Meet the Governors
Name: Mr Michael Hartnack
Position: Co-opted Governor & Chair of Governors
Background: Michael is an experienced governor, having served as chair at Fulwell Junior School for 32 years. He currently serves as the elected vice chair of Sunderland Schools Forum. A former senior police officer, Michael served as Deputy Area Commander for Sunderland and such was his passion for joined up community safety, he developed the Police in Schools Partnership for which the Southwick and Monkwearmouth areas were key beneficiaries. He was elected as a Councillor in May 2020 for the Fulwell Ward and is proud to serve not only his ward, but the people of Sunderland. He is a keen campaigner against sewage being dumped in the sea at Seaburn and continues to lobby Council and others to protect our environment. In School: Michael was invited to join the board of Grange Park Primary School as chair in July 2020. Michael is an experienced Restorative Practitioner, specialising in the Criminal Justice and Education sectors, and has worked as a trainer and practitioner in many schools and other establishments across England. Restorative practice provides children with the opportunity to identify and address behaviours and attitudes which impact on others and it works when undertaken effectively. I am delighted that the ethos of our school is such that it promotes and practices restorative methods to a very high standard.Outside school: Michael is the father of two adult daughters and a grandfather ‘Pops’ to Jessica. In his free time he is a keen traveller and above all loves caravan holidays and spending time with friends and family.
Name: Mrs Yvonne Gray
Position: Co-opted Governor & Vice-Chair of Governors
Background: Yvonne was born and raised in Southwick, Sunderland. Now retired, she has been a teacher for thirty-eight years, the last fifteen of those years as Head Teacher of St Paul’s CofE Primary School, Ryhope, Sunderland. For a number of years she was a voluntary Independent Board Director of a local social housing group, Chairperson of Sunderland Schools Forum and a Head Teacher representative on Sunderland Safeguarding Children Board.
In School: Yvonne is interested in every aspect of school life. She is especially passionate about ensuring that our children and young people get the very best education in a safe, nurturing environment, learning life skills that will support them as they grow to realise their full potential. She serves as a Co-opted governor on our Governing Board.
Outside school: Yvonne has two daughters and two granddaughters living locally. She is interested in Restorative Justice and is trained in restorative approaches practice. Also very interested in medical research, she is a governor on a national medical research and support charity board. Along with this, she works as a volunteer with a local support charity.
Name: Mrs Danielle Conneely
Position: Staff Governor (Headteacher)
Background: Danielle was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, and relocated to England over 20 years ago to complete her teacher training. Since then, she has worked across a variety of schools in both London and the Midlands, gaining extensive experience in early years and primary education. Her roles have included class teacher in Nursery, Reception, and Key Stage 1, as well as Assistant Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher. Prior to moving to Sunderland, she served as Headteacher of a large primary school in Staffordshire.
In School: As Headteacher, I am committed to ensuring that every child receives the highest quality education and a rich breadth of experiences. I lead on mental health and wellbeing across the school and also serve as the Designated Safeguarding Lead, placing pupil safety and welfare at the heart of all decisions.
I am proud to work at Grange Park and to witness the remarkable progress our children make as they grow and develop. As a school leader, I prioritise visibility, approachability, and strong relationships, ensuring that all stakeholders feel valued, included, and connected to our school’s ongoing journey.
At Grange Park, we aspire to offer something truly special. We are dedicated to giving our best every day, with our school values underpinning everything we do. We firmly believe in ‘putting children first’ by providing a high‑quality curriculum and a strong focus on pupils’ personal development, enabling every child to strive for—and achieve—their own personal best.
Outside school: Outside of school, I enjoy spending time outdoors, walking and exploring the beautiful North East with my husband and our little dog, Pixie. I am very close to my family and spend a great deal of time with my brother and my niece and nephew, who live nearby. I also travel back to Derry regularly to visit my parents, friends, and large extended family.
I am an avid reader and rarely found without my Kindle close by.
Name: Mrs Jennifer Marston
Position: Staff Governor
Background: From the age of 16, I knew I wanted to become a teacher and was eager to gain experience in schools as soon as possible. I studied at Liverpool Hope University and achieved my goal after four years of training. I have now been teaching for over 20 years and feel very fortunate to have worked in schools in Liverpool, Manchester, and Sunderland, gaining a wide range of valuable experiences along the way.
In School:
I have been part of the Grange Park community for almost 10 years, working across several year groups before settling in Reception, where I am now Early Years Lead and Reception Teacher. I also lead Religious Education across the school, where I am involved in ensuring the children have a broad curriculum of world faiths helping them to develop respect, understanding, and curiosity about different beliefs and cultures.
