John Cooper – Executive Head teacher

It has been my privilege to lead Sandy Lane Primary School since January 2016. Over that time, I have worked with an excellent staff and leadership team including governors, who are committed to improving outcomes for the children who come to Sandy Lane Primary School. We care passionately about standards, but equally we care that learning is engaging, challenging and fun. Quite simply – an exciting school curriculum should be the glue which holds a school together. It is what makes the children want to get better at all the basic skills of education. A caring ethos is of paramount importance to us all. The governing body are clear in their direction to me and all staff at SLPS. We aim to make this the best school that it can possibly be and ensure the children here get the best opportunities that we can possibly give. In that way the whole school community is rigorously held to account

Sue Duffy – Chair of Governors

I am a mother of 4 and grandmother of 6. I came to work and live in Bradford 19 years ago. I am educated to degree level and hold a number of professional qualifications including Youth and Community Work and Assessment / Moderation.

For most of my working life, 40 years, I have been involved in the informal education of children, young people and communities in the voluntary and statutory sectors. This work has involved me in all aspects of the strategic and operational management and development of services. I also have extensive experience of working with very diverse communities involving them in the design and delivery of services.

I retired from full-time Youth and Community work in 2014 and from acting as an External Moderator in 2020. As a result of looking for another way of engaging my passions of providing learning opportunities that enable individuals to meet their full potential and increasing their voice and influence. In 2014 I was delighted to be asked if I would consider joining the governing body of Sandy Lane Primary School as being a school governor would allow me to utilise my skills and experience for the benefit of the school, the children and their parents.

I have been an Elected Member for Thornton, Allerton and Sandy Lane for the since 2015 and in 2016 I become the Chair of Governors. Since then I have had the privilege of working with our governing body, Executive Head Teacher, Head of School, Senior Leadership team and all staff members who all contribute to our great school, and have the aspiration of becoming an outstanding school.

Graham Walker, Co-opted Governor

I have now been retired for coming up to 5 years. In my career I was a Senior Manager in Bradford Council’s Youth Service. Prior to this I was the Youth Service’s Training Officer and Staff Development Manager with particular responsibility for Quality Assurance. As a Trainer I developed and delivered courses on a multitude of issues such as Child Protection, Management Supervision, all Equal Rights issues and the fundamental skills relating to informal work with young people.

In addition to this I was a part-time Ofsted Inspector for nine years, focussing on youth provision.

Now retired, I intend that my experience and expertise will be of use in supporting the school and the teaching staff in delivering a quality education to the children at Sandy Lane.

Jacky Payne

My husband and I have just moved into the area. I was born in Yorkshire and my two sons and first grandchild live in Leeds. I have been involved in schools all my working life as a teacher, advisory teacher and head teacher. My last post was as head teacher of a primary school in Warwickshire. I loved my job not only in the classroom and when sharing my skills to develop other teachers but also when working with parents and the local community.

I retired in 2008 then worked as a volunteer in Ethiopia in their Ministry of Education for one year.

I have enjoyed a full and active retirement, travelling, cooking, gardening and dabbling in creative hobbies such as sewing, needlepoint and photography.

I was pleased to be invited to be a governor at Sandy Lane. In some small measure I would like to be able to use my experience and skills to support the school. I hope I can contribute to helping the school provide the best possible education for all its pupils.

Heather Weatherhead

I have spent all of my working life dealing with young people either as a teacher or a youth worker, working in deprived areas.

My teaching has been mainly in the secondary sector although I have work as supply in Primaries and special schools.

For the last 25 years of my career I was a language support teacher, helping pupils who were not fluent in English to access the whole of the secondary curriculum from P.E theory to the Arts and Science. I did this whilst bringing up my own three children as a single parent.

Since retiring to this area I have been able to indulge my love of walking, keeping fit and gardening. I hope to be able to bring my knowledge and experience to good use as a governor.

John Henkel

I live in Shipley and have two adult children who attended local primary and secondary schools before going on to study at university.

Prior to retirement I worked in senior leadership roles in public transport, being a Director at Metro (West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive / West Yorkshire Combined Authority, based in Leeds) for many years. I was also a Director of a number of national transport organisations, which involved working with a range of private and public sector organisations, as well as with Government.

