The Governors of Springfield bring a wealth of expertise to our Board – you will find an introduction to all of us below.

If you would like to contact the Board of Governors please do so through the School Office. 

SPRINGFIELD GOVERNORS 

Alison Chard - Headteacher

I have worked in education for 34 years, as a teacher, deputy head and now headteacher. Arriving at Springfield in 2001 I have taught throughout school, led new initiatives, residentials, teams of staff and now the school itself, which I am immensely proud of. I am passionate about education and our local area, being born and educated in Sale. Springfield's mission statement "Caring, Learning and Achieving Together" is something I feel drives every aspect of our school and underpins our unique ethos which many visitors and staff comment upon. Springfield is a fantastic, hard working school, where there is never a "normal day", being surrounded by committed, inspiring staff and diligent, motivated and enthusiastic children.

Marzita Abdul-Rahman

I have been a governor since October 2012 and have been involved in both Finance and Buildings committee. As a governor for parent liaison, I attend PTA meetings and help at fund raising events to form links between parents and governors of Springfield. I am also looking forward to serving in the working group for the next phase of Springfield’s outdoor development.

I have 2 children who both attended Springfield and I have recently set up my own architect’s practice.

Clara Cheung

Clara is a Reader in Engineering Management at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at The University of Manchester https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/clara.cheung.html. She also serves as the Assessment Lead of the department. Prior to that, she taught in the Department of Civil Engineering in The University of Maryland, in the USA for seven years. Throughout her academic career in engineering in both countries, she found there is a strong need to strengthen STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in primary and secondary school education, especially in empowering more girls to study and develop their future career in STEM. She hopes she can help Springfield to further develop this area. In addition, as a researcher in occupational health and safety, part of her research focuses on improving well-being and resilience of the workforce. She hopes she can use her knowledge and research findings to inform the school policies and practices of Springfield. 

Tony Martin

I have lived in Sale for most of my life and  I have experience in hospitality, building operations and shopping centre management. I was on the management team of The Trafford Centre for 9 years before joining property company Bruntwood, first managing commercial office space buildings before moving on to manage Manchester’s iconic retail institution Afflecks where I spent 10 happy years. I recently took the opportunity to manage Stanley Square shopping centre in Sale that is undergoing major redevelopment and it was this move that then provided me with the opportunity to join Springfield Primary School as a co-opted governor.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to help make a difference to my hometown with all the exciting developments that are taking place at Stanley Square, and I am truly honored to join the team of governors at Springfield.

Gareth Holly

I am a newly appointed Governor at Springfield and I also sit on the Curriculum, Staffing and Effectiveness Committee, as well as being the link Governor for Science. I am dad to Thomas and Jack who are in Years 3 and 1 respectively and they both love the school and are a key reason for my desire to be involved. Professionally, I am a Director at KPMG where I am a Chartered Accountant, specialising in Governance, Risk Management and Internal Control. Springfield is a very special school, reflected by the recent Ofsted rating, and I am massively looking forward to contributing over the next few years.  

Glenn Ress

After moving to South Manchester from North Yorkshire in the year 2000, I developed my skills firstly as a Community and youth worker for Trafford MBC then as a  representative of the UK government working overseas in the Middle East, Uganda and Afghanistan. These experiences offered me the opportunity to fully understand the importance of sharing good practice, accountability and fairness within education for all. I have held more than one governor role within my career and my recent appointment to the team at Springfield is another opportunity that I recognise as an honour & privilege.

I have been afforded the opportunity to work closely with many of the teaching staff and support the leadership team in developing an outdoor education offer across the school sharing good practice across many other schools that are inspired by our young people at Springfield.

Simon Landi

I have returned to the governing body as a co-opted governor. I have lived in Sale for almost 30 years and my three children attended Springfield Primary School in the period 1998 - 2010. I was also a parent governor during this time. One of my daughters also taught in KS2 at Springfield for three years.

I have worked in marketing for most of my professional career and spent the large majority of the past 20 years also building and running a successful marketing agency based locally in Old Trafford.

I am currently on the school Curriculum, Staffing and Effectiveness (CSE)  Committee and hope to be able to bring my commercial and private sector experience to support the great work already evidenced by Ofsted for the children, their parents and carers and for all the staff at Springfield.

Maria Anna Di Donna

I feel immensely lucky to be a part of the Springfield community as a parent to Teresa Y5 and Ester Nursery, as part of the PTA volunteers, Parent Consultation Group and as Reading volunteer. Early in 2024 I was appointed Governor at Springfield. I initially joined the Finance and Asset Management Committee and I am now the Chair of Curriculum, Staffing and Effectiveness Committee. I am also EYFS and EAL link governor and part of Headteacher’s appraisal committee. 

I am Italian and moved with my family to Sale in 2018. I have worked and lived in five different countries, enabling me to develop a strong understanding of both the benefits and challenges of being a multilingual family. I like to bring this understanding and sensitivity to my role as parent governor. I also bring my academic and work experience. I graduated with honours at the University of Florence in BA Early Childhood studies and I have been able to work as a Nursery Nurse - also leading a team- and after school assistant in Italy, Australia and England.

In my professional journey I worked not only with EAL children, but also children with special needs and their families. I have a chronic health condition that has strongly impacted my life and career in the last five years, but has given me an important switch of perspective. I now know both what it means to be part of the journey of a child with special needs and to have a disability. I feel I can help in this extremely delicate and important area of the school reality.

I am truly enjoying this role more than I expected. It is fascinating to get to know and being evolved in all the complex dynamics, hard work and dedication behind an outstanding school like Springfield.

Cllr Zak Deakin

Having served as the Councillor for Sale Central ward since the 2023 local elections, Zak joined our governing body in 2024. 

As part of his duties, Zak sits on Trafford's Children and Young People's Scrutiny Committee - holding the council to account for decisions and contributing to discussions regarding the challenges faced by the education sector.

Zak's background is in policy development, communications and engagement. He takes up a seat on our Curriculum, Staffing and Effectiveness (CSE) committee. 

Emma Barker

My name is Emma Barker, and I am the STAR club manager here at Springfield school. I have worked with children for the past 20years, and even though I have worked in different sectors, the passion I have for seeing them grow and develop is just as strong as it has always been.

I came to Springfield in September 2018 as the Deputy manager of STAR Club, and as my years have continued, I have seen such a growth in my confidence and my development, to which I was promoted to STAR club manager in September 2021.

One of the things that I truly love seeing at Springfield is how everyone works alongside the Springfield values and uses them as part of their everyday routine, such as coming together as a team helping each other out when needed, seeing the children support each other and always challenging themselves to learn and motivating themselves and others to achieve their best in all they do.

Carl Bailey

I have recently joined Springfield's Board of Governors. This is my first experience in this role but my second as a Governor. I spent 34 years in the prison service working up the ranks from Officer through to Governor.
I was born in Altrincham attending Park Road primary as a youngster and then Wellington Road secondary. Apart from three years living in London (with the prison service) I have always lived in the Altrincham area.
I have a wife, three children and four grandchildren and now at the ripe old age of 60 I am now a great grandad.
I hope I can utilise my life skills in my role as school Governor helping in any way I can.