by diverse communities with different cultures and generational experiences. I am hoping that my local connections and creative project delivery skills will bring new opportunities and perspectives for the children which foster and increase a sense of pride in where they live and go to school.

Ms Eleanor Smith

Co-opted Governor 

Suggestions and Complaints

We want to know your views about what we do well and of any compliments or complaints. Copies of the complaints procedure are available on request.

In the first instance, complaints should be made to the Head Teacher or the Deputy Head Teacher. If parents/carers wish to take a complaint further they should write to the Chair of Governors, care of Allens Croft Primary School.