Local Governor Profiles

Chair: Anne Clark

I have lived in Naburn since 2001 and have 3 grown up children, the youngest of whom went to school at Naburn Primary. Until recently I worked as a Specialist Early Years Assessment Teacher for the City of York Council and have spent my career teaching children with special educational needs. In my spare time I enjoy singing, playing the guitar and kayaking. I am a member of Naburn Parish Council and am very honoured to serve as a Local Authority Governor for our wonderful village school.

Mike Beresford

I have lived a few yards away from the school since 1992. Our children loved every minute of their time at Naburn Primary School. After spending over 20 years as an engineering project manager in the petrochemical industry, I became full-time director in 2012 for a Christian organisation called Zambesi Mission. I lead regular Open the Book assemblies in the school where we and the children act out Bible stories and learn lessons for today. I also help the children understand about faith in a very different context by running occasional Malawi Clubs and assemblies. As Foundation Governor I am keen to uphold and share the Christian faith and promote the schools core values of hope, perseverance, community and compassion.

Rev Francis Loftus

My background is in education. For 35 years I taught Religious Studies, the last 19 as a Headteacher. For most of that time haven been involved in the examinations system as a Moderator, Examiner and Senior Examiner. As a former Headteacher I have been involved with governance closely and was a Governor of Selby College for 21 years. I have been a Governor of Barlby Bridge School and Barlby CP. Most recently I was Chief Executive and a Trustee of Selby Educational Trust. I was ordained in 1996 and first became involved at Naburn when I was asked to lead some of the worship whilst I was supporting St Matthew's at Naburn. I am currently a member of the York Diocesan Board of Education. My motivation to be a Foundation Governor of Naburn is that I believe that a community like Naburn should have a good primary school and I will support and challenge the staff of the school in trying to ensure that this is the case.

Kevin Merrison

Settled in York since 2013, this is the second school at which I have been a governor. Experienced with working with boards and committees in small and large organisations and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, I spent the first part of my working career in the military serving with the Royal Air Force, the United Nations and NATO. I have three children, aged between 16 and 36 who attended over 20 different schools between them. That probably provides me with the most valuable experience of all. I aim to support the fellow governors, school head and teachers, parents and pupils in achieving a balanced, sustainable and positive education.

Alex Tate-Smith

I was born and raised in North Yorkshire and made the move back from over the Pennines in 2021. Having worked for the NHS for 5 years in both operational and strategic management positions, I decided to have a change in career and now manage a wine shop in Malton, as well as studying for a masters in International Relations at the University of Sheffield. I am thrilled to be a part of the Naburn Primary School community as a governor. Having attended a very small primary school myself, I am passionate about the benefits of small schools and the sense of community that they bring with them. In my spare time I love reading, baking, knitting, running and walking my little dog Colin with my husband.