Working in Early Years is incredibly rewarding. I love welcoming new families as their children begin their school journey, supporting friendships as they grow, and learning together through play and exploration. I am passionate about our children and families, as well as the dedicated team I work alongside. Together in Early Years, we strive to create a warm, nurturing environment where every child feels safe, valued, and ready to learn.
Outside school: At home, I have another very important role as a wife and mam to three wonderful teenagers: Joseph, Ellen, and Lucy. My family is at the centre of my world, and I am very lucky to have my parents, three brothers, and their families close by. We enjoy spending time together on days out by the sea or in the countryside, sharing holidays, and simply being together.
Name: Laura Bell
Position: Co-opted Governor
Background: I currently work at the University of Sunderland as their STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine). I work in the Widening Access and Participation to promote pathways to Higher Education with a STEMM focus.
I have worked in Higher Education for 10 years, predominantly in Widening Access and Participation, but also have experience working in Careers Services facilitating placements and internships through business engagement and student support.
In school: I connected with Grange Park via my current job when I hosted a campus visit for Year 5 and then ran our Space Explorers programme with them in school last academic year. I was delighted to be invited to join the Governors and am really looking forward to getting to know the school better and being involved with all the amazing work that goes on here.
Out of school: I relocated to the north-east from Norfolk last year and have loved exploring the region with my cocker spaniel Lyra. I’ve recently started dog-agility training and hope to start competing in the new year.
Name: Mr John Broomfield
Position: Parent Governor
Background: I was born in Sunderland and grew up in Grangetown. I attended both Hillview Primary and Junior schools. I attended Southmoor Comprehensive when I found my passion for all things practical and hands on. My favourite subjects included Chemistry, Physics, Art and Design & Technology. After school I started my apprenticeship at Armour Plastics as a pattern maker. My next role at Armour Plastics was electrical and machine assembly.
In my current position I use 3d CAD software to design all of our machines. We manufacture machines mainly for the vacuum forming and manufacture of baths and shower trays, this includes trimming and grp spraying robots. We can however design and make custom machines as requested. Our most impressive machine was a robot trimmer for the manufacture of helicopter training simulator screens.
Part of my current role is to travel and commission the machine in the customers factory’s. This has given me some fantastic opportunities to visit parts of the world such as America, Algeria, Europe and Vietnam that I likely would never visit normally.
In School: As I come from an engineering background I am particularly interested in all things practical. I have been a parent governor at Grange Park for almost a year now and one of my favourite things I have competed with my son at the school, was to try and build the tallest tower using spaghetti and mini marshmallows as parts of the schools open science day. I’m looking forward to next year and getting more involved with the school.
Out of School: I love all things Mini (the car) I enjoy working on my car both repairing and modifying it. I am currently working on a restoration project of a classic mini. I am also part of NEMC - North east Mini Club where I have been recently been voted as chairman of the committee and am responsible for the general running of the club. As a member of the club we regularly attend car shows which normally involve camping for the weekend.
I also coach my son’s football team, Washington NSG tigers and have been doing this for around two years. It have been great to be involved with the team as it is fantastic to see all the team enjoying themselves and how they have all learned and developed over that time.
Name: Mrs Sandra Moran
Position: Co-opted Governor
Background: Sandra has lived mostly in Sunderland apart from ten years she spent living in North Yorkshire. Her career history includes employment within the NHS where she worked as a senior mental health nurse then NHS manager/commissioner responsible for public health initiatives. Within these roles she was responsible for mentoring students from health and social care programmes igniting her passion for education and training.
Sandra also has a great deal of experience teaching in the higher education sector where she was employed by the university of Northumbria as a lecturer/programme lead teaching across nursing and health management programmes. Her current role at this institution is focused on completing a piece of research investigating student alcohol use across four different countries.
In School: Sandra is passionate about all aspects of school life. She believes that children should be educated in an environment that is nurturing and supportive providing scaffolding for learning from an early age. She believes in educational practices that are innovative, ignite children's curiosity and help to develop resilience. Additionally, she understands the impact that unmet physical, social, or emotional needs have on learning and is interested in how these dynamic factors can continue to be addressed both inside and outside of school.
Outside school: Sandra really values her friendships and family. She has too many interests, but mainly enjoys the outdoors, nature, and walking (but there must be cake and coffee afterwards). She enjoys dancing (particularly kitchen discos), reading, music and crafts. She likes to cook and enjoys travelling, whether locally or further afield. She also loves animals particularly dogs, cats, and chickens.
As her work commitments will be reducing from February 2026. Sandra is looking forward to becoming more involved in school and other local community projects.
