Featured / News
Posted on 21 March 2025
Weekly Headteacher's Bulletin
The local governing committee (LGC) sets the vision, ethos and strategic direction of the school as well as challenging the capital, educational and financial plans. The LGC meets half termly with meetings in 2024-25 scheduled for the following dates: 24 September, 3 December, 4 February, 25 March, 13 May and 1 July. All governors have an area of responsibility which they oversee. Governors visit the school on a regular basis and report back to the committee on their linked areas.
The chair of governors at Twickenham School is David Gold. Further details about our governors, including how to contact them can be found below:
David Gold – Chair of Governors
David is a management accountant by background, working mainly in the energy industry across the UK, Europe and Asia. His areas of expertise include helping organisations put in place processes and systems to manage performance and risk and helping leaders achieve their objectives. He was previously a governor at the British School Manila.
David’s daughter recently graduated from Twickenham School.
Responsibilities: safeguarding
Debra Fendley - Co-opted Governor
Debra is now a practicing ceramicist and teacher at Richmond & Hillcroft Adult Community College (RHACC), having worked previously in supply chain & logistics positions with LVMH in Sydney, Australia and then London for over a decade. To create the right environment for people to learn is one of Debra’s keenest interests, thus answering the call to become a governor at Twickenham School. Other than pottery, her interests include singing in her local church choir, walking and hiking, cooking and baking and travelling Europe.
Responsibilities: safeguarding
Jacqueline Marson – Parent Governor
Jacqueline works with children and young people in an educational and counselling capacity; she is also a governor at a local primary school. Jacqueline has been a member of the Twickenham School community for over ten years and during that time has watched the school grow and thrive. She has a passion for equality in education and ensuring everyone has access to the best possible opportunities so that they can reach their potential.
Mary Parker - Co-opted Governor
As an architect, Mary is focused on the learning environment both inside and outside the school and looks at how it can be a safe and inspiring place.
She has been a governor at Twickenham School since 2016.
Also a governor at a local primary school, she has a keen interest on how the transition from primary to secondary works successfully for the whole school community.
Responsibilities: health & safety
Claire Pitchford – Co-opted Governor
Claire is a Deputy Headteacher at a secondary school in Surrey. She completed her PGCE at the University of Cambridge, where she subsequently went on to complete a masters in education whilst embarking upon her career as a secondary school teacher. Her subject specialisms are drama and English, to which she remains very dedicated, regularly enjoying attending the theatre and recommending books to her students to develop themselves beyond the curriculum.
Her pastoral and academic experience have been gained in a number of schools where she has undertaken both academic and pastoral management roles.
Having completed the NPQSL she now works in senior leadership and is a trained safeguarding lead. She is a passionate educationalist and, as a teacher and a governor, she dedicates her time to ensuring that the young people in her care have opportunity and ambition.
Responsibilities: curriculum and careers
Simone Scott - Parent Governor
Simone Scott has been working as a teaching assistant and learning support assistant for local schools for over six years, three of which have been directly working with special educational needs. She is training to become an ADHD Ambassador within the Richmond Borough tasked with raising awareness of ADHD amongst staff, parents and pupils; celebrating and recognising positive traits and understanding the impact of a diagnosis on studies and mental health. With this in mind she is committed to supporting the Governing Committee ensure that all students have equal access to education and opportunities in the drive towards the continued success of Twickenham School.
Simone has 3 children, all educated at Twickenham School.
Responsibilities: Special Educational Needs
Miranda Sikkens – Co-opted Governor
Miranda has 20 years’ experience within the education sector. She initially worked in two inner London Further Education colleges, managing their Key Skills curriculum, before teaching English and GCSEs abroad. She then transferred her focus to the Third Sector where she managed and developed a range of projects, most recently, working for a social mobility charity to deliver education/employability focused workshops in schools nationwide. Miranda’s three children currently attend a local primary school where she was PTA Chair for three years.
Responsibilities: curriculum
Ross Sullivan – Co-opted Governor
Ross has two children at local schools so has experience of the challenges faced by state schools in the area. He is keen to help young people to maximise their potential and receive the support they need for challenges they may face on a personal level. His professional background is in IT and banking, with a particular interest in process optimisation and technology. He is currently working flexibly whilst writing a book.
Responsibilities: Health & Safety
Jonathon Lisseman - Headteacher
Governor Vacancies
We occasionally have vacancies on the governing bodies of Twickenham and other trust schools. Please take the time to have a look at the role description to see if it is something you would like to do.
The-role-of-a-school-governor.pdf
How to contact the Governors
Should you wish to contact the Twickenham School Chair of Governors - please in the first instance send all correspondence to Alison Watts, Clerk to the Governors (Governance Professional) - c/o the school address or via email.
clerk@twickenhamschool.org.uk
The Twickenham School governor register of interests and attendance records can be viewed within the BET Governance folder within Key Information.
https://www.bourne.education/380/key-information/category/19/bet-governance-scheme-of-delegation
