Meet the Governors
Governing Board Diversity
The governors of Chesswood Junior School believe it is important that boards reflect the diversity of the school communities they serve. Diverse boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for staff and young people. Our board does not reflect the diversity of our school community particularly ethnicity and advantage, we continue to encourage representation to reflect the significant diversity of our school community.
The governors collect data on the diversity of the board, including data on age, gender and ethnicity. They will use that data to inform their recruitment and training needs and to make best use of every opportunity to promote a diverse range of perspectives reflecting our community around the table supporting robust decision making.
Due to our relatively small governing body we do not publish this diversity data online as individual governors could be identified and we have a legal obligation to protect their personal data.
Diversity Data Collection
Current Governors complete the diversity data collection as part of their induction process and to ensure diversity data may be monitored effectively. To complete the online governor diversity form please follow this LINK or use the QR code below:
Individual Governors
Co-opted Governors
There are currently 3 vacancies for co-opted governors. The governing body welcomes interest in these vacant positions and look forward to hearing from potential governors that will support the work of the school in future. If you are interested in governance please let us know by contacting our clerk in the first instance: clerk@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk
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Governor Photo |
I have spent over 30 years in financial services specialising in regulation and compliance. I am the Group Compliance Director for Vitality, and held this position for the past 6 years. In my role I am responsible for ensuring that Vitality complies with the various regulations and legislation that all financial companies have to comply with. I have previously worked for a number of large and small companies including household names such as Legal & General. Outside of work I have two adult children and enjoys football (watching only nowadays) golf and DIY. I previously served as a parent Governor at English Martyrs and Chatsmore schools. |
Steve Allibone sallibone@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Co-opted Governor Current Term of Office Began: March 2023 No current business or personal relationship with a member of school staff or other school governor |
I moved to Worthing in May 2021 and my son joined Year 6 at Chesswood in September of the same year. I also have two daughters, one who has recently finished a Biochemistry degree at Kingston University and the other who is in Year 7 at a local high school. I am a qualified teacher and I have worked extensively across all areas of the primary phase, from EYFS up to Year 6, as a teacher and also a phase leader. I taught in a South London school for several years before moving south to be closer to my family. I then worked for ten years at a small, forward-thinking primary school in Chichester with an SSC for children with specific language disorders. This experience gave me a real insight into how best to teach children with additional needs and how to enable all children, in any class, to make optimum progress and achieve their potential. Many of the skills I have developed as a teacher (working collaboratively; always being curious and thinking creatively; prioritising the needs of all children at all times), I believe are directly transferable to the role of parent governor and so when the opportunity to join Chesswood’s governing body came up, I jumped at the chance. I left my previous job in July 2021 so that I could have some time to settle my children into their new schools and I am relishing being able to focus solely on being a parent for now. I am also keen to be more actively involved in the Chesswood school community and feel that as a parent governor I will be able to do this. As soon as my son joined the school, it was clear what a supportive and exciting school Chesswood was and I am excited to work with the governing body, alongside the leadership team, to support the school on the next stage of its journey. |
Rachel Baker rbaker@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Co-opted Governor Current Term of Office Began: September 2022 Provides supply teaching support to Chesswood |
I recently stopped work after 37 years with Legal & General where I held a variety of roles including in their governance and compliance areas. Whilst I now work part time or on short-term contracts, I will be travelling less and can devote time to help a school achieve its goals and ambitions by joining a governing body.
