TRIBUTES have been paid to a school governor who is retiring after helping to turn struggling schools around across Swindon.

Ian Cooke, from Hayden Wick, first became a governor of Moredon Junior school after it went into special measures in 2000. He later moved to Rodbourne Cheney Primary in 2008, during which it went from being in special measures to outstanding, and was a founding member and trustee of the White Horse Federation, a multi academy trust of schools.

Ian told the Advertiser: “I just think the schools do a brilliant job for our children.

“It’s become a lot more professional since I started eighteen years ago. It is a voluntary role but you have some quite heavy legal responsibilities to make sure the schools are financially well and the attainment is maintained. It’s checks and balances, governance has always been described as a critical friend.

“I always felt very pleased for the children at that school, if you can improve things quite quickly then it’s for the benefit for the children who are in that school and for their future life because it’s setting them up for purposeful employment in adult life."

Chief executive at the White Horse Federation Dr Nicholas Capstick OBE, who knew Ian for fifteen years, said: “I’ve benefited from Ian's wisdom as a local governor. What he has brought has been really quite phenomenal in terms of support and understanding.

“He brought a very common-sense approach, a real dedication and a real focus to make sure that we were always on track. He was always quite monocular in his view that everything we did should be about the moral purpose of children.

“He was remarkably astute in how we moved forward in terms of our development and growth. He was without a doubt a key part of the team that brought stability to schools that were in special measures.

“He has helped to improve the educational landscape in the town.”

Lauren Connor OBE, and co-founder of the White Horse federation, now national director for primary and SEND at the Academies Enterprise Trust, said: “Ian has been a true community governor for 18 years and in that time has given of his time and counsel so freely.

"He appointed me to my first headship in 2001 and it has been a pleasure to have worked alongside him for so many years.

“Governance is such an important role in our school system and it is thanks to amazing people like Ian that our schools continue to thrive.

"He is a true gent and will be missed by the many teachers and colleagues who have worked with him in Swindon and beyond.”