Mr Hunt

Headteacher

I have been in teaching for 12 years.  How time flies!  Working across Key Stage 1 before taking on the role of Assistant Headteacher here at Medstead.  Medstead is the perfect fit for my love of outdoors, active learning, inclusion and striving for excellence.  I was appointed as Headteacher and really enjoy the challenges and journey in leading this fantastic primary school.  We have a great team and community here.

When not at school, I enjoy life by the seaside and can regularly be found on long walks.  Spotting birds and wildlife and generally being outside is my passion. 

I believe communication, community and a team approach makes Medstead C of E Primary a great place for all children to learn.

Ms Limbird

Chair Of Governors and Co-opted Governor

I really enjoy my role of Chair of Governors at Medstead Church of England Primary school. It is a privilege to be part of such a warm, stimulating and engaging community of staff, governors, parents and of course children! My own children thrived at Medstead and as a governor I love seeing how the team at Medstead strive to ensure that every child reaches their potential and are ready for their next steps in life.

I have 15 years experience in various senior leadership roles in the NHS. The challenge of responding to changing policy agendas; driving continuous service improvements; (with limited resources and at pace!); creating a vision, building supportive coalitions, developing effective leaders, holding each other to account are all familiar themes. They are just as applicable to our village school as they are to any hospital or complex organisation.

My favourite responsibility, however, is acting as the Link Governor for Reading and Writing. Supporting teachers to provide children with a lifelong love of books, reading, literature and writing is both inspiring and heart-warming.

Mr Chocian

Vice Chair and Co-opted Governor

My wife and I have two daughters within the school who absolutely love everything about it. Our youngest daughter is profoundly deaf and has the use of dual cochlear implants. I am a qualified BSL level 2 signer and am keen to support other families and the fantastic hearing-impaired resource within the school. My professional experience has centred around engineering design and leadership. I utilise some of the key skills that I learnt during my MBA combined with my professional experience and deaf cultural awareness to the governor role. Outside of work I am a dedicated father and husband, which tends to take up most of my free time. This includes spending time with my other two grown up children. When free, my interests include classic car restoration, astronomy, radio-controlled aircraft and strategic board gaming.

Dr Isabelle Butcher

Co-opted Governor 

I have spent the last ten years working in mental health research predominantly focusing on improving the lives for those with severe mental health needs. More recently my research has been focused on the wellbeing of staff who work in paediatric critical care settings in U.K through ensuring that staff wellbeing is optimised. Currently I am working on research within adolescent mental health - creating and improving lives for young people who may have experienced adversities. I also Chair an NHS ethics committee which reviews and subsequently approves clinical studies being conducted nationally.

Mrs Crowe

Local Authority Governor

I’ve been a governor for over 25 years, starting as a parent governor at my children’s primary school in Alton. During this time I have been asked by the local authority to support a variety of schools in difficulty. After retiring from Medstead, the then Head Teacher asked if I’d be a governor, as there were a number of new inexperienced governors.

Since becoming a Governor at Medstead in 2009, I have served a number of roles within the school, including Link Governor for the English, Outdoor Learning, Pupil Progress, Special Educational Needs, Assessment, Curriculum and Early Years.

I am currently the Safeguarding Governor, Link Governor for pupils with Special Education Needs and Disabilities, including the Hearing Impaired Resourced Provision and sit on the Finance and General Purposes Committe, with a responsibility for personnel, and Pay Committees. I am part of the Headteacher Performance Management Committee. I also represent the governors at the Local Governors Forum meetings.

I try to support the school in as many ways as possible to ensure that the strategic direction of the school will enable all children to enjoy school and learning, achieve well and be well prepared for their future.

Mrs Crook

Staff Governor

As a Teacher of the Deaf at Medstead School and former class teacher, I represent the staff on the school governing body. Having been a qualified teacher for more years than I like to admit, working in a variety of school settings, I bring knowledge of this and the day to day life of Medstead School to the governing body. I am keen to represent all staff and to be their voice at our governor meetings. I am passionate about providing the right education for each and every one of our children and aspire to help them achieve the best possible outcomes from their unique starting points and circumstances.

