Having been a Governor at Fellside since 2018, I was delighted to be made Chair of Governors in 2023/2024.  In my day job I am 'National System Leader' at Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), one of the largest school groups in England and Senior Adviser for Careers Education at the Gatsby Foundation. Before joining AET, I worked in leadership roles in several secondary schools in the North East and worked as a National Facilitator in the North East Local Enterprise Partnership Skills Team.  As well as being a Governor, I am also a parent whose child came through the school. My daughter attended Fellside from nursery through to the end of Year 6 and this has given me an in-depth knowledge of the community of our school and the amazing way the staff and parents/carers work together to make it so successful. I hope my experience of working in education, skills and the regional economy is useful in helping to ensure we fulfil our ambition of providing the very best education for our children.

I became a Governor at Fellside in 2017, shortly after my daughter joined the school. My son is now at Fellside in Year 6 and during that time I've seen how important the governing body is in supporting the school to offer an excellent educational experience to all of its pupils, working with the fantastic staff team to ensure every child can reach their potential.

In my day job, I'm a Senior Business Development Manager at Durham University, managing a range of strategic projects in knowledge exchange and regional economic development. I hope my experience of managing projects, partnerships and budgets can be useful to the governing body as we help the school achieve its strategic priorities in a challenging financial climate. 

I'm currently Link Governor for Safeguarding and Chair of the Curriculum & Standards Committee.

My name is Louise Levy and I have been Chair of Fellside Governing Body since October 2015 until I stepped down in 2023/2024.  I first joined the Governing Body in June 2009 as a parent Governor, as I live in the local Whickham community and have had 2 children attend this school.  

For almost 20 years I worked as a Senior Manager at Newcastle Building Society, and for the last 9 years have been a Senior Leader at Cardinal Hume Catholic Secondary School in Gateshead.   I am also a Board Member of Whickham School and work in partnership with many schools across the North East.

I bring an extensive knowledge and understanding of the Educational sector and have the drive and vision to ensure our Governing Body, Headteacher and staff team provides outstanding education for all children in the Fellside family.

I became a parent governor in 2016 when my son was in reception class. I wanted to become a governor because what has always struck me about Fellside is that it is really is at the heart of the community and I wanted to be a part of that and to help and support the school. I work for Gateshead Council where I have a declared interest (I manage the School Catering Service and Building Maintenance) but hopefully from where I can contribute skills and experience in areas such as HR and Finance. Becoming a governor has been a steep learning curve and it makes you appreciate even more the very high standards that we enjoy at Fellside and the commitment and dedication of the staff who work there.

My name is Fern Lawton, and I am a Parent Governor at Fellside. I have been a primary school teacher for over 15 years and currently lead English, PE and Science in the school I work in. Teaching phonics and early reading is a passion of mine and I love to see children making progress with their reading and become lifelong readers. I aim to bring both the perspective of a teacher and parent to the role to help support the pupils, staff and wider community of Fellside, so that our children receive the best educational experiences.

Hi, my name is Ruth Thornber and I am the Staff Governor for Fellside Community Primary School. I joined the school in 2015, having taught in County Durham for most of my teaching career. I am currently working as the Year Two teacher in Key Stage One where I am Key Phase leader. I am passionate about Literacy and currently enjoy my role as Literacy Subject Leader where I lead and monitor teaching and learning of this subject throughout the school. I thoroughly enjoy working with the children, staff and parents within the Fellside community and look forward to being a proactive member of the Governing Body

My name is Leonie Ducker. My association with Fellside began in May 1971 when I joined the teaching staff. Upon my retirement in 2008 I was asked to join the governors as a community Governor. I offer the Governing Body a wide experience of educational skills and knowledge and offer musical help whenever required. Fellside is a wonderful school and I am proud to be still involved in it.