Governing Body

28th September 2023

School Priorities

Examination Outcomes 

7th March 2024

Quality of Education 

Continuing Professional Development

Department & Small School Review

Early Careers Teaching

Attendance

School Improvement Priorities for 2024/5

Shelley Baker

5

Giovanni Franceschi

2

Stepped down as a governor after meeting 3

Appointed after meeting 1

Alex Marsh

5

Emma McCrea

3

Emma Warde-Robinson

0

Absence authorised, stepped down after meeting 2

I am delighted to have won the parent governor election and am looking forward to working with the governing body to ensure all our children benefit from the very best that Varndean can offer. 

School plays a pivotal role in ensuring our children are engaged and “in love with learning”, so that they get to explore and fulfil their potential. Every child deserves the best that education can offer, no matter what their life experiences; for some, school offers hope and opportunity that cannot be provided at home or elsewhere. 

I am passionate about education supporting all children’s learning; I know the difference it made in my parents’ and my life and wish to see such benefits enjoyed by all our kids. 

Through first volunteer, and then professional involvement in the education sphere, I understand the barriers to “love of learning”. In 2017 I founded Save Our Schools, a volunteer parent group that began locally and quite quickly became a national campaign. Alongside teaching unions and headteachers, we helped win £7.1 billion in school funding from the government. I was then approached to run More Than A Score – a coalition of parent groups, academics, heads and teachers pushing for a rethink of primary assessment. I’ve spent the last three years building common ground between cross-party groups of MPs and union leaders and between heads, teachers and parents to bring about the systemic change education needs. 

I have worked closely with local MPs as well, taking a group of primary children to directly address Parliament on funding for example, and would like to do more with Varndean pupils – their voice is crucial as we continue recovery.  As a parent governor I will do my level best to help create an environment where Varndean students can achieve to the very best of their abilities.

I have been connected to the school since 1995, having seen three of my children pass through Varndean, and I am currently serving my fifth term as a Governor. 

By profession I am a chartered accountant with specific specialisation in compliance and corporate governance and I am a partner in a consultancy providing services to Higher Education sector, and in particular those involved in residential student accommodation in the UK. I therefore bring experiences as a parent and as businessman to the governing body.

As well as being a keen follower of Brighton and Hove Albion, I have a young family and old family including many grandchildren.

I have been a governor at the school for over 15 years now.  I was the Chair of Governors from 2013-2017 and I am currently Chair of the School’s Nominations Committee and a member of the Finance Group. I am a Partner at BDO a leading accountancy firm and a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 30 years’ experience in providing assurance and consultancy services across both the public and private sectors. I also have considerable experience in the voluntary sector. I have also been a trustee and the Treasurer of a national charity for over 15 years, chairing its Finance and Investment Committees.

I have lived in Brighton for nearly 20 years. I trained and worked as a teacher in the US but on moving to the UK worked in immigration law and retrained as a lawyer. After having children I returned to teaching and now work at a local infant school, where I am part of an anti-racism working group which includes staff and leaders from local junior and secondary schools.  Our older daughter is currently a Varndean student.  

Given my background in law and education I am particularly interested in equalities and inclusion and have been impressed by the school’s respect for students as citizens, particularly in its acknowledgement of the persistence of gender-based violence and its active participation in anti-racist work. From what I have seen, Varndean’s small school structure and dedicated staff and leadership team nurture the kindness and confidence that can lead to lasting positive change. As parent governor I look forward to supporting this important work.

My wife and I both grew up in Brighton, returning to raise our two children here after 10 years in London. As part of this move I was keen to get actively involved in our local community and in particular education, which has been a long-standing passion influenced by my own positive state school experience. I feel fortunate to have been a co-opted governor of Varndean School since April 2016, including being the Chair of Governors between 2017 to 2021. I am extremely proud of the efforts of the School’s Leadership Team and  the members of the Governing Body over this period, partnering to deliver a world class education for our students. By profession, I am a chartered accountant and experienced executive and non-executive director in the banking and fintech sectors. I also volunteer for and advise a number of initiatives that encourage business links with schools and universities to provide young people with inspiration, knowledge, skills and opportunities to help achieve their full potential.

I contribute educational expertise to the governing body having worked in the sector for almost 20 years. I currently lead Oak National Academy's curriculum and pedagogical development as their Head of Curriculum Design, overseeing the creation of curricula and teaching resources at a national scale. I also work for the Department for Education advising Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers on curriculum, having previously worked in ITT for over a decade, at the Universities of Brighton and Sussex.

I have a Fellowship in Teacher Education, am an author of a book on maths education and was the founder director of two EdTech start-ups.
I began my professional life as a maths teacher at an innovative local secondary school before becoming head of maths. I qualified as an Advanced Skills Teacher and led on teaching and learning and teacher professional development in schools as part of the SLT.
I also have a parent perspective - from my own children attending the school.
With this experience, I hope to bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in education to the governing body.

Following my retirement, I became a governor as a way of getting more closely involved in my community – after a lifetime of commuting.  I live close to Varndean and have done for over 40 years.

For the last ten years of my career, I ran a national membership-based organisation.  Amongst other things, this gave me extensive expertise in stakeholder engagement, governance, and government & media relations, as well as general management.  I was also a non-executive director of a number of not-for-profit companies, a role very similar to that of a school governor.

I am a passionate believer in the importance of a well-rounded state education as a means of improving the quality of life for all.  For me that means not just meeting targets for exam results, important though that is, but also enabling students to achieve their potential in whatever field of activity they aspire to. 

I have been teaching history at Varndean School since 2010. During this time I have had a variety of additional roles including middle leadership for curriculum and pastoral responsibilities.

I qualified as a teacher after taking my first degree in History as a mature student after the birth of my daughter in 2003. Prior to this, most of my professional career was working for Unilever plc in Head Office roles including in accounting and as a Buyer.

I have previous experience of school governorship when I was a Parent Governor at my daughter's Primary School in Mid-Sussex.

I've been supporting Varndean's Governing Body as a professional clerk since September 2008. With extensive experience, I currently serve as the Clerk to Governors for three schools in Brighton & Hove.

My role involves ensuring the smooth operation of the Governing Body by providing administrative support and guidance to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. I offer advice on procedural matters and contribute to the design of structures for effective school governance.

For any inquiries or to reach the Governors, please email me at teresadee@varndean.co.uk. I'm dedicated to contributing to the success of Varndean School and appreciate the opportunity to serve the educational community