Governors

On behalf of the Governing Body, I extend a warm welcome to our school family.

I have been involved with education throughout my working life. I was a teacher in three middle and primary schools in Leeds for 13 years, before becoming a freelance consultant for 12 years.

Since 2016 I have been working full-time as Director of International Professional Development for Discovery Education, supporting educators around the world. This work includes working with Ministries of Education, NGOs like UNICEF and War Child, education publishers, distributors and providers in diverse settings, as well as schools across the world.

During my career I have worked with and taught in several hundred schools, having taught every age group from foundation stage to university level.

My involvement as a governor with CMCS dates back to 2007 and I have been Chair since 2013. Having been born and brought up in Meanwood, I am a long term and committed member of the community served by CMCS. I attended the school myself during the 1980s and both of my children were pupils in recent years.

The aims and ethos of CMCS are close to my heart and I remain committed to our values and the way we serve our young people and the community as a whole. I am immensely proud of the pupils and the support they receive from our exceptional staff.

Graham Brownlee
Vice Chair & Foundation Representative

I currently work as Lead Community Organiser with West Yorkshire Citizens alongside schools, Universities, faith groups, charities, arts groups and community organisations. I am involved in building community connections, influencing for positive change and developing leaders. I see that values and relationships inform all that we do and I am enthusiastic about the crucial role CMCS plays with young people, communities and across the city. I have served as chair of governors at two primary schools concurrently and played a key role in improving standards, remodelling senior leadership, forging extensive community and regeneration links and steering the merger of these two schools.

I chaired a regeneration board as a community representative with a budget of £32m over five years, so I’m familiar with interface of education, housing, police, business and community. I have served on a national government advisor body on community and regeneration policy.

I am also a director of two local enterprises and have served as a trustee/chair on a national charity continuing partnership, policy work and campaigning. I am a parent to two adult children and led a local church for 12 years. I have been a governor at CMCS for 7 years and vice chair since 2018.

Anastasia Karanika
Parent Representative

I have been working in Higher Education for more than twenty years, in the areas of widening participation, community engagement and student opportunity. In the last few years, I have been overseeing the volunteering, students into schools and undergraduate research and leadership programmes. I co-lead the university’s community engagement network, focusing on community engaged learning (CEL).

I am a parent to two children – one has just left CMCS for Sixth Form and the other is in Year 9. I have been a parent governor since the Primary Phase was established and a co-opted governor since 2016. I have responsibility for EYFS and I have a keen interest in pupil attainment and aspiration, curriculum development as well as staff and pupil health and wellbeing.

I joined the governing body in the autumn term of 2017, following my retirement after thirty-five years as a teacher and senior manager at Carr Manor Community School and two other Leeds high schools. My roles in school included leading the maths team, managing the progress of pupils across all subjects, curriculum, timetable and examination responsibilities.

As a governor, I have particular responsibility for coordinating governor training and I am the link governor for Mosaic.

It is a privilege to continue to support the school to ensure that all children achieve their very best in a happy and nurturing environment.

I have been a governor at Carr Manor Community School for twenty years. Both of my children came through the school, achieving very good grades and enabling them to progress to good career paths.

As an enthusiastic ‘DIYer’, my skill set has been based on practical work, but since 2006 my staff role in school has developed to a more strategic position of Operations and Events Advisor. As the school has expanded, my portfolio has required me to share my skills with a wider team.

Our school is a diverse community; an environment of many ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, languages, personalities, abilities and backgrounds. I believe, what unites us all in the school is the commitment to wanting the best for our children: an environment in which they can thrive, enjoy, succeed and reach their full potential.

I currently work for Leeds City Council and my role has been about developing and delivering on our citywide partnership approaches with the third sector and on the migration agenda in Leeds. My work is as diverse as the communities I serve, it involves strategic planning, project management and partnership working with people across all levels, from community groups to senior decision makers, across a wide range of sectors. At the heart of the work is ensuring, as a city, we are meeting the needs of the many, and the few.

