Governor Profiles
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Governors have voting rights on the MAT Board (where a member) and the Committees on which they serve. All Governors serve for a four year term of office unless otherwise indicated.
Below are profiles of each of our Governors, including details of which committees they serve on. |
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Sarah Stallebrass
Position Chair MAT Board, Foundation Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed December 2017 Committees Ex-officio member of all committees Profile Sarah Stallebrass was educated at the City of London School for Girls and St John’s College Cambridge. She is Professor of Soil Mechanics at City, University of London and current Head of the Department of Civil Engineering. She carries out research and teaching related to geotechnical engineering, which is the study of structures in and on the ground such as tunnels, deep excavations and foundations for buildings. She is a liveryman of The Skinners’ Company |
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Lynda Myers
Position MAT Board Vice Chair, Foundation Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed June 2013 Re-appointed June 2017 Committees MAT Staffing and Pay Committee (Chair), MAT Finance and Resources, SKA LGB Profile Lynda Myers is a Member of the Skinners' Company, Vice Chairman of Governors at the Skinners' School, and a governor of her local primary school. Having lived in the Tunbridge Wells area all her life, and as a mother of three children, she is very aware of what the The Skinners' Kent Academy needs to bring to the community. Lynda is " proud to be actively involved in this exciting journey of transformation in the lives of the students." |
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Gillian Arthur
Position Associate Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed December 2016 Committees MAT Board and SKA LGB Profile Gillian was educated at Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School before going on to Hull University to study a joint degree in Business Studies and Spanish. She was worked for over 20 years in Marketing and is currently the Managing Partner of Field Day, an integrated marketing agency based in London. Gillian lives in Tunbridge Wells with her two young children, and is committed to doing the best she can to help others achieve the best they can; whether that be her children, her work colleagues or the staff and students at The Skinners' Kent Academy. |
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Sam Barker
Position Foundation Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed October 2017 Committees MAT Board, SKA LGB Profile Sam attended The Skinners' School in Tunbridge Wells where he was Head Boy, and then read Law at Worcester College, Oxford, where he was the Common Room President. Between school and university Sam worked at The Skinners' Kent Academy in its first year, as a Learning Mentor. He is now a Barrister at a leading set of chambers in London, specialising in prosecuting and defending serious criminal cases in London and the South East. He is a Freeman of the Skinners' Company. |
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James Blake
Position Staff Governor (elected by the staff) Appointed October 2015 Committees SKA LGB Profile James has taught at The Skinners’ Kent Academy since the start of his NQT year in 2011. Since then he says he has been privileged to see the Academy grow and go from strength to strength. "I believe the Academy offers something truly unique to citizens of the Tunbridge Wells area, and as staff governor, my aim is to ensure that staff and students collaborate and excel together in a safe, inspiring and prosperous environment." |
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Richard Brookes
Position Associate Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed 1st September 2019 Committees MAT Board, SKA LGB MAT Lead Governor for Health and Safety Profile Richard is the Senior Deputy Head at City of London School. Prior to this appointment, he was Director of Teaching and Learning at Tonbridge School, where he first worked with The Skinners' Kent Academy when developing a middle leadership programme across the Skinners' Schools. He has a M.Chem in Chemistry and D.Phil in Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Oxford, and attained QTS through the Graduate Teacher Programme at Whitgift School. He is working towards a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Buckingham. |
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Claire Cole
Position Parent Governor (elected by parents) Appointed October 2017 Committees SKA LGB Profile Claire Cole has lived in Tunbridge Wells since she was 3 years old and after attending Claremont Primary School she went on to Bennett Memorial Diocesan School. She was always been passionate about children and education and went to Roehampton University in London to become a primary school teacher. After returning home to Tunbridge Wells she taught for many happy years at a small village school near Sevenoaks, becoming deputy and eventually headteacher. She left teaching full time after the birth of her second son and is currently a home tutor, specialising in additional educational needs. Her younger son is still at primary school whilst the older one attends SKA. She believes strongly in life long learning and making education accessible, exciting and challenging to all. |
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Giselle Corincigh
Position Parent Governor (elected by parents) Appointed March 2018 Committees SKA LGB Profile Giselle has a track record of over 18 years’ experience as a successful board member, company director and school governor, so she is acutely aware of the skills and commitment the Governorship practically requires of a parent. She has great respect for what the SKA learning community achieves, however she also believes, as parent governor, she has the ability and experience to bring appropriate, sensitive yet constructive challenge to the Governing Body to help make the Academy even better in its endeavour to sustain excellence for all its students. Through her University Lecturer & Health Promoter career she has worked with the most academically able as well as the most vulnerable & marginalised in society. Therefore she has the experience, skills and awareness to scrutinise the Academy as a governor, to ensure that all students, of all abilities & backgrounds, get the utmost out of their time at SKA and are supported to shine to their brightest! |
