Governors

Please find below details of how our Local Governance Committee is structured, including the names, categories and responsibilities for each Governor. Widcombe Infant School and Widcombe CofE Junior School have a joint Local Governance Committee.

Mr Justin O'Byrne
Co Chair of Governors
Safeguarding Governor
Co-opted Governor

I am a parent to three children with our eldest currently in Year 2 at Widcombe Infant School and we are hoping for our other two children to attend the school too. Since being a parent at the school, I was struck by the friendliness of both the staff and families who are the school’s community. I am really proud to work on the Local Governance Committee (LGC) of the school. Seeing up close the dedication of the whole team working at the school is impressive and I want to play my part in helping the school to continue to thrive.

I started my professional life as a research scientist at the University of Bath, before moving to the Government’s largest funder of research and innovation. I spent the majority of that time working in international partnerships delivering large scientific infrastructure/instruments. I have been fortunate to be involved in very different projects ranging from work at a lab over 1 km underground at a working mine in Yorkshire, scientific instruments at CERN, to radio telescopes in remote regions of Australia and South Africa. I am currently on secondment to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology working on a digital research infrastructure for the UK’s science and technology base. My work has brought me into contact with issues around governance, finances, and dealing with lots of different key groups, and I hope to bring this to the LGC.

Rob Mitchell
Co Vice Chair of Governors
SEND and Disadvantaged Governor
Parent Governor

Both my daughters went to school at Widcombe Infants and then the Juniors (where my youngest still is). We all love living in Bath and feel lucky to be part of a school with so many great things on its doorstep. My day job is at a writing company, which I run with my wife. We work on all kinds of projects - posh peanut butter, Greenpeace, the Royal Academy of Arts. For the Royal Academy of Arts I worked on a campaign called "Art is a Serious Subject", all about getting art back in the classroom. It's great to work on something I care about, even more so now I've learned more about it. I'm the disadvantaged and SEND Governor at the Juniors, and I also work alongside other parents in the school's Green Team, looking at ways to help more of us walk, cycle and scoot to school.

Dragana Houston
Co Vice Chair of Governors
Co-opted Governor

I am a parent of two boys, with the eldest currently at Widcombe Junior School and the youngest at Widcombe Infant School.I feel greatly honoured to be appointed as a Governor. The open culture of the school and the dedication of the staff have continued to impress me from my first visit. What is more, the school’s high standards and the range of learning experiences provided for the children to make them into life-long learners are truly praiseworthy.
My area of expertise is in business strategy, planning and transformation, with a background in data analysis, finance and marketing. I am currently at Bath Spa University and have previously led teams across a range of sectors. As a Governor, I hope to be able to use my expertise and experience to help the school’s future development.

Miss Alison Watts
Executive Head Teacher

Mrs Sophie Turner
Widcombe Infant School 
Staff Governor

Mrs Helen Archer
Widcombe CofE Junior School
Staff Governor

Mr Jon Tickner
Disadvantaged Governor
Co-opted Governor

Primarily I’m a strategist and a creative for the media industry. I come up with ideas for content partnerships, develop pitches and consult on marketing and so on, and work on insight projects but I also work as a video producer. Partnerships usually mean content needs to be produced and I also commission cross-platform work, whether video, words or design.  I worked in the media publishing industry for 20 years and went freelance at the start of 2021.
Before I began consulting as a freelance, I joined two others and put together an event called Meanwhile… for Coventry City of Culture. The event was around the topic of illustrated Storytelling and we welcomed a great many families to enjoy street art, workshops and lectures across the weekend.   For this I put the bid together for Arts Council funding, as well as helping pull the logistical elements together, pitching for partnerships, sorting out licenses and so on. 
I have plenty of relations in the education sector, including my partner, a qualified yoga teacher and resilience coach, and a mother-in-law a SEND practitioner. I have a daughter in Year 1 at Widcombe Infant School.

Gareth Kajzer-Hughes
Health and Safety Governor
Parent Governor

I am the parent of two current, and hopefully one future Widcombe Infant School pupils. We live locally and have a strong personal connection and commitment to the well-being of the school and wider community. I have for the last seventeen years served in the British Army and I am currently the Commanding Officer of a Battalion based in Wiltshire. I have experience of leading diverse teams, planning and strategy, operations, and training. I believe passionately in the importance of an excellent education for all children. It is a privilege to become a Governor and to have the opportunity to support the school’s leadership team in delivering the best possible learning experience for all its pupils, helping them to flourish and achieve their individual potential. 

Matt Jensen
SEND Governor
Trustee Appointed Governor

Having grown up in Widcombe, and attended both the Infant and Junior schools, I was really pleased to join the governance team when we returned to Bath in 2022. The school has played a big part in my life, with my mother, Jackie Peacock, being part of the teaching team for over 30 years. Life has now gone full circle, with my daughter joining the school in 2023 and my son due to join in 2026.
Professionally, I work as a consultant Project Manager, supporting a variety of clients in the design, procurement and delivery of large construction projects. My work involves strategic thinking, and bringing together and leading teams made up of people with greatly varying backgrounds, approaches and viewpoints.
It’s a privilege to have been appointed as a governor, allowing me to gain an in-depth understanding of the school’s mechanics and vision, whilst also bringing my own experience and sensibility to support the leadership team and wider school community.

Stephen Tomlin 
Health and Safety Governor
Foundation Governor

I am very happy to be one of three Foundation Governors here. We are appointed by the diocese of Bath and Wells with a focus, for the Junior School, to help maintain and develop its Christian distinctiveness. I am a member of St Luke’s Church on Wellsway, where I am also a church warden. I am a retired chartered Water/Civil Engineer. My family and I moved to Bath in 1991, when I joined Wessex Water, where I spent most of my career. Initially I worked on the engineering of several multi-million pound environmental improvement projects and then subsequently on capital investment and business planning for the company. I have two grown-up children and four grandsons. In my spare time I enjoy cycling, reading, walking in the countryside, entertaining my grandchildren and watching football. I am a long-standing Arsenal supporter! I count it a privilege to be a Governor here and very much enjoy seeing children flourish and being helped to “be the best you can be”.