Governor Profiles

I have lived in Nazeing with my family for over 20 years.  As a working Mum I offer some of my time to be active in fundraising for the school with the Parents' Association.  I worked in the private sector for many years for a high street retailer in managerial, marketing and training roles, changing career after my daughter was born to that of teaching.  My daughter attended the school and with the help and focus of her teachers she has now graduated from  university and is training to be a teacher.  I wanted to explore how as a parent and member of the wider community I could have input into the education and future opportunities for our young people.  Joining the governing body has filled that remit and it continues to be both challenging and rewarding.

I have been a Governor at Robert Barclay Academy since 2016.  My decision for this was to give something back to the local community in which I live. I began my career working in a Hertfordshire school, before moving to a London school for an alternative experience. In 2016 I returned to working in a Hertfordshire school to give me more time to spend with my young family. Education can, and does, make young people's dreams happen, and I feel The Scholars' Education Trust and The Robert Barclay Academy offers this to many young people......and I want to be part of this by supporting the school on this exciting journey! I am currently the Vice Chair of Governors and have a particular interest in educational developments, Ofsted and student emotional and academic progress.

I was born and raised in St Albans having attended Verulam Boys School. I have been working for the Trust for 10 years and during that time have held various roles within it, I have been a Staff governor with Sir John Lawes and have now transferred to Robert Barclay Academy as a Trust Link Governor.

I am passionate about technology and the role it plays in everything from enhancing teaching in the classroom to streamlining back office functionality to make the trust work smoothly.

Previously I have worked for various IT companies and also worked within the Payment Card Industry implementing back end processing systems.

My daughter joined Robert Barclay Academy (RBA) in 2018 as a year seven. Her experiences within primary school had been quite difficult. I was extremely impressed with how well she settled into RBA and also impressed with how the school was run. From the very start I felt as though those involved with the school really cared about the pupils. It made me realise I had definitely made the right choice.

I became aware that RBA was working on wellbeing and mental health. Within my professional life I am an Occupational Health Manager for a construction company, looking after the physical and mental health and well-being of employees. In my personal life I have experience of mental health issues and dealing with traumatic life experiences. With the two combined my hope is to support the staff at RBA with the health and well-being of both the staff and pupils.

I feel extremely proud to be part of a great team of staff and governors. I hope that my contribution will help towards continuous improvement for a school which is rising up the ranks and will no doubt be one of the best in the not too distant future.

I have been a primary school teacher for 6 years, with experience teaching in Hertfordshire, Essex and London Borough of Redbridge schools. Prior to that I was self-employed, as a registered childminder and I worked for many years as a project manager for the London Borough of Enfield.  I have a BA (Hons) degree in Landscape Architecture from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

I have two sons, aged 21 and 17 and therefore I know what it is like to be a parent of children going through all the different ages and stages of primary and secondary education in England. I am passionate about helping people to reach their full potential and my personal interest has shifted towards the goals and aspirations of older children and how different routes to success can be achieved. For example, my eldest son left school at 16 to study animal care at Capel Manor College. He then secured an apprenticeship at their Regents Park campus and he is now a full time keeper at London Zoo. My youngest is about to start year 13 and is considering his next step options; university, employment or an apprenticeship. I was delighted to be given the opportunity to become a governor at The Robert Barclay Academy and I feel I have the experience, motivation and energy to make a difference and to help the school, staff and students to enjoy their work and to achieve well. I currently sit on the Learning & Teaching committee with a special interest in transition and behaviour for learning.