Welcome, on behalf of the Governors of Oakbridge Federation

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Oakbridge Federation. We have two schools in our Federation; Forster Park and Rangefield both share the Federations Vision.

The Federation has one Board of Governors. The Board has a strategic role and does not focus on the day-to-day running of the schools, that is undertaken by the Senior Leadership Team led by the Executive Headteacher. Governors have responsibility for the strategic leadership and organisation of the schools and an oversight of their performance, and we have statutory responsibilities for example safeguarding and health and safety. The Board meets once a term and there are also sub-committees of the Board that focus on more specific areas such as resources, standards, and achievements. The Board of Governors act as a collective when making decisions, in order to enable this, we have Governors from many different personal and professional backgrounds, please have a look at our pen portraits below.

The schools have skillful, hardworking members of staff who are dedicated to ensuring that our children receive an education of the highest quality, in a safe and inspirational learning environments.  We are all passionate about giving our children a wide variety of opportunities and experiences, so that we can equip them with the skills they need to progress through to secondary school and into life.

Jay Davies

Chair of Governors

Oakbridge Federation

Meet the Governors of Oakbridge Federation

Jay Davies – Chair of Governors

Jay has worked for HM Government most of his career. He spent over ten years in the Home Office. For three years Jay was Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office covering a period of transition between three Home Secretaries in a highly politically charged environment.

Jay was Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive of HM Passport Office and Registrar General. In that time, covering two Chief Executives and Registrar General’s, he was responsible for communications, business planning, parliamentary and diplomatic business as well as governance. Jay’s last post in the Home Office was interim Director for Communications and Corporate development.

Jay moved to the Cabinet Office on a short loan to the post of Head of Civil Service Capabilities. He worked on the moving away from the National School of Government model to the current Civil Service Learning approach. When in post he renewed the cross Civil Service capability plan working to strengthen the expert ‘professions’ within the Civil Service.

Jay moved to HM Revenue and Customs in 2015 to lead the business management function for the policy and strategy directorates. In July 2018 Jay Davies was appointed to the Senior Civil Service as Deputy Director, Finance, Planning and Performance for the Customer Services Group. This area is one of the largest customer services operations within HM Government, with 23,000 employees across the country, collecting over £500 billion of revenue for the UK during the last financial year. Jay was responsible for risk, controls and assurance, security and information management as well as leading the digital team charged with automating vast amounts of data and management information into meaningful performance reports and insight.   

Since May 2021 Jay has been a Corporate Director at Money & Pension Services, an arm’s length body of DWP. Here he is accountable for corporate strategy, business planning, performance, change portfolio including project and programme management, governance, legal services and data protection.      

Jay was diagnosed with dyslexia just before leaving primary school. When starting secondary school Jay could not spell his middle name (Bradley) and thanks to the hard work and targeted interventions of the special educational needs department at his secondary school he was able to complete secondary school with GCSE’s and A Levels. This has led Jay to take a personal interest in education, special needs and inclusion. Jay has been a Governor for over a decade, previously holding the  position as local authority Governor of an infant and junior school in the London Borough of Lewisham, where he became Vice-Chair and link Governor for inclusion, safeguarding and special educational needs.

Jay has been a member of the Board of Governors at Oakbridge Federation since 2019, in this time he has been Vice-Chair, Chair of Standards and Achievement Committee, member of the Resources Committee and Member of the Pay Committee. In November 2022 Jay was elected Chair of the Board of Governors.

Adrienne Jones - Vice Chair of Governors for Forster Park

I have been a co-opted Governor with the Oakbridge Federation since 2013, with a particular interest in the curriculum. During this time the two schools within the Federation – Rangefield and Forster Park, have grown from strength to strength. This is due, principally, to a well-led Senior Leadership Team, enthusiastic staff and the committed support of the Governing Body.

My background has always been in education. From my early days in the primary classroom, as a Primary Advisor and, later, as an Education Officer with Channel 4 Schools, I have been associated with schools and teachers in either an advisory, training or support capacity. At Teachers TV, I managed a team of Regional CPD Advisers whose role was to promote professional development. I currently work with trainee teachers, supporting their progress in becoming qualified.

The Governors had the privilege of appointing the Executive Headteacher to build on the work that the inspirational Senior Leadership Teams have established. I am pleased to be involved in such caring learning environments and grateful to have been linked with Forster Park’s metamorphosis to the beautiful building it is now and the ‘good’ judgement awarded from a recent Ofsted inspection. Rangefield continues to sustain its ‘Outstanding’ status, working hard through its creative curriculum to encourage ‘outstanding’ writing.

When I have had the opportunity to take a ‘learning walk’ round either of the schools, I am both amazed and delighted at the engagement of the pupils with their learning and the level of articulate thinking they reflect. Both schools provide an environment that is conducive to this and where the pupils are motivated to make more than expected progress. Both schools also successfully guide children to make the right choices, thereby building resilience and supporting well-being. As a Governor, I welcome the development of these qualities.

I would like the children in the Oakbridge Federation to achieve the best they possibly can and leave us happy, successful, confident and guided by a strong moral compass.

Helen Robinson - Vice Chair of Governors for Rangefield

Helen is a financial services industry professional, with over 10 years experience working for a range of banks to implement regulatory change. She has been working at Barclays Bank since 2017, where she has working on regulation and strategy. More recently, she has been focused on climate and sustainability, helping the bank to develop and implement its climate and sustainability strategy. 

She has been a co-opted governor for the Oakbridge Federation since 2020. She is passionate about the power of education to change a child's circumstances, and the value of schools to shape children into compassionate, ambitious, self-confident individuals. In 2022, Helen also became the vice-chair for Rangefield and chair of Resources. 

