Governor Resumes
Meet the current members of our governing board.
Please click here to view Records & Attendance
Heather Bayne
CHAIR OF GOVERNORS
STANDARDS & CURRICULUM COMMITTEE; AUDIT & RISK COMMITTEE; ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE; REMUNERATION COMMITTEE
COMMUNITY GOVERNOR
I am a Chartered Librarian and worked for HCC for over 10 years as a Branch Librarian, Information Specialist and with the Schools Library Service. I subsequently retrained as a Garden Designer and have been running my own Garden Design and maintenance business since 2008.
I first became a Governor at Wood End School and only stood down as a Community Governor there in Sept 2020. Having seen the important role a Governor can play in a school I became a Governor at RPS in 2016 and was elected Chair of Governors in Sept 2020. Both my daughters have now left the school but continue to benefit from the skills, inspiration, and love of lifelong learning that their time at RPS has instilled.
I think it is important that a school supports all its students and encourages them to develop their learning by building on their individual skills and interests. I believe that the students’ wellbeing, and attainment, should be at the heart of all the decisions the school and Governors make. RPS leavers are amazing young people and as Governors we strive to ensure that all our students continue to benefit from access to a wide range of opportunities and experiences throughout their time at the school.
Eve Audis
STUDENTS, FAMILIES & COMMUNITY
PARENT GOVERNOR
My husband and I have lived in Harpenden for over 20 years and have two children at RPS. I have been so impressed by the school’s values and ethos, the house system in promoting teamwork and community spirit and the opportunities the school provides. I would highly recommend this fantastic school.
I started my career in marketing for a software company and then spent several years in corporate fundraising, working for the BHF and NSPCC managing partnerships with companies including Shredded Wheat, Hovis, Sky and Princes. I also worked for the Dixons Group in corporate affairs managing their charity relationships. After my youngest child started primary school, I volunteered at school and as a brownie leader; worked at a pre-school and later moved back into corporate fundraising for local charity the A-T Society.
I have a degree in Sociology and Social Policy from the University of Birmingham, a CAM Certificate in Communications, Advertising and Marketing, an Institute of Management Certificate in Management and a CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce.
Throughout my career I have always been passionate about child welfare and safeguarding issues and am keen to contribute to the school environment which is so crucial to children’s development and well-being. Completing the CACHE qualification provided me with a full understanding of the importance of educational settings to ensure every child thrives and fulfils their potential. I have an interest in and experience of the importance of safeguarding after completing safeguarding training for different roles. Whilst at the NSPCC I would work with new clients to look at areas of the business from a safeguarding point of view.
In my spare time I enjoy long walks in the countryside with our dog, baking, curling up with a good book and I am also learning to play golf.
Joanna Betts
CHAIR OF STANDARDS & CURRICULUM COMMITTEE; REMUNERATION COMMITTEE
COMMUNITY GOVERNOR
My husband and I have been living in Harpenden since 2004. We have two boys and our eldest started Roundwood Park in September 2017. In my short time as a Roundwood parent, I have already been very impressed by the ethos of the school and the emphasis on building a supportive environment to ensure an excellent and rounded education for all children. I am therefore delighted to be able to help contribute to the success of the school in my role as a parent governor.
As a PhD scientist, I have worked for the past 20 years in roles of increasing responsibility in R&D for a global pharmaceutical company. In my current senior director role, I lead and develop strategy and projects that involve the application of cutting edge informatics, data analytics and experimental technologies to understand disease and develop new medicines. I have a particular passion for inspiring the next generation of scientists and participation in STEM subjects. My role also involves developing others, with a focus on promoting the behaviours required for a successful career in any field.
As a family, we enjoy travel, outdoor activities and sport and I have recently completed my first triathlon!
Louise Cooper
STANDARDS & CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
COMMUNITY GOVERNOR
I have been a parent governor at Wood End Primary School since October 2016 where I currently chair the Standards and Curriculum committee. I have been a Harpenden resident since 2009 and my son has recently started at Roundwood Park School. Before that he was at Wood End where my daughter is in KS2. It really appealed to me to use the skills I have developed through being on the governing board at Wood End at RPS now that I have a child at each school.
I have run my own yoga teaching business since 2017. I also offer consultancy on communications to a range of organisations. Before becoming self-employed, I ran the public relations team at John Lewis. Working for the retailer for nearly a decade, I specialised in crisis communications and issues management.
I am passionate about wellbeing, mental and physical health. To broaden my skills, I am currently training to become a practitioner of neuro-linguistic programming.
