School Governing Body

I was born in Penang, Malaysia and spent my early primary and secondary education in St. Xavier’s Institution, ran by the Lasallian Brothers. I arrived in the UK at the start of the 21^st century to further my legal studies with Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and since then, completed the LLB (Hons) degree, PG Dip in Legal Practice, LLM and PhD in Law with the university. My original intention was to be a legal practitioner but subsequently found my passion in teaching and transnational education.

I started my teaching career in Malaysia, and it was in 2010 when I was appointed as a Lecturer with the Law School in ARU. In 2012, I was promoted to a Senior Lecturer based with the Lord Ashcroft International Business School and by then, opportunity arose to work as the School’s link tutor to Malaysia and Singaporean international partners. The experience was rewarding as I worked closely with colleagues in our partner institutions and had the first-hand experience in understanding the educational quality provisions by virtue of my participation during institutional approvals (for new validation and dual-degree arrangements/re-approval for existing franchise courses) that involved the Malaysia Qualification Agency (MQA) and Council of Private Education, Singapore (CPE). With evidence of successful operational and relationship building with the international partners, I was appointed as the Partnership Manager with our largest international partner in Trinidad and Tobago in 2015, a position which I held until my resignation in 2019.

In 2016, I was promoted as the Head of Department for the Accounting, Finance and Operations Management and overall, as the Deputy Head of Schools for Finance, Law and Economics for the Business School in Cambridge and Chelmsford. My primary role involved managing academics, educational quality and student experience whilst maintaining the Partnership Manager duties with our Trinidad partner. Between 2016 and 2019, I also spent a month each year teaching in China, based with the validated partners. In 2018, the Director of International Partnership and myself set up the Doctoral School based with our Trinidad partner, with the aim of securing students from our partner institution who have completed their PG courses and recruiting from other Caribbean countries.

My wife, Yoke Lee joined me in the UK in 2018 and we first met as colleagues in 2012, with her as then the Head of Business for one of our Malaysia partner institutions.

I resigned from all my positions with ARU in summer of 2019 to spend more time with my family, and my wife was then expecting Carmen in March 2020, who is now in the reception class with Boreham Primary School. At present, I am the Academic Director, responsible for quality and student experience with the University of Northampton in London and still involve with teaching students. Enhancing student provisions and ensuring continuous compliance with the Office for Students (OfS) are the priority but I do spend my weekends with my family engaging with both leisurely activities and bringing Carmen to gymnastic class. As a Wrexham AFC supporter, I continue following them albeit unlike the past where I used to attend most of their home and away matches.     

I was appointed as Head teacher of Boreham Primary School in April 2013.  I was previously the Deputy Head teacher and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) at Westlands Community Primary School. I started my teaching career as a newly qualified teacher at Newland’s Spring Primary School in 1998!

I am also the PE Subject Lead in school and love all forms of PE and sport. I take great pleasure in watching our children represent their school in competitive sporting events as they are always so proud to do so. I have worked extremely hard to develop our sporting provision during my time as Head teacher and am very proud of our outdoor sporting facilities.

Out of school I have a real passion for sport, in particular cricket and football, and support Arsenal and Chelmsford City FC. I am also a keen runner and have run the London Marathon on four occasions, three of them in fancy dress! When I get the time, I also love cooking, especially a roast dinner on a Sunday!

It is a pleasure to be part of this friendship school and tightly knit community. Over the past 11 years I have seen many changes, worked with many children and families at Boreham and am always thrilled to hear about the successes of our former pupils. As I reach the latter stages of my career, I am beginning to be reunited with former pupils whom I taught in other schools as they become parents themselves at Boreham Primary School. I haven’t yet come across a grandparent who I have taught, but when I do, this may well be the time to retire!

I joined Boreham Primary School as a member of the Senior Leadership Team in September 2018 and was appointed as Deputy Headteacher in September 2021. As Deputy Headteacher my responsibilities include:

*Deputy Safeguarding & Child Protection Lead

*Teaching & Learning, Curriculum & Assessment Lead

*Geography Lead

*Timetabling

*ECT Induction Tutor

I studied Primary Education at Canterbury Christ Church University for three years and have since been teaching in Essex and Thurrock for the last 18 years.

Since joining the school, I have greatly enjoyed teaching Years 2, 4, 5 and 6 and have had particularly enjoyable visits to Flatford Mill with Year 5 and Mersea Outdoors with Year 6.

In my previous roles, I have enjoyed leading History, PE, Science, Maths and English as well as mentoring trainee teachers.

