My name is Helen Whitehead.  I am delighted to have been appointed by the Birmingham Diocesan Board of Education as a Foundation governor for the school.  So who am I?  What interest do I have in St Peters and what on earth does a foundation governor do?

I have lived in St Peters parish since 2001.  My husband and I made St Peters our spiritual home and we were married there in 2004.  Keith and I have been worshipping God there ever since.  Our faith is central to who we are and who we try to be (I am still very much a work in progress).  We have 2 cats who have us very well trained and 6 god-children.

Why St Peters?

I have helped at Tuesday Rainbows and Brownies at St Peters Church for almost 10 years.  I have always been very interested in the spiritual care of all our children and I  volunteer with St Peters Junior Church.  I also volunteer to hear pupils read every week at the school.

I am proud to be part of the new church pastoral team where part of my role, will be to help Rev Canon Kate to continue to develop the great links between St Peters church and school and to help Rev. Charlotte and Rev. Canon Kate continue the collective worship.

Academically, I have great GCSEs, dreadful A Levels and a 2:1 BSc (Hons) German and Law from the University of Surrey.  After a gap year, I gained a distinction in my postgraduate diploma in legal practice and trained with Martineau Johnson in Birmingham.  I qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and I accepted a job in their education and regulatory team.  I worked until 2005 when I felt God ask me to move from the corporate world.  I followed God's call to the Crown Prosecution Service and I worked there until I retired on medical grounds in March 2023.

I should probably mention that I am in a wheelchair at this point!

So what does a foundation governor do?  I am asked by the Inspecting authorities to work effectively with the Head Teacher and school and to be dedicated to realising a shared Christian vision for the school.  If you would like to speak to me about anything at all, please contact the school.