What the
Governors
think
(or how the governors responded when asked
some of the 100 questions posted around
school)
Compiled by the School Council Spring Term 2015
Around the grounds of
Oughtibridge Primary School are
posted one hundred questions
which make you think. There are
no right or wrong answers to the
questions and the School Council
thought it would be fun to find
out how the school governors may
answer them. They chose a
selection of questions, contacted
all the governors and here are the
replies returned to them.
Enjoy the read!
Name: Ian Askham
Age: 45
Occupation: Graphic designer
Type of governor: Local Authority governor
Link class: Y3/4SJ
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
Hong Kong Phooey, the mild mannered but hard working, crime fighting
janitor, just like Mr Sampson
What is the single most important skill (or characteristic) anyone should learn?
Good communication skills
What is your earliest memory?
My parents and our old house in the countryside with acres of farm land
to play on
What is your happiest memory?
My childhood exploring and running around the countryside
What is your favourite song?
Too many to mention but when I’m working from home its BBC’s iPlayer.
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Boring, quiet and worrying, as there will be no one to chat to, and
everything else will probably want to eat you!
What is the best book you have ever read?
Two series of books I really enjoyed come from Conn Iggulden, ‘Emperor’,
about the rise of Julius Caesar
Who do you love?
My family
What is a palindrome?
When one of Monty Python goes cycling round and round and round and
around… or more commonly a word spelt the same backwards as forwards
Is it OK to skip whole sections of a book and fast forward a DVD if things get
boring or should you persevere?
Choose wisely the book or DVD first, to ensure it’s what you want to
spend your time on
Name: Dave Cates
Age: 36
Occupation: Managing Director
Type of governor: Parent Governor
Link class: Y3/4NH
What’s your favourite word?
Brilliant
What colour are brains?
Purple
What everyday thing makes you go ‘wow’?
Sunrise – love the freshness and the sense of a new day.
What do you think the first invention ever was?
The wheel
What do they call people born in Yorkshire?
Hard! They can handle any harsh weather conditions.
What is love?
Saving someone's life before thinking of your own.
What is your happiest memory?
My wedding day
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
Bart Simpson – he has a great sense of humour
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Exciting but pretty lonely.
Why is water wet?
Because God made it that way?
Name: Margaret Firth
Age: Not quite there (whatever age it is)
but heading that way
Occupation: Deputy Head teacher
Type of governor: Staff representative
Link class: None
What do you call people who come from Yorkshire?
I’m sure they should be called Yorkarians.
How can a person be wise?
They should learn from a wide range of exciting experiences so they can help
others to be better people and do not make the same mistake twice.
Would you like to travel forwards or backwards in time?
I would travel back in time especially to the Tudor times as I would love to have
been a courtier to Elizabeth I
What is love?
It is a positive passion or affection for someone or something.
Why is water wet?
So it can be used to get things clean. It proves lots of things are waterproof like
people’s skin and ducks’ backs.
What is gravity?
It’s what keeps your feet planted firmly on the ground.
What is the one thing that most people find fairly easy, but you’ve always found a bit
tricky?
At school, I was in the gymnastics team and in every competition we entered each
member of the team had to do a freestanding headstand. No matter how much I
practised, I always fell over. I never understood why everyone else found it so easy.
What is the biggest number?
I think it would be the number of digits you could fit on a piece of A4 paper. How
you would read it out, I don’t know.
What are you doing for other people?
I’m making them laugh; I’m making cakes for them; I’m educating them; I’m clearing
up after them; I’m a shoulder for them to cry on; I’m keeping in touch with them;
I’m ….
How old is Oughtibridge?
I’m sure it will be hundreds of years old when you look at some of the buildings and
probably got its name from the first people to build a home by the river
Name: Dave Fordham
Age: 65 years old
Occupation: retired teacher
Type of governor: community governor
Link class: Y1KB
What do you call people who come from Yorkshire?
Tight
How can a person be wise?
They listen
Would you like to travel forwards or backwards in time?
I like to look ahead
What is love?
Wanting someone else's best
Why is water wet?
So we can wash our socks
What is gravity?
A 1980's single by Embrace
What is the one thing that most people find fairly easy, but you’ve always found
a bit tricky?
Spelling rino... rhinas...rhiniseros... Oh blow it!
What is the biggest number?
The '2' on the QE 2
What are you doing for other people?
Helping others smile
How old is Oughtibridge?
Younger than Awty's ford.
Name: Angela Galloway
Age:
Occupation:
Type of governor:
Link class:
1. What do you call people who come from Yorkshire?
2. How can a person be wise?
3. Would you like to travel forwards or backwards in time?
4. What is love?
5. Why is water wet?
6. What is gravity?
7. What is the one thing that most people find fairly easy, but you’ve always
found a bit tricky?