In school, I love to support children with their learning across the curriculum and am a fan of the author Katherine Rundell - I would highly recommend her books to children and adults alike!

Out of school, I regularly play hockey and netball for local teams and enjoy watching Arsenal FC play whenever they are on the television! When I’m not playing or watching sport, I love cooking and really enjoy Thai, Turkish and Greek cuisine.

I feel privileged to be part of such a committed and hardworking team and enjoy further contributing to our school community in my role as a governor.

Born in London Hospital, Whitechapel into a Maltese/Italian family. I spent my early years in East London, before moving to Havering where I attended junior school.

I continued my senior education at boarding school in Hertfordshire until the age of 16. It was here my interest in mentoring, nurturing and education began, as I was appointed a senior mentor to younger boarding peers and subsequently the role of school prefect for the health centre. I attended college in East London for my higher education, where I obtained a qualification in early years education.

Having entered the world of employment at the height of the recession I found my career took a detour and I began work in a financial brokerage house on the accounts team, supporting private investors and the trading desk. This role steered my career in to business management support, crossing over to marketing and events. I have worked in senior positions for a variety of FTSE companies ranging from financial houses, to advertising agencies, publishing and automotive manufacturers. A role that required international travel and long hours, which proved quite difficult to sustain once my husband and I had a young family.

We sold our flat in West London and our house in Brentwood and moved our two young children to Chelmsford where we also established Little hedgehogs Day Nurseries Limited. I am the company director and manager of Little Hedgehogs. I am also the safeguarding lead and hold a full level 3 safeguarding certificate.

Little Hedgehogs is an inclusive early years setting within the village. I was awarded outstanding on our last inspection, and I am proud of the close relationship we have nurtured with our families and industry stakeholders. We currently support a number of children with additional needs and have a mixed bilingual attendance at the nursery.

We remained open throughout the pandemic to care for key children, we continued to support our families who remained home and we were able to provide transitional care to children of local families who were not able to attend their closed settings. COVID has brought about many challenges but it has given me renewed confidence in how my team and I can support our young children and their parents/carers, especially in areas of mental health and speech and language.

I have always prided myself on our close partnership with Boreham Primary school. I feel the school has an excellent nurturing ethos within its community and this is evident in how the children interact with each other and those around them.

In my spare time I play hockey, competing in the East of England league plus I am currently undertaking a degree in early years education.

I am expressing my interest in the role of non-parental governor to further support the link between early years and primary education. I also feel I can bring my knowledge of early years education and business development to the role to support with transitions and the revised statutory framework.

I have lived in Boreham for almost 20 years and love the village and friendly community. I have two children, one has now left the school and is in year 8 at Chelmer Valley High, but my son is still here in year 6. They have both achieved great things at Boreham school and will forever have great memories of their time here.

I currently work at the school as an LSA, a position I have held for just over 5 years, I also teach a Cheer dance and Endball club too. I studied dance at the university of Surrey and shortly after gained my QTS.  My job before my children was a secondary school teacher, so I have always been involved in education.

I've been a staff governor for just over 4 years and initially became one as I wanted to be more involved with the school my children attended.  Being a Governor for several years has given me a new insight into education, and I have found this role very interesting. A Governor allows me to be part of making the school the best it can be which is evident in our latest Ofsted report.

I want to continue to help our school grow from strength to strength and help the children achieve all they can whilst at Boreham Primary School.

I have lived in Boreham for 20 years and before moving here, I had quite a nomadic life. My father was in the RAF and we moved regularly until he left the service. My parents were keen for my sister and I to move with them as they travelled and, as a result, I have experienced quite a few different schools. Our family then settled in Suffolk and after secondary school in Bury St Edmunds, I studied Biochemistry at Kent University and went on to complete a PhD before moving to London to begin my career as a buyer for Fisons.  

In London I met my husband Ray and, after we married, we moved to Arizona where I worked for Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University. During our ten years in the USA we took advantage of the opportunity to explore, enjoying the fantastic scenery through regular hiking trips and numerous sightseeing visits with family and friends. On our return to England we chose Boreham as an ideal place to settle because it was convenient for my commute to work at Barclays Group in the City and reasonably close to my parents at a time when my mother was quite ill. We moved to our house on Waltham Road in 2000 and I cannot believe we have been in one place for 20 years!  

