Governors

I have lived in Enfield for 45 years working as a teacher/SENCO/Deputy Head in a local 4 form entry school.

I have also held various positions as a school governor for 20 years.

Having retired a few years ago, I am kept busy by my 4 children , my various volunteering posts and generally leading a full, active life.

I am currently a governor at a one form entry Church of England school and a Trustee in a large local academy trust, both in Enfield.

I am also a Quality Care Checker for Enfield Council, visiting residential homes and care settings, speaking to staff and residents in order to observe provision and improve services.

I hope to use my experience and interest in education to work with everyone at George Spicer to make it the very best it can be.

I have lived in Enfield for 20 years and have 2 primary school aged children.

My professional background is in family law, and I have also been a volunteer for several organisations. I became interested in becoming a governor as a result of seeing first hand the impact of good schools. I have previously been a parent governor and am now a co-opted governor.

My name is Darren and I've lived in London for the past 17 years, and specifically Enfield for the past 8 years. I have a daughter in Year 3 at George Spicer.

From a professional point of view, I work in finance and have done for 21 years, specialising in utilities and construction and currently work for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield looking after the finances of their construction companies at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford.

Outside of work I'm an Ambassador for the Evelina Childrens Hospital in Westminster where we spend a lot of time working with the charity arm on fundraising events and have worked closely with SANDS (Stillbirth and Neo-natal Death Society) to provide support and give a better understanding of what its like to be a bereaved parent, as sadly our son Isaac lived his short life at the Evelina during 2012.

I wanted to become a Parent Governor because, I think my financial and management background could be of some help, but also because I've seen what a fantastic school George Spicer is from the facilities to the teaching and support staff. It's a pleasure to get the opportunity to support the school, teachers and board as a parent representative over the next few years.

I have been a member of staff at George Spicer since 2017, working as a Class Teacher as well as leading our Humanities. 

During this time, I have been committed to supporting our pupils’ learning, wellbeing, and wider development, while working closely with colleagues and parents to create the best possible environment for success.

As a teacher governor, I bring an understanding of the day-to-day life of the school and the challenges and opportunities faced by staff and students. I am particularly passionate about Reading, History and ensuring our children have the best possible start to life. 

I hope to contribute a balanced perspective to the governing body—bridging staff insight with strategic decision-making—so that our school continues to thrive as a supportive, ambitious, and inclusive community for every learner. 

I am happy to be joining the George Spicer Governing Board. I live in Enfield and have two grown up children and four grandchildren all in primary school education.

I have recently retired from a senior position in the NHS after 23 years leading technology Programme delivery in a number of top acute Trusts including The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

I am passionate about encouraging all children to look at the technology opportunities in their future. I believe technology has a meaningful place in a school when used as a tool to assist in learning, reading and writing.

With a wealth of staff management, financial and planning experience, I am pleased to be joining as a member of the Resources Committee.

I have lived and worked in Enfield nearly all my life and have taught in several schools for over thirty years. I have a special interest in Early Years and Key Stage 1 and have enjoyed seeing children successfully transition into school with confidence and enthusiasm. 

I am looking forward to working with the other members of the Governing Body and hope that my experience, knowledge and interest will help the school to be as successful as it can be. 

I have lived in Enfield for over 10 years, and I have a degree in Business and Law, with practising HR background. 

I am a proud mum of four, alongside running a successful business, meaning I'm super busy. I have become increasingly passionate about children's education and increasing opportunities within our community. 

I bring a variety of skills which will help the school continue to grow and flourish and am excited for the journey ahead. 

I've lived in Enfield for the past 10 years and my husband grew up here. We live very close to the school and know the area well.

My professional background is in Financial Services as a chartered accountant with over 20 years experience.

I've been a Fund Accountant, Finance Systems Manager and Finance Business Partner for large banking and finance organisations including the Bank of England. I've supported the management of their budgets, evaluated their investment decisions, found ways to save their money and get better value from their resources whilst adhering to regulations and governance. I've also worked on transformation projects and creating process efficiencies.

With my skills and experience I'm hoping they'll be useful to the school especially with today's rising costs and economic challenges. I'm looking forward to supporting the governors and school in continuing to achieve the highest standards whilst providing an enjoyable experience for all pupils, parents and teachers.

• To review, monitor and evaluate the school’s curriculum, ensuring that it is broad and balanced and meets the needs of all pupils.
• To monitor policies related to the curriculum and achievement eg Religious Education, Behaviour, Attendance and Assessment.
• To monitor pupil attendance, ensuring there are effective procedures in place to improve attendance and to fulfil statutory requirements.
• To monitor and evaluate the progress and achievement of all pupils’, including specific groups.
• To analyse any performance trends and compare school data against Local Authority and national data eg for phonics and Year 6.
• To monitor progress against the school’s improvement plan priorities.
• To understand the targets set within the school and challenge any areas of concern.
• To consider recommendations from external reviews of the school e.g. Ofsted or the Local Authority, agree actions and monitor their impact.
• To ensure that all children have equal opportunities.
• To identify and celebrate pupils’ achievements.
• To monitor arrangements for educational visits and ensure there is a named co-ordinator.
• To ensure all statutory requirements for reporting and publishing information are met and the school website content is fully compliant and presented in an accessible way.
• To monitor the school’s publicity, public presentation and relationships with the wider community.

Finance

• To review, adopt and monitor a Finance Policy and all other financial policies, eg Charging and Remissions Policy and Debt Policy.
• To establish and maintain a three year financial plan.
• To draft and propose an annual school budget to the full governing body.
• To make decisions relating to service level agreements.
• To monitor the income and expenditure throughout the year of all funding against the annual budget plan.
• To advise the full governing body of the school’s financial situation and to alert them of any potential issues.
• To review, complete and submit the School Financial Value Standard (SFVS) and carry out any identified actions.
• To receive and act upon any issues identified by a Local Authority audit.

Staffing

• To ensure that the school is staffed sufficiently to meet its needs and ensure effective operation.
• To agree the school’s Appraisal Policy and oversee its implementation - including the appraisal procedures for the Headteacher.
• To establish a Pay Policy for all staff and ensure this is followed.
• To ensure that staffing procedures, including recruitment procedures, follow equalities legislation.
• To annually review procedures for dealing with staff discipline and grievances and monitor these procedures
• To monitor and evaluate the impact of continuing professional development on improving staff performance

Health and Safety

• To ensure that an annual inspection of the premises and grounds takes place and a report is received identifying any issues.
• To inform the governing body of any issues identified in the report; and set out a proposed order of priorities
• To establish and keep under review an Accessibility Plan and a Building Development Plan
• To review, adopt and monitor the Health and Safety Policy.
• To ensure the school gives appropriate consideration to how mental health and wellbeing are embedded in the curriculum and other school activities and analyse the impact.
• To ensure effective wellbeing policies, procedures and training are in place to support everyone within the school.
  
   

• 24 September 2025
• 3 December 2025
• 18 March July 2026
• 8 July 2026