Governors

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Our Governors

Mrs Nellie Crouch (Headteacher)
I have thirty years of teaching experience having taught in London and Kent before moving to the Cotswolds. I have taught across all three key stages of the primary phase: Foundation Stage and Key Stages One and Two. I am Headteacher at Hook Norton, and know the school well having been Deputy Headteacher for twenty years. I have been actively involved in voluntary work including leading children and family activities at large conventions and charitable trips abroad. I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, entertaining friends and being actively involved in a church. I particularly enjoy spending time with my husband, son, daughter and son-in-law.

Joe Williams (Chair – Co-opted)

I have been a governor at Hook Norton Primary school for 20 years, serving as Chair for 8 of those years, following in my grandfather’s footsteps who was a school governor and councillor. 

On leaving school I became an apprentice in operations and administration management, starting in my parents business then 6 months working for a clothes retailer before returning to the family business where I am now managing partner and postmaster for the Budgens store in Hook Norton. I have also previously been a parish councillor including the Chair and 16 years as an operational firefighter at the village fire station. 

Alongside my main job and that of being a school governor, I am Vice President of the sports & social club, Chair of Hooky Neighbours Pantry and a director on the independents board of ACS (association of convenience stores)   

I have lived in the local area all of my life, my 2 two lively jug dogs keep me active in my spare time. 

Mr Richard Thomson (Vice chair - Co-opted)

I arrived in Hook Norton is 2015 whilst still working in London as the Managing Director of a large TV Production company, which I continued to do until 2019. Since then, I have been a Non-Exec Director and Consultant to various TV production and related companies both in the UK and abroad, and am currently Executive Chair for a Natural History company based in Bristol. I love being in Hooky and along with being a Governor of the school, I distribute the bi-monthly village newsletter and am involved in the organisation of both the Hooky Beer Festival and the annual Apple Day. Most days I can be seen out and about with my faithful companion Dylan the Vizsla dog.

Janet Faull (Foundation Governor)

I came with my husband to the village of Hook Norton in 2019. I have a daughter in Oxford. My son and his family live in London. I am the Rector of St Peter’s Church and the Hook Norton village. I enjoy nurturing the link between school and church, leading school assemblies and helping with anything I can. I am also Rector of the churches and villages of Great Rollright, Swerford and Wigginton. I trained initially at the Royal Academy of Music in London and then at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. From then I worked as a free-lance musician - playing in theatre bands, teaching violin, piano and guitar in schools and privately, and taking music therapy into homes for those mentally challenged. In my later twenties I trained to be a primary school teacher, and over the years have taught full time all the year groups except Reception and Yr 2.

Mr Nick Harrison (Co-opted)

I am a Chartered Surveyor who moved to Hooky 10 years ago and have two children at the school. In my day job I travel the country looking at commercial buildings and can often be found jogging on the lanes around the village and up at the Sports and Social Club.

Helen Lewis (Co-opted)
I am proud to be one of the co-opted governors of Hook Norton primary school. I have three children - two teenage boys who loved their time at 'Hooky' and a girl who is still at the school. I have been involved in secondary and higher education for over twenty years -teaching History, RE and Personal Development at secondary level and teaching on PGCE courses at two Universities. I am passionate about training and supporting the next generation of teachers. Presently, I am the Lead Induction Tutor for Early Career Teachers at a secondary school in Bicester and I also work as an academic supervisor on a PGCE course at Sussex University.

Jonathan Muller (Foundation Governor)

As Foundation Governor, my role is to represent the church on the governing body, and to support the school in embedding Christian values and ethos in the way our children are looked after and educated. I have lived in Hook Norton for fourteen years, and have two children at the school. My day job is Training and Activation Manager for a small international market data business.

Sally Newman (Co-opted)

My family and I have loved living in Hook Norton for the last 29 years. Until retirement my husband taught at the village school, and both our daughters attended. For 35 years I taught in primary schools in East London, Essex and Oxfordshire, spending the last 14 years of my career as headteacher of a school in Banbury.

Despite being retired, I have retained my interest in, and passion for, education so I feel that being a school governor is an interesting and useful role that I can undertake. I visit the school regularly and hope that I am both supportive, as well as a critical friend.

I am also a trustee of the Heath Allotment Trust, a charity based in the village.

I enjoy a variety of hobbies; keeping active through dance, swimming and walking, as well as watching sport, gardening, choir, reading and spending time with my friends and family.

Mrs Rachel O'Callaghan (Associate Member, School Business Manager)

I'm the School Business Manager of Hooky School which means I look after all the operational aspects of the school along with managing the finances and budget, with the support of my amazing team.  I joined the school  in 2020 after a 17 year career in retail operations.  After a short break to have my third child I returned to my role in 2023, some might say the school is so good I've worked here twice! I couldn't wait to come back as I love the fact that no two days are the same and I get to utilise the range of skills I've picked up over my time in retail including: financial, health and safety and facilities management; HR and training; marketing and communications.  The best bit is spending my days with amazing children (including my nieces and nephews) which make it all worthwhile and very fun!