I am committed to working as part of a team to improve our children’s educational attainment, overall wellbeing and supporting CMCS towards continued progression and success.

I have been a maths teacher at Carr Manor Community School for the last 11 years, having been inspired to train as a teacher when working with prisoners who often attributed their circumstances to a lack of academic qualifications and support at school.

In my time at CMCS, I’ve been Year 7 Maths Manager, Key Stage 3 Maths Manager and Maths Team Manager, and I’m now a Senior Manager responsible for Careers and Destinations. I also have also enjoyed working as part of the Teaching and Learning Advisors and Head of House teams. I have strong interest to improve my understanding and application of teaching pedagogy as well as developing strong relationships with children across the year groups and phases.

I am privileged to be the Staff Governor representing our staff team, who I know take their work with our fantastic children and families extremely seriously. I am excited to work with our Senior Leadership Team and the Governing Body who strive to embody the four school values and to give every child across the through-school access to the very best academic, pastoral and extra-curricular offer, enabling them to succeed in their chosen pathway after leaving us in Year 11.

Outside school, I am a keen Newcastle United fan, enjoy keeping fit and look forward to my summer holidays in Greece.

I have been involved in education throughout my life. I was a teacher and Senior Manager at Carr Manor Community School for thirty-four years until my retirement in 2016. Having previously been a staff governor, I was keen to continue on the Governing Body following my retirement as I wanted to use my experience and expertise to benefit both the school and the community it serves. Subsequently, I became a co-opted governor in January 2017.

I have always lived in the locality and my two children attended local schools before going on to University.

My areas of responsibility include the Performance Management of both the teaching and associate staff, and whole school attendance.

I joined the Carr Manor Community School of governors in May 2022 after observing the passion in the school for restoration, coaching and making a genuine difference in young people’s lives.

I have been involved with leading and participating in community projects for over 15 years in Leeds, and I am passionate about supporting, developing and enabling our next generation to be the best versions of themselves, removing barriers and helping people to realise their full potential.

I’m currently the Director and Co-Founder of Boost Talent a technology recruitment consultancy in Leeds with a focus on elevating careers, companies and the community with a D&I focus. I have been involved in leadership and management in the private sector for over 10 years, building teams, cultures and delivering change.

I have particularly strong experience in leadership, coaching, building great cultures and teams, process improvement, operations and delivering change.

My goal is to support Carr Manor to facilitate and provide an excellent experience for our pupils and equip them to transition into the working world.

I joined the governing body in 2022. I am passionate about education and have always worked either in schools or with school-aged children. I have a degree in Youth and Community Studies and I currently work in a primary school in Leeds and volunteer at my local church.

I am a parent of two children who attend Carr Manor Community School. I am an active member of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and I love to get involved and support the school and the local community.

I believe that every child matters, has potential and deserves a chance to succeed. It is very important for children and young people to know their worth and be able to make informed choices that have positive effects on both themselves and others. I believe children and young people can be people of change, so it is vital to create an environment where they are included, feel valued and safe, can thrive, have fun and succeed.

This is why it is a privilege to be a part of the governing body.

I joined Carr Manor Community school as a governor in December 2023. I have long been an admirer of this wonderful, nurturing learning environment that goes about its day to day work so pupil focused. Therefore it is an honour to serve alongside the Governing body.

I love my city and have lived and worked in Leeds all my life, where along with my wife we have raised our three daughters. Following 29 years as a police officer in Leeds, I have been the CEO of the Leeds Rhinos Foundation since 2016.

I have a passion for restorative practice and conflict resolution, firmly believe in fairness, and work hard to assist in reducing the inequalities that exist within our society.

In my spare time I love to run, hike and generally be outdoors. Introducing young people to nature and our wonderful countryside is something I would like to do a lot more of.

I look forward to working with the pupils, staff, volunteers, parents and carers of this wonderful school community.