Governor Bio – James Ferris

Skills / Experience / Background:

Prior to joining Broughton Infant school as a governor in 2020 I had been a governor at Weston Turville C.E. Combined School for 10 years taking on various roles including the chairing of different committees, EYFS governor, vice-chair and subsequently chair of governors. I then took a few years break before my belief in and enthusiasm for education led me back to school governance. I was lucky enough to find a position with Broughton Infant School at an exciting time for it and the Junior School and am proud to have contributed to the successful federation process and to become part of this strong, new governing body.

I come from a family that has been involved in education since the 1950s. My grandfather was head teacher in a small village school in Devon and my dad, a teacher all his working life, was head teacher in Wiltshire for over 25 years. I firmly believe in the benefits of a free and excellent education and in the importance of giving every child as many experiences and opportunities as possible – both whilst in school and, by helping them develop the confidence and skils they need, during the rest of their lives. As such, I find the new Broughton Community Schools to be a fantastic place to be and am delighted to be involved with its development.

Professionally, I qualified with a degree in Electronic Engineering from Southampton University in 1988 and have worked as an engineer for the whole of my career. I’ve worked in a variety of technology sectors and am currently a freelance consultant working with companies based in the UK and abroad. I find myself getting a lot of satisfaction by helping to develop the skills of other engineers and in mentoring young people at the start of their careers. I have been a part of mentoring programs in local schools and enjoy going in to talk to older students about engineering as a career. I’m currently working on the development of sessions aimed at increasing awareness of engineering for younger children and on ways to further disseminate the knowledge and skills I have been lucky enough to gain over the years.