Meet The Governors

Welcome to our Governors’ section

Please find below details of how our Governing body is structured, including the names, categories, responsibilities and terms of appointment for each Governor.

We are always interested to hear from parents who may want to consider becoming a Governor and should you wish to discuss this further please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Governing Body.

Jason Batten

I joined the Governing Body in 2013 and was Co-opted in February 2015.  I currently sit on the Management Committee and have Governor responsibility for premises.  Both my children attended Burford School and have now left secondary education.  My primary reason for joining the Governing Body was to represent the local committee on the Governing Body as I also serve on the Parish Council.

Sarah Cooper

I have been involved in the Governing Body since October 2007 and in September 2014 I became Chair, a role that I thoroughly enjoyed until I resigned in October 2020.  I have three children, one of whom is still at Burford in KS2.  My eldest child left in July 2013.  My primary reason for becoming a Governor was my belief that all children deserve a great primary education to prepare them for the next stage of school.  Over the years, I have been actively involved in the development of the Burford Curriculum and I am the governor with responsibility for Assessment and Literacy throughout the school.

Kevin Ford

I am very pleased to be a parent governor at the school and I have been in this position since September 2017. I have lived and worked in Bucks for almost 20 years, teaching in two secondary schools in the county. Since 2010 I have worked at Great Marlow School, firstly as the Deputy Headteacher and since 2016 as the Headteacher. I have a very keen interest in sport and particularly team sports but recently my own participation has been reduced to a weekly recreational run and occasional gym visit! I hope during my tenure as a parent governor I can use my experience to make a positive contribution to the further development of this excellent school.

Steven Griffiths

I have worked in the Energy business for over 20 years. My family and I moved to Marlow Bottom in 2020. We have two children currently attending Burford, in years 3 and 6, they both found a warm welcome and settled in amazingly fast.  I believe that is a testament to all the people who make the school; the parents, teachers, staff and pupils and I would very much like to contribute to the continuation and growth of the community spirit that has made us feel so welcome and allowed our children to settle and thrive.  I’d like to contribute as a School Governor to continue driving a safe, healthy, ambitious environment and help lay the foundations for future success.

Jane Hawksworth

I am delighted to have been appointed as the Chair of Governors again this year. I was co-opted onto the Governing Body in April 2016, to sit on the Management Committee as the Development Governor.  I have three children, two currently attend Burford.  Previous to this I was involved in the local Pre-school committee and was delighted to join the Burford Governing Body to be able to continue to contribute as much as I can. I am a member of Friends of Burford and also a member of the Village Hall Trust Committee.

Sally Hillyer

In September 2019 I was delighted to become a parent governor, joining a great team that works hard to support the fantastic work the school does. My two sons are at Burford, benefiting from the wonderful enriched curriculum, and the school’s dedication to fostering children’s wellbeing. My professional background is in educational publishing, developing teaching, learning and assessment resources for primary schools, with a specialism in maths. This has given me a good insight into the curriculum side of education, and I’m enjoying learning about all the other many and varied things involved in running a school.

Tracey Marshall

I have the privilege of being Burford School's Headteacher. With the staff and governors, I am confident that together we will help your children grow into well-rounded individuals, ready for the next stage in their education when the time comes for them to leave Burford.  When I am not at school, I am the proud mum of three children and enjoy relaxing at home with a good novel. I look forward to working in partnership with all stakeholders of Burford School, especially the children. 

Jonny Patten

In January 2023, I joined the fantastic Burford Team as Deputy Headteacher. Using my previous experiences as school SENDCo and Assistant Headteacher, I am looking forward to working with stakeholders at Burford to give all pupils the learning opportunities they need in order to develop through our seven core values. Outside of school, I enjoy the juggling act of raising three young children and swimming competitively.

Rachel Rayner

I became a parent governor in March 2021. I have always been very passionate about Burford and the fantastic education that they provide for our children. We have 2 daughters attending Burford and I have always spent as much time as I can in school helping their teachers, understanding the curriculum and how they learn. I have a background in Engineering and I subsequently moved in to Information Technology, I currently work for a large software company and I have a huge passion for all things STEM. I am absolutely delighted to be joining as a curriculum governor focussing on the area of Science. I am also a committee member of Friends of Burford.

Kevin Steele

I was delighted to be Co-opted to the Governing Body in 2017.  For this academic year I have been elected as Vic Chair of Governors. I have two children, one still attending Burford.  I recognize what a fantastic school we already have, but there are always opportunities for improvement!  I am excited to utilise my industry and management experience to the benefit of the school to help make it even more successful with safe, happy and thriving children.  I am currently the chair of the Curriculum Committee.

Bruce Watt

I have recently been appointed as a Parent Governor. We have lived in Marlow Bottom since 2014 and have a daughter in Year 4. I have worked in banking for 36 years and currently work in Weybridge.

Having previously been a community governor at a primary school in Hillingdon I appreciate the challenges of running a primary school. I wanted to join the governors to help keep Burford the great school that it currently is.

Reverend Graham Watts

I moved to Marlow Bottom in 2014 when my wife and I were appointed Vicars (we job share) of St Mary’s Church in Marlow Bottom.  I became a Co-opted Governor at Burford in February 2015.  Two of our children have already gone through Burford and we have one child still here.  I am the Equalities Governor, I sit on the Management Committee and am also the Humanities Governor. We love Marlow Bottom – the community and the surrounding countryside - and it is great being involved at Burford.