List of Governors
Welcome to the Governors’ section of the Sandringham School website which I hope you will find interesting and informative.
This section gives a broad outline of the role of the Governors, how we go about fulfilling our responsibilities and who we are.
Chair of Governors
Anna Cox (Chair of Governors)
Co-opted Governor Term: 08.10.2020 – 07.10.2024
I have been a co-opted governor at Sandringham since October 2012 and serve on the Curriculum, Achievement and Wellbeing Committee and the Human Resources Committee. I am the governor faculty link to Computing Science.
I am Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at University College London. My research examines the use of technology in work and leisure contexts and the impacts on productivity, work-life balance and wellbeing.
Co-opted Governors
Duncan Gibbons
Co-opted Governor Term: 13.10.2019 – 12.10.2023
Current governor of Sandringham School, Chair of Resources, former Chair of CAW.
Former governor of Maple Primary School, Chair of Finance Committee, Chair of Governors in final year.
Qualified solicitor working as senior in house lawyer in Canadian Bank – global management responsibilities.
Previously worked as solicitor in private practice at a large global law firm, specialising in finance law.
Former Army officer specialising in logistics.
Isobel Griffiths
Co-opted Governor Term: 02.09.2019 – 01.09.2023
I am a co-opted governor living in Sandridge with two children who are currently at Wheatfields Infants’ and Nursery and Junior Mixed Schools.
My governor responsibilities include being a member of the Curriculum, Achievement and Wellbeing Committee and a link governor for Modern Foreign Languages.
I grew up in the East Midlands but have I have lived in St Albans for the last ten years. I am a solicitor and have a MA in History and an LLM in Intellectual Property Law. I have worked as an in-house Editorial Lawyer at Guardian News and Media Limited for nine years.
Stuart Miller
Co-opted Governor Term: 02.09.2019 – 01.09.2023
I became a co-opted governor at Sandringham in September 2019 and serve on the HR Committee.
My professional background has mostly been in the field of law. My day job now is as Managing Director of a network of law firms located around the world. I studied for a degree in European Law in the early 1980s. As a solicitor in private practice from 1989-2016, I worked in Bristol, Frankfurt and London, ultimately specialising in commercial and technology law. I worked for 10 years in a large law firm in both England and Germany; but from 2003-2016, I was the co-founder and latterly Managing Partner of a niche solicitors firm based in London, focused on international trade, inward investment, employment and intellectual property law.
I volunteer at the St Albans & District Foodbank, which helps local families in crisis.
Christabel Tan
Co-opted Governor Term: 02.09.2019 – 01.09.2023
I joined the governing body at Sandringham as a community governor in Sep 2019. I am currently the link governor for the STEM subjects Math, Computer Science and D&T. I am also part of the resources committee.
Professionally, I am a Chartered Engineer and having worked in higher education for over 13 years, I am currently a Principal Lecturer and Associate Professor in Engineering. Originally from Singapore, I came over to complete my degree at Manchester University and enjoyed the great British weather so much that I stayed on ever since.
Ann Irwin
Co-opted Governor Term: 10.11.2020 – 09.11.2024
I am a co-opted governor with a son and twin daughters who all previously attended Sandringham and who are now at university or working. I am no longer in full time employment and can spend time as a school governor during the day and evenings. I was previously a governor at two primary schools and a parent governor at Sandringham School. Currently my governor responsibilities include being Chair of the Curriculum, Achievement and Wellbeing Committee, a link governor for the ‘Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE)’ Faculty and Chair of the Admissions Committee. My previous work experience includes being a French and German teacher in a secondary school, secretarial work, and computer programming, business analysis and project management for various companies including the Bank of England, Merrill Lynch and IBM.
Anne Garland
Co-opted Governor Term: 09.10.2021 – 08.10.2025
I became a governor at Sandringham in 2013, initially as a parent governor as I had 2 daughters at the school, and now as a co-opted governor. I am currently Chair of the HR Committee and also serve on the CAW Committee as well as being the link faculty governor for Geography and the Learning Resource Centre. I was previously a governor at a local primary school and am currently Chair of Governors at Ridgeway Academy in Welwyn Garden City which is one of the secondary schools in the AAT.