Melissa Craig
STUDENTS, FAMILIES & COMMUNITY COMMITTEE
STAFF GOVERNOR
As School Librarian, I am lucky enough to be the custodian of one of the school’s special places. It is a busy and thriving place always busy with students. I have worked as a school librarian for the last five years taking over at Roundwood Park in the summer of 2018. Before that I worked at a school in Stevenage and also volunteered at Haileybury in Hertford Heath. As well as the traditional role of inspiring students to read, I am a firm believer that the librarians’ role is also to promote and develop information literacy skills. We also play a key role in the support and wellbeing of our students.
I graduated from Durham University with a degree in Geography and went on to complete a masters in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) at Edinburgh University. I worked in this industry for eleven years developing and project managing bespoke IT systems. During that time, I took time out to backpack around Asia for six months and also lived and worked in Southern California for a year and a half while my now husband was completing a post-doctorate at UC Riverside.
When my two daughters were born, I took the decision to become a fulltime parent and supported them though their primary education. I played an active role in their schools’ PTA and also helped out in classes and the library. The girls are now teenagers, one at University and one studying for her A ‘levels. Raising them gave me first-hand experience of just how powerful reading is as an educational support, which coupled with my interest in Information systems led me to librarianship.
I have loved working at Roundwood and have been impressed by the management and ethos of the school. I would like to contribute to that, and I think that my position in the school community will allow me to bring a unique perspective to the governor role.
Sophie Darby
STANDARDS & CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
STAFF GOVERNOR
After graduating university with a degree in computer science, I went straight into teaching, so I am currently in my first ECT year. Although relatively new to teaching, I am no stranger to RPS having attended the school myself. As an ECT and alumni, I believe I would provide a unique and different view which I hope would be helpful and insightful. I’m glad to be part of the governing board so I can help to continue to provide an up-to-date environment where students are able to thrive at school, much like the environment I was lucky enough to grow up in. In my spare time I enjoy playing the guitar, hiking and making silver jewellery.
Mike Desborough
RESOURCES COMMITTEE
STAFF GOVERNOR
I have lived in Hertfordshire for most of my life, going to school in Harpenden and keeping engaged with the local community through scouting and theatre. I have worked in the third sector as a project manager for a charity in East London after completing my degree in Politics and Business Management. I trained as a teacher and held various roles in schools in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire before joining Roundwood Park in January 2019. I am currently the Head of Business and Computing, as well as looking after many of the vocational subjects at Roundwood in my role as BTEC Quality Nominee.
I continue to be active in the Hertfordshire community. I am committed to entrepreneurship in schools and sit on the volunteer board of Hertfordshire Young Enterprise. I enjoy being outdoors and hold a mountain leader qualification. I am the training director for DofE in Hertfordshire and enjoy supporting DofE around the county. I am often found back stage at shows in the local area and occasionally appear for a comedy bit part!
I am committed to representing my colleague’s views and was pleased to be elected as a staff governor. I look forward to helping shape the direction of the school and continue the excellent work of the governing board.
Kevin Ford
VICE CHAIR OF GOVERNORS
CHAIR OF THE RESOURCES COMMITTEE; AUDIT & RISK COMMITTEE; ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE; REMUNERATION COMMITTEE
COMMUNITY GOVERNOR
I am a Community Governor with a daughter who completed Sixth Form in 2017, also a son who spent 7 successful and enjoyable years at Roundwood Park School.
It is rewarding to see how the students mature during their time at the school and how this prepares them for further education, career and life generally. This experience led me to become a Governor, where I can contribute to the long (and short) term success of RPS.
I currently chair the Resources Committee which I find fulfilling as I can bring experience based upon my background as a Chartered Electrical Engineer working in Transport and Security businesses. My recent roles (Major Programmes delivery, Business P&L and Operations Director) enable me to effectively contribute to the school, specifically the Resources Committee which is responsible for finance, staffing and premises amongst other challenges.
As a family we have lived in Harpenden for over 25 years and I enjoy travelling to historically interesting locations throughout the world.
Mark Franklin
RESOURCES COMMITTEE
PARENT GOVERNOR
I live in Harpenden with my wife and three children who all currently attend Roundwood Park School. My wife and I grew up in Harpenden and returned nearly 20 years ago to be back near to family.
I am a partner and director of a civil and structural engineering consultancy and have extensive experience in the delivery of engineering projects in both private and public sectors, with the focus of my work in the residential sector. More recently I have been acting as an expert witness in the fields of highways and drainage. I look forward to utilising this experience to assist the Resources Committee, and my fellow governors, in the successful on-going improvement works planned for the school.
