Chair of Governing Body – David Wimble
My name is David Wimble and I’m the current Chair of Governing Body at Wheatlands with one child at the school. I was elected as a Parent Governor in 2011 when my first child was in Reception. I am on various committees and I am also Link for Science and Maths. I am active locally within groups like Friends of Redcar and I’ve also helped with the Kick off the summer events. I have worked in Industry both locally and all over the world in Specialist Measurement technology. I believe fully in the schools values and hopefully help the school in providing a safe and encouraging environment for our children to learn and grow.
Vice Chair – Laura Anderson
My name is Laura Anderson, and my son and daughter are both pupils of Wheatlands School. I became a Parent Governor in December 2020 and am delighted to have this opportunity, I am very much looking forward to being involved with the school community. My qualifications and experience lie within business, human resources, and predominantly health & safety. I have 9 years of experience in the independent education sector, as a Support Services Manager and member of a school Senior Leadership Team. This has given me valuable experience of the role of governance and its importance in this setting.
I am aware of the opportunities and challenges facing our local young people, and strongly believe that quality of education, from the very beginning, can be transformational in the life chances of young people. It is for this reason that I wanted to be become a Parent Governor. Through participation in the key functions of governance; overseeing the financial performance, holding leadership to account and ensuring clarity of vision and strategic direction, I hope to effectively contribute towards Wheatlands’ excellent ethos; the creation of a happy and supportive community that promotes children’s attainment and progress.
Samantha Pyle – Head Teacher 
My name is Samantha Pyle and I am lucky enough to be the Headteacher of Wheatlands. This role automatically makes me a member of the governing body. It is a privilege to work with such a committed and dedicated group of people who clearly have the school’s best interest at heart. Our ethos is of openness and challenge which enables the governors to hold myself and the leadership team to account, leading to greater improvement. Together we strive to make the school the best it can be.
Natalie Vickers – Staff Governor
As a newly qualified teacher just starting out on my career, I became a governor in 2013 to get a broader view of how a school works from different perspectives and understand what drives our key Senior Leadership Team decisions, which affect our whole community. Now after 6 years of teaching, I am still very passionate about being part of the team that continues to deliver great success to Wheatlands Primary School.
Along with the guidance and support of the school governors, the staff work extremely hard to create a safe and inspiring environment and through my role as a staff governor, I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the views and ideas of the teaching team. As well as having experience in teaching across KS2, I am the Maths subject leader, helping to lead the school in learning and teaching in this area. I enjoy the oversight of school that being a staff governor provides and feel that I can contribute, in a positive way, to key decisions and discussions.
I also feel that the professional development I get from being part of the Governing Body is invaluable. The Governing Body (and staff as a whole) want what is best for our children, and we all pull in the same direction to try and achieve this.
Claire Tennyson – Co-opted Governor
My name is Claire Tennyson and I have been a governor since April 2018. I have over 19 years’ experience of working in school sport. I currently manage the Redcar & Eston School Sport Partnership hosted at Rye Hills Academy, but working across all of the schools within Redcar & Eston. The partnership aims to increase and improve the opportunities for young people aged 5-16 years in PE, physical activity and school sport. I have worked closely with Wheatlands Primary for just over 11 years in a professional capacity and the role of governor gives me the opportunity to support the school further, making a real difference to the children and young people.
Having spent 24 years as an Insurance Branch Manager & within my current role as professional cleaner I have excellent communication and interpersonal skills within the wider community of Redcar which enables me to work well with people from all backgrounds.
I would like to help support the school and its dedicated staff who work so hard to provide Wheatlands with its excellent reputation of keeping the school running smoothly to a high standard.
Kris Kerr-Morgan – Parent Governor
My name is Kris Kerr-Morgan and I became Governor in November 2022. My son attends Wheatlands Primary and he encouraged me to get involved following his time as a member of the School Council.
Wheatlands sits at the heart of our community and as a local businessman predominantly involved in construction, I realise how important it is to develop our youngsters at an early age and to build for our future.
Having worked on numerous government contracts with Local Authorities and School Bodies, I realise the importance of social value and giving back to our local community. I hope to bring some fresh and innovative ideas to the Board and challenge the status quo, ultimately to maximise the opportunities and experiences our children receive during their time at the school.
Sarah Wilkinson-Black – Staff Governor
My name is Sarah Wilkinson-Black and I started Wheatlands in September 2022 as Deputy Headteacher after working in another local school as a class teacher for 26 years and as a Deputy for 9 of those years. I am passionate about being part of a new team at a school with such an excellent reputation and with such lovely staff and pupils. I am grateful to have the opportunity – as a staff governor – to find out more about the school and the local community from a different perspective.
As well as having experience in teaching across KS1 and KS2, I have a background in English and I am current the network lead for writing across the Galileo trust. I am also a KS1 writing moderator for the local authority.
I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to make the school the very best it can be.