I grew up in North Yorkshire where I attended a mixed comprehensive school and then studied Ergonomics at Loughborough University after which I joined London Underground in their HR function. I worked for London Underground for the rest of my career in various roles including HR Manager for the Metropolitan and Circle Lines and Business Partner for Central Services.
I have lived in St Albans for over 25 years and enjoy outdoor activities such as cycling, canoeing and skiiing as well as walking my dog.
Clotilde Chohan
Co-opted Governor Term: 05.11.2019 – 04.11.2023
I joined the Sandringham Governing body as a Parent Governor in 2015 when my son started in Year 7 with the aim to leverage my professional expertise in a community role. Now a co-opted governor, I am currently Chair of the Resources Committee and Chair of the Health and Safety sub-committee.
I have been working with organisations across public and private sectors as a Management Consultant for over 20 years, specialising in Business Transformation with a particular focus on Customer Experience and Digital Technology. Today I am a Director at KPMG.
I have a degree in Applied Languages (English, Spanish, Economics and Law) for which I studied in France where I come from originally, and at Aston University, Birmingham. I later studied for an MBA at Henley.
Judith Head (Vice Chair)
Co-opted Governor Term: 05.11.2019 – 04.11.2023
I am a co-opted governor and have two children. The younger one currently attends Sandringham, and the older one has completed their Sandringham career and is now at University. I am Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and link governor for Wellbeing. I trained as a secondary school science teacher many years ago. I then moved into educational publishing and work as a freelance editor and publisher. Being part of the Local Governing Board at Sandringham has given me the opportunity to keep up with changes in the classroom. It also inspired me to continue with my own learning and I recently completed an MSc at University at Hertfordshire
Luke Seiger
Co-opted Governor Term: 02.09.19 – 01.09.23
I have one son in year 8 and another joining Sandringham in September. Since my first parents’ open evening I have been excited by what Sandringham can give them and all its students.
By day, I am a tax adviser in a large public company, the result of a career I came to pretty much by accident but one I enjoy not least because of the range of disciplines I get to apply. This is the culmination of a meandering process which includes a degree in psychology, a brief time with the military and teaching English in China, among others. I have always been passionate about learning and the personal and professional fulfilment it brings. As a governor, I hope to support the school to continue to provide the outstanding opportunities it offers both curricular and extra-curricular.
Rebecca Veitch
Co-opted Governor Term: 02.09.19 – 01.09.23
I became a co-opted governor in 2019 and recently took up the role of chair of the curriculum, achievement and well-being committee. I have two children at Sandringham, in years 8 and 10. We live locally, having moved to St Albans from Paris in 2013.
I am American and grew up in the US, where I completed a degree in Psychology before joining the Peace Corps and moving to West Africa. When I returned to the US, I studied for a Master of Public Policy and have since worked in both strategy and policy roles.
In 2020, during the first lockdown, I joined UK Research and Innovation as the Head of Research Integrity, leading a team working to promote, recognise, and embed the principles of research integrity across the research system as well as establishing the first UK Committee on Research Integrity.
Judith Wickes
Co-opted Governor Term: 28.02.2020 – 27.02.2024
I joined Sandringham school as a co-opted governor in March 2020. I am currently a member of the HR committee, and link governor for Media and Drama.
I grew up in South Wales and studied languages at the University of Sussex. I then moved to London and qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte, before moving to St Albans 18 years ago.
Since qualifying I have worked in various finance roles including roles at the Royal Opera House and Action Aid International. I currently work at the Department for Education in London.
Parent Governors
Mike Anfield
Parent Governor Term: 24.10.2018 – 23.10.2022.
I started as parent governor in November 2018. I am the governor faculty link for PE and for the Student Voice group.
I live locally and I have 2 daughters currently attending Sandringham, and a son currently at Wheatfields Junior Mixed School .
My career has largely been led by a passion for people development and leading large sales and training teams across well known businesses. After 12 years at Coca Cola, I moved to Microsoft UK & Ireland 5 years ago where I am the Field Labour lead, working closely with the main retailers to drive improvements to the in-store customer experience and helping bring technology into peoples lives.
Debbie Carlin
Parent Governor Term: 24.10.2018 – 23.10.2022.
I am a parent governor with all my three boys now attending Sandringham.