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Lord Jonathan Evans of Weardale KCB DL
Position Foundation Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed January 2014 Re-appointed January 2018 Committees MAT Board, MAT Staffing and Pay Committee, SKPS LGB Profile Jonathan Evans was educated at Sevenoaks School and Bristol University. He worked in the Security Service for many years and was Director General of the Service until his retirement in 2013. He is a Crossbench Peer, an Honorary Professor at St Andrews University, a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Kent and a Liveryman of the Skinners' Company. |
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David Fitzsimmons
Position Foundation Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed June 2015 Committees MAT Board, MAT Finance and Resources Committee (Chairman) and MAT Staffing and Pay Committee Profile David was educated at Shrewsbury School, Magdalene College, Cambridge and Stanford University. He had a wide-ranging career at BP from 1978 to 2004, followed by four years as CEO of Novera Energy, a UK renewable energy company. He is currently a director of Dana Petroleum, Permasense Limited and Photonomi Limited. He is also Chairman of Locate in Kent, the county's inward investment agency and a Trustee of the charity Dig Deep, which helps communities in Kenya improve their access to clean water and sanitation. He lives at Tunbridge Wells. |
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Julian Metcalf
Position Associate Governor (appointed by The Skinners' School Foundation) Appointed January 2014 Re-appointed January 2018 MAT Lead Governor for SEND Committees MAT Board, SKA LGB Profile Julian is the Deputy Headteacher at The Skinners' School in Tunbridge Wells. Prior to this appointment, he was the UK Manager for the International Baccalaureate Organisation, supporting the four IB schools' programmes (PYP, MYP, DP and IBCP). Julian is Chair of the GSHA Deputies' Network, has worked as Programme Lead for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust where he first worked with the Skinners' Kent Academy, and was previously Assistant Headteacher at Dartford Grammar School. He has a B.A. in History and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Leeds, completed his P.G.C.E. at King's College, London, and has completed his National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH) through the Institute of Education. |
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Neil Pegrum
Position Associate Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed September 2015 Committees MAT Board, MAT Finance and Resources Committee Profile Neil was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton and Lincoln College, Oxford. He also has an Executive MBA from The London Business School. Neil has worked in fund management for the last 30 years, and is currently Head of Soros UK. In addition, he is a co-opted governor at Broadwater Down Primary School and a committee member of the charity The October Club. He lives in Tunbridge Wells. |
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Hugo Pound
Position Foundation Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed July 2016 MAT Lead Governor for CEIAG Committees MAT Board, SKA LGB Profile Hugo is a chartered occupational psychologist who works globally with organisations going through mergers, acquisitions or large transformation projects. At the start of his career, he was a qualified social worker in N. London specialising in adolescent child care and mental health. He has lived in Tunbridge Wells since 1992 and is a liveryman of The Skinners’ Company. He was a Parent Governor and latterly a Foundation Governor at The Judd School for ten years, for six years as Chair of the Education Committee. |
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Rachelle Sharp
Position AXA Community Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed June 2018 Committees MAT Board and MAT Finance and Resources Committee Profile Rachelle Sharp studied Mathematics and Statistics at university before working at AXA in Tunbridge Wells. She has been part of AXA for about 20 years working in a variety of roles, currently focusing on Change Management and Operational Excellence. She lives in Kent and has two school age children. |
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Jeremy Stanyard Position Associate Governor (appointed by The Skinners' Company) Appointed December 2013 Re-appointed December 2017 MAT Lead Governor for Risk Management Committees MAT Board, MAT Finance and Resources Committee and MAT Staffing and Pay Committee Profile Jeremy Stanyard qualified as a civil engineer before embarking on a 30 year career with PA Consulting, in which he specialised in project management in the finance and government sectors. Educated at Whitgift School, Nottingham University and Imperial College, he is now undertaking a number of pro bono roles in education and sport. |
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Ed Wesson Position Foundation Governor (appointed by The Skinners' School Foundation) Appointed September 2013 Re-appointed September 2017 MAT Lead Governor for Safeguarding Committees MAT Board and SKA LGB Profile Ed Wesson has been Headmaster at The Skinners’ School since September 2013, having previously been Head of King’s School, Tynemouth. He is a teacher of History and French, and heavily involved in coaching rugby and cricket at all schools he has worked at. Ed lives in Speldhurst with his wife Susie and two daughters, Molly and Ella. |
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Past Governors
Judith Heald
Position
Community Governor (Associate Governor appointed by The Skinners' Company)
Appointed March 2015
Resigned 13th August 2018
Richard Sax
Position
Chairman, Foundation Governor
Appointed June 2014
Retired July 2018
Judith Heald
Position
Community Governor (Associate Governor appointed by The Skinners' Company)
Appointed March 2015
Resigned 13th August 2018
Richard Sax
Position
Chairman, Foundation Governor
Appointed June 2014
Retired July 2018
