Governors are appointed to provide strong links between the school and the community it serves. They have a wide experience of the outside world and provide an independent view a visible form of accountability for the school. Their role is to offer challenge and support on the strategic running of the school.
Governors attend school meetings, training sessions and conferences in order to maximise their impact.
In order to do this, our Governing Body:
- works with the Head of School who is responsible for the day to day management of the school.
- agrees policies and practice that assist the Executive Headteacher and staff to carry out their responsibilities.
- agrees principles and targets for improvement.
- acts as the critical friend of the school and the Executive Headteacher.
- receives and discusses the Self-Evaluation Reports which are used to accurately evaluate the performance of the school across key areas.
- reviews its own working practices works within the regulations for governing bodies that are provided by the DfE and other statutory bodies.
Governors at the Learning Federation
Alan Kemp – Chair of Governors
A former Mead pupil, Alan has a genuine passion to ensure the pupils at The Learning Federation enjoy the very best possible education available and refuses to accept second best. Alan owned a Logistics Company from 1987 after having a grounding in Shipping and Transport and joined the Governing Body in August 2015.
Alan retired in 2018 in order to be able to dedicate more time to The Federation and his other interests of golf and playing live music. Alan became the Chair of Governors in June 2019 and is committed to the Vision & Values of The Learning Federation and dedicated to work with the staff to maximise opportunities for each and every pupil.
Paul McGeary – Vice Chair of Governors
Jill Float – Staff Governor
Jill was appointed as Staff Governor in November 2022 and has previous experience as a staff governor in a previous role. She now works as an HLTA at Broadford. Jill was a class teacher for 31 years, working at several Primary schools in Essex including Quilters Infant School, Ingrave Johnstone Primary School and Herington House Preparatory School in Shenfield. Jill mainly covers class teacher PPA, ECT and leadership time. In 2021 she qualified as a Level 3 Forest School leader, and now leads Forest School sessions to all classes across the school. She works hard to keep the school grounds looking the best that they can be and to promote respect of the outside environment of the school by the children. Jill is a keen Ballroom and Latin dancer and loves to go on cruise holidays.
Karen Howell – Parent Govenor
Karen joined as a Parent Governor in 2019 and has 3 children who attend Mead as well as extended family members who attend Broadford.
Karen has a particular interest in making sure the Learning Federation considers the impact that their policies and procedures have on the children and their families.
Karen has over 10 years of experience in working with adults with special educational needs and has a passion for ensuring all children have equal opportunities throughout their time in school. Karen currently works with Havering MIND where she delivers training to individuals who need support with their mental health and well being.
Mark Borrell – Co-opted Governor
I have been a governor since 2011, I initially was a parent governor at Broadford where my 3 lovely children attended. I then stayed on to become a Co-opted governor when Mead and Broadford Federated. As a governor, I have experience in both LA schools and Academies as well as Primary and Secondary schools. My background is from Hotels and restaurants and then I went on to delivering Hospitality and Catering NVQ’s for chefs in hotels where I started my own business. I am currently delivering LFHW cookery workshops in partnership with Havering Council, waste and recycling team as well as healthy eating and cooking on a budget cookery workshops.In my other role, I work for Havering Changing – The Queen’s Theatre, funded by the Arts Council. We encourage people of areas in Havering that may not otherwise engage in the Arts to get involved and support local groups, people and artists.
Niti Paul – Parent Governor
Niti has over 17 years of experience working with major professional services from Big 4s to Tier1 Investment Banks. She is currently working as Associate Director in EY and looking after major digital transformations.
As a volunteer, Niti works extensively with various organisations and networks to embed the DNI(Diversity and Inclusion) principles and was UK Rising Star 2020 and UKTop100TechWomen 2020 finalist. Currently she is leading Strategy for Women of the Wharf(WotW) Network -A network of professionals from member organisations across Canary Wharf with the objective of supporting the career progression of women professionals in participating member organisations. She also works as Enterprise Advisor for The Coopers Company & Coborn School, Upminster as a part of London Mayor’s initiative LEAN(London Network of Enterprise Advisors to help bridge the gap between the world of work and education, working with the Careers Leader and wider senior leaders of the school or college to create opportunities for young people.