I have previously volunteered in schools across Hemel Hempstead, working on their Work Based Learning schemes which provides genuine work experience to students who are following a more traditional route to joining the workforce. I hope that my experience can be put to good use at Roundwood Park to help our school prepare students for their next steps in life, whatever they may be.
I am excited and honoured to be elected as a parent governor and look forward to contributing to the continued success at Roundwood Park School.
Alan Henshall
HEADTEACHER
I was appointed as the Headteacher of Roundwood Park School in September 2010 after serving the community in four other schools in Luton and Hertfordshire.
I am a graduate in Literature and History, as well as having a PGCE in English and History. I have worked in five different schools and I have spent most of my career in the classroom as an English teacher, latterly as a Head of English before taking up an assistant headship at Beaumont School in St Albans and a deputy headship at Simon Balle School in Hertford. As well as being the Headteacher of Roundwood Park, I am a Member of Links Multi-Academy Trust in St Albans, of Presdales Academy Trust in Ware and of Katherine Warington School in Harpenden.
I am married with two sons and live in Bedfordshire, having originally come from Yorkshire.
Being the Headteacher of Roundwood Park is a privilege and a pleasure, unlike the trials and tribulations of being a Leeds United season ticket holder! Away from school, as well as football, I enjoy travelling, skiing, reading fiction, history and exploring historical sites. I am a “Friend of Duxford” and enjoy visiting there whenever I can.
Catherine Marke
CHAIR OF STUDENTS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY COMMITTEE; AUDIT & RISK COMMITTEE
PARENT GOVERNOR
I moved to Harpenden in 2005 and my neighbours said how fortunate we were to have such brilliant schools within walking distance. A few years later, I have certainly found this to be true! With a daughter in KS3 who is continuing to flourish as an independent and motivated learner, and a son to follow in a couple of years’ time, I am pleased to be able to contribute to the sustained success of Roundwood Park School as a parent governor. I am a passionate believer that access to excellent education is a great leveller in society as we should be aiming to get each student to fulfil their own potential.
I graduated from the University of Oxford with a Physics degree and then trained as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte. I left my role as a Senior Audit Manager after the birth of my eldest child, and currently work as a part time accountant in a local business.
During my 20s I was an LEA governor at a primary school in Buckinghamshire. When I moved to Harpenden and my eldest child was at Roundwood Primary, I was delighted in 2014 to be appointed as a co-opted governor at the school. During this time I have utilised skills in budgeting, analysing risks, communication and, most importantly, team-working and developing skills in safeguarding, recruitment, equal opportunities, and many more. I look forward to using these skills to continue to challenge and support Roundwood Park School in doing its best for all the children who are fortunate enough to be educated here.
In my spare time, I can often be found walking my dog or helping to run a local Brownie pack.
Andrew Mills
RESOURCES COMMITTEE; AUDIT & RISK COMMITTEE
PARENT GOVERNOR
I live and work in Harpenden, where my wife and I moved 20 years ago. We have two daughters at RPS, and my wife is also a staff member. We’re very committed to the school and I will be proud to make a small contribution to its continued success as a parent governor.
My professional qualifications and skills are in finance, accounting and analysis. Hopefully this and my experience on charity boards will help the Resources Committee and Governing Board to manage the funding pressures facing every school. Overall, I see listening and asking questions as central to the governors’ role. So I look forward to learning from staff, parents and students!
Academically, my personal interests include languages, the humanities and economics. But I also have a lifelong interest in science and literature; love music and the outdoors; and see huge value in travel, expeditions and volunteering.
In short, I’m a great believer in lifelong learning and I hope I can help the school to prepare students for happy and fulfilling adult lives.
Neil Simmonds
STANDARDS & CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
COMMUNITY GOVERNOR
I am a lawyer having practised as a solicitor in the City for 30 years. Born and brought up in Wolverhampton, I lived in London for 15 years and moved to Harpenden in 2002 just before our second child was born. All 3 of our children (2 girls and a boy) have attended Roundwood Park School at various times. Our eldest is now in her final year at Birmingham University and our youngest is at RPS. Our middle child took a slightly different path and is now at Oaklands College studying Art.
Having lived our entire time in Harpenden virtually on the doorstep of RPS, we have experienced first hand how central the school is to the community and have made some great friends among the parents. I am hugely grateful to RPS for providing such an excellent (and local) foundation for our children’s learning and for being such a focal point in their social lives. In my case it would be great to be able to contribute something to the future success of the school having been such a huge beneficiary as a parent.