When the vacancy at Chesswood came up I jumped at the chance to join. In terms of philosophy I believe each child is unique and their education should aid their individual growth and development, whilst instilling a sense of community and respect for others. A school should be proud of how they inspire and nurture that evolution and I look forward to supporting the leadership team achieve this. I’m told the school loves data and metrics. So do I! |
Mike Carpenter mcarpenter@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk cog@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Chair of Governors Co-opted Governor Current term of Office began: March 2020 No current business, pecuniary interest or personal relationship with member of school staff or other school governor |
I am looking forward to joining the Governors and I am hoping some of my knowledge and experience will be of value to the school. I am passionate at enabling individuals, whether that is small children to mature adults, develop and achieve their full potential, be happy in what they do and be fulfilled individuals. To enable them to do this they have to have the right environment, over the past 5 years I have become very aware of the many challenges that schools face and have to overcome in order to provide that. I have a fun loving husband and a stepson, 2 grandchildren 9 (youngest attending Chesswood). I commuted to London for the past 26 years. I headed up Customer Support across Europe for Visa Europe which involved leading a large team of multi-national staff. My role required me to set the strategy and direction/5 year plans for Visa's European Customer Support service and ensuring as a team we delivered a high level of service. As part of my passion for helping staff I became a qualified business coach, was part of the crisis management team and lead HR incident reviews. When I retired nearly 6 years ago I worked part time for GB Met College until July 2022 and was tasked with a colleague to setup and run a School Business managers apprenticeship. I loved visiting all the different schools and observing how the apprentices in schools increase their knowledge, achieved their career aspirations and became even more invaluable to their school. |
Hazel Fagon hfagon@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Co-opted Governor Current term of Office Began: March 2023 No current business or personal relationship with a member of school staff or other school governor |
I am currently the Year 3 and 4 Phase Leader and Maths Leader at Chesswood Junior School with an interest in supporting the governance of the school. I have worked at Chesswood since 2016 in a leadership capacity, having previously worked for 6 years in another local primary school. Prior to teaching, I completed a Law degree at the University of Surrey. My hobbies include running and indoor cycling. I look forward to contributing to the governor body. |
Nik Gilbert ngilbert@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Co-opted Governor Current Term of Office Began: June 2023 No current business or personal relationship with a member of school staff or other school governor |
I have been in and around Chesswood Junior School for the past eight years. My son left three years ago and my daughter is now in Year 5. Watching my two grow under the care of the staff, was and is both reassuring and special. As a former English and Drama ; then a Special Needs teacher for twenty years,I was delighted to become a Governor in September 2020. Supporting the education of all children is something I am passionate about; the chance to become a Governor seemed like an opportunity to give back to Chesswood. |
Beth Liassiddes bliassides@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Co-opted Governor Current Term of Office Began: September 2022 No current business, pecuniary interest or personal relationship with member of school staff or other school governor |
I have just joined the great team of school governors at Chesswood and am very excited to work with them towards the goal of making a brighter future for our children and the community. My daughter has transferred to this school and has had nothing but good things to say about it, I am a mother of three with my second daughter going to Davison and my son who is 24 working in decorating. I come from a very big family and believe that we should move mountains for our children and do this by working together with “the bigger picture” always in mind. I manage a team in local government that helps private sector tenants deal with difficult landlords as well as help disabled customers adapt their home to be able to live a more comfortable life. It’s amazing work which I am very proud of. I have been in management for 20 years managing teams as big as 247 staff and as little as 7, always with the same goal ensuring we have done our best to help people. I look forward to meeting new people and ensuring that our children are getting the very best out of the education they are provided. |
São Roque sroque@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Vice Chair of Governors Co-opted Governor Current Term of Office Began: September 2023 No current business, pecuniary interest or personal relationship with member of school staff or other school governor |
Local Authority Governor
There is currently 1 vacancy for a local authority governor representation. The governing body welcomes interest in this vacant position and look forward to hearing from potential governors that will support the work of the school in future. If you are interested in governance please let us know by contacting our clerk in the first instance: clerk@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk
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Core Information |
Vacant If you are interested in governance |
Name Position Current term of Office began:
Interests
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Head Teacher Governor
It has been my privilege to serve as a primary school teacher since 1994. I worked in two primary schools in Essex (St Mary's Burnham on Crouch and Mayland Primary). My roles started with leadership of PE and then science. I then moved to Surrey to take a role as a deputy head teacher at Salfords Primary School this allowed me to take on a whole school leadership role including Special Education Needs and English. In 2001, I became head of Holland Junior School, at the time a failing school, which required significant improvements to ensure it was a school that served children and families in the community and was a place where children thrived and all could be proud of. After almost 10 years, the draw of the seaside with a young family became irresistible. I was appointed as Head teacher to Chesswood Junior School in 2010. Again, Chesswood was a school with serious failings that had to be addressed. Improving Chesswood to the school it is today has been an enormous team effort and one that we are genuinely proud of, as the school community is overwhelmingly confident, happy and thriving. I believe it is important that school leaders do not let a school stand still and strive to create the best possible opportunities to enable all children to be the best they can be now and at all points in the future - I am pleased to say that we continue to be relentless in that regard and I genuinely hope you feel that has led to a positive and successful experience. Aside from my professional life I enjoy all forms of sport (increasingly watching my son not playing!). When I was involved in competitive sport I was able to represent the British canoe team. Since that time, I have enjoyed completing other experiences such as the Lands End to John o Groats cycle ride in 2019. I love sailing and being on or near the water and enjoy supporting Worthing Youth at Worthing Sailing Club. |
