Lindley CE Infant School

Name & Appointment

Pen Portrait

Mrs Kate Dilworth

Head Teacher

Committees :- All

As Headteacher of Lindley CE Infant School, Kate understands the importance of providing a high-quality education in an environment where children feel safe and cared for and all are able to thrive both personally and academically. The physical and mental well-being of both children, staff and all stakeholders is a priority for Kate. She prioritises this for herself each week when volunteering as a coach for her daughter’s U13 football team.

With over 20 years of teaching experience, 14 of these within an infant school, Kate is passionate that every child should have the best possible start where there are no barriers to their learning. Her experiences as a Staff and Foundation Governor have provided her with an understanding of strategic leadership in schools.

The children will always be at the heart of every decision Kate makes at Lindley CE Infant School.

Chair of Trustees

Mrs Becky Black

Member of SAT

Foundation Trustee

Committees :- All

Mrs Black and her family have lived in the Huddersfield area for over 30 years. She has three grown up sons who have worked hard to get a sound education which started at Lindley Infant School.  

Mrs Black’s working career has been in education and she continues to be passionate about access to education for all, helping children to understand the value of hard work and commitment and the benefits that come from this.  

Mrs Black continues to carry out fundraising and voluntary work.  She has completed the London Marathon, climbed Kilimanjaro for Scope and cycled from London to Paris for charity. Mrs Black also volunteers as a Church Warden and fundraises for St Stephens.

She takes her role as Chair of Governors seriously and contributes as much time as possible to their progress and improvement.

Vice Chair of Trustees

Dr Rebecca Flutter

Parent Trustee

Committees:-

• Resources

The Reverend Abbie Palmer

Ex Officio

Committees:-

• Christian Values & Worship
• Standards & Effectiveness

Revd. Abbie has been Priest-in-Charge of St Stephen’s Church, Lindley since April 2021. Her role as Lindley Infant School Governor is part of that role, linking the church and school together. She had not been a school governor previously so has been learning the role since arriving. She really enjoys being a part of the school community and being a part of shaping the future of the school. Prior to being in ministry, she was a secondary music teacher and enjoys singing at any opportunity. She also worked in a number of administrative and training roles at the University of Leeds. She also enjoys walking, crochet and baking.

Mrs Natalie Thompson

Staff Trustee

Committees :-  All

Prior to teaching, Natalie worked as an Early Years Advisor for Calderdale Council, working with schools, nurseries, childminders and out of school clubs. It was Natalie’s love of children’s early years of development and learning that led her to train as a teacher. Natalie has worked in a variety of schools across Bradford and Calderdale as a teacher in Reception, Nursery and KS1, EYFS lead and Assistant Headteacher before coming to Lindley Infant School in January 2021 as Deputy Headteacher. She also spent 7 years as Chairperson for Triangle Pre-school, when her children attended and beyond. Natalie has also spent the last few years supporting and developing new teachers through her work with Teamworks SCITT and East Manchester Teaching Hub. 

In her spare time, Natalie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, travelling, walking and paddle boarding.

Natalie has been a Governor at Lindley Infant School since February 2021 and feels privileged to work with the children, staff and families of this amazing community. Natalie is passionate about ensuring that all children receive a high-quality education in a safe and nurturing space that supports them to shine as individuals.

Mrs Jan Balmforth

Staff Trustee

Committees:-

• Standards & Effectiveness

Jan has worked at Lindley CE Infant School for over 20 years and for the majority of that time as a staff governor. She first started working with SEND children and a lot of her work involved both supporting the parents and their children to achieve their full potential. Over the years her teaching commitments have increased and now teaches full time across KS1. One of her greatest passions is reading and she formed a community reading group ‘Reading Friends’, over 15 years ago which still continues today. Governors and members of the community come into school every week to encourage, support and inspire children to have a love of reading.

She is an active member of the Standards & Effectiveness Committee and she works hard to make sure that all children gain for getting a high-quality education where they feel safe and nurtured and are able to achieve both academically and personally. Jan is also very passionate about mental health and well-being, both for staff and children. She is a member of the staff well-being team and also involved in other initiatives to support children’s mental health.

In her spare time, she loves walking, reading, baking and meeting up with friends and family. Both her children were lucky to start their educational journey at Lindley so she knows how important a high-quality education can be. She loves being a part of the Lindley family and is happy to be able to give something back.

Mrs Faye Batley

Foundation Trustee

Committees:-

• Christian Values & Worship
• Standards & Effectiveness

Faye has lived in the local area all her life and has strong connections with both Lindley Infant School and St Stephen’s Church where she is a regular worshiper and volunteer at community events. 

