The new Governing Body was established on 1st September 2023.

The current members of our Governing body are:

Chris Barton - Vice Chair, SEND, EYFS and Teaching & Learning monitoring

Chris started supporting children's educational outcomes whilst completing her PhD in Mathematics, where as a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) ambassador she visited local schools promoting access to STEM subjects. She is passionate about supporting our youngest children to have the best possible start in life and has worked as a childminder, running her own preschool and then as an Early Years Adviser. In her current role as Senior Adviser for Inclusion and Vulnerable Groups for Cambridgeshire County Council’s Early Years, Childcare and School Readiness Service, she works with a range of partners to ensure inclusive practice for Early Years children in schools and settings and oversees the Holiday Activities and Food Programme. She has previously served as a school governor for nearly ten years at the primary school her children attended. Her children have now both left home for university, one studying Medicine and the other Modern History. In her spare time she enjoys long dog walks (with a coffee stop), reading and crochet

Samantha Duncan - Training and Teaching & Learning monitoring

After gaining a BA hons in Russian/German & International Relations and subsequent Masters in Linguistics, Samantha then achieved qualified teacher status initially in 1995. She then began her career as a Secondary MFL/ICT teacher at an international School overseas. Whilst living abroad she also gained the DELTA professional teaching qualification. On returning home she attained a professional management qualification within the commercial sector for Marketing and PR and worked in the International Telecoms sector for 5 years. In 2005 she re-trained to teach Primary children under the GTP training course with Cambridge University as an MFL specialist. Samantha is proficient in speaking 5 foreign languages.

Her education career stretches over 25 years. During that time she has taught at both primary and secondary level gaining a thorough awareness of the development of young people, from both the academic point of view and most importantly in the pastoral care context. She has also developed skills in the private commercial sector building on professional leadership skills, supporting and motivating staff, managing marketing budgets and developing effective partnerships. She has taught in different countries and cultures, always flexible to the many changing and diverse contexts within which education occurs.

She has worked in a voluntary capacity as a governor in previous schools and more recently at the Spinney and is passionate about our school and our unique community. She is looking forward to supporting the school and wider community by serving on the governing body in the next phase of the school’s journey.

Beverly Jones - Chair of the Governing Body, Pupil Premium, Resources Monitoring

Beverly has lived and worked in Cambridge for four decades. She brings to The Spinney her experience of governance in primary and secondary schools, as well as Hills Road Sixth Form College. As one of a few female Secondary Heads,  she was Principal at Chesterton Community College. As a Government Adviser she led the implementation of change programmes across 11 local authorities in the East of England for education provision for children aged 0-19. Since 2000 she has trained, coached and mentored Head Teachers. She has three sons who attended Netherhall School, where she started her teaching career in Cambridge. Her husband Derek works in biotechnology and is a fellow at Lucy Cavendish College. On Fridays Beverly cares for her 1 year old granddaughter.

Rose Lee - Staff Wellbeing and Resources Monitoring
 

Rose is a lawyer admitted to the New York State Bar, she began her career in tax & banking litigation in London.  After having children, she transitioned in-house, serving as General Counsel for multinational corporations. Like most parents at the Spinney, she has an international background – born in Taiwan, lived in South Africa and a UK resident for over 16 years. 

Rose believes that the welfare of our children at the school is closely tied to the well-being of our staff, and she is dedicating her efforts in supporting this area. Additionally, she is a strong advocate for securing a sustainable future for our children through educating our children about climate change and implementing sustainable measures at our school, such as installing solar panels, heat pumps and promoting energy conservation. In her role as a Resources Monitoring governor, she is enthusiastic about procuring additional resources to enrich the science, art and music experiences for our children. She is also an advocate for increased outdoor time, including forest school activities. In her spare time, she enjoys pottering around in the garden, reading about current affairs and volunteering at the school in other capacities.

Holly Parkes - Compliance (including Policies and  school website), Resources Monitoring

After completing a Masters in Geographical Risk last year at Durham, Holly moved to Cambridge to begin a career in local government. Her decision to join the public sector was firmly rooted in her passion to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to learn, develop and grow within any community; a passion that has led her to volunteer as one of the Spinney’s Governors. Her current role sits within Cambridgeshire County Council’s emergency planning and business continuity team where she works as a management graduate to ensure efficient multi-agency responses to emergency activations across Cambridgeshire. While this will be her first time as a governor, she is confident that her expertise in the management of a publicly funded body will become useful in this new role. In true Cambridge fashion, much of her free time is spent rowing and cycling. She has also recently enrolled onto a night course at Cambridge University to gain her intermediate Spanish qualification.

Rachael Schofield - Safeguarding, Health and Safety and Teaching & Learning monitoring

Rachael works as a Leadership Adviser within Cambridgeshire's school improvement service providing support to school leaders with non-curricular issues including critical incidents, safer recruitment, staff allegations and parental complaints. Her background is in primary education, with ten years' experience as a Co-Head Teacher and as an appointed National Leader of Education offering strategic advice, support and mentoring to schools in need of improvement. In 2018, she was in the first cohort to attain the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership at the Harris Federation. Her work within the Local Authority (across all phases of education) is enjoyably diverse and includes the leading of safeguarding audits and investigating referrals from Ofsted. 

Hamish Symington - Communication, Sport Premium and Teaching and Learning Monitoring 

Hamish studied biochemistry at university, and since then has had a varied career, assortedly as a graphic designer, software developer, and most recently as an academic in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. His research involves pollination, food security and flower evolution: trying to understand how flowers and pollinators co-evolve, and how we can grow crops which are better for the insects which visit them. He teaches Evolution and Behaviour to undergraduates – in small groups, on field trips, and giving lectures – and has developed boards, brochures and educational material for visitors to Cambridge University Botanic Garden. He is deeply interested in the practice and theory of education, particularly in creating environments in which students feel comfortable learning, asking questions and articulating what they don’t understand, and is currently working towards Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

Danielle Cowell 

After completing a Primary Education with QTS degree at  Bishop Grosseteste University. Danielle started her teaching career at the Spinney Primary School, to follow her passion of inspiring and shaping young minds. While this is her first time as an associate governor and an Early Careers Teacher, she is confident that she can lend new innovations and expertise from the school to the board. She has an up to date knowledge and the most recent educational research and technologies, through being an ECT teacher. She is passionate about the Spinney Primary School and the local community. Danielle is looking forward to supporting the school in their next journey.

Alex Gkiokas

Alex, a Chartered Civil Engineer and Certified Project Manager, has 15 years of experience in complex water sector projects, requiring stakeholder management, cost management and advanced data analytics skills, As a newly appointed governor, he assumes a role in the resources monitoring group, tasked with reviewing the school finances and ensuring money is well spent for the right purposes.

  Karim Marasaoui

Karim has lived in the local area all his life and is committed to supporting the local community. He is currently a deputy principal at a local secondary school having been a former Head of PE. Head of sixth Form as well as leading areas of school life in his past such as quality of teaching and learning and safeguarding. He is passionate about supporting children and young people to have the best possible futures and has continues to work hard to support students to appreciate and become positive members of the local community. He has previously served as a staff school governor at the school he works in. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his young family and taking part in sports activities. 

The Spinney is committed to safeguarding and promoting the well-being of all its pupils and expects all staff, parents and volunteers to share in this commitment.

Governance 2022-2023

Cambridgeshire County Council appointed an Interim Executive Board (IEB) in Summer term 2022 to address the risks around the school's governance.

The Local Authority have summarised the work of the IEB in the slide set below.