I have a BSC in Psychology degree which led to a buying career at House of Fraser. I later transferred across into wholesale and became European brand management for a US accessories and lifestyle brand. After my first child I worked in a similar role for a UK home lifestyle brand.
I currently work in early years at Wheatfields Infants’ and Nursery School, working in reception.
My governor role so far includes being a member of the Curriculum Achievement and Wellbeing (CAW) committee along with being the faculty link for SEND, and The Arts (drama, dance, music and art).
I enjoy keeping fit by running, Pilates and walking my dog.
Staff Governors
Liz Kelly
Staff Governor Term: 28.06.18 – 27.06.2022
After graduating in Combined Arts from Plymouth University, I undertook my PGCE Art and Design training and progressed to complete a Masters in Teaching at Middlesex University. In my role as Director of Learning for Visual Arts at Sandringham, I aim to ensure that our students have the opportunity to enjoy the creative process whilst learning key skills to ensure that all of our students leave us with a love of Visual Arts as they progress to higher level study or other chosen pathways. I complete creative projects with local schools and promote art across the community by ensuring the Visual Arts Faculty participates and supports events such as The National Campaign for Drawing, St Albans Legacy project, The National Schools Photography Award and ARTiculation prize. I am a trained tutor for University of Arts London Future Creatives. In my spare time, I help to lead a local Brownie unit and enjoy visiting museums and galleries.
Eileen Kincaid
Staff Governor Term: 28.09.18 – 27.09.22
After graduating from Leeds University in 1992 with a degree in German and Italian language and literature, I had a brief spell in retail before becoming an MFL teacher in 1995. I have taught in three schools in the UK and have been fortunate enough to spend four years working in an International School in Wiesbaden teaching German. I have been at Sandringham School since 2004. I am very committed to our European Exchange Programmes and find it very rewarding to take students abroad in order to enhance their language skills.
I am a local resident. I have three children in local schools. My eldest daughter attends Sandringham Sixth Form. In my spare time, I play piano and am a member of the Abbey Flyers Netball squad.
Emma Walker
Staff Governor Term: 28.09.18 – 27.09.22
After graduating with a degree in Textiles and Surface Pattern from the University of Plymouth in 1994, I worked as a Designer then subsequently a Project Manager in various Design and Branding Agencies in London until I had my eldest son in 2004. Prior to starting at Sandringham in 2016 I was a Freelance Client Director working for consultancies across London and the Home Counties. At Sandringham my role is Resources Manager : Digital and Print, where I look after much of the design, print, web and social media output of the school. I am a support staff governor.
Ex-Officio Governor
Alan Gray
Headteacher: Ex-officio Governor
Headteacher of Sandringham School for 15 years and previously Headteacher at The Hemel Hempstead School. Alan is a National Leader of Education and has experience of working with a number of secondary schools in this capacity to support leadership. Alan has trained and served as an additional OFSTED inspector and chairs Hertfordshire Schools Forum, the Alban Federation (ITT provider) and the Alban Teaching School Alliance. He has previously chaired local and Hertfordshire Headteacher groups. He was a member of the DfE Secondary Headteacher Reference Group, supporting the DfE with guidance on education matters. Alan is also a trustee of the Saracens High School MAT, contributing to the development of a new school in North London and a Trustee of the Radio Communications Foundation, supporting students with an interest in electronics and communications. Alan has worked closely with governing bodies for over 25 years and has significant experience of school leadership and how to create an outstanding learning environment for all.
Types of Governor
Co-opted Local Governors are appointed by the Governing Body. They are recruited from within the community served by the school for the skills and knowledge that they can bring.
Parent Local Governors are elected by all parents at the school. They are representative of the parent body but the views they express at meetings are their own – they need not canvass parental opinion on every issue, or report back to parents on decisions taken: that is the responsibility of the whole of the Governing Body.
Staff Local Governors are elected by all other staff. Anyone who is paid to work at the school is eligible for election. Like Parent Governors they are representative of staff but the views they express at meetings are their own – they need not canvas staff opinion on every issue.
The Headteacher is also an ex-officio Governor.
Contact
Queries about the management of Sandringham School and the progress of any individual child should be directed in the first instance to the school through the prescribed channels as set out in the student planner. However, if you have any queries for the governors or wish to let us know your views on the school, please e-mail: governors@sandringham.herts.sch.uk
