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Governor profiles

Stuart Dennison - Chair of Trustees and Governors

Role: Chair of Trustees and Governing Body, Safeguarding Governor

Date appointed: December 2013

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Committee member for: Human Resources and Governance, Finance and Audit, Every Child Matters, Pay Committee (Chair)

Stuart is a qualified Chartered Public Finance accountant with a Masters degree in Strategic Business Planning.

He has substantial safeguarding experience including seven years as a member of a Diocesan Safeguarding Commission, as well as serving in a number of diverse roles within a church.

Stuart is Chair of Oxted and District History Society and serves in other voluntary organisations.

Business interests and appointments: Trustee of Charles Close Society

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: Retired member of Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) 

 

Christine Combes - Trustee and Governor

Role: Trustee and Governor

Date appointed: December 2014

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Committee member for: Research and Ethics Panel (Chair), Every Child Matters, Progress and Attainment

Christine is a retired Speech and Language Therapist who specialised in Developmental Language Disorder in children and young people during her career.  She has extensive experience in diagnosis and intervention programmes for children with language disorders, as well as research experience with hearing impaired children. She previously worked at Moor House from 2003 to 2004.

Business interests and other appointments: Retired

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: Retired Member of Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Steve Gooch - Trustee and Governor

 

Role: Trustee and Governor

Date appointed: September 2021

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Committee member: Progress and Attainment, Human Resources and Governance (Chair), Pay Committee 

Steve retired as a Head Teacher in 2018. Since then he has kept busy in consultancy, voluntary work and admission appeals. Steve became interested in language disorders when his nephew lost his communication skills following a road accident (he is now much improved and doing well).  Steve hopes to use all of his experience to support the School and Trustees

Business interests and other appointments: none

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: none

 

Will Gunston - Trustee and Governor 

Role: Trustee and Governor

Date appointed: May 2013 as Parent Governor, and September 2022 as Trustee

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Committee member for: Finance and Audit, Human Resources and Governance, Research Ethics Panel

Will is a solicitor and partner at Osborne Clarke LLP and leads the firm's restructuring and insolvency service line.  He was a Parent Governor of Moor House School & College for nine years before becoming a Trustee in 2022.  Prior to his involvement at Moor House, he was, for two years, a Parent Governor of Percy Hedley School, Newcastle upon Tyne. He lives in Lamberhurst, Kent with his wife and four children.

Business interests and other appointments: Osborne Clarke LLP provides ad hoc legal to MHS&C on a pro bono basis.

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: The Law Society; Solicitors Regulation Authority; Association of Business Recovery Professionals (R3); Insolvency Lawyers' Association

David Marnham - Trustee and Governor

Role: Trustee and Governor

Date appointed: December 2018

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Committee member for: Finance and Audit (Chair), Pay Committee

David is a retired chartered accountant having previously been a financial services partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers, London. He is currently actively involved with a number of charities and has been a governor of four schools, both locally and in Cambridge.

He was born in Oxted and returned to live in Limpsfield 37 years ago. David is married and has three children.

Business interests and other appointments: Trustee The Abbeyfield North Downs Society Ltd (a Registered Society and exempt charity), Trustee Scouloudi Foundation.

Governance roles in other educational institutions: Trustee Combe Bank Educational Trust

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW)

Kevin Maskell - Trustee and Governor

Role: Trustee and Governor

Date appointed: December 2018

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Committee member for: Progress and Attainment (Chair)

Kevin has had a 40-year career in curriculum development, teaching, advisory and senior management roles in secondary schools, Further Education Colleges, Universities and UK National Government Organisations. Kevin is at present a District Councillor, the Chair of the Housing and Health Advisory Committee and Deputy Chair of a charity that provides leadership and research on Neuro-diversity in employment that informs national policy development.

Business interests and other appointments: Councillor and Chair Housing and Health for Sevenoaks District Council, Trustee and Link Member of the Autism Commission for AchievAbility UK, Local Authority Appointee for Westerham and Edenbridge Citizens Advice

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: none

Laura Middleditch - Trustee and Governor

Role: Trustee and Governor, Chair of ECM, Safeguarding Governor and named Governor for Residential Provision

Date appointed: October 2018

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Committee member for: Every Child Matters (Chair)

As the parent of a past pupil Laura has a good knowledge of Moor House School and College. Her son attended from the age of 8 and left in 2017, having achieved a Level 3 Diploma in Agriculture from Hadlow College.

