Paul Davies

Chair of Governors

Paul was born in Liverpool. After gaining a degree in History from the University of Manchester, he trained to become a teacher. He taught both in secondary and primary schools in Merseyside and in Arizona (USA) in the late 1970s and 1980s. He left teaching to become a local authority school adviser while working as an Ofsted Inspector for 12 years. In 1994 he joined Liverpool Hope University as a part-time senior lecturer and subsequently became Vice Dean of Education from 2002 to 2007. He left Liverpool to become the Head of Education and Associate Dean at the University of Bedfordshire and now works part-time as an Education Consultant advising on school governance and teacher training.

Paul has been a governor for over 25 years. During this time, he has been a governor of 7 schools which includes being chair of governors of 5 primary schools, Vice Chair of a Secondary School and chairing a trust of 8 schools. He is currently Chair of Governors at Lander Road Primary School (Sefton in Merseyside) and Chair of Ashby Fields Primary School in Daventry.

Paul is honoured and pleased to become a governor and chair of Millbrook Junior School governing board (from April 2019). His involvement with Millbrook Junior School began with his previous post as Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) Adviser to School Governance from 2013 to 2017. The school has made significant progress in recent years and he looks forward to making a contribution to its success.

“We all want the best for the children and to provide opportunities for every child to reach their potential and achieve.”

Jud Purdy

Vice Chair of Governors

Justin is married with a daughter who used to attend Millbrook Junior School.  He is a director of his own property maintenance business, built up over 12 years and lives in Kettering.

He is proud to be chosen to be a school governor, to allow him to support the school to achieve the best for the children, now and for the future. He prefers to use life’s curve balls and challenges as opportunities to better himself, to succeed and to learn.

Justin has qualifications in photography, which is one of his outside interests, and enjoys gardening, music and spending time with his family. 

Danielle Warren

Headteacher

Danielle’s early career began in various schools in Somerset where she taught across the primary phase and gained experience of leading Science and PE.

Following a year spent learning about people, places and herself, travelling the world, she returned to her passion of teaching and learning.

For the next few years Danielle taught in Leicestershire schools, gaining valuable skills and becoming an Assistant then Deputy Head.

Prior to joining Millbrook Junior School, Danielle was the Head of a large (400+) primary school in Northamptonshire, leading it through significant changes. These included a building extension, conversion to Academy status and improving the school from Inadequate to Good.

In addition to a teaching degree, Danielle’s qualifications include NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship) and a Masters in School Effectiveness and Improvement. This enabled her to study the theory of leadership whilst further developing practical teaching and learning skills. Most recently, she has completed the NPQEL (National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership). While leading at Millbrook Junior School, significant improvements have been in made in pupil outcomes and the school achieved a ‘Good’ from Ofsted in December 2017.

Danielle believes her qualities and strengths are that she is passionate about teaching and learning, she is a people person and she is enthusiastic. Personally, she is committed to life-long learning.

Outside of school, Danielle lives in Market Harborough, is married and has two girls (aged 15 and 17). She loves being outside, gardening, adventures and enjoying family time.  Her home is filled with house plants!

Josje Reid-Anderson

Clerk

Jos’s career as clerk to the Governing Body, started in 2012 at a school in Thrapston and she has expanded her experiences over several schools in the County. In October 2016 she was contacted by Northamptonshire County Council to minute a meeting at Millbrook Junior School and she has stayed with the school since.

Jos’s career in her full time jobs, span from PA, Office Manager to Procurement, Finance and HR, when moving to the UK in March 2002.

Her spare time interests include volunteering at a local Scout Group, an animal sanctuary and in the PTA of her son’s school. When she has spare time left, she enjoys reading and watching movies.

Lorraine Sinclair 

Lorraine has lived and taught locally for her whole life. She has a vast experience of school life at every level, to include primary, middle and secondary education, senior and middle management and as a hard-working, committed and dedicated class teacher. She has a wealth of experience in and out of the classroom and throughout her career; she has taken a full and active part in every aspect of school life. Her professional interests include teaching and learning, the pastoral care and academic progress of pupils and the development of positive working relationships with all school stakeholders. Her experience and skills can be of value to the Governing Board and she looks forward to a harmonious working relationship with all connected to the school.

Lorraine’s interests outside school include cookery, reading, visiting new places and learning new skills. She is married with a grown up son.

Lorraine is delighted to have been co-opted on to the Millbrook Juniors Governing Board, having been the staff governor for eight years. She will continue to embrace this special opportunity to support the school as it continues its exciting journey towards sustained improvement, and maintaining its commitment to provide high quality, memorable and enriching learning experiences for its pupils.