Andrew Jolley head@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Headteacher (Staff) Current Term of Office began: October 2019 No current business or personal relationship with member of school staff or other school governor Employed at Chesswood |
Parent Governors
There are currently 2 vacancies for parent governors. The governing body regularly advertises the parent governor vacancies within our family community and also welcomes interest in these vacant positions at anytime. We look forward to hearing from potential governors that will support the work of the school in future. If you are interested in governance please let us know by contacting our clerk in the first instance: clerk@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk
I am looking forward to getting involved in the workings of the school and taking my passion for education and values into the role and becoming an asset to the school. We have a daughter currently in Year 4 at Chesswood and a son who will be joining Chesswood when he is old enough. I have lived in the area for the last 14 years and Chairman of the local resident's association. Hobbies include playing Golf, watching Rugby and spending time with my family as much as possible. I currently work as a Sales Manager for a Construction Materials Merchant. |
Lee Boddy lboddy@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Parent Governor Current Term of Office Began: March 2023 No current business or personal relationship with a member of school staff or other local school governors |
My name is Sara, I'm a parent of twins who are in Year 5 and I'm interested in being a Parent Governor to help the school as it merges with the infants and adapts as the cost of living crises deepens. I've worked for 25-years in Science and Health Engagement through TV, Comics, Events and Digital Games (BBC, Channel 4, Environment Agency, Wellcome Trust, Academy of Medical Sciences etc.) I'm particularly interested in the research that i) illustrates how arts can help improve learning and health outcomes and ii) details how we can better support neuro diverse/ SEND children. I was born in social housing and was a dinner ticket kid through both primary and secondary, so have great empathy for those in the school community who are struggling right now. I want to be able to utilise my skills in the School Governor role with the hope of having a positive impact for the school and community. |
Sara Kenney skenney@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Parent Governor Current Term of Office Began: September 2023 No current business or personal relationship with a member of school staff or other local school governors |
As a dedicated professional committed to giving back to the community I have many attributes to bring and serve to the school. I am a dedicated father of 2 - soon to be 3 and all of which will attend Chesswood School. I am passionate about our educational offering and giving the best opportunities to our children. In my career I am currently a Senior Manager at the IMEX Group managing our key accounts for some of the worlds largest companies e.g Hilton Hotels, Delta Airlines, SAP and Microsoft. I am currently the President of the UK & Ireland chapter of the worlds largest business events association where I lead a team of volunteers to deliver education, professional development and strengthen our commercial offerings. I am committed to giving my all to being a parent governor for our children and school. |
Daniel Noyce dnoyce@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Parent Governor Current Term of Office Began: September 2023 No current business or personal relationship with a member of school staff or other local school governors |
Staff Governor
There are currently no vacancies for staff governor.
During my fourteen years at Chesswood Junior School, I have developed a true passion for teaching and am grateful that a job I love has become a successful career. I am interested in representing staff views on the Chesswood governing body and, as both a parent and one of the school’s union representatives, hope that I can also bring along other useful perspectives. Whilst I am currently teaching Year 6, I have taught across all of Key Stage 2 and have also had experience of teaching Key Stage 1 (through volunteering and during my PGCE placement) and Key Stage 3 through private tuition and at Chesswood (prior to the Age of Transfer). As well as teaching full-time in Year 6, I am one of the maths leads at school. I am a mother of four – my two eldest daughters (who are currently finishing their GCSEs) attended Chesswood and truly thrived here. I also have a son who is delighted to be starting Chesswood in September and a daughter in Reception at Springfield. When not at school, I love nothing more than spending time walking through our glorious countryside with my family (come rain or shine). The more hours that I can spend outside the better! |
Una O'Leary uoleary@chesswood.w-sussex.sch.uk Governor (Staff) Current Term of Office Began: June 2023 No current business or personal relationship with member of school staff or other school governor Employed at Chesswood |
Past Governors
Joanne Kelly, Parent Governor, Stood Down March 2020
Leigh Otterson-Walters, Parent Governor, Stood down March 2020
Karen Bassett, Co-opted Governor, Stood down June 2020
Stephanie Lewis, LA Governor and Chair of Governors, Stood down June 2020
Julia Wilson, Co-opted Governor, Stood down August 2020
Katie Parsonage, Parent Governor, Stood down September 2020
Emma Hopson, Co-opted Governor, Stood down July 2021
Danny Kearney, Parent Governor, Stood down July 2021
Donna Edmonds, Parent Governor, Stood down September 2021
Liz Dolby, Chair of Governors, Stood down October 2021
Emma Bird, Co-opted Governor, Stood down January 2022
Nik Wright, Co-opted Governor, Stood down March 2022
Hayley Burton, Parent Governor, Stood Down July 2022
Carl Walker, Parent Governor, Stood Down September 2022
Tim Hicks, Staff Governor, Stood Down January 2023
Darren Carroll, Chair of Governors, Stood Down March 2023
Joanna Peace, Staff Governor, Stood Down June 2023
Phillipa Jackson, Parent Governor, Stood Down July 2023