Governance

I became a governor at the school when my daughter was a pupil here. She had an extremely positive experience during her five years at the school and I am pleased to be able to continue to support King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls in my role as a Trustee appointed governor. I work as a Senior Lecturer in primary education and am a strong believer in every individual deserving the best possible chance of success in education.

John firmly believes that every child should be able to attend a school where a supportive and aspirational environment allows the child to become a responsible adult and fully develop their various talents. For this reason he has applied to become a Local Authority Governor and is delighted to now serve at King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls where this aim is delivered.

Prior to his retirement he worked for 37 years in education. His science teaching and school management experience was gained in four diverse secondary schools with wide levels of pupil ability, included pupils with physical and hearing impairments. John’s final role was as an advisory teacher for Dudley MBC. This entailed liaising with all Dudley schools to identify their needs for management computer systems, negotiate provision from suppliers to meet those needs and deliver support and training within the council’s overall ICT policy.
Since retirement he has volunteered with Midland Mencap for two mornings a week supporting adult clients. John also plays bass guitar in a 50’s – 60’s rock and roll band!

Emmanuel is married with two girls. The first girl was a student at this school from where she proceeded to study at De Montfort University and now works with a pharmaceutical company. His second daughter also a former student and is currently in University resolutely following in the good example of her sister. The journey with his two girls through their years of educational development is without a doubt richly rewarding experience. As a governor he wants to be able to share some of these experiences with other parents and the school community in general. It is his considered opinion that the task of educating a girl is a collaborative one. Emmanuel’s experience in the school system in Nigeria, South Korea, Canada and the UK, and working with a vibrant Church community will help him to bring a cross-cultural perspective to meeting the educational needs of the girls at Northfield School for Girls.

Glenn Jones is currently the Training Manager for a local Software company and has worked within HR and Learning & Development for nearly 20 years. 

Becoming a Parent Governor is something he has always thought of doing, and he is really excited to be getting the opportunity to do so at this school. 

While looking at secondary schools, his partner and Glenn were greatly impressed by the facilities here, along with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the staff, which made KEVI Northfield School for Girls an obvious choice. 

Glenn’s hope is that he will be able to contribute in some way to helping ensure that others continue to have the same opinion of the school, and that those working and learning here do so in a supportive and safe environment. 

Isobel has lived in Northfield all her life and is excited to contribute to the local community through serving as a governor at KEVI Northfield School for Girls. She attended KEVI High School for Girls where the all girls environment and high academic standards enabled her to flourish, elements she hopes to support NSG in continuing to offer. She read Literae Humaniores (Classics) at Jesus College, Oxford, then trained as a Classics teacher with the King Edward’s Consortium. She also has a Master’s in Education (Leadership) from the University of Birmingham, and is particularly interested in the historical lived experiences of women teachers, especially those who were also suffragettes.

Isobel has taught Classics (Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation) and English Language and Literature at several schools, both state-funded and fee-paying, in Birmingham and Solihull for twelve years, also working as a Head of Department and Assistant Head: Sixth Form. She has just started a post as a Latin teacher in another all girls school in the KE Foundation, and she hopes to combine this with continuing her own learning through pursuing a PhD in Education.

Clair has been at King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls for 3 years, initially as a Food Technician before taking on the role of Pathfinder Family Support. 

Clair started her working life as a Nurse at Selly Oak Hospital, leaving there as a Ward Sister. As her family grew and her husband’s employment meant multiple moves, she left nursing, concentrating on being the stable factor in her children’s lives. To keep her brain active, she set up her own business making fabric keepsakes and teaching craft classes but she missed going to work, having colleagues and doing something outside of her home. Clair found her place at King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls working with a fabulous team of dedicated staff and pupils. 

Outside of school Clair has a busy home life with 4 children: one grown up, living and working away from home, 2 boys at secondary school and 1 still at primary school.  All with various clubs and activities outside of school.  Clair manages one son’s rugby team and helps with the other’s gymnastics club.  Clair loves cooking, reading and taking the dog out for a walk. 

Jenny has been a teacher for 15 years and has spent 10 of those years at King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls teaching a variety of subjects including PE, Food Science, PSHE with her specialism being Dance and she was also the schools Wellbeing Mentor for 3 years.

Jenny has a passion for the arts, in particular dancing and musical theatre and she loves to actively encourage pupils to get involved in the arts, she feels it is extremely valuable for them as it enhances their life experiences and increases their cultural capital. She regularly organises enrichment activities such as theatre trips for pupils and getting external dance artists in to deliver workshops and she is involved with running and organising the school productions.

Jenny has a BA hons in Dance Studies and regularly attends dance classes outside of school, and is an experienced performer with her last role as a dancer for a Michael Jackson tribute act which toured around the UK.

Born and raised in the West Midlands and a BA Hons Sociology graduate, Rachel always knew she wanted to help and support others and she now has a career spanning over 20 years helping and supporting young people, as well as in the last 10 years as a manager and leader of services for young people.

Rachel wanted to become a School Governor to give something back as she is particularly passionate about Education and making sure young people reach their potential. Rachel chose King Edwards VI Northfield School for Girls as her mom grew up in the area and went to Turves Green Girls’ School many years ago and she has always felt a connection with Northfield and the surrounding area.

Outside of work, Rachel enjoys the outdoors, walking and volunteering at a local nature reserve, Rachel also attends weekly dance classes and is a keen football fan.

Mark is a Governor of the King Edward VI Foundation and chairs its Investment Committee.  Being part of the overall governing body, Mark has joined the governors of Northfield School for Girls to gain a closer involvement in the operations of one of the schools in the group.

Mark graduated in Engineering from the Nottingham University before training as a Chartered Accountant in London with PwC and then worked for an investment bank in property finance, international mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Moving to Birmingham in 1995, Mark was a corporate finance director for Arthur Andersen and then moved into industry as Chief Financial Officer for a succession of companies. He became CEO of Calthorpe Estates in Edgbaston, where he first got to know King Edwards.

Mark is a member of the Ironmongers Livery Company in London where he chairs the Property Investment Committee and sits on the Finance Committee. He is a Trustee of King Henry VII Endowed Trust in Warwick and is also Independent Chair of the Leamington Transformation Board where he works with various tiers of local government to lead the reimagining of the town.