Faye joined the governing body earlier this year as a Foundation Governor. This is her first governing body role but she is excited to embrace this challenge and is passionate about education and ensuring everyone has a fair chance to achieve their potential. Faye is a member of the Christian Values & Worship and Standards & Effectiveness Committees.

Outside of her governing role, Faye has a full-time job as the Lead Specialist Nurse for Ageing Well across Calderdale. This has required her to develop and implement a service which focuses on what matters most to the people of Calderdale. In her spare time, Faye enjoys spending time with her family and friends going on walks, meals out and doing arts and craft activities. 

Mr Jordan Firth

Staff Trustee

Commitees:-

• Standards & Effectiveness

Mrs Rachel Shaw

Parent Trustee

Commitees:-

• Standards & Effectiveness

Miss Vicky Golding

Foundation Trustee

Committees:-

• Resources

Vicky recently joined the governing board as a co-opted Governor, this is her first governor role however she has an extensive background working in management accounts and finance (currently working with the NHS) and feels that her skills and expertise will be a great asset to the school.

She is a member of St Stephen’s church and her daughter has just joined Lindley infants in the reception year.  She is passionate in supporting the school and the local community.

In her spare time, Vicky spends a lot of time away with the family in their caravan visiting different sites of the UK.  She also enjoys reading, cooking, walking and watching films with the family.

Mr Clarke Bedford

Co-Opted Trustee

Committees:-

• Resources

Clarke is a pensions actuary and responsible for managing several large pension schemes. He hopes to bring those financial skills to the running of the school to which he and his three young children have all attended. Clarke is also a huge Huddersfield Town fan and enjoys refereeing for his son’s local football team.

Mr Matthew Bradbury

Parent Trustee

Matthew is one of our parent governors with his child recently starting in Reception at Lindley CE Infant School. Matthew is a Deputy Headteacher and SENCO at another local church school and is passionate about ensuring that all children receive a good, well balanced curriculum to help them flourish. Matthew is keen to work with the governing body to help shape the strategic development of the school and bring his background of working in schools to the governing board. Matthew and his family are keen travellers, both within the UK and further afield and enjoys spending time as a family exploring new places. 

Mrs Zoe Davy

Foundation Trustee

Following completion of her degree in Law and Economics, Zoe worked in transport for 7 years. Zoe started as an apprentice and worked across all areas of the organisation.  Zoe established her field in strategy and planning, working with the Senior Management Team, to develop the Equality and Inclusion Policy and managed reporting on the company’s executive project portfolio, before embarking on her next big work adventure in Childcare. Being a Governor has afforded Zoe the opportunity to bring some of this strategic experience to the school's table.

 Zoe is part of a choir, enjoys reading, enjoys travelling and enjoys sharing experiences and making memories with her family and friends! Above all she enjoys serving wherever and whenever she can. She has a desire to see young people and children reach their full potential and is an advocate for removing barriers to allow this.  Her reasons for becoming a governor is to support the school prepare for the changing landscape of the Lindley community as it works towards its vision.

Mrs Sophie Conaghan 

Trustee

Sophie and her family live in Lindley and her children attend Lindley Infant School. Sophie's working career has been in finance and accounting where she works with small, early-stage businesses supporting them with their financial planning. In addition to her employed work, she runs her own business providing education workshops in financial literacy to business owners. 

Community volunteering has always been part of Sophie's life, stemming from seeing her own mother in many voluntary roles alongside her own teaching career. Having moved around between cities (and countries), Sophie has always had a voluntary role in the place she lives and brings this commitment now to Lindley. She is committed to encouraging a joined-up community where children can grow and thrive by feeling the support of their community around them. 

Mr Alok Krishnan

Trustee

Alok strongly believes that schools play a pivotal role in shaping the society as much as the futures of young individuals. Serving as a school governor provides a unique opportunity for the community to contribute to this mission. Alok and his family have been Lindley residents for over 8 years, and their children attend Lindley Infant School. Many of his friends and colleagues are also part of the Lindley school community.

A Chartered Mechanical Engineer by profession, Alok is employed locally in Huddersfield as a Program Leader, where he also leads the site Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives. Passionate about education and continuous development, he has volunteered as a STEM ambassador for over 15 years, including at Lindley Infant School.

Prior to joining as a trustee at Lindley CE Infant School, Alok has previously served as a Governor with safeguarding responsibilities at a High School. He is excited to offer his experience in planning, resource management, and decision-making to support effective governance, with the ultimate goal of maximising the development of the young minds we serve.