My work as a Director required skills such as leadership, change management, strategy development and planning, financial planning and management, programme and project management, and partnership working.

I have recently (October 2018) joined the Governing Body and have been impressed by what I have learnt to date about Sandy Lane Primary School. I look forward to working with the other Governors, the Executive Head Teacher and senior staff in supporting the school in working with parents to provide the best learning opportunities to the children attending Sandy Lane.

Lesley Persico Co-opted Governor

I have just moved to Bradford to be nearer to my grandchildren but I have had links with Bradford as I completed my degree at Bradford College many years ago.

I have spent the last 20 years working within education in a variety of roles including Head teacher and Educational consultant. My area of expertise was Special Educational Needs with a specific focus on pupils who displayed extreme behaviour due to their unidentified needs and vulnerabilities.

I have recently reduced my working hours and I am now enjoying exploring the area by joining walking groups and participating in local events when possible.

I strongly believe that education should be inclusive and all children should feel they are valued and they belong within schools. I am looking forward contributing to the governing body and school by using my skills and knowledge.

Sanna Malik

I am a mother of 2 and have been born and brought up in the Bradford area.

My background has included working with children through to working age adults and older people. I am currently working as a Social Worker and Best Interests Assessor in Bradford. I have a keen interest in promoting Human Rights and Safeguarding.

I hope to bring some of my existing knowledge and experience to support the school in an aim for positive outcomes for children.

I am looking forward to working with the Governing Body and staff at Sandy Lane Primary School.

Aamar Mahmood

I am currently a resident of Sandy Lane Village and have lived in the village since 2016. I have a daughter who is currently a pupil in reception and another child due in February 2023. Exciting news I know!!! But I want to provide reassurance to each and every parent / carer that for years to come, I will continue to be committed to this role.

I currently work as a manager for Bradford Children’s Services and have worked across the different departments bringing with me the vast experience of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people for over 16 years. I have gained experience of managing staff, managing budgets, health & safety and workplace mediation. I am currently based in the Children’s Disabilities Team and have extensive knowledge on the Children Act 1989, SEND framework and a background in Fostering & Adoption. I have a reputation for listening, supporting and encouraging that I bring with me into this role.

I am genuinely passionate about education and want to play a more active role in supporting the parents of Sandy Lane to maximise the opportunity for children to discover their full potential. My primary aim is to follow closely the journey of our children and promote the best working relationship between parents and School to ensure our children do not miss out.

I’m delighted to be part the governing body at Sandy Lane as a parent governor and I’m looking forward to working with staff in the continued enrichment of our children’s lives.

I’m always happy to have a chat so if you see me around and want to ask me anything, feel free.

Sajid Hussain

A father of 3 children who attend Sandy Lane Primary school. I had the privilege of being co-opted on the Governing body for the school in 2019. My full time role is as the ‘Head of Customer Service Delivery and Banking Operations’ for HSBC bank, at their telephone/digital bank First Direct. My responsibilities are to head, lead, manage and direct the recruitment, learning & development and the customer service teams.

With the experience of leading large scale teams, creating and bringing strategy to life and maximising outcomes from a finite budget, I feel I bring a very different perspective to the board. My area of Governance is Early Years and I am the named Governor for “Looked After Children”.

Brought up in Bradford in a very modest household, I have felt the impact of not having the same opportunities as many of my peers. Sandy Lane truly strives for a ‘world of opportunities’ which speaks to my personal values. This has made me driven and passionate to ensure the right outcomes for our children.

I play an active part in the community as Vice-Chair for the Sandy Lane Parish council and also as a NED for the Cafe West community centre.

I am often found doing the school run. Please do come and say hello!

Sarah Egan 

I started work at Sandy Lane Primary in January 2018, after teaching in other schools across Bradford since 2009. Prior to training as a teacher, I worked in the PE department of a large secondary school, and it was this which inspired me to become a teacher.

As a class teacher, I am passionate about providing our children with the best possible education so that each individual child reaches their true potential. I have worked across KS1, LKS2 and UKS2 and am excited about my role as Staff Governor, as I feel it will provide me with further opportunities to work alongside staff, families and our community to ensure our pupils receive an enriching and inspiring curriculum.

My daughter also attended primary schools across Bradford and is just starting out her career as an Early Years Career Teacher, so we are a family of people committed to providing children with a holistic, FUN education.