After ten years at Barclays I decided to work for myself and started my own business as an IT procurement specialist, working with a number of blue chip clients. In this role, I worked on large, global projects to outsource IT services and to upgrade IT systems for retailers, banks and insurance companies. I also pursued a wide variety of interests. I am a keen gardener and environmentalist and have been involved in a number of fundraising activities for causes I support. 

I did not come to know and appreciate Boreham until I retired in 2016. Now I spend a lot of time out with my dog exploring the village and the surrounding countryside and enjoying the wildlife through the changing seasons. This convinced me that I wanted to contribute to the local community and I joined Boreham Parish Council in March 2020. Since then, I have become the Chairman of the council and I am working on a number of projects including the creation of a nature reserve at Chantry Field on Waltham Road and developing the Boreham Neighbourhood Plan.   

I am very interested in education and would like to be a non-parent governor at Boreham Primary School. I can see some real synergies between some of my work with Boreham Parish Council, my interests and the needs of the school. I would like to help the school achieve its aims and deliver the best possible outcomes for our local children. I have been fortunate in the education I received and this has given me a keen interest in promoting  STEM subjects, starting at a young age. I am a keen environmentalist and like to help others understand and appreciate our local wildlife. I also have some experience of working within the education sector. I would like to put my skills in operations and administration and interest in education to use at the school.  

My Philosophy

A well-rounded education that extends beyond academics is of paramount importance in today's rapidly-evolving world.  The focus on nurturing happy children who are encouraged to explore, discover and celebrate their own strengths (academic or otherwise) was a key factor in the decision to send our son to Boreham Primary School.

As someone who has forged a successful career without particularly strong academic abilities, and only 10.5 GCSEs to my name (.5 because I couldn't stomach doing the full version of the mandatory religious studies) I believe recognising and embracing the differences in individual abilities and learning styles is crucial to nurturing the holistic development of students and preparing them for success in life.

Academics alone cannot fully equip our children to navigate the complexities of the modern world.  While subject knowledge and cognitive skills are undoubtedly essential, a well-rounded education encompasses much more.  It emphasises the development of critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving abilities, communication skills, emotional intelligence and an awareness of the world around us.

My Profile

My wife Georgie and I have lived with our two children (Ewan, 5, and Arabella, 2) in Boreham for the last 2 years.  Whilst Georgie was raised in London, and then Chelmsford, I grew up in the Lake District until the age of 22.

Around 11 years ago I reluctantly packed my love of nature and the outdoors into a bag and hauled it down to the bright lights of the city.  I've spent the last 11 years building a successful sales career in the world of high growth, venture backed startups, and have recently joined an early stafe UK based software company.

This highly globalised industry has enabled me to witness first-hand the collective power of diverse backgrounds and contrasting perspectives - combined with my unconventional route into this career, and my philosophy towards education, it makes me a strong candidate for a parent governor role at the school, bringing fresh and contrasting perspectives and skills.

Having moved to Boreham in 2021 and finally unpacked that love of nature and outdoors, I spend most of my free time cycling the lanes of Essex or trail running through local farmland and along the River Chelmer.  You may have spotted my son Ewan and I riding our bikes together to school, whatever the weather!

I was born in Enfield, Middlesex and grew up in Orpington, Kent along with my younger sister.  We both attended the local primary and junior school after which I went onto a girls technical high school in Chislehurst.

My working life began in Coutts Bank and then I took a break to go to Cornwall for the summer working as a chambermaid.  I then returned to Coutts for a few years.  After various other jobs I worked as a sales rep for an American company in the City until I had my first child, at the same time moving to the South Coast and working in the family manufacturing business.

The children went to the village playgroup and I regularly helped out with trips to farms and bring and buy events.  They then moved onto the village primary and junior school which they loved and again I became involved with school trips, sports days and fetes.

Once the children started secondary school I started work in the NHS in administrative roles including 10 years as Medical Secretary to an Orthopaedic Surgeon which I particularly enjoyed.

I have enjoyed living in Boreham for five years with my partner and we love the rural aspects and frinedly people.  I love reading, crosswords, walking and enjoy a wander around the London museums.

I enjoy the enthusiasm and joy that young children have for learning, listening to their ideas and helping them discover the world.

I moved to Boreham 2 years ago with my partner.  We were attracted to living in Boreham as we enjoy going for walks; particularly along the river.  It has been a very welcoming and friendly community to move to.