Mrs Sara Peters (Associate Member – Teaching)

Mrs Liz Voce (Associate Member – Teaching)

I have taught at Hook Norton School since I joined as a newly qualified teacher in 2000, with a short break to have my children. I have experience of teaching across all Key Stages, including Foundation Stage during my teaching career and have had a range of different co-ordinator and leadership roles. I valued the opportunities Hook Norton School and village offered so much that we moved to the village in 2010 and my own three daughters all attended the school. They have since gone on to Chipping Norton School where they achieved highly, which was definitely supported by their fantastic primary education at Hook Norton and following secondary education there. I currently teach Year 1 and 2, am Phase Leaders for Key Stage 1 and Acting Deputy Headteacher. I am also the Primary Link Teacher for the Chipping Norton Partnership and PE Co-ordinator. I have taken on an Associate Governor role to enable me to further support in the leadership and management of the school.

Mrs Emily Vint (Staff Governor – Teaching)

Alex Walsh (Co-opted)

I have been part of the Hook Norton community since 2015.  My youngest daughter has just left Hook Norton primary school to go to Secondary School. 

I have worked in education for the past 25 years. I have worked across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, opening a new SEN school in September of last year and opening a partnering secondary school last month. 

I am dedicated to supporting the most vulnerable people in society to ensure that inclusive practise is offered and equality within the educational system is honoured. 

In 2020, I was appointed Head Teacher of a very challenging SEN Independent school, where I lead a team through a very challenging inspection, during which I was recognised as an outstanding leader within education. In 2023, I was highly commended by Pearson’s National Teaching Awards for my outstanding work in education. Alongside my headship this academic year, with a group of colleagues, we have started a charity called Fresh Start Foundations which works with children and young people who struggle with social and emotional literacy and regulation, as well as running school training and staff supervisions. 

Sally Griffiths (Clerk to Governing body)

I currently work at Hook Norton School as a 1-2-1 SEN Teaching Assistant. Prior to this I worked in the telecommunication industry coaching and doing continuous improvement. In my free time I enjoy days out with the family and spending time in my garden.  

Andrew Maclauchlan (Parent Governor) 

I am a parent governor living locally with my wife and two daughters, both of whom attend Hook Norton Primary School. We moved here 3 years ago inspired by both the village and school as the perfect place to raise our family. I’ve a professional career of c20 years in the Food and Retail industry across various commercial leadership roles and look forward to utilising some of this experience and training for the benefit of the school and pupils. 

Elise Reid (Parent Governor) 

I am one of the Parent Governors at Hook Norton Primary School. I have 3 children who have all attended this school, 2 are now at secondary school. I have a very comprehensive understanding of how the school works having been a Governor at Hook Norton for a number of years and worked as a special needs TA as well as having a parent’s perspective. 

I have a background in Theatre Management having previously worked at Chipping Norton Theatre before I had my children. 

I now work as an Exams Invigilator at a secondary school in Oxfordshire, but when I am not working or looking after my children I love to go on long walks with my 2 Border Collies. 

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Contact the Governors

You can email the Governors at joe.williams@hook-norton.oxon.sch.uk

Alternatively email office.3044@hook-norton.oxon.sch.uk making the email for the attention of the Chair and the school will forward the email on. Letters and emails addressed to the Chair of Governors C/O the School will be forwarded.

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The Governing Body

Sets the strategic direction of the school by:

• Setting the values, aims and objectives for the school
• Agreeing the policy framework for achieving those aims and objectives
• Setting statutory targets
• Agreeing the school improvement strategy which includes approving the budget and agreeing the staffing structure.

Challenges and supports the school by monitoring, reviewing and evaluating:

• The implementation and effectiveness of the policy framework
• Progress towards targets
• The implementation and effectiveness of the school improvement strategy
• The budget and the staffing structure.

Ensures accountability by:

• signing off the school’s own self-evaluation report
• responding to Ofsted reports when necessary
• holding the headteacher to account for the performance of the school
• ensuring parents and pupils are involved, consulted and informed as appropriate
• making available information to the community.
• Appoints and performance manages the headteacher who will deliver the aims (through the day to day management of the school, implementation of the agreed policy framework and school improvement strategy, and delivery of the curriculum) and report appropriately to the governing body.

For governing bodies to carry out their role effectively, governors must be:

• Prepared and equipped to take their responsibilities seriously;
• Acknowledged as the accountable body by the lead professionals;
• Supported by the appropriate authorities in that task; and
• Willing and able to monitor and review their own performance.

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The role of a governor

In law the governing body is a corporate body, which means:

• no governor can act on her/his own without proper authority from the full governing body;
• all governors carry equal responsibility for decisions made, and
• although appointed through different routes (i.e. parents, staff, Local Authority community, foundation), the overriding concern of all governors has to be the welfare of the school as a whole.

Governors of Hook Norton CE Primary School have adopted the following procedure to deal with formalcomplaints from members of the school community or general public.

If parents, pupils or members of the public have concerns they should:

• Discuss their concerns with the member of staff most directly involved and, if not satisfied;
• Discuss their concerns with a senior member of staff and, if not satisfied; (this stage will not apply in small schools)
• Discuss their concerns with the headteacher.

Only where all these avenues have been tried and found unsatisfactory should the complainant take a complaint to the Chair of Governors or Clerk to the Governing Body.

Further information detailing the schools complaint policy can be found here:

Complaints Policy