Governing Body - King's Academy Ringmer
Governors play a vital role in ensuring the best possible education for every student by creating a robust accountability for our academy leaders, ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction, hold the Principal to account for the educational performance of the academy and its students, the performance management of staff and oversee the financial performance of the academy and making sure its money is well spent.
Contact information: Anne Needham - Denise Kong - denise.kong@kingsacademies.uk
Clerk to Governors - Stacey Fountain - stacey.fountain@judicium.com
King's Academy Ringmer is a part of King's Group whose Trustees hold the ultimate responsibility for the governance of each school.
The Department for Education’s governance handbook identifies the essentials of effective governance as follows:
- Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
- Holding the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and
- Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.
King's Trustees delegate certain key roles and responsibilities to the school’s Local Governing Body (LGB) and these are set out clearly in the Scheme of delegation, which can be seen on the King's Group website.
Anne Needham - Chair of Governors
I’m a retired teacher with 30 years teaching experience and my last post was as Head of Philosophy, Religious Education and Global Perspectives in a Kent secondary school. Strangely, I first qualified as a PE teacher, life certainly has its twists and turns! I have a Master of Arts Degree and I still work in education as a Lead Trainer with Cambridge Assessment, part of the University of Cambridge. In this capacity I train both teachers and trainers in how to deliver effective teaching and have 12 years’ experience working internationally including USA (5 to 6 times a year - almost to the point of being a resident), Kazakhstan, Mauritius, India, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and UK. In this capacity I have written extensive materials for all the training and designed and written numerous syllabuses. I have also mentored and guided teachers and trainers. My areas of expertise would probably lie in enquiry based learning, active learning, 21st Century skills and transferable critical thinking skills although this is not an exhaustive list.
I have also been an Examiner and Examiner Team Leader for the last 8 years and was an Examination Paper Setter until January 2015.
I am passionate about all the work I do and I can’t envisage ever leaving education. I’m really looking forward to sharing whatever experience I can with the board of governors and the school and being part of the future journey of Kings Academy Ringmer.
Marilyn Hall - King's Governor
I taught secondary science/chemistry for almost 20 years. Initially worked as a main-scale teacher,
before a brief stint as a National Strategies Science Consultant for West Sussex County Council
followed by a final role as Assistant Principal at a large secondary school in East Sussex.
I left teaching to complete a PhD in Education, which explored the impact of government policy on
science teacher classroom practice. I now work part-time as a researcher for the Civil Service.
I believe that a good education enables young people to get the best out of their lives, become
lifelong learners, and make a positive contribution to society; schools are at the heart of making this
happen.
