Governors
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All Governors serve a four-year term of office from their date of appointment. The Headteacher can make arrangements for anyone to contact the Governors, and any correspondence should be addressed to the Chair of Governors care of the school address. The Governing Body meets twice a term – the minutes of meetings are available for inspection at the school office. Parents can contact the school if they want anything discussed at these meetings.
We have two committees: Standards and effectivenss and Resources. Any decisions taken at any of these committees are always taken to Full Govenors for ratification.
The Governing Body comprises of the following: 9 co-opted governors, 2 parent governors, 1 LA governor, 1 Headteacher and 1 staff governor; making 14 governors in total.
If a vacancy for a Co-opted Governor becomes available this is reported on our website. Governors recruit new Governors based on any skills gaps within the existing Governing Body. If you are interested in becoming a Governor, please contact the school and leave your details.
If a vacancy for a parent governor becomes available, the headteacher will send written notice of the election in a letter to be taken home by the children.
Currently, our school governors include:
1) Name: Mrs Bridget Crabtree (Chair of Governors)
Category: Co-opted Governor
Term of office: 4 years (From 17 August 2024 to 16 August 2028)
Appointed by: The Governing Body
Member of: Resources and Standards Committee
Professional Bio: Mrs Crabtree has many years of experience teaching students from as young as 11 years to learners as old as 92 years. She has led on several education projects that aim to raise aspirations plus increase individual life opportunities by working with communities, to encourage and promote the love of learning.
One of Mrs Crabtree’s most important commitments is serving as the Chair of Governors at Mount Pleasant Primary School. She has witnessed first-hand the great work of the talented and hardworking staff and the impact that the school has made on the lives of children, local families, and the wider community.
Mrs Crabtree is a Director of Cowersley Out of School Club and Nursery which works with SEND children. She also works with Friends of Honley Library Children’s Book Festival which runs children’s activities to promote development in literacy. Her recent interests include the development of a Food Bank which are open to all needy households. She enjoys art and crafts, cake baking, hillwalking, cycling, playing tennis and is learning calligraphy.
2) Name: Dr Andy Williams
Category: Co-opted Governor
Term of office: 4 years (from 5 February 2024 to 4 February 2028)
Appointed by: The Governing Body
Member of: Resources and Standards Committee
Professional Bio: Dr Williams graduated with a degree in Chemistry in 1977 and then undertook research work at Leicester University leading to a Doctorate in Organo-Phosphorus Chemistry. After commencing his teaching career, Dr Williams quickly took on subject responsibility posts in teaching Chemistry and Science before moving on to Pastoral responsibilities. This followed senior management posts in four schools followed by eighteen years as Headteacher of various schools. Dr Williams became a National Leader of Education (NLE) in 2008 and a Fellow of the National College. He has thirty years of service as a school governor across eight different schools - most as Chair of Governors. He served as Chair of Governors for Mount Pleasant Primry School for four years from 2017 to 2021.
Outside of work, Dr Williams enjoys going to the theatre, walking, reading and following sport - especially football.
3) Name: Cllr Andrew Cooper (Chair of Resources Committee)
Category: Co-opted Governor
Term of office: 4 years (From 5 October 2024 - 4 October 2028)
Appointed by: The Governing Body
Member of: Resources Committee
Professional Bio: Cllr Cooper has worked in the housing and energy sector since 1993 when he became Kirklees Councils first Energy Efficiency Coordinator. He went on to work for Calderdale Council introducing the UKs first universally free insulation for pensioners. He has since then worked on Regional Energy Policy for Yorkshire and Humber Assembly and has been Head of On-Site Renewables for the Renewable Energy Association and Director of Advice and Policy at Yorkshire Energy Services. He went on to be an Energy Consultant working for TADEA.
Cllr Cooper was elected to Kirklees Council in May 1999 as a Green Party Councillor and has been re-elected six times in the Newsome Ward. He proposed the UK’s first universally free insulation scheme which has seen over 50’000 Kirklees homes insulated in the district. In 2000 he initiated the Council’s Renewable Energy Fund which has seen Kirklees become the leading authority in the deployment of microgeneration technologies with over 5% of the UK’s Solar Capacity in the borough in 2009. In 2008 Cllr Cooper successfully obtained funding for the Kirklees Re-Charge scheme which provides householders with renewable technology for their homes with no upfront costs or monthly payments. In 2009 he was recognised in the Independent on Sundays list of the top 100 Environmentalists and was the only Councillor on the list.
As the Chair of the Resources Committee, Cllr Cooper is keen to see that the school site is not only fit for purpose, both has all the state of the art educational developments needed to ensure that the school is the most effective educational establishment for primary school aged children in the locality.
