Mrs K Charlton - Head Teacher Rvd A Dart - Chair of Governors
I am the Head Teacher of Burnside Primary School. I became Head Teacher in March 2021 and feel very fortunate to be leading such a special school community.
My aim is to ensure that all children leave Burnside with resilience, the basic skills needed to progress and a passion to reach for the stars.
I value collaborative work with all stakeholders and the wider community and enjoy working with the Governing Body in achieving our strategic vision.
Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and finding new and muddy walks to explore with my labrador!
Mrs S Witty - Parent Governor
I'm Sam Witty and I've been a parent governor at Burnside now for around 2 years. I have three sons who have all attended the school since nursery. I also help with Friends of Burnside.
My background is Science, I have a degree in Medicinal Chemistry and masters in Drug Chemistry. I also hold a teaching degree and taught science apprenticeships for 10 years. I am passionate about education, particularly STEM and making science accessible to all.
My youngest son is profoundly deaf so I gave up my career 4 years ago to become his full time carer. Since then I have developed an interest in SEN and how schools manage the challenges associated with these.
I also have a huge interest in mental health and wellbeing, not only of the young people of Burnside but also the staff and wider school community too.
Mrs J Richardson - Co-opted Governor
I have been a Governor for the past twelve years.
I am interested in the school as a whole and how much progress the children make. I am proud of how the teaching staff have adapted education, teaching a provision for all of our pupils during the pandemic.
As I am a lunchtime supervisor, I have the unique opportunity to see first hand what a wonderful community Burnside is .
At home, I enjoy reading and have recently rediscovered my love of crocheting.
Cllr. C Marshall - Co-opted Governor
Miss Anna Bowden - Co-opted Governor
I am delighted to be a co-opted Governor at Burnside Primary and although I have only joined the Governing Body in June 2021, I can already see how amazing the school is!
My professional background is primary education. I am Head of School at Ox Close Primary in Spennymoor and also work with trainee teachers from Durham University. The children are at heart of everything I do at Ox Close, this will be no different at Burnside either.
Outside of school, I enjoy being active and spending time with my family, friends and crazy dog Buddy.
Mrs P Renwick - Staff Governor
I am Paula Renwick, the staff representative on the Governing body. I
have worked at Burnside Primary School for almost 20 years and have been a Governor for the past 10 years.
I am passionate about education and supporting our children to be the best they can be, which is why I enjoy raising aspirations and helping to provide different experiences for our children at Burnside.
I am a busy parent of four boys and in my spare time I enjoy watching them play rugby and exercising.
Mr K Bell - Parent Governor
Hi, My name is Kyle Bell. I am a qualified Mechanical Engineer. A mechanical engineer is someone who cuts metal with various machines to produce parts for things like cars, planes, trains and many more. To date, I have made parts for cars like Aston Martin and NIO EP9 and for planes like Airbus and Boeing jets. A lot of my job requires attention to detail which is a good skill to have.
My hobbies are: football, 3D printing, machining, gaming, RC flying and RC anything. New technology and the future progress of technology is what I like to keep up to date with and it is certainly an exciting time for it!
I applied to become a parent governor of Burnside because I am a person with a can do attitude and am convinced that nothing is impossible. I feel that my job is to insight change to benefit our children and the children who follow. I am keen to see and push for improvement where possible. I grew up here and also learned at Burnside.