I am in my 10th year of teaching and currently Head of Technology at a Chelmsford secondary school.  My specialism within my faculty is teaching Food Technology.  Previous to taking on a leadership role in the curriculum side of school, I was a pastoral leader which involved being Head of Year 7 for 5 years.  This element of my career focused heavily on the transition of Year 6 going into Year 7, settling Year 6 into secondary school life and equipping Year 6 with strategies on establishing new friendships.  I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of my role.

I feel I can bring the skills I have developed being Head of Year and Head of Department to governance at Boreham Primary School.

During Covid I undertook a secondment to the senior leadership team for 1 year.  I do understand the requirements and pressure senior leaders in education face.

After seeing the advertisement in the Boreham Magazine, I took the opportunity to show my interest in becoming part of the governing body at Boreham Primary School.  I look forward to being part of the journey the school is on, as well as putting the children at the heart of every decision made.

My wife and I have lived in Boreham for only 2 years however I know the area well.  I am originally from Braintree and I attended KEGS before heading to the University of Sussex in the summer of 2000.  I therefore spent my formative years in this part of Essex before moving to Brighton, then London followed by Shanghai and then returning to the Chelmsford area.

I feel fortunate to have settled in this part of Essex with my family; my wife and I have two daughters aged 5 and (almost) 2.  We live just outside the village with our eldest attending Boreham Primary School (Year 1) and our youngest at Little Hedgehogs Nursery (and a Boreham Primary student in waiting).  We love the countryside around our house for the quiet it can bring and also for being a safe environment for our children to grow up in.

I am a Partner at a multi-national marketing agency.  In my role I am responsible for the success of our European agencies where we have offices across all major markets.  I run a team of Managing Directors with whom we set the strategic vision for the region, deliver against our commercial objectives and also drive agency culture.  I also lead a team of regional ‘Heads of’ to deliver as needed (e.g. our Finance Director, New Business & Marketing as well as Strategy).

My time in the industry has seen me work across client management and strategy; into senior and regional management.  I am therefore well versed in negotiating on commercial terms and contracts, managing resource and team structures, running a P&L as well as setting a vision and putting in place the plan to deliver against it.  I am also experienced in public speaking (both in person and via broadcast) as well as handling difficult conversations with clients and consultants.

I understandably have a vested interest in the success of the school as I currently have one daughter attending and in 2026 my youngest will also become a pupil.  I would like to play a role where I have the opportunity to have a positive influence on the organisation and environment that sets their primary years education.  Also, with regards to my own development, I believe I will learn a lot from the opportunity.  I feel fortunate to have the job I have and to have enjoyed the experiences I have however, being a school Governor will enable me to work with different people, with different life experiences and points of view; where we will have to tackle different challenges to those that I have faced before.

My motivation is also altruistic; I firmly believe that with my experience, background and energy, I can really support Boreham Primary School and help it to be the place that enables its students to aim high, scale new heights and fly far.

I have been married to Amanda for 36 years and we have 2 daughters, Emma & Annie and 2 grandchildren aged 6 and 3.

We started off married life in East London then after several years moved to Chadwell Heath where we stayed for 7 years before moving to Brentwood. We stayed there for 17 years and have now lived in Boreham for the last 10 years with no plans to move anytime soon.

I started off my career as a filing clerk at Berger Paints then progressed to customer services. After Bergers I had several different jobs and then in 1987 I started work as a trainee Accountant at a large Advertising Agency in London. After passing my ACCA I worked as an Accountant for several small agencies within the group and then an opportunity arose to work with a team implementing a new advertising IT solution and we rolled that out to their London and Paris agencies. After several years of supporting this solution the agency made a strategy decision to switch to a new IT solution called SAP. I became SAP Project Manager for the EMEA region and then SAP Programme Manager for several agencies with the group. I travelled extensively throughout Europe and the US managing the implementation of this system plus I also implemented a ‘lite’ version into agencies in Poland and Kenya.

I left the Advertising agency in 2012 and became an SAP PM contractor managing implementations into a wide range of companies including Universal Music, Henderson Asset Management and TUI Travel. For the past 7 years I have been contracted to a multi-billion-pound company called Informa managing their mergers and acquisitions into their SAP solution.

I retired on 30^th August 2024 and have plans to get more involved in local projects / activities and, where applicable, use my project management skills to help organise and run mini projects be that in my role as a Boreham Parish Councillor, or as a member of the Butler Trust (which provides financial support to Boreham and Little Baddow pupils as well as the school) or in my role on the Boreham Primary School Board of Governors. I also plan to take a few more UK family holidays along with our dog, Rupert, and to watch the mighty Tottenham Hotspurs more this season now that I am not working.