Parent Governor

Laura Deitz

I am excited about the opportunity to serve on the Governing Body at Brent Knoll School. My eldest daughter Lily joined Brent Knoll in January of 2018 and is now in Birch Class.

Since Lily’s diagnosis of ASD when she was 2 years old, I have been active in volunteering with charities and community organizations supporting and empowering parents and carers of children with ASD. In the United Arab Emirates where the Deitz family recently lived, I worked directly with the government to ensure that children with SEN could access and get support in schools.

I work in Finance and have two other young daughters. The Deitz family is grateful Lily has the opportunity to learn and grow in a school with educators and leaders who are passionate about supporting children like Lily. As Governor, I want to ensure that parents and carers have the support they need and that the curriculum at Brent Knoll best enables all children to achieve their full potential.

Headteacher

Andy Taylor

As Headteacher I am a member of the Governing Body and contribute to the Full GB, Resource, Teaching and Learning and Children, Families and Community committees. I have worked in Special Needs education for the vast majority of my career and have worked at Brent Knoll for twenty three years as a class teacher, curriculum lead, middle and senior leader.  I became Headteacher in January 2019. Whilst a teacher I was the staff representative on the Governing Body for nine years representing the views of staff and contributing to strategic vision from the staff perspective.

Since becoming Head the GB has undergone review which resulted in a realignment of the Sub Committee structure to its present form which has allowed the school to achieve challenge and support from the GB in achieving our strategic vision and ensure that priorities for school improvement are realised. The GB have relevant skills, experience and motivation to achieve the ambition of becoming a national centre of excellence for Special Education

Key to this intent is the need to review the curriculum to ensure that all of our pupils have the very best educational experience to allow them the opportunity to transition from Brent Knoll. We aim to enable them to be as as well equipped, with as much independence as possible so that they can become active citizens in their own communities knowing that they can ‘Be the best that they can be’

Term End Date: Ex-Officio

Co-opted Governor

Simon Whitlock

I joined the Governing Body in the summer term (2017) as a co-opted member, and I have a particular interest in special education having previously commissioned services for both adults and children with special needs.

Currently, I work for an East London local authority in the Children and Young People’s Service as a commissioner with a focus on education services and social care. One of my strengths is my knowledge on procurement and contracting, particularly relating to schools, which I use to support the Governing Body to help the school run efficiently and achieve value for money. Other areas of strength include finance, contracts / service level agreements, and legal.

I am delighted to be member of the Governing Body for Brent Knoll Special School, and I am committed to supporting Brent Knoll pupils to have access to the right support at the right time. I am also a firm believer that all decisions made at a Governing Body level should be in the best interest and wellbeing of pupils, putting them firmly in the centre of the decision making process.

Term End Date: 22/5/2021

Parent Governor

Cheryl Cowie

I was a ‘brand new’ parent governor when I joined BK’s board nearly four years ago and to say I have learnt a lot is an understatement! This time has only furthered the respect I have for all members of BK staff and the work that they do; teaching, safeguarding, supporting, and inspiring our children and young people to achieve their potential.

Since joining in 2017, the structure of the GB has changed, and I am currently the Chair of Children, Families & Communities Sub Committee, and link governor for Safeguarding. The reorganisation has allowed for more efficient and effective monitoring of evidence and impact as priorities from the School Improvement Plan are implemented.

The CFC committee’s primary focus is all aspects of pupil’s development, welfare and safety and it is our ambition to further enhance existing relationships with all pupils, families, staff, and the wider community. I am always happy to chat if anyone wishes to say hello!

It is a pleasure to be involved and supporting the real passion and commitment at Brent Knoll to empower our amazing young people to ‘be the best that they can be’ not only at school but beyond and into their adult lives.

Term End Date: 16/11/2021

Parent Governor

Oluwafela Ajayi

I am Oluwafela Ajayi a Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner. Married with a set of twins. My son is autistic and attends the school while my daughter attends St Augustine. I am a Parent Governor.

Term End Date: 25/9/2021

Foundation Governor

Eibhlish Fleming

I joined the governing body at Brent Knoll at the beginning of 2019 as a foundation member.

I currently work with a grant-making charity named Spirit of 2012, which was born from the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. We fund arts and sports projects that foster greater community cohesion, empower those who are most under-served and challenge perceptions of disability.

My previous managerial roles at Shakespeare Schools Festival, Shakespeare’s Globe and Children & the Arts have all been focussed on co-creating high-quality, curriculum-based creative programmes for use in the classroom. At Shakespeare Schools Festival my role was specifically about co-creating content for young people with special educational needs, and training teachers to make Shakespeare and performance accessible for all young people.

It’s a privilege to be a member of the Governing Body at Brent Knoll School. I am delighted to be supporting staff and students to ensure this school continues to be the best it can be.

End of term date: 11/02/2023

Co-opted Governor

Lucy Govan

I am so pleased to be a part of the Brent Knoll Governing Body. I was an employee at the school from 2013 until 2019 working in the classroom initially and then in the school office. I also worked as an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant promoting emotional wellbeing and social and communication skills. I left Brent Knoll to start my own business and continue my career in the arts, but I continue to be passionate about inclusion and equality and bringing the arts to young people with Special Educational Needs. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to continue working with the staff and students at Brent Knoll.

Term End date: 13/02/2023

Associate Member

Rachael Edwards-Coutts

I currently work for a charity, which helps people who have autism gain employment. In previous years, I worked as an achievement coach helping to prevent young people from becoming not in employment, education or training. My passion for education grew when I started working in SEND schools to help pupils succeed in the education system. I am passionate about helping improving social mobility and removing the barriers in society to help people who are disabled reach their full potential. I hope to help the school develop its connections with the community to help improve outcomes for young people once leaving education.

I am delighted to be a part of the board and I am hoping my dedication and passion will allow me to impact on the school’s future success.

Staff Governor

Jenny Jones

I am Jenny Jones and I have been working at Brent Knoll School for five years and the Early Years Foundation Stage Leader for three years. I have always felt so welcome at the school by the children, families and staff, so when the Staff Governor position was vacant, I jumped at the chance! 

I am passionate about supporting children and their families and actively promote programmes such as Attention Autism across the Borough of Lewisham to support social communication and social interaction needs.  I believe that every child has the right to a broad and engaging Curriculum and it is our job, working as a team with parents, to do just that.    

Governor appointed by the Local Authority

Rohan Grove

I’m Rohan Grove and I was delighted to join the governor board at the beginning of 2021.My background is primarily in research. This work included leading teams of researchers looking at how to prevent abuse and neglect of children and young people as well help those who have suffered to recover.  More generally I am passionate about how children and young people as well as families can be involved in decisions about services and support that impact them.

Foundation/Trust Governor

James Bamford

I joined the Governing Body in December 2020 as a foundation member. 

Currently, I work for a large financial institution in their planning and analysis function. I am a fully qualified accountant with a breadth of work experience across financial control, planning, budgeting and strategy teams. I hope to leverage this experience to help Brent Knoll to continue to run efficiently and support staff as they drive the strategic agenda of the school in the coming years.

I am delighted to be member of the Governing Body at Brent Knoll, I look forward to helping the school continue with its ambition to be the best that it can be.

Foundation/Trust Governor

James Cherry

Clerk to the Governing Body

Michael Garrick