Meet Our School Governors

Mrs Ann Johnson – Chair of Governors

Local Authority Governor

Appointed on 1st March 2023

(Member of the Governing Body since Nov. 2014)

Term of office 4 years

My name is Ann Johnson and I have been a member of Exhall Cedars Board of Governors for many years. I am a great grandmother and was a teacher for more than thirty years in Warwickshire. I was also previously a Governor of a school in Warwick for more than twenty years. I have lived in Nuneaton for more than thirty years and have a wide variety of interests. I have always been passionate about the education of young people, especially those with special needs.  I intend to keep up with new developments.   I will continue to support the staff, parents and children of the school in any way that I can.

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Mrs Sharon Hillyard – Head Teacher

Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher

Appointed on 1st January 2008 

Hello! My name is Sharon Hillyard and I have been in the privileged position of being the Head Teacher at Exhall Cedars since January 2008.  I have now led Cedars through three ‘Good’ Ofsted inspections and I am continually striving to make further improvements to the school, for the benefit of your children.  My aim is to make Cedars the best school that it can be, with the best staff possible, to support your children in achieving their full potential. It is a genuine pleasure working so closely with the school staff and the Exhall Community and I relish the challenges that Headship brings.  I live in Rugby with my husband and I enjoy socialising with my friends and taking relaxing holidays in the sun.

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Mr Lee Groom – Co-opted Governor

Appointed on 19th January 2022

Term of office 4 years

Hi, my name is Lee Groom and I have worked for Harry Shaw Business Computers Ltd a company based in Bedworth for over 22 years fixing computer issues for many companies around the Coventry & Warwickshire area. We have looked after Exhall Cedars’ IT issues for about the last 5 years. I have lived in Bedworth for most of my life other than a brief ten years spent in Nuneaton.  I am married to Laura and we have a 4-year-old adopted son who keeps us busy in one way or another but has been an the most amazing experience. 

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Mr Rafal Bolek - Parent Governor

Appointed on 

Term of office 4 years 

Hi, my name is Rafal Bolek, I am married to Kasia and we have 2 girls that are fully utilised our free time. The older daughter is in Secondary School and the youngest is in Nursery in Exhall Cedars.

I am originally from Poland and lived in Coventry for last the 19 years. I am a professional electrical engineer and I worked for a company that supports Nuclear Power Station to ensure the electricity is in every socket always when needed.

I am honored to be Parent Governor and work with Governors Team. I hope that my work skills and parental experience allow me to being a great Parent Governor.

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Mr Stuart Iley - Co-opted Governor

Appointed on 30th January 2022

Term of office 4 years

I have worked in the education sector since 2004 holding roles as Finance Manager in the FE sector and more recently as a Financial Controller for a Multi Academy Trust. Outside of work I am a big rugby fan and enjoy playing golf. I live locally with my wife, two grown up daughters and an extremely mischievous French Bulldog.

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Mr Pete Venner - Co-opted Governor 

Appointed on 7th February 2022 

Term of office 4 years

Hi I'm Pete Venner and I'm a semi retired engineer living in Rugby with my wife Ali and our dog Stanley. We have 2 grown up boys who also live in the area.

I enjoy watching sports on TV, mostly football, rugby and F1, and I go to see Leicester Tigers play.

I was a school governor at Cawston Grange Primary School for 10 years where I held the positions of Vice Chair, Health & Safety, Head Teacher Performance and Finance Governor. I am hoping to bring my previous experiences to Exhall Cedars to support the School and Staff in reaching the highest levels, so that they can provide the quality education every single child deserves.

Working together with integrity and respect will allow every child to develop to be the best they can be.

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Miss Leah Paxton - Staff Governor 

Appointed 17th March 2023

Term of office 4 years

Hi, I am Leah Paxton. I have worked for Exhall Cedars for 2.5 years as a learning support assistant. I am also studying for my degree in Early Childhood part-time at Warwick University. I enjoy reading, yoga, and spending time outdoors in my free time.

I look forward to being a part of the Board of Governors. It will provide me with further opportunities to learn whilst working together to ensure our pupils receive an enriching curriculum in a nurturing environment.

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Mrs Ginta Salava  - Vice Chair of Governors

Parent Governor

Elected by parents 23rd May 2023

Term of office 1 year

I have nearly 8 years worth of experience in the education sector, supporting apprenticeship programmes in data analytics, financial forecasting and innovative projects using artificial intelligence. More recently I have switched to the housing sector where my main goal is to drive digital transformation and leverage the power of data to tackle housing and regeneration problems in England. Outside of work my time is pretty much occupied with my 2 daughters and my never ending DIY and interior designs that somehow convince my husband to participate in. I will try my best to my skill set use to make Cedars the best it can be for our children. 

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Mrs Zoe Morgan - Observer 

Hello my name is Zoe Morgan and I am a busy working mother of 4.  I have been working in children’s safeguarding within local authority settings for over 20 years.  In my spare time I enjoy traveling with my husband and our family. We also own dogs and like to spend time walking with them - weather permitting! 

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Mrs Geraldine Marshall - Co-opted Governor

More details to follow.

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As a school we recognise that a diversity of thought, voices and perspectives is essential to good governance and the effective running of any organisation.

We regularly collect diversity information from our governors and, depending on current data, can use this to:

➢ target recruitment to address gaps in experience and diversity

➢ develop and adapt board practices to ensure full participation

➢ prioritise training and awareness-raising in identified areas

➢ address potential ‘blind spots’ through seeking wider advice and perspectives on current and upcoming opportunities, challenges and risks 

However, we are unable to publish this information as it would mean that individual members of our governing body are identifiable.