If I have skills that might be useful to the Governing Board I would like to think it is in more than just the attributes that come with being a lawyer: of course I love problem solving, am a bit of a word nerd and have an eye for detail when it comes to drafting documents. As we all do though, I bring with me my own perspective – on the importance of learning and on what is needed in the modern professional workplace but also a passionate belief that our children are about more than just academic achievement and the role the school can play in bringing out the best in them in every sense.
My interests more generally centre around family but also music, gardening, politics, history, football, cricket and skiing in no particular order. I still get to the odd gig and follow Wolves and Harpenden Colts U15s.
Ruth Townsend
STANDARDS & CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
PARENT GOVERNOR
My family and I have lived in Harpenden for over a decade, and we have two children attending Roundwood.
I have always been very impressed with the community ethos of RPS, and the environment created for all of the students to thrive. Supporting our students and staff is of paramount importance and enabling every one of our students to be their best. I am very pleased to join the Governing Board to help contribute to RPS’s continued success.
I am a solicitor of 18 years’ experience and I currently work for a major national charity which helps to support people with housing problems. My work giving advice and advocacy support at court, involves identifying and resolving problems for often vulnerable people, in a highly stressed and time pressured environment. In my spare time, I help to run and organise a Harpenden Rainbow Unit and I assist with a Guide Unit. I help to organise local community events.
Sally Veitch
STUDENTS, FAMILIES & COMMUNITY COMMITTEE
MEMBER APPOINTED GOVERNOR
I am an experienced governor having served on the board at Wood End School for eight years. I have three boys who all attended Wood End. One is still at Wood End and another at Roundwood Park. My middle son is learning disabled and has autism. He attends St Luke’s SEND school.
My executive career was in finance. I worked as a Finance Director at Home Retail Group for many years but in the last five years I have developed a portfolio career as a non-executive director. This is essentially the commercial equivalent of a governor and I currently sit on the boards of two challenger banks and a building society. I am also the Chair of Settle, a local housing association with 10,000 homes in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
I have been very impressed with the wide range of opportunities my son has had so far at Roundwood Park and the positive, kind and engaging culture of the school. I hope that I can bring my governance experience to Roundwood Park in a way that is helpful to what I consider to be a great school.
As I have a son who wasn’t able to come to Roundwood Park, due to his needs (no fault of Roundwood), I do have an interest in how SEND works in schools. It’s pretty broken across the sector so I will be interested in how Roundwood Park tackle the many challenges of a growing SEND population.
David Withers
STUDENTS, FAMILIES & COMMUNITY COMMITTEE
PARENT GOVERNOR
My family are very recent additions to Harpenden having relocated from Worcestershire during the summer of 2022. I am therefore fresh to the scene and looking forward in my role as a governor to being able to make a positive contribution to the on-going advancement of Roundwood Park School.
I am a design director with 30 years’ experience in the creative industry having owned or managed design and advertising agencies since I graduated as a graphic designer from Nottingham in 1995. Mentoring, training, and managing teams of designers and creatives was a large part of the later years of my career. I’ve also lectured and assisted in various colleges and universities to develop and nurture new students and graduates entering the industry. I am passionate about not only trying to bring some real-world experience to students transition from education to workplace but also to make it as much fun as possible because without that, frankly what’s the point?
Aside from my love of all things creative I’m also a gym addict and a consumer of good food and wine.
Liz Hamilton
GOVERNANCE PROFESSIONAL TO THE GOVERNING BOARD
The role of the Governance Professional is crucial to the effective functioning of the Governing Board. I provide advice and guidance on governance, procedures and compliance to ensure the board works in accordance with the appropriate legal and regulatory framework and that it understands the potential consequences of noncompliance. I arrange, administer and minute each Governing Board and Committee meeting. I keep the board and committees focused on their core strategic priorities and governance obligations. I find the role very rewarding due to working with a team who are committed and dedicated to the education, wellbeing and future of the Roundwood Park students.
I live in Redbourn and my two sons both attended Roundwood Park. One is currently at university, whilst my eldest graduated in 2021. I am also Clerk to the Harpenden Secondary Schools Trust.
Governor Records & Attendance
Roundwood Park School – Members
Members play a limited but crucial role in safeguarding academy trust governance. Members assure themselves that the governance of the school is effective, that governors act in accordance with the school’s charitable objectives, and that they, the Members, use their powers to step in if governance is failing. Members are not involved in the day-to-day business of the school and they do not assume the powers of the governors. However, they do have an important role in an academy trust, based on a number of key powers set out in the Articles of Association.
Moira Hart: Date of appointment 01/08/2011
Colin Metcalfe: Date of appointment 01/08/2011
Matt Warren: Date of appointment 12/11/2021
Chris Salmon: Date of appointment 28/06/2022
