Amy Holland

I am extremely proud to be the Headteacher of Purley Church of England Primary School. With over 20 years of experience working in schools, I am passionate about creating a nurturing, inclusive, and inspiring environment where every child can flourish academically, socially, and spiritually.

When I first visited Purley, I was immediately struck by how deeply the school’s values and motto – “Love to learn, learn to love” – are lived every day. The values of Love, Courage, and Wisdom guide everything we do and create a strong, supportive community for our children to grow in confidence and character.

As a parent of two primary school-aged children, I understand how important it is that school is a place where children feel safe, valued, and encouraged to be themselves. I am committed to leading with kindness, high expectations, and these core values so that every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Simon Bell 

I am originally from Winchester and went to school in Southampton, before heading off to Reading University to study Philosophy. It was whilst at university that I met my wife, Amelia, and we have stayed in the Reading area ever since, moving to Purley in 2005. We now have three daughters, two of whom left Purley for secondary school in 2019 and 2023 respectively, and our youngest who is currently in Year 5. 

After university, I worked in a number of different roles within the Financial Services profession whilst studying for my professional qualifications to become a Financial Adviser and eventually started my own financial advisory and wealth management practice in 2010. 

I am passionate about achieving high education standards and have a desire to ensure that all children, regardless of their background or upbringing, are given every opportunity to improve themselves through access to a quality education and to develop a love of learning. 

My daughters take up almost all of my spare time, which has also led to me becoming a coach with Tilehurst Panthers Football Club, the largest girls’ football club in the South of England.

I am delighted to be serving as a governor, particularly over the coming years as my youngest daughter continues her own school journey through Purley Primary School.

Anne Bolland 

I am married to John and we have lived in Purley for 40 years and it is a delightful place “to be”. I am involved with several organisations in the village and am currently a churchwarden at St Mary’s Church where I also ring bells.

For many years, I have been volunteering at school three mornings a week to support children with their phonics, reading and numbers and more recently I have also had the pleasure of helping Year 6 children with their run up to SATS exams. My volunteering is most rewarding and gives me great satisfaction. I have been a governor for six years and serve on various committees.

Frances Batton 

I am excited to join Purley C of E Primary School as a school governor. I am passionate about supporting children to reach their full potential and am particularly enthusiastic about promoting STEM to young learners and supporting the strategic and operational leadership of the school. Education runs in our family (my grandfather was a headteacher and father a university lecturer), so it was only a matter of time before I too got involved!

Since studying Computer Science at the University of Birmingham, I have spent my career working in the technology sector. Most recently, I have spent over ten years at a software platform company leading operations strategy across various teams to help industry experts achieve their goals in the most efficient way possible. 

My family and I live in Reading and enjoy spending as much time as we can outside and exploring the surrounding countryside. 

Carole Print 

My early school life was spent in Guildford, followed at senior school at Pate’s Grammar School in Cheltenham and then the Holt in Wokingham. In my professional life I qualified as an accountant and worked in a number of companies in the Reading area, and following the birth of our first child I transitioned to teaching those studying for their professional accountancy examinations. This was followed by taking on a role at Henley Business School teaching on MBA courses. In my time at Henley over about 20 years I took a doctorate in finance, trained as a coach, and as Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance I undertook management and committee work, conducted and supervised research in finance and taught on MBA and executive education programmes in many parts of the world. 

Soon after my daughter became a pupil at The Abbey School in Reading I joined the Parents Association becoming Chair, and subsequently a governor of the school. Although most of my teaching and learning experience has been in higher education with senior managers, teaching and learning have been very much a part of my professional life as well as my governor role. I have lived in Purley for 34 years and now that I am fully retired I am delighted to have involvement at Purley Primary School as a governor and look forward to supporting the continuing development and transition at the school. 

David Briscoe

I wanted to make a contribution to the community and I joined the Governors at the end of 2019.    I studied Politics at university but my career was in audio production as an engineer, producer and manager.   Although not a teacher I worked a lot with children and managed the audio department for Pearson Education which created audio materials to accompany books.   Most of this was for students abroad learning English, starting with three year olds, through secondary and for business English. 

My wife and I bought a house in Purley in 2008 because we wanted to live in the Thames valley and we are very pleased we came here.    It is a great community and the school is a key part of it.     I am a governor, but I also help at school events which enables me to see the school in action.   

Like many people I see that a good start in school is so important and is the foundation for the future of a child.   I have two grown up children, but when they were at school I played an active part in their school’s PTA.   I hope that as a governor I can make a useful contribution to the continued development of the school. 

Lin Bartlett 

Originally from Kent I grew up in a small village close to the coast but had always wanted to live in a town so headed for London to study. I then started my teaching career in a large comprehensive in North London and enjoyed being part of a vibrant multicultural community. 

A marriage and two sons followed who, having been born close to Arsenal support the club unfalteringly. Time came though to move and we settled in Purley for the space and fresh air. Both sons went to local schools with the youngest starting at Purley infant. 

Throughout my career in schools, then as a senior adviser I have been passionate about young people having the best educational experience possible. An experience that will carry them through life allowing them to adapt and learn and live fulfilled lives. 

I am in school regularly and enjoy working work with a small group of pupils on their skills in maths. 

Keith Bryant

We have lived in Purley on Thames for 13 years. I have been most impressed by the professionalism of the school. Being a very small school must undoubtedly bring challenges but also should bring rewards in terms of the impact each individual can make.

As a grandparent I have become more focused on how my grandchildren develop and the role of early years in education. From my own experience in life, I am a firm believer that reading skills are the foundation for success and would like to help ensure that all children have the resource to maximize these opportunities.

Although predominantly retired, I continue to be a director and shareholder of a small company that supplies management systems to the hotel industry. The company was founded by myself and colleagues approximately 12 years ago. My responsibilities cover all commercial aspects of the operation.

Previous employment (whilst not in the education sector) includes many years in the headquarters of some of the major international hotel chains. Senior Management roles included data analysis and specifically data driven strategic decision making. These roles involved project management and working across teams and business disciplines. Later roles included managing the delivery of head office initiatives to hotel general managers via education and training and, indeed, the early adoption of online learning and related Learning Management Systems.

I continue to explore new technologies and try to understand how these can be applied in both a business and domestic setting.

Danyelle Tovey

I grew up in Kent before moving to Cardiff to study Business, specialising in Human Resources, where I also met my husband, Nathan. We have three children – two girls and a boy – all of whom attended Purley Primary School. Now that my youngest has recently moved on to secondary school, I felt it was the right time to take on the role of governor.

Professionally, I spent many years working in recruitment, becoming a Director for a large global recruitment company before setting up my own business following the birth of my youngest daughter. This experience has given me strong skills in leadership, communication, problem-solving, and supporting people to achieve their potential — all of which I hope to bring to my role as governor.

Alongside my career, I spent 12 years actively involved with the school’s PTA, helping to organise much-loved events such as the Tour de Purley, the annual fireworks display, and school fetes. Being part of these activities gave me a real appreciation for the strong sense of community at Purley and the importance of supporting our school.

My eldest daughter is currently studying for her A levels and hopes to go on to university, while my other two children are also busy with their own studies and passions lower down in secondary school. As a family, we are very involved in village life – from Christmas markets to Scouting events – and much of my spare time is spent supporting my children in their sports, whether that’s rugby, dance competitions, or golf.

Purley Primary has always been at the heart of our community, and education plays such a vital role in shaping children’s futures. I am passionate about ensuring that all children have the best possible opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. I am delighted to be serving as a governor and look forward to giving back to a school that has given so much to my own family.