Governance

Lesley was born and educated in Nottingham but she has firm roots in the Northfield area. Whilst the School that Lesley attended in the coalmining region of Nottingham did not have high academic aspirations, she was very fortunate to be taught by an outstanding teacher who recognised her abilities and encouraged her to aim higher. She moved to Longbridge at the age of 18 and joined the Rover Group Management Trainee Scheme, living in a flat on the Bristol Road. She qualified as a Management Accountant whilst working at Rover Group and won a prize for the third highest mark in her examinations with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. She moved from Rover Group to HSBC Bank and spent fifteen most enjoyable years working in various senior financial management roles within the Commercial Banking sector.

Since 2003, Lesley has been working in the Education sector and her current role as a member of the Executive leadership team at Bromsgrove School involves many aspects of strategic, financial and operational management. Lesley is very aware of how fortunate she has been in her career and recognises that her educational experience has had a significant impact upon both her success and her personal values. She is committed to ensuring that all of our girls at King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls also leave school with skills, confidence and high aspirations for the future.

Lesley enjoys spending time with her husband and children. She also enjoys walking her dog, travel and socialising with her wider family and friends.

Lesley can be contacted via the Clerk – jeannette.weir@kevibham.org

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.

Polly was born and educated in London and has worked in education for 22 years. She moved to Birmingham seven years ago and is currently a senior pastoral leader at a school in the King Edward’s Foundation. She has worked at mixed and single sex schools in a variety of contexts throughout the UK and is passionate all students should have the opportunities to reach their full potential.

As someone who attended a girls’ school herself she knows the advantages this can bring in developing resilience and confidence. As a Governor she is committed to contributing to the drive for excellence at King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls. She sits on the Education Committee but has a special interest in pastoral issues particularly student mental health.

In her spare time, Polly enjoys film and theatre as well as travelling with her husband.

Melody was born in Birmingham and is a former pupil at King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls. She is delighted to have the opportunity to join the Local Governing Body as a Trustee Appointed Governor at the start of an exciting new chapter for the school.

She is a senior NHS manager with 32 years’ experience in strategic, operational and commissioning settings. She is currently the Cancer Commissioning Manager at NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group.

She has a Certificate in Health Education; a Higher National Certificate in Business and Finance gaining the college award for Outstanding Achievement (for distinctions in all subjects); a degree in Business Studies; and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Policy and Management from the University of Birmingham.

Melody took an unconventional route into further education and undertook her undergraduate and postgraduate courses whilst working full time. She recognises the importance of education in opening up a wider range of career opportunities. She hopes to ensure that all girls have access to similar opportunities and are supported and encouraged to broaden their thinking about potential careers. She is equally passionate about creating a safe and supportive learning environment where girls can develop and broaden their ambitions.

Many of Melody’s roles have been in children’s services, including Safeguarding Business Manager for Birmingham CCGs, and at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital she developed and managed the first Regional Centre for Cleft Lip and Palate Services. She also commissioned specialised children’s health services and neonatal care for a number of years. She has a broad range of skills and is well versed in building strong relationships and leading challenging and demanding projects working with a range of multi-agency partners.

Melody is truly passionate about ensuring that our children and young people are at the heart of everything that we do, helping them to achieve their highest aspirations.

In her spare time Melody enjoys hill walking and has a passion for history, pre-raphaelite art and bird watching.

Dorcas sits on the Education sub-committee. She has two girls that attend King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls in Years 9 and 11. Dorcas has always had a passion for working with children. She believes that children should be encouraged to dream big and nurtured in the belief that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to with determination, hard work and a rich and varied education. Having worked at the BBC in various roles for over 14 years, Dorcas left her position in 2015 to pursue a career in education. She trained as an Early Years Teacher and has since worked as a Reception and Nursery Teacher. Dorcas also voluntarily teaches children Maths and English at a Saturday school in Aston. Dorcas hopes her skills and experience in education will help to push Northfield School for Girls to even higher educational outcomes for all the girls that attend.

Dorcas has a daughter with Type 1 diabetes that attends King Edward VI Northfield School for Girls and she has been extremely impressed with the support and nurture her daughter has received from the school. Dorcas hopes that as a school governor she will be in a position to help the school continue to provide support and care for those who need it.

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.