8. What is the biggest number?
9. What are you doing for other people?
10. How old is Oughtibridge?
Name: Hazel Guy
Age: 46
Occupation: teacher
Type of governor: associate governor
Link class: Y3/4BB
What’s your favourite word?
Balderdash is a fun word, albeit a bit archaic!
What colour are brains?
Cooked or raw? Sorry, bit of a gruesome answer! Imagine they are pink
when still functioning but have a vague memory of lambs brains being
cooked for me and they were a sort of unappetising grey colour. Wouldn’t
recommend them!
What everyday thing makes you go ‘wow’?
The size of our laundry pile.
What do you think the first invention ever was?
Tools made from stone or wood?
What do they call people born in Yorkshire?
Lucky!
What is love?
An emotion unique to the human species?
What is your happiest memory?
I hope I’ve yet to make it!
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
Lisa Simpson – she’s trustworthy and kind, has strong principles and
sticks by people and would probably be handy at helping with tricky
homework.
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Quiet and un-crowded.
Why is water wet?
Because it needs to be to make cups of tea.
Name: Sue Hill
Age: 59
Occupation: Partner in Oughtibridge Kitchens
Type of governor: Community governor
Link class: Y3/4BB
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
My favourite cartoon used to be the Thunderbirds and my best friend
would have been Miss Penelope - she had a pink car and always saved
people so we would have gone on some fantastic journeys and lived on a
strange island.
What is the single most important skill (or characteristic) anyone should learn?
Being caring and thoughtful and patient
What is your earliest memory?
Going to nursery
What is your happiest memory?
I have lots of happy memories perhaps having my children
What is your favourite song?
Moon River
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Quiet - lonely
What is the best book you have ever read?
What does my daddy do?
Who do you love?
My family, friends and our dog
What is a palindrome?
Same word or number back to front
Is it OK to skip whole sections of a book and fast forward a DVD if things get
boring or should you persevere?
I know I should persevere but I don't, I do skip pages and fast forward
a DVD and the TV programmes - especially with the adverts.
Name: Rachel Jones
Age:
Occupation:
Type of governor:
Link class:
What’s your favourite word?
1. What colour are brains?
2. What everyday thing makes you go ‘wow’?
3. What do you think the first invention ever was?
4. What do they call people born in Yorkshire?
5. What is love?
6. What is your happiest memory?
7. Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
8. What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
9. Why is water wet?
Name: Aaron King
Age: 33
Occupation: Manager
Type of governor: Community governor
Link class: FSCL
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
Am I allowed the Pinky Ponk from The Night Garden? Who wouldn't want
to dodge traffic jams in their very own air ship?
What is the single most important skill (or characteristic) anyone should learn?
Reading
What is your earliest memory?
Being at the park, thinking "Have I been here before?" It makes me
smile because it's a memory about being unsure about my memory! I still
can't remember if I had been there before...
What is your happiest memory?
Life is too full to choose just one happiest memory.
What is your favourite song?
If I can dream
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Fabulous - think of all the useful things you could invent like air ships,
happiness and vests!
What is the best book you have ever read?
Who Moved My Cheese?
Who do you love?
Fantastic family and friends
What is a palindrome?
This and other amazing definitions can be found in your Collins School
Dictionary
Is it OK to skip whole sections of a book and fast forward a DVD if things get
boring or should you persevere?
As for books, do whatever it takes to enjoy reading for the rest of your
life. As for DVDs, switch off your TV set and do something less boring
instead!
Name: Sara Millard
Age: Over 60
Occupation: Community volunteer
Type of governor: Local Authority governor
Link class: Y5/6SL
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
Top Cat - he is resourceful and good hearted
What is the single most important skill (or characteristic) anyone should learn?
Good manners
What is your earliest memory?
Playing house with my friend and sister in an outside brick coal-bunker
[scrubbed clean by us]. Only small children were able to crawl through the
30x30cm square entrance next to the ground.
What is your happiest memory?
My wedding day
What is your favourite song?
Bridge over troubled water by Simon and Garfunkel
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Exciting and lonely
What is the best book you have ever read?
Too hard to name one. In 2014 Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
Who do you love?
My family
What is a palindrome?
My friend Hannah’s name, which can be read forwards and backwards.
Is it OK to skip whole sections of a book and fast forward a DVD if things get
boring or should you persevere?
I would persevere with a book, although I have occasionally given up,
rather than miss a section. A DVD I might fast forward, making sure I
went back to anything that was an important part of the plot.
Name: Pat Munt
Age: 1 year older than the same time last year
Occupation: Headteacher
What’s your favourite word?
I love the word onomatopoeia; it took me
ages to learn to spell it when I was at school
What colour are brains?
I like to think brains are bright yellow because they are happy brains and
always look on the bright side of things
What everyday thing makes you go ‘wow’?
My car makes me go wow. It took me ages to save up for it; I love driving
it and is just the right size for me and my handbag
What do you think the first invention ever was?
