SIXTH FORM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Staff Governor - Pastoral, Attendance, Exclusion & Behaviour Link Governor
I joined Joseph Rowntree School as Assistant Head of Inclusion, ERP Lead in November 2019.
I have been fortunate to enjoy a varied career, as both an employee and working as part of a management team; working within such business sectors as retail, admin, property development and customer services. I qualified as a Graphic Designer/Artist over 30 years ago and have also worked for various local tabloids.
I worked as a Pastoral Head of Year/Middle Leader at a Comprehensive Secondary School in Scarborough for 11 years. Within that role I specialised in Behaviour Management, Attendance/Reducing Barriers to Learning, Child Protection/Safeguarding, Parental Engagement and was also one of the whole-school CIAG co-ordinators. I also established and managed the Business Mentor Scheme.
Job Titles:
- Parent Governor - Inclusion, Staff Wellbeing and Post 16 Link Governor
I joined the board as a parent governor in October 2017 and I have a child attending The Joseph Rowntree School.
I'm a consultant in public health and I have worked at local, regional, national and European levels across both the Public Sector and the Civil Service. My specialist interest is in health and social inequalities and I have led a number of national programmes in this field. I am passionate in my commitment to addressing inequity and in particular the enhancement of health and educational outcomes for all children.
Job Titles:
- Parent Governor - Humanities Link Governor
I moved to York 25 years ago as a student at the University and have lived here ever since. I taught Maths at a local secondary school for 15 years, as well as being an acting Special Needs Co-ordinator before leaving the profession to set up my own business.
I was a Governor (and eventually Chair of Governors) at a local primary school for seven years (Chair for four) and moved to become a parent Governor at The Joseph Rowntree School in 2022 as I have a daughter who currently attends the school in Year 8.
I believe that all children deserve a good education regardless of their finances and abilities and that all schools need to be accountable to the pupils, their families and the area that they serve. All students should be able to learn in an inclusive environment and I am looking forward to helping the students at Joseph Rowntree reach their potential.
Job Titles:
- Foundation Governor - English Link Governor
I have been an Architect designing and delivering building projects for more than 40 years across all sectors including education.
I am hopeful that this accumulated experience and the associated skill sets will be of value to the school, whether in relation to any school building projects, or as a source of information or advice on the wide range of potential job roles in the construction sector.
I am very pleased to have been appointed as a Joseph Rowntree Foundation Governor and in this capacity look forward to maintaining and strengthening the existing links between JRF and the school.
Co-Opted Governor - Careers & Health and Safety Link Governor
Job Titles:
- Parent Governor - Safeguarding & SEN Link Governor
I have been a parent Governor since 2019. I have 2 children, one currently at Joseph Rowntree School and one that will join the school this year.
I am the current chair of the PTA at a local primary school, where I have been on the committee for 9 years. My interests lie with strengthening communications in our community and supporting our students and parents in the best possible way, and my time served on the PTA has prepared me well for this.
I'm passionate about the potential good (lifelong) education has to improve lives and opportunities. I applied to be a parent governor (my child is in year 9) to be able to give something back to the community while using my background & experience in Education & Training to support formal, creative, & pastoral aspects at Joseph Rowntree School.
I achieved a 1:1 BA(hons) in Education & Training, have an MSc in Multimedia & eLearning and have experience across the whole curriculum from a previous role as eLearning Manager at Leeds City College, where I was part of the leadership & lesson observation team.
In terms of governance experience, I learned a lot while I was a Shadow Board Member (2017-19) for the (Ebor Academy Trust) Creative Arts Academy York during the early development stages. This Included strategic exploration of what an Arts led curriculum would look like and how the school would become a creative hub for the city.
Job Titles:
- Foundation Governor - Pupil Premium Link Governor
I was appointed as a foundation governor in 2016. I am a Chartered Accountant and used to work for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), until I retired in March 2020. I was Director of Finance before becoming Director of Governance Review prior to my retirement. I Chair the school's Finance Staffing and Resources Committee and also the Pay Committee. In my role as a Foundation Governor, I try to ensure that JRF's values are reflected in the governance of the school. JRF's vision is to have a prosperous U.K. without poverty. My view is that good education has a crucial part to play in achieving that vision and that is the main reason I volunteered to become a governor. That ambition also caused me to put myself forward to be the link governor for Pupil Premium within the school, where I am keen to ensure that the attainment gap is reduced.
I was a co-opted governor at my child's primary school for four years and was then elected to the role of parent governor at The Joseph Rowntree School in 2024, the same academic year that my child started in Year 7. I've worked for the City of York Council since 2003 in the department of Children's Services, with experience working in safeguarding, family support and fostering.
For the last five years, I've worked for the Virtual School as a Specialist Inclusion and Wellbeing Adviser. My role focuses on supporting staff in early years, primary and secondary schools to understand how adverse childhood experiences can impact on behaviour and readiness to learn.
Co-Opted Governor - Modern Foreign Languages Link Governor