Pen Portraits
Patricia received a diploma in crèche management in 2005. She managed a private nursery in Dublin before moving to Horsham in 2008. In September of the same year she began working at Kingslea and spent several years as a Teaching Assistant in a Reception class. In 2021, having worked alongside Mrs Russell for a year, Patricia took over as Inclusion Lead. Patricia has been a co-opted governor since September 2016 and sits on the Policy and Curriculum Committee.
Mary and her family moved to Horsham in 2015. Mary was a paediatric nurse working in the NHS for sixteen years before the move and now concentrates on running a family business with her husband and raising their three children. She became a co-opted governor in September 2017, sits on the Policy and Curriculum and is the lead for English writing.
Laurence joined the Kingslea board of governors in September 2017 and is Chair of the Resources Committee. He is the founder and managing director of Colour Beneath, a management consultancy specialising in data and analytics. Previously, Laurence spent over 15 years with American Express Company in several countries. He has served as a trustee for Providence Row, a London-based homelessness charity as well as chairing the marketing committee for the advisory board of the Salvation Army. Laurence and his wife have lived in Horsham since 2009, they have two daughters who both attend Kingslea.
Julie joined Kingslea in September 2014, having previously taught at a school on the South Coast. Julie is the Phase Leader for years 1 - 3 and a joint Maths lead across the school. She is passionate about the teaching of mathematics across the school and further developing the KS1 phase. Julie sits on the Teaching and Learning Committee as a Staff Governor. She lives in Horsham and loves working within the community seeing lots of children enjoying themselves outside school.
Alexis joined Kingslea in September 2015, having previously been a head teacher in two other schools, one in Horsham, the other in south London. Alexis started his teacher career in London almost 20 years ago and is passionate about ensuring every child reaches their full potential, is seen as an individual and enjoys their time at school. He is also committed to using sport, music and computing to engage children. Alexis lives in Horsham where his younger daughter attends college, his eldest daughter is now at university.
Tim is the Local Authority Governor and joined the Governing Body at Kingslea in 2017. He is an experienced educationalist with a career spanning forty years within West Sussex. As a class teacher and deputy headteacher he has significant experience of the challenges faced by teachers and senior leaders alike. He is a member of the Policy and Curriculum Committee and is interested in science, curriculum development and inclusion. Now retired from teaching, Tim is a voluntary coach for the RDA. He and his partner live near Pulborough where he is able to pursue his interests in riding and rural life. Tim chairs the Policy & Curriculum Committee and is the link Governor for science.
Naomi was elected as a parent governor in 2021 and has two children at Kingslea. She works as a social researcher, conducting consultation and evaluation projects for a range of organisations in the charity and education sectors. Naomi started her career at Ipsos MORI and the Institute for Public Policy Research before spending a decade teaching history, politics and sociology at secondary schools and sixth forms in London, Surrey and West Sussex. She sits on the Policy & Curriculum Committee and is the link governor for Humanities.
James joined the Kingslea board of governors in Oct 2016 and was elected Chair in September 2018. He is Vice Chair of the Resources Committee and has responsibilty for monitoring of maths across the school. James works in the financial sector as a Director for RBS where he has been for the last 13 years. He holds Power of Attorney across a number of legal entities in the RBS group, in addition holds the role as Chief Building Officer for his workplace. James and his wife live in Horsham, and have two daughters at Kingslea.
Lin joined the Kingslea governing body in July 2019; she has vast experience in the education sector, having been a Headteacher for 18 years at schools on both West Sussex and London. Lin also spent 21 years as an Ofsted inspector before retiring in 2018. She sits on the Policy & Curriculum Committee and is the Governor link for mathematics.
Alison has over 30 years experience of working in schools in both East and West Sussex. She has been a Headteacher and Governor in three primary schools over a period of 17 years. Alison has recently retired from her position as a SENCO at a primary school in Surrey. Alison was welcomed onto the Kingslea board of Governors in September 2015. Alison’s primary interests are in special educational needs and the curriculum. Alison is the joint lead Governor for safeguarding and leads on SEND and inclusion. Alison is vice-chair of the Policy and Curriculum Committee and also sits on the Safeguarding Committee.