Kris Hibbert, Lady Bullock

Kris has been a school governor for over forty years.  She has served on Greenvale, Horniman and Kelvin Grove’s governing bodies and from 2011 to last September Chaired Oakbridge where she is the Safeguarding lead.

She was educated in North Yorkshire, starting life in a village school with two teachers and thirty pupils.  One of the teachers was her Mum so she knew how hard teachers worked and decided it wasn’t for her.  But having become a school governor she saw what could be achieved for children and staff with a governing body with a wide range of skills and experiences. She has always ben passionate about our young people achieving their full potential.

Kris qualified as a Solicitor specialising in crime, divorce and child protection.  She served as a councillor with LB Lewisham.  Later in her career she focussed on the training and development of staff and councillors.  She was awarded Freedom of LB Lewisham in 2019.

She is a trustee of Talk About Art which aims to involve young people in art who would not otherwise get involved.  TAA artists have worked with children in both our schools.  She is also chair of the Friends of Age Exchange which is an intergenerational reminiscence charity focussing on people with dementia and their carers.

Kerry Lynch - Co-Opted Governor

I live in south-east London and work as a Mental Health Solicitor.

Before becoming a solicitor, I worked as a care assistant to children and adults with learning disabilities for nearly 5 years, working as part of a team which encouraged those we cared for to be independent, to develop new skills and to have fun.

My work in this area led me to qualify as a solicitor practising in an area of law which supports vulnerable people who have mental health issues. In my role I provide legal advice, support and representation to people accessing mental health services in the community or detained in hospital on section under the Mental Health Act.

I have a passion for education and the opportunities it can provide, not just through learning but also through the skills we develop, the friendships and the experiences that we have in our formative years. As a governor I want to give back to the community and help ensure that our children’s education is the best it can be.

Perry Nelson - Parent Governor

I am pleased at my appointment as a parent governor and excited to utilise my experiences for the betterment of both Forster Park and Rangefield schools.

I am a qualified accountant and have been in the industry for 12 years. For the past 8 years I have been working as an accountant/business manager within the entertainment industry.  My other roles include UK General Manager and assistant COO at my current position. My business management role has enabled me to gain a lot of experience with the inner workings of various types of businesses and the various ways in which they need support, which I’m hopeful will assist me in supporting both schools.

Much of my adult life has been spent in a variety of youth-work roles, be it voluntary or in partnerships with charities. My endeavours have allowed me to run several workshops in schools aimed towards elevating disadvantaged youth. I have also run workshops within my community and went on to host a young adults talk show, where we discussed issues that affect young adults. I am also a coach for the under 10’s at Blackheath rugby club.

Once I had my own children, my passions to aid young adults naturally evolved into supporting my children’s development and giving them the tools they need to succeed. Over the years I have found that all children have amazing innate gifts and talents waiting to be realised, so striking the perfect school/parent partnership is key to seeing these talents manifest.

I feel with the support of my fellow governors and all my experiences thus far, I am in a great position to support both Forster Park and Rangefield’s continued efforts in helping our children reach for the stars.

Rebecca Goodair- Parent Governor

Rebecca was appointed as Parent Governor in October 2022. She was a new parent at the school with her eldest daughter joining the reception class at Rangefield. She has joined us whilst on maternity leave with her youngest daughter.

Apart from the full time job of being a parent, she has vast experience with the corporate sector mainly within the sphere of Human Resources. Her current role is as an Employee Relations Manager for Sainsbury’s which broadly involves supporting the business with grievances, disciplinaries and appeals as well as supporting the in house legal team with employment tribunals.

Before this she was a Human Resources manager which covered a more general approach to the world of HR inclusive of  managing Talent and Reward, Resourcing, and Performance Management. She has worked for Sainsbury’s for 13 years.  Rebecca is CIPD qualified to Associate level and also holds additional training in Mediation, Mentoring, Settlements and Employment law.

She has always been an active member of the community. Having lived in the area her whole life, her partner also runs a successful tattoo studio in the community and she actually attended Rangefield school herself!

Please, if you have anything you wish for Rebecca to raise with the committee or any feedback you would like her to discuss, she can usually be found at the school gates at drop off and pick up times and would more than welcome you coming to talk to her about what’s on your minds as parents, guardians and carers.

Charlotte Chung 

Charlotte joined the Board of Governors in November 2022, with a particular interest to support the diversity, equality and inclusion agenda for the schools and the wider communities they serve.  

Charlotte is a seasoned advisor, specialising in public policy and strategic communications, and thrives on helping organisations to solve problems and bring clarity to complex and complicated situations. Her experience has coalesced around government and various business sectors including the creative industries, small businesses and social enterprises. Charlotte currently works as the Chief of Staff for a public body and, outside of work, provides mentoring and support to activists campaigning for women’s reproductive and abortion rights.  

Laura Fox

Laura was co-opted on to the Board of Governors in November 2022. She is a member of the Resources Committee and the Link-Governor for Health and Safety for both the Forster Park and Rangefield campuses.

Laura has a passion for the creative arts and their importance within education; having herself gained her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from York St John College in Theatre, Film and Television, with the strong view that in order to succeed in any academic subjects or future prospects, children should be encouraged to be creative in their approach to learning so that in adult life, they can respond to challenges with a diverse way of thinking.

Laura has spent the last decade working in operational and compliance roles, specialising in recruitment, in a host of sectors including charity and digital technology. She currently heads the compliance and operations functions for a well-known digital recruiter in the city of London. As part of this leadership role, she is responsible for facilities, health and safety and business management. Her compliance accountabilities cover contract management, GDPR, right to work and ensuring that all government, legislative and procedural guidelines are understood and complied with throughout the organisation.