Meet the Governors

Mrs Baines

I am married to my husband Michael, and we have been blessed with two wonderful daughters who have gone on to forge successful careers and happy lives in Australia and the South of England. They have both given us 4 grandchildren whose ages range from 12 to 16 years of age.

I attended Horwich Parish C.E. School in the fifties and can still remember the happy times I had as well as all the names of the teachers at that time! This surely is a testament to the positive impact they made upon my life. Since that time, I have worked as a Nurse, Midwife and Manager within the NHS and in the independent sectors and I led a project in the nineties which became a precursor for the National Sure Start initiative and which served to whet my appetite for working within public health and primary care. As a result, I have been able to appreciate the challenges that some parents and children face daily.  A good life, I feel, begins with a good birth and I am sure I have helped many hundreds of mothers give birth to their babies in and around Bolton, including Horwich and Blackrod.  I have recently retired from the University of Salford where I Lectured in Midwifery and Applied Healthcare Ethics. I enjoyed stimulating the hearts and minds of prospective midwives, so they could give the absolute best care to mothers and their families.

My skills and experience are varied, most recently including Public Health, Child safeguarding and Domestic Abuse and from working in a Higher Educational environment, teaching and learning, assessment, curriculum design, staff and student appraisal, mentoring, management, and leadership.  Data collection and research has led to my travelling internationally and presenting extensively and in writing a professional textbook for healthcare professionals.

I became a School Governor as I wanted to be part of a school whose values were built upon strong Christian teaching, where every single child could be supported to, “let their light shine”. By having a strong and strategic Governing Board, the Head Teacher and staff can be supported to operationally manage the school. Horwich Parish is a big 2 form entry school with over 300 pupils, but I am proud of the teachers and all the staff who demonstrate, daily, their care of every child.

Thank you.

Mrs Mills

Head teacher

I have been married for 32 years and we have three grown up children. We enjoy travelling and try to spend quality time together at the weekends and during the holidays. We live in the Ribble Valley.
I have been the HT at Horwich Parish since January 2018. This is my second headship. Previously I was the Head teacher at Kingsfold Primary School in Penwortham, Preston for 5 years. I see Headship as a vocation rather than a job. I take my role very seriously and work tirelessly to ensure every child in our school is happy, safe and reaches their potential. I am passionate about making a difference to the children and families at Horwich Parish and ensuring I lead a school that has a positive impact on their lives.
As a committed Christian I am delighted to be the Head teacher of a Voluntary Aided Church School. Every decision and action I make is centred around the children within the presence of God and underpinned by Christian values.

I am extremely lucky to have a staff and governor team around me with the shared purpose of providing an inclusive school where every child is known, cared for and supported to aspire. Our ethos extends to our families and the community whom we support with our open door policy. Horwich Parish is a large Primary School situated in Bolton. It continues to make steps to close the gaps between our children and children nationally, academically and socially. We continue to rigorously drive for improved attendance to ensure every child attends school punctually every day.

Mrs Naylor

I am a Parent Governor at Horwich Parish.  I have 13 years of teaching experience in the Primary Education sector, currently serving as a Deputy Headteacher. I have taught across all year groups and have held a range of leadership positions within school. I work in a supportive role with other schools as part of my role as a Maths Mastery Specialist and serve as a governor on my school's Governing Board. I have knowledge and experience of educational matters and actively seek to stay on top of the latest policy, guidance and research surrounding Primary Education. I feel strongly about nurturing and celebrating children as individuals; honouring and valuing each of them and the unique contributions they make to their families, school, community and the world around them. These beliefs and values align perfectly with the Horwich Parish vision of allowing all children the chance to let their light shine and I am proud to support the school in delivering its aims to provide the best education and experiences for all our children.

Mrs Welling

I am one of the newest members of the team as a Foundation Governor here at Horwich Parish, joining in September 2022. I am originally from Horwich, however due to work I’ve been fortunate to live in various locations across the UK including Bournemouth, Lancaster and Loch Lomond. I met my husband in Bournemouth and managed to convince him to return home with me in 2013 to be near family, get married, and begin our adventure into parenthood. 

We are parents to two very young children, and both work full time. The children have a much busier social calendar than we do, and we spend most weekends bouncing between hobbies, whilst seeing friends and family as often as we can. 

