Information about our Governors

Joseph Donnelly – LA Governor

I applied to become a Governor at Brentnall in order to offer my expertise to the leadership team in driving progress as well as it being an exciting opportunity to develop my own skills. Having worked in Education for just shy of ten years, I have held a variety of posts in schools both in the UK and internationally. Currently, I am part of the Leadership Team at a Specialist Provision in Lancashire as well as a Visiting Tutor at Edge Hill University, coaching and mentoring trainee teachers across North Manchester.

I have much experience in the design and delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum and have a particular focus on the delivery of this to pupils with Special Educational Needs. My focus during my time as a governor has mainly been on SEN Provision and Curriculum, although over time this has broadened to include staffing, staff wellbeing and ensuring that the Governing Body are working effectively to best support the School Leadership Team.

Geoffrey Hodge – Parent Governor

I have lived in Salford since 2002 and our son, Oscar, is in his third year at Brentnall having joined the reception class in 2016.  When Oscar was allocated Brentnall by the council it wasn’t a school we knew about having applied to the school where he attended nursery.  We were obviously concerned that he would be moving away from his friends but were amazed at how quickly he fitted in and the speed at which he learnt.  When the parent governor post came up, it seemed a good opportunity to help and support the school.

I work as Property Services Manager for a Manchester based housing association, a role that involves supervising a team of technical staff delivering projects, responsive repairs and health and safety works to homes across Manchester.  Key skills include contract management, procurement and compliance with health and safety requirements relating to property and building works as well as budget and staff / performance management.

Sophie Savage – Staff Governor

I have been working at Brentnall Community Primary School now for 7 years. A passion of mine is seeing children have the best possible start to their school experience from Nursery through to year 6.

I have attended various courses in enabling the correct support for SEN children, with working in the ASC provision the training has helped me to see the differences in SEN and the various strategies to use when teaching those children. I am currently doing a Certificate in Education course at university to gain more experience in teaching and brining this back to the classroom on a daily basis for my personal development.

I applied to be a governor at the school as I felt it was the right time to give something back to the school and use my knowledge and passion where possible.