Niti is serving as a School Governor in the Learning Federation since 2019 and has two daughters who attend Broadford Primary School. She is dedicated to ensure that the Federation Vision, Values and Ethos are fully embed with a commitment from senior leadership, teachers and parents to achieving the best possible outcomes for all the students
Laura Bourne – Co-opted Parent Governor
Laura has served as a Governor in The Learning Federation since 2019 and has two daughters who attend Mead. Laura has worked as a secondary school teacher since 2007, initially as an English teacher in a school in Havering before moving to a school in Redbridge. Laura was Second in Charge of English for several years before in 2018, moving to specialise in English for secondary school children in an alternative provision.
Laura also works for Havering Governor Services and is a GCSE and A-Level English tutor.
Laura is currently a postgraduate student at Goldsmiths, University of London with a focus on educational theory, literature and politics.
Mandy Anderson – Co-opted Governor
Mandy has almost 30 years’ experience as a Teacher and Educational Adviser. As the Director of an Educational Services Company that promotes Inclusion, Positive Behaviour and Emotional Wellbeing, she is passionate that every child is championed to achieve their very best.
As Link Governor for Personal Development at The Learning Federation, Mandy is dedicated to support the children, staff, and wider school community to thrive. She is active within the local community, working closely with social and environmental groups in Harold Hill.
Mandy is an enthusiastic amateur cook and baker. When not in the kitchen, she will be out walking or participating in dance exercise sessions. She is a strong advocate of The Learning Federation’s aim to ensure children know how to eat healthily and maintain an active lifestyle.
Greg Brome – Co-opted Governor
Greg is pleased to have joined the Governing Board of The Learning Federation. He has had many years experience as a Governor in Havering schools. He is passionate about helping all children to reach their true potential. He has lived in the area for over 40 years and well understands the challenges facing Havering schools especially in the post-covid era.
Greg is retired having worked all his career for an international airline finishing as a Manager in Human Resources.
He is excited to be helping The Learning Federation move forward in these financially difficult times.
Julia Woodstock – Co-opted Governor
Julia was appointed as a Learning Federation Governor in late 2021 and has a son who attends Broadford Primary School.
Julia has been a Registered Foster carer since 2016 and has had children placed with her both short term and long term and currently works part time for a charity that supports care leavers. She has experience of working in a primary school in the Barking & Dagenham area supporting the Inclusion Manager and SENDCO.
Julia experience also includes several years in the civil service and also worked for a housing charity for over 10 years with a focus on delivering programmes for young homeless people aged 16 to 25.
Siobhan McGeary – Co-opted Governor
Siobhan has over 14 years working in Children and Families safeguarding in London. In her current role she is managing a team working with children and young people at risk of exploitation. Siobhan has a keen interest around children achieving good outcomes and has worked with parents and education services to ensure provisions are in place for hard to reach children.
Siobhan has delivered safeguarding training to the Tavistock and Portman, Children with Disabilities statutory teams, GP’s, and schools. Siobhan has managed large teams in child protection and assessment, and then in long term child protection/child in need. Through her career Siobhan has developed a good understanding of safeguarding and enjoys working with Children and their families. Siobhan is a resident in the area, she attended local schools and college, and prior to obtaining her degree, she worked in the local primary schools working with children with complex needs.
Siobhan was appointed as a Learning Federation Governor in 2022. Siobhan has worked closely with schools in various roles and was keen to take on a role as a school governor in the local area as she has a good understanding of the challenges children and their families face. Siobhan took on the role of school governor to share her knowledge and experience to assist children and parents in the local area.