

WESTONING LOWER SCHOOL
Where Learning Starts
WLS GOVERNORS
Just like our staff, our WLS Governors bring a wealth of different experiences and skills sets to our school. They play an active part in school life and are knowledgeable about all aspects of the school's work. The Local Governing Board meet six times a year and has a Resources Committee and a Staff and Pay Policy Committee.
The Instrument of Government was rewritten in March 2015 so that our Governing Body now consists of the following positions:
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5 Parent Governors
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1 LA Governor
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1 Staff Governor
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4 Co-opted Governors
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2 Foundation Governors
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1 Head teacher
Kate Minor
Chair of Governors - Parent Governor
Kate graduated from Loughborough University in 2004 where she studied Banking Finance and Management, however she quickly decided banking wasn't for her. Since then Kate's career has taken her down the road of HR working both overseas and in the UK, with her completing her CIPD qualifications in 2012. More recently Kate qualified as a Mental Health First Aid instructor and is a keen advocate of positive mental health for all. Outside of work, Kate has lived in Westoning since 2015 with her two girls, two dogs, husband and a VW camper van called Mavis. Kate joined as a Parent Governor in 2018.
John Corcoran
Parent Governor
John is a CFA® Charterholder and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society.
He is a partner in a city-based wealth management firm within which he serves on the investment committee and has ultimate responsibility for the firm’s risk management and regulatory compliance processes.
He joined the school as a Parent Governor in 2015
Brian Valentine
Co-Opted Governor
Brian was appointed as a co-opted governor in January 2017. He is a retired actuary who had a career in life insurance most recently in reinsurance, where he was a director in a large multi-national firm. He also held positions in marketing and finance.
Brian has lived in Westoning since 1989 and coaches pupils at chess club. He has been Bedfordshire chess champion on two occasions.
Ekta Bhasin
Co-opted Governor
Ekta has lived in Westoning since 2013, with her husband and two sons. She is a Parish Councillor (from Jan 2016) and a School Governor since May 2019. Ekta has held various senior leadership roles within the retail sector; managing large scale change programmes and business start-ups. She decided to take a break from the corporate world after the birth of her first son to follow her passion for holistic wellbeing. She is a certified NLP life coach, yoga instructor, massage therapist and nutrition & lifestyle counsellor, and is currently studying to be an Ayurvedic Doctor. Ekta is enthusiastic to serve the community and feels her role as Governor provides her with the opportunity to add value in shaping the best education and environment for the school.