For many years I have taken time to focus on family, career and eventually relocating back to my roots. Having settled back into Horwich life, I felt it was time to give something back to the community in an area that is important to me, particularly having two fabulous children who will be joining the world of primary education in the coming years, and growing up, as I did, in our fantastic community. What drew me specifically to Horwich Parish is its culture and values, and how they importantly align with my own. From moment I first stepped through the door, it was clear that the school really embraces its vision/values, and both children and staff alike truly live and breathe it. It gave me that fuzzy feeling that it was a great place to be, from its strong connection to our place of worship, Holy Trinity, to championing the student’s education, supporting them in their social development and wellbeing, and its warm culture. Importantly, I also felt the staff really care and are supported well within their own development.

By day I am a HR Generalist, with specific experience (and a passion for!) working in Health and Wellbeing. I pride myself on my style of working; not just what I do but how I do it. I find it easy to forge relationships, work hard to establish credibility, and do it with honesty and integrity. I believe this will stand me in good stead to add value to the board and the school.

Mrs Hope

I am a parent to two children at school and a member of Holy Trinity Church. My professional business background is in strategic marketing, brand development and marketing communications in large organisations. I have worked in media relations and corporate and employee communication which has included crisis management and financial reporting. With a business degree and experience of the public and private sector, I hope that my experience will enhance the governing body.

Mr Green

I am a Foundation Governor and assumed the role in March 2021. Having lived in Horwich for 17 years I wanted to give something back to the community in which I reside. I am an active member of the Holy Trinity Church congregation.

I am a happily married father of two fabulous teenage children. My eldest is a sport fanatic, whether playing or watching he will consume all his time on any sport he can, whilst his younger sister is extremely creative enjoying dance, reading and inventing stories. It has been amazing to watch them develop and grow as individuals although logistically challenging with their varied interests.

I am a Human Resource Director by day working in large private sector organisations at a senior level for many years. As well as bringing expertise in HR, I also have valuable experience and knowledge across financial management having had accountability for sizeable budgets. In my role I have direct experience of leading Health, Safety and Wellbeing in major construction organisations brings a unique skillset to our Governing Board and as such I am Chair of the Premises, Health & Safety Committee.

I have had a high-profile role in advising and developing apprenticeships within the workplace providing opportunities for young people and ensuring their learning journey continues after formal schooling. As such, I am very passionate about supporting the education of our future generations, having previously had the voluntary role of Strategic Enterprise Advisor for a High School in Bury I am now excited to support the emotional, social and academic development of children at Horwich Parish.

Rev Nicola

I was ordained in June 2019 and came to Horwich then. In July 2022 I became Team Rector of the Horwich and Rivington Churches. I joined the Governing Board as a Foundation Governor in 2020 and now continue in an ex-officio capacity. There have been so many ways in which I have been able to work alongside staff and pupils and it fills me with so much joy to be part of this amazing school community.

I am fully committed to continue building upon the strong links which Holy Trinity Church have with Horwich Parish School. I believe this is not something we can take for granted but should be nurtured. I hope that I bring the passion I have for schools to be distinctive as places where the love of Jesus is shown and shared. I trust that this will accompany my experience and the variety of skills which I've had in my life and work in primary schools before I was ordained.

I am married to Philip, we have 3 sons, a daughter-in-law, a beautiful grandson and a dog called Solo. We love spending time together and there is always lots of laughter and memories being created. I enjoy listening to and playing music, reading, gardening, baking and attending concerts. We both grew up in Leigh and lived there all our lives until moving to Horwich in 2020 and we trust God will continue guiding us.

I can’t think of a better way to start a Monday morning than to join in with collective worship or to spend time with the parents’ prayer group at the school. I also really enjoy spending time with classes as they explore faith in God and learn about different things which we do in church such as baptism. I love seeing you all grow into the people who Jesus wants you to be and to work alongside you all anywhere I can. I am fully committed to supporting staff, parents and pupils wherever possible.

Mrs Smith

I was born in York and moved to Bolton with my parents when I was seven. I moved to Horwich over thirty years ago where I met my husband, Graham, who is Horwich born and bred. We have been married for twenty-five years.

I was a full-time teacher for thirty years: first in Romford and then in Westhoughton. I started to work as a supply teacher seven years ago and enjoy the freedom it offers but miss building relationships with the children and staff and this is why I love working in Horwich Parish and why I was delighted to be asked to be a foundation governor. I have worked in Horwich Parish regularly since giving up full-time teaching and becoming a supply teacher and also came in as a Christian Aid volunteer teacher before COVID and am always made to feel welcome and valued.

I worship at St. Catherine's church which is part of the Horwich and Rivington team of churches so work with people from Holy Trinity on various committees and projects. The strong church links that Horwich Parish has together with the Christian ethos that you feel all around school makes me feel that it is truly a church school and not just one in name. I want to support Mrs Mills and the staff in letting every child's light shine and every child grow into the best that they can be.