The wheel - I was going to say fire but I think fire is a ‘discovery’ not an
invention
What do they call people born in Yorkshire?
I think people born in Yorkshire are ‘tykes’ although it may just be people
born in Sheffield that are known as tykes
What is love?
Love is a very special and powerful emotion that covers lots of things but
feeling safe, warm and secure with my family around me sums it up
What is your happiest memory?
When my son was born
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
I think Buzz Lightyear because we’d have such an adventure going to
infinity and beyond!
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Lonely, frightening and overwhelming
Why is water wet?
So you can make a nice cup of tea!
Name: Jason Pepper
Age:
Occupation:
Type of governor:
Link class:
What’s your favourite word?
10. What colour are brains?
11. What everyday thing makes you go ‘wow’?
12. What do you think the first invention ever was?
13. What do they call people born in Yorkshire?
14. What is love?
15. What is your happiest memory?
16. Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
17. What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
18. Why is water wet?
Name: Kathleen Reeves
Age: 60
Occupation: Secretary/PA
Type of governor: Community governor
Link class: Y5/6RF
What’s your favourite word?
My favourite word is Summer. It always makes me feel happy.
What colour are brains?
I imagine brains to be pink.
What everyday thing makes you go ‘wow’?
People make me go ‘wow’ every day. They are full of surprises.
What do you think the first invention ever was?
The first invention was probably a very primitive tool of some description.
What do they call people born in Yorkshire?
Fabulous!
What is love?
You know what love is instinctively, you don’t have to ponder it.
What is your happiest memory?
My happiest memory is standing on top of the Rockefeller Centre in New
York and a flash choir sang.
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
Popeye – he would make me feel safe.
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Very lonely
Why is water wet?
Wet is a description so it isn’t just only water that’s wet.
Name: Neil Sampson
Age: over 40
Occupation: school building supervisor
Type of governor: premises governor
Link class: none
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
Bob the Builder so he could help me at work
What is the single most important skill (or characteristic) anyone should learn?
To take responsibility for your actions
What is your earliest memory?
Shouting to my mum because my brother was choking on a piece of Lego.
He was 1½ years old and I was nearly 3.
What is your happiest memory?
Watching Oughtibridge War Memorial FC win the league
What is your favourite song?
Fantastic day by Haircut 100
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Lovely but peaceful
What is the best book you have ever read?
Roderick the Red as I was learning to read at school
Who do you love?
My family
What is a palindrome?
A word that spells the same forwards as backwards such as ‘REDIVIDER’
Is it OK to skip whole sections of a book and fast forward a DVD if things get
boring or should you persevere?
You should always try to persevere to the end
Name: Simon Snowden
Age: 46
Occupation: Local government officer
Type of governor: Parent governor
Link class: Y1LU
What’s your favourite word?
Cantona
What colour are brains?
I think they’re blue
What everyday thing makes you go ‘wow’?
My wife informs me it's her (rolls eyes)
What do you think the first invention ever was?
Some sort of a tool
What do they call people born in Yorkshire?
Tykes I think
What is love?
Family
What is your happiest memory?
My children being born
Which cartoon character would make the best friend and why?
Cartman from South Park, because I like his humour
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
Quite confusing yet awe-inspiring I'd imagine
Why is water wet?
Because it's a liquid at room temperature
Name: Mark Winton
Age: 53 (but doesn’t look it)
Occupation: Head of fund raising for the
national charity Marie Curie Cancer Care
Type of governor: Parent governor
Link class: Y5/6MD
Which cartoon character would make the best friend
and why?
Scooby doo would make a great best friend. He is
loyal, funny and always ready for an adventure
What is the single most important skill (or characteristic) anyone should learn?
Being able to read is probably the most important skill anyone ever learns.
What is your earliest memory?
I remember my first day at primary school, dressed in my purple and grey uniform
including a school cap and a tie! I even remember my teacher’s name Mrs Uppington.
What is your happiest memory?
That’s easy being there at the birth of my children is an indescribably happy and
emotional experience.
What is your favourite song?
I like lots of different songs but the ones that stay with me are those that have
meaning to me so, I would say Lost in Space by the Lighthouse Family – it was the
song my wife and I danced to at our wedding reception.
What would it have been like being the first person on Earth?
I think it would have been a mixture of scary and incredibly exciting. I know though
that I would have wanted someone to share it all with.
What is the best book you have ever read?
I like the Shardlake series of books written by CJ Sansom. They are a brilliant
combination of clever crime and historical novels.
Who do you love?
My wife and family
What is a palindrome?
I think it is a word that is spelt the same backward as forward, like level for
instance
Is it OK to skip whole sections of a book and fast forward a DVD if things get boring or
should you persevere?
Yes of course it’s ok. There are so many great books to read and films to watch you
don’t need to read every part or watch every part of a book or film that doesn’t
interest you. You just need to find something that does!