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 Governors

Mrs Becky Black

Member of SAT

Foundation Governor

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 Governors

Dr Rebecca Flutter

Parent Governor

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.

Peter Prasadam

Foundation Governor

Peter is a retired teacher with 36 years of experience working in schools as a teacher and leader. He believes passionately in schools as places where children are engaged learners, emotionally intelligent and outward looking. He is also a licensed reader in the Church of England and enjoys the challenge of showing how belief in God can enrich people's lives. He loves cycling, is a choir member and plays padel.

Mrs Natalie Thompson

Staff Governor

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 Governor

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 Governor

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 Governor

Commitees:-

• Standards & Effectiveness

Mrs Rachel Shaw

Parent Governor

Commitees:-

• Standards & Effectiveness

Rev. Sue Taylor

Foundation Governor

Committees:-

• Christian Values & Worship

The Methodist Church in Lindley likes to be actively involved in all aspects of the life of Lindley community. It is especially keen to support the school and for this reason Rev Sue Taylor has chosen to become a school Governor. She has no previous experience of being a school Governor but is a quick learner and enthusiastic about being involved in many aspects of the work of the school.

Sue has been the Minister at Lindley Methodist Church for just over three years and works closely with the Vicar Rev Abbie Palmer. In the past she has taken part in the Open the book stories and also class and whole school worship.

Prior to becoming a Minister she was a Social Worker and manager in Children and Families Social Work for over 30 years and brings this experience to her role as a Governor. She has always been interested in ensuring all children have the opportunities to achieve their full potential.

Her hobbies are walking and swimming, knitting and sewing and is an avid reader of crime novels.

Miss Vicky Golding

Foundational Governor

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 Governor

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 Bernard Ainsworth

Foundation Governor

Committees:-

• Resources

Bernard and his wife, Rosemary, have lived in Huddersfield for the last 40 years.  Their children, Charlotte and Michael grew up here and were lucky to have their grounding education at Lindley Infants School.

His career over 45 years has been largely project led but in Geographical areas which included Saudi Arabia, Poland and most areas in the UK.  In those areas he was responsible for leading a wide range of major programmes and projects within and out with the construction industry.

Now firmly based back at home in Edgerton, he shares with Rosemary the long-distance role of Grandparents to 6 grandchildren.  Bernard also enjoys a number of Huddersfield based roles currently including membership of Huddersfield University Council, Huddersfield Civic Society and building advice and sometimes handyman at St. Stephens Church.

Having recently come to the end of term as Chair of Trustees at The Kirkwood, the local hospice, he is pleased to take on the role of Foundation Governor at Lindley CE Infant School and looks forward to working with Kate Dilworth to help ensure Lindley remains ‘best in class’.

Mr Matthew Bradbury

Parent Governor