Great Walstead School
THE GOVERNORS
Mrs J Lee LLB - Chair
Jacqui Lee is a solicitor and works part-time with her own small practice. She trained and worked at Denton Wilde Sapte in London, and her background legal experience was originally in property litigation. Jacqui has three children; her two daughters were pupils at Great Walstead. She has taken an active interest in educational matters since her children were at school. She was deputy chair of governors at a local primary school and a governor at a local secondary school. She is a school appeal panellist for West Sussex County Council. She is also a trustee of a local Christian nursing home. Jacqui became a governor of Great Walstead in 2003 and then chairman in November 2009. She has trained in the area of Child Protection, both through the Diocese of Chichester and on West Sussex governors’ training courses.
Mr R G Plumb BA MBA ASA - Vice-Chairman
Robert Plumb is a principal at Mercer pension consultants where he leads a line of business. He was previously the pensions manager at a FTSE 100 company. He is a US citizen, born and educated there but resident in England since 1981 when he transferred with his employment. He is an associate of the Society of Actuaries (US) and a Member of the British Computer Society. In 1996, with his wife Jane, he founded the health charity Group B Strep Support where he is a Trustee and Secretary. His two children have both been pupils at Great Walstead; the younger is still at the school. He has been on the Board of Governors of Great Walstead since 1999 and Vice-Chairman since 2004. He chairs the Finance, Fabric and Grounds Group.
Mr R H Bainbridge BSc MBA
Rowen Bainbridge is Chief Executive Officer, Aurelian Oil & Gas PLC. Previously he held senior level roles in finance, business development and general management within BHP Billiton plc across the mining and petroleum sectors. Prior to that he held senior commercial roles in the energy and petrochemicals industries and has over twenty years of business and management experience both in the United Kingdom and overseas. He joined the Board in November 2008. He chairs the Marketing Group and is a member of the Health and Safety, Staffing and Finance Groups. He has two children currently in the school.
Mrs S E Crichton
Sara Crichton was a director of a Sussex roofing and builders’ merchants company. She is a governor of Roedean School and a trustee of a UK charity that assists an Indian charity to run and raise funds for an educational project in northern India. She is PCC secretary for Wivelsfield Parish Church. Her son and daughter were pupils at Great Walstead. Sara is a former chairman of the Friends of Great Walstead and chaired the Appeal Committee that raised funds for building the Sports Hall. She has been on the Board of Governors since 1985, (with one year off after serving for fifteen years), and has served on various Working Groups during that time. She was Company Secretary for Great Walstead Limited and Walstead Estates Limited from 1992 – 2006. She is responsible for Governance and is a member of the Finance and Marketing Groups. She chairs the Staffing Group.
Mrs C J Mitchell BA
Charlotte Mitchell retired in 2007 after a career which included 20 years of teaching in prep schools at home and abroad, as well as working for the scholastic agents, Truman and Knightley where she ran the department for giving advice to parents seeking independent education for their daughters. This involved visiting schools all over the country. Later when the company merged with Gabbitas Thring, she joined the recruitment department, and was responsible for placing teachers in English medium schools abroad. Charlotte is married to David and has lived in East Sussex for 26 years. She chairs the Pastoral Care Group, and is a member of the Curriculum Group.
Prof A J Nunn MSc
Andrew Nunn is an Associate Director of the Medical Research Council’s Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) and holds a chair at University College, London. His work involves designing, conducting and analysing controlled clinical trials many of them in developing countries. He chairs the Computer Services Group, which oversees all the ICT activity of the CTU. Andrew has been on the Board of Governors of Great Walstead since 2000, and has responsibilities for overseeing the ICT activities in the school. He is a member of the Curriculum and Standards Group. His youngest daughter was a pupil at Great Walstead and his wife, and youngest son both teach in the school’s music department.
Mr J H Taylor MA MBE
Jeremy Taylor retired in 2009 from a career in education, latterly for eight years as the Diocesan Director of Education in the Diocese of Chichester. Prior to this post he had taught for nearly 30 years in the secondary sector, specialising in Religious Education and in pastoral and management tasks. He has had long-term involvement in the development of RE both in the UK and in Europe. He is currently a board member of the RE Council of England and Wales and chairs the Church of England’s RE strategy group. He has edited the Church of England’s policy documents on RE and on the inspection of church schools. He is the research officer for the Association of Anglican Directors of Education. He is a Reader in the parish of Lindfield and a member of the Diocesan Synod and Bishop’s Council. He became a Governor of Great Walstead in 2009 and is responsible for pastoral matters and for maintaining the Christian ethos. He chairs the Curriculum and Standards Group and is a member of the Staffing Group. He was appointed MBE in 2001.
Mr S J Ulph MSc MCIOB
Stephen Ulph is a Construction Engineer and Quantity Surveyor. He is Construction Director of a medium sized building company. He has worked for 30 years at senior management level within the construction industry mainly in the UK. He has significant experience of managing the building, extension and refurbishment of educational facilities. He has for some years been on the Parochial Church Council for Ditchling, Streat and Westmeston and is a key member of their Fabric Committee. He was formerly part-time University Lecturer in Construction and Economics and has an interest in education. He has three children with the two youngest currently at the school. Stephen joined the Board in 2009 and is a member of the Finance, Fabric and Grounds Committee.
Mr P Wells BEd (Hons)
Peter Wells is Headmaster of The Junior King’s School, Canterbury, an IAPS school of 380 boys and girls from 3 – 13 years of age, including 70 boarders. The school is part of the King’s School, Canterbury, tracing its foundation back to St. Augustine in 597. He has over twenty years teaching experience in preparatory and senior independent schools, including posts at Cheltenham College Junior School and Dulwich College in London, where he was a boarding housemaster. He is a qualified school inspector with ISI experience and has taken a leading part in the Dublin Heads’ Group, promoting professional development for staff. He joined the Board at Great Walstead in February 2005. He is a member of the Curriculum and Standards Group. Peter is married to Vivienne, Registrar and teacher at Junior King’s and also an accredited CSCI boarding inspector.
Dr GEG Campling - Clerk to Governors
Graham Campling has been the Clerk to the Governors since 1999. His two sons were pupils at the School.