Our Governors

Jane Cross - Staff Governor

I joined Deddington Primary as Deputy Headteacher just over 11 years ago, previous to this I had worked as a class teacher and Deputy Head in a couple of Croydon schools in South London. I am originally from Banbury and decided to return when my daughter was a toddler after my husband and I realised the cost of living in London and raising a family was rather expensive, and without family support, quite stressful! Since joining Deddington I have worked in years 5 and 6, though in recent years I have been based in year 6. As well as Deputy Head I am also Maths Coordinator, and when I have the opportunity enjoy all things arty! I have a daughter at the Warriner who went to Deddington and my son is currently in year 5, I feel very lucky that both my children have received an excellent education at Deddington and have had the right grounding to become lifelong learners. I love working at Deddington, I am surrounded by interesting and interested pupils, the most amazing staff and supportive parents, every year brings new challenges and opportunities- and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Matthew Fisher, Foundation Governor

I joined Deddington School as a Foundation Governor in November 2021. We have been in the village for four years, and with one son at the Deddington, I wanted to take up the role to contribute to the development of the School. I have been in Education in Oxfordshire since 2003. In this time I have worked in several schools across the county, progressing from teaching roles, to school leadership. Currently I am at Warriner, as Assistant Headteacher. I have always been passionate about teaching and learning, and the impact this has on students. I hope that my background and skill can be used to help the School so that students can continue to flourish academically. More widely, I understand the wider contributions that schools can make to enrich the lives of students. From my own experience, I am a keen sportsperson, and have played hockey to a high level. This has given me the appreciation of the importance of enrichment within the curriculum. I hope that my skills and experience in education can be used to help support Deddington primary school, so that the excels in all that it does.

Mark Gilkes, Co-opted Governor

I joined as a governor in January 2022. I live in Clifton along with my wife (a Primary School Teacher in Banbury) and 18 month old son.  I grew up in nearby Milcombe and following university I moved to Ashby de la Zouch to take a job as a graduate surveyor at Fisher German LLP. We decided to move back to Oxfordshire in 2018. I was invited to become a Partner at Fisher German in 2020 and enjoy working in the national infrastructure part of our business. My role involves leading teams of surveyors in consulting, negotiating and compensating landowners impacted by large scale infrastructure projects.  I deal with  budgeting, financing, advising on legal rights and helping my colleagues develop and upskill and I hope these skills may assist with my contribution to the school.

Paul Honess - Foundation Governor, LGB Chair

I joined the Board of Governors as a Parent Governor in May 2018 and became the Chair of Governors in February 2021. I have twins at the school.

I am an educator with a background of teaching and research in a number of UK universities including Oxford and Cambridge.  With degrees in Zoology and Anthropology I have specialized in Animal Welfare Science investigating the impact of captive conditions and the effects of environmental enrichment.  Since 2011 I have worked as a consultant in the bioscience sector, both in the UK and internationally as well as taking an active role in the raising of our family.

Deddington C of E Primary School has created a wonderful community in which the children can maximize their learning and development.  I feel privileged to being able to support the school in maintaining and further developing the high quality education it delivers to give the children the very best start to their formal education.

Clair Juler - Foundation Governor

I have lived in Deddington for 5 years and I am really excited about becoming a governor at the primary school. I have worked in further education for 11 years at Abingdon and Witney College. My current role is curriculum manager for the land based courses, so all things animal, horse, countryside and agriculture. I lecture and manage a team of lecturers. Having experienced a number of successful ofsted visits and working within the education framework in the further education sector I am looking forward to being involved with the quality of education for a younger age group. I also do some work for awarding bodies which involves carrying out quality assurance of a number of land based colleges in the UK. Horses are my passion and I have a very handsome ex racehorse who I compete on at local level. This year my partner and I expanded our family by welcoming the birth of our son in September 2021. We think Deddington is the perfect village for him to grow up in and are looking forward to being part of the community. 

Tom Webber, Parent Governor