Governors
Cranberry’s list of Governors
Name
Anne Gadsden
Sean Thomson
Linda Jones
Jan North
Chris Vohora
James Woolgar
Katherine Cliffe
Description
Governor Type
Chair of Governors / Trust Appointed
Trust
Staff / Ex-Officio
Staff
Trust Appointed
Parent
Trust Appointed
Cranberry Academy LGC Attendance
Please see the below link to our trust website for more information on governors. The Chair of Governors can be contacted via the Academy.
http://sbmat.org/goverance/documents/
Governors Pen Portraits
Pen Portrait – Anne Gasden
Before becoming a governor at Cranberry, in 2019, Anne had much experience in the world of education, working in nursery, primary and secondary schools in varying capacities as a teacher, head teacher, adviser and local authority manager.
She was invited to join the Local Governing Board by the then CEO, Chris Brislen and after visiting the school did not hesitate to agree. Anne is the chair of governors and continues her drive, along with the other committee members, to ensure that Cranberry continues to be a great school, a school that the children really enjoy being part of and where the parents feel valued.
Anne presently works for SBMAT as an independent consultant and supports schools in Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester, Stoke and Shropshire and is an associate for a Governor Training Consultancy.
During her down time Anne enjoys walking in the lovely countryside near her home, running – particularly on the flat and downhill! She is the Church Warden at the local church, the secretary for the village community association and a volunteer at the New Vic theatre.
Pen Portrait – Katherine Cliffe
Katherine has been a primary school teacher for 25 years having taught in most year groups although primarily in Key stage 2 . She has been a maths consultant and coordinator for many years , a subject close to her heart.
Both of Katherine’s children have attended Cranberry with 1 daughter now at the High school and the other currently in year 5 .She has therefore been part of the Cranberry community for many years and has seen it grow and blossom in recent years. As a Governor at the school she is committed to using her own experience in education to ensure that Cranberry continues to flourish and grow.
Pen Portrait – Chris Vohora
Chris has been a teacher for over 40 years and has taught in both primary and secondary schools, including 12 years at Cranberry Junior School. She is currently Acting Headteacher for the Virtual School in Cheshire West and oversees the education of children in care.
She has been a Governor at Cranberry for three years but previously carried out this role at Alsager School and Cranberry Infant School. Both Chris’ children attended Cranberry and she was very involved in school life, being on the PTA for nearly 12 years and attending school trips.
Chris has lived in Alsager all her adult life and would like to use her knowledge and experience in education to support the staff at Cranberry and to help the children achieve their aspirations and enjoy their time in school.
In her spare time Chris is an avid reader and enjoys walking and time out in her garden. She also enjoys travelling and foreign holidays.
Pen Portrait – James Woolgar
James is a senior Public Health lead in a large city local authority. He has experience of collaborating across a range of council, NHS and private sector departments and bodies, including with children’s services and provides public health support and links to schools. He is passionate about improving health and wellbeing outcomes in his job, to help attainment, education and improve lives, and that is exactly the same here at Cranberry.
James has 2 children in the school, one in Year 1 and the other in Year 3 – so he has knowledge of the Cranberry community and ethos.
In his own time James loves to go dog walking, head off for day trips with his wife and children (favourite family place Chester zoo!), and head to the lovely Cornwall each year for his holidays!
Pen Portrait – Alistair Mclaren
Who am I?
My name is Alistair Mclaren and I moved into Alsager 3 years ago. I am a secondary school teacher of 6 years and I am passionate about helping the young people I teach get the skills to be rounded, fulfilled and skilled people in society. I enjoy playing football in the community, skiing, rugby and spending time with my family. I love to travel the world and I hope to take my family soon to Australia and Florida.
Why did I want to be a governor at Cranberry?
My daughter recently started in reception here and she has loved it since day one. The position came up and I thought to myself “I’d love to help make a difference at the place where my daughter loves to go”. I want to help drive forward the vision and ethos in the school and help wherever I can in achieving this. I have loved my short time in Alsager so far and I can’t wait to get further involved in my local community.