Karon Berry

Karon is delighted to join the governing board. She has been teaching at Millbrook Junior School for seven years, in Years 5 and 6.

After her children started school, Karon decided to train to become a teacher and achieved a BEd at the University of Bedfordshire. She specialised in languages and did a three-week placement at a school in Grenoble, France. Her first post was in a village school, where she gained experience of teaching all age groups.

At school, Karon’s interests are Art (a subject she leads and is passionate about), Maths and all aspects of teaching and learning.

Outside of school, Karon lives in Rushden with her partner. Her interests include spending time with her family, Art, Sewing, Baking and knitting.

Adrian North

Adrian was elected onto MJS Governing Board in October 2013 and he is currently the longest serving member. He has two daughters. He too attended both Millbrook Infant School and Millbrook Junior School in the 1970s, having lived in Kettering since birth, so he has a long-standing affiliation with and affection for our school. Career wise, he is a qualified Mechanical Engineer and for the past twenty years has held senior positions within Automotive & Aerospace companies managing Quality Assurance & Compliance functions. Adrian applied to become a Governor, because he wanted to give something back to the school that gave him so many happy memories as a child and also because he wanted to use the skills, knowledge and experience he had gained in his work life, to assist the school in achieving the best possible; education, experiences & chances in life for the children in his local community. As Safeguarding Lead, he regularly attends relevant training to keep apace with the ever changing regulations & social influences. Currently he is also the Vice Chair. He is a very keen sportsman, having played Rugby at Kettering for over twenty years, and now plays Badminton. You may even catch him pounding the local pavements as he also regularly runs, just in case he gets a chance to play rugby again! In the small amount of spare time he has, as well as enjoying life with his family, his interests include: supporting Kettering Rugby Club and reading Sci Fi novels.

Tracey Adam

Tracey was born in South Africa and lived there until she relocated with her husband and three children to the UK in 2006. She qualified to teach in South Africa and once in the UK, had to overcome many hurdles to obain her Qualified Teacher Status to continue to teach. During the time she was unable to teach in England, Tracey got her first permanent post working at Millbrook Junior School as their first Higher Level Teaching Assistant. Because Millbrook Junior were so supportive to her, she feels it a great privilige to be serving her first time as a governor on their governing body. She hopes to use her experience in education to contribute to the school preparing children to be the best they can be and laying a pivotal foundation for tomorrow’s happy, succesful adults.

Outside of work, Tracey’s time is divided between being the best grandma she can be to her first grandchild and enjoying the simple things in life with her family and friends.

Justin Skists

Justin is married with two daughters that currently attend the Millbrook Junior and Infant schools. He has lived in Kettering for over 10 years, and is eager to support the school in achieving its goals of providing the best for all of our children.

He is keen on STEM and its applications to the "real world", and works as a Software Engineer for a technology company in Cambridge. 

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, playing with the kids, and taking the dog for a walk. 

Abeera Amin

Abeera was born and bred in Pakistan and moved to the UK in 2018. Different aspects of her personality include having a background in medicine, being a mother, and having a consistent urge to gain knowledge, improve and pass it on to help others. She believes in opting for a balanced approach in all matters of life. She is particularly keen on promoting physical health among children and holds a future interest in sports medicine. She has also worked as a professional photographer taking up part-time projects for ten years, serving as fuel to her creative side.
Being a School Governor has provided her with more insight into the system and a chance to support the children in school. In her spare time, she loves to read books, travel and explore new places with her family and, of course, her camera.

Emma Smith

A former pupil of Millbrook Junior School in the 1990s, Emma has come full circle by joining the Governing Body to support the next generation of learners. Now a consultant nurse, Emma has held senior NHS roles across various hospitals in England, bringing a wealth of expertise in healthcare leadership. 

In addition to her professional work, Emma volunteers as a trustee for a local mental health charity, serves as a career mentor at a London university, and contributes as a panel member on a research board. These roles reflect her commitment to mental health, education and community wellbeing. 

As a Governor, Emma is passionate about ensuring every child at Millbrook Junior School has access to the opportunities and support they need to thrive she brings valuable insights into safeguarding, mental health and leadership, helping to foster a holistic approach to the wellbeing of pupils, staff and the wider school community.

Natasha Badhan

Natasha is honoured to join the board of governors at Millbrook Junior School. 

She was born and raised in Canada but has lived in the UK for over 15 years, with the last six years based in Northamptonshire. 

She brings to the table her experience as a doctor, with an interest in child health. 

Natasha has young children who have recently started school. For this reason, she wishes to further her knowledge of the British education system, and hopes to support the school and give back to the local community. 

She firmly believes that by supporting children, we can help shape their future to reach their full potential.  

Her interests include staying active, music, and continuous learning in both her professional and personal life.