In his free time, Cllr Cooper enjoys a number of hobbies including walking, travelling and camping with his young boys.
4) Name: Mrs Shafina Akhtar
Category: Parent Governor
Term of office: 4 years (From 15th May 2023 to 14th May 2027)
Appointed by: Election by School Parents
Member of: Standards Committee
Professional Bio:
5) Name: Mr Tim Archer (Chair of Standards Committee)
Category: Co-opted Governor
Term of office: 4 years (From 12 February 2024 - 10 February 2028)
Appointed by: The Governing Body
Member of: Resources and Standards Committee
Professional Bio: Mr Archer has been a teacher for over 30 years, working mainly in secondary schools, starting in London to the Midlands and then and moving to Yorkshire. He has held several positions including leadership roles. Mr Archer is currently teaching Mathematics at Greenhead College.
Mr Archer serves as a Trustee on The Sheiling Trust UK supporting education overseas. He also works for the UK Alumni for Hebron School, India where he attended as a pupil, recruiting and interviewing staff in the U.K. During the summer of 1999, he arranged a trip for 125 people to India visiting the school where he had attended as a pupil.
Mr Archer is an active member of his local church and has been involved in several outreach programmes into the local community. This includes organising Christmas lunch for many families on Christmas day.
Mr Archer is a keen musician and plays the piano and keyboard; he enjoys listening to music. Other interests include travelling.
6) Name: Mrs Pat Brook (Vice- Chair)
Category: Co-opted Governor
Term of office: 4 years (From 10 October 2022 to 18 October 2026)
Appointed by: The Governing Body
Member of: Standards Committee and Resources Committee
Professional Bio: Mrs Brook has been a primary school teacher and SENCO before retirement. Currently, she is a HR & Finance Director covering 3 Offices for TaxAssist Accountants in Huddersfield, Barnsley & North Sheffield.
Mrs Brook believes that education should be open to all and that schools should develop children’s full potential no matter what their backgrounds are. All children should be part of an inclusive system that keeps them safe and nurtures them while instilling in them respect for the environment as well as cultural diversity.
Mrs Brook enjoys cooking and entertaining friends at home and walks her dog daily on the hills above Holmfirth. She loves to travel and visit new places espevially in theri motorhome.
Mrs Brook has been a member of Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club since 1986 and supported them in a number of ways, such as scoring for races both at club and national level, running the galley at the club so that sailors can have food between races, providing meals for sailing events to bring extra income into the club.
7) Name: Mrs Joanne Gamble
Category: Staff Governor
Term of office: 4 years (From 10 January 2022 to 9 January 2026)
Appointed by: Election by the School Staff
Member of: Standards Committee
8) Name: Mrs Rabia Kauser
Category: Parent Governor
Term of office: 4 years (From November 2021 to November 2025)
Appointed by: Election by the School Parents
Member of: Standards Committee
Professional Bio: Mrs Kauser is an Education Studies graduate, and a fulltime mother of my 4 school-aged children. Her aim is to ensure that they receive the best upbringing; by focusing on their development through being fully involved in their educational, emotional and psychological needs.
As a parent governor at Mount Pleasant, Mrs Kauser receives a detailed insight into how the school is achieving its vision. She feels it is a great privilege for to be able to help direct the strategic direction of the school from a parent perspective.
Mrs Kauser is proud to see how the school has developed over the recent years and is excited to be part of a governing body which is supporting the Headteacher to improve the school, even further.
9) Name: Manisha Kaushik
Category: Co-opted Governor
Term of office: 4 years (From 18 November 2024 - 17 November 2028)
Appointed by: The Governing Body
Member of: Standards Committee
Professional Bio: Cllr Kaushik has a background in education having taught at high schools and colleges in Kirklees and Leeds. She is a fully qualified Information, Advice and Guidance professional and worked in partnership with both voluntary and statuary agencies across Kirklees.
Since 2016, Cllr Kaushik has served as a Local Councillor in Kirklees bringing in extensive experience of working with the local community. As Councillor, she has been a strong supporter of local sports and youth clubs in the area and has also worked with disadvantaged individuals to better access education. She is passionate about helping young people develop and access opportunities that aid them in realising their full potential.
Being a mother of two children who are now at university, Cllr Kaushik understands the challenges faced by children and how important it is to equip them with the skill sets and resilience to realise their ambitions. She is keen to see Mount Pleasant Primary achieve its goal of becoming the best Primary School choice for local families.
10) Name: Mrs Naeem Nazir
Position: Headteacher
Term of office: Permanent (From 20 Dec 2016)
Appointed by: The Governing Body
Member of: Resources and Standards Committee
Governor Vacancies (as at July 2024):
2x Co-opted Governors
1x LA Governor