Laura has over 20 years of legal experience having worked as a civil servant in the Crown Prosecution Service and as a Paralegal in a law firm specialising in SEN. She has also served as a Local Councillor on her Parish Council, Trustee of a Nursery School and on committees at West Suffolk Hospital.

She lives on the Essex/Suffolk border, with her husband and two children and together the family run an arable farm.  In her free time Laura is a keen beekeeper.

Business interests and other appointments: Partner Lovelands Partnership, Presiding Officer during elections, Braintree District Council

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: none

Richard Piskorz - Trustee & Governor

Role: Trustee and Governor

Date appointed: October 2022

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Committee member for: Finance and Audit

Richard retired in 2019 from his role as Chief Operating Officer of BNP Paribas Securities Services and the investment banking division in Warsaw, Poland.

He has over thirty five years experience in the financial services sector, principally the investment management and securities services sectors, where has held a number of leadership roles.

Richard is married with two grown up children. He has lived in the Oxted area for over 30 years.

Business interests and other appointments: A member of the executive council of Churches Together in Oxted & District (CTOD).

Richard has set up and runs the Oxted & District Job Club sponsored by Titsey Rotary Club and CTOD.

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and associate member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Julia Irvine - Parent Governor

Role: Parent Governor

Date appointed: March 2017

Appointed by: Board of Governors

Committee member for: Every Child Matters, Fundraising and Marketing (advisory)

Julia has a degree in Computer Science, and spent her working life as an accountant and project manager within financial services both in the UK and overseas.

Originally from London she now lives in Brenchley, Kent with her husband, two children and many animals and now runs the family property business.

Up until July 2022 Julia was the chair of the Moor House School & College Parent Staff Association (PSA).

Business interests and other appointments: Director and Company Secretary of Irvine Property Solutions Ltd and Woodside SPV Ltd, Member of MacMillan Cancer Support Ball Committee (voluntary) and Committee Member for Disability Snowsport UK (voluntary)

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: Qualified ICAEW Chartered Accountant

Jane Vallance - Staff Governor

Role: Staff Governor

Date appointed: 2011

Appointed by: Board of Governors

Committee member for: Every Child Matters

Jane has worked at Moor House School & College since September 2005 and has had responsibility for supporting student learning across all our key stages during this time.

In January 2009, she was appointed as one of our Learning Support Team Leaders and has managed both the School and College Specialist Teaching Assistant teams within this role.

Jane is based within our College environment currently and is responsible for leading and managing this support team and overseeing schedules for both on and offsite provision.

She is eager to be involved with governance and how this supports the development and future of Moor House for all stakeholders.

Business interests and other appointments: Employee Moor House School & College

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: Unison member

Sam Ackerley - Staff Governor

Role: Teacher Governor

Date appointed: March 2023

Appointed by: Board of Governors

Committee member for: Health & Safety, HR & Governance

Sam has worked at Moor House School & College since 2019 as a teacher of various subjects including English, Maths, ICT & History.

In 2021, Sam was appointed as a Director of Learning for ICT, Creative Arts and Drama.

Later that year, she then become the Director of Learning for English & Drama.

In 2022, Sam was appointed as (acting) Assistant Headteacher of the Lower School, managing the pastoral care of students in KS2 and year 7.

Sam has a BAED QTS degree in Primary Education with English as a specialism which she undertook at University of Reading. She also recently completed her masters in English Education at UCL. Sam is excited and proud to be part of the development, success and future of Moor House School & College.

Business interests and other appointments: Employee Moor House School & College

Governance roles in other educational institutions: none

Material interests or relationships with other Governors and staff: none

Professional memberships: National Education Union

Governors retired within the last 12 months

Lisa Harlow - Trustee

Date appointed: May 2015

Date stepped down: March 2023

Appointed by: Board of Trustees

Shauna Graham - Staff Governor

Date appointed: September 2019

Date stepped down: March 2023

Appointed by: Board of Trustees