Ms Barnes

Foundation Governor

Medstead has been my home since 1985 which followed with 2 children and St Andrew’s Church. In the early 1980’s, I was a qualified Kindergarten teacher in California, thus in 1989 I was able to help start the Playgroup. Soon my children became the Pre-School age so I was able to start one in the ‘Medstead Church of England Primary School’. I became a Foundation Governor and did take Assemblies teaching important Christian qualities for children’s understanding.

I became the Church Warden at St. Andrew’s recently and thought I should take the role of Foundation Governor again. I am pleased to work for and with children, and teach them the good qualities that help their lives to be happy and mentally healthy. I am willing to take an occasional assembly if agreed by Mr Hunt - Headteacher, to assist the children grow in their development of meaningful qualities as their lives move forward.

Being part of the Four Marks and Medstead community is great, we enjoy amazing relationships with other parents at the school, and feel very privileged that our children can grow up in such a lovely place.

Mr Welch

Parent Governor

I am a barrister practising out of chambers in Central London. I specialise in commercial litigation and employment law. Before practising at the Bar I lectured in international humanitarian law and worked in a War Crimes Tribunal in Sarajevo.

I grew up in Devon and after studying in London and Durham I eventually settled in Kingston upon Thames where I met my wife. We decided to leave London for a more rural life and moved to Hampshire in 2018. We have 2 wonderful girls; one is already thriving at Medstead School and our youngest will shortly follow her.

I am new to the role of Governor. I think I have a lot to offer and even more to learn. Medstead is a fantastic school full of amazing people and I am very proud to have the opportunity to contribute to its ongoing success.

Mrs George-Jones

Foundation Governor

I am a relative newcomer to Medstead having moved here with my husband in 2020. Despite arriving in the early days of the pandemic we couldn’t have wished to join a more welcoming and supportive community. Keen to make a contribution to the life of the village I was delighted to be offered the chance to become a Foundation Governor, having had a very positive previous experience of governorship at Old Basing Junior School.

Now retired from a career in IT sales and recruitment I have the time to indulge my passion for gardening. I can generally be found working on transforming the wilderness we inherited into a beautiful space, which we hope the local wildlife will want to enjoy with us! I am keen on all things outdoor and passionate about the environment and how we can leave it in a better state for our children.

I believe that every child deserves a school experience which gives them the confidence and curiosity to reach their potential, and which teaches them the importance of caring for others and the world we all share. I hope to utilise my skills and experience, coupled with energy and enthusiasm, to support the school in achieving excellence for all children and in living its Christian values.

Mr Warrener

Parent Governor

I have lived in Medstead with my wife and daughter since 2022. In our short time here we have embraced the community and enjoy spending time with our neighbours - normally because they are returning our dog that has run off.

On a professional level I have worked in IT Finance for most of my career. I specialise in looking after complex risk and trading systems and focus on the end user experience to enhance the products to enable the business in making a complex problem simple.

When I am not spending time with my family or at work, I can be found flying around the skies in a microlight.

Mr Gradwell

Parent Governor

I am delighted to introduce myself as a new school governor and a proud parent of a child in Year R, who joined the school in reception in 2022. As a resident of the local area since 2019, I am committed to making a positive impact on the community, and I am excited to take on this new role.

With a background in education, public affairs, and communications, I have been tasked with developing marketing and communications strategies to promote the school. Drawing from my experience ranging from working on large infrastructure projects in Australia, to teaching children in year 3 their first rugby lesson, I believe I can bring a unique perspective to the role of school governor.

I am passionate about education and understand the importance of these primary years in shaping children's future. As a school governor, I am committed to supporting the school leadership team in delivering positive outcomes for our children, parents, and staff. I am particularly proud of the school's excellent Ofsted report in 2023 and will work tirelessly to maintain and build upon the school's success.

I am confident that my life and professional skills will add value to the school community, and I am committed to driving the school towards its targets.

Mrs Kruger

Clerk to Governors

Following our move to Hampshire in 2014 we enrolled our son into Medstead School. This has given me the opportunity to be very much involved in the school community. I have been able to spend some time as a volunteer reader with the children and also as a parent helper to support the class on school trips.

My most recent role as a Learning Support Assistant in a local village school has given me a good insight into the world of Education and with my P.A. and Secretarial background I have many transferable skills for my Clerking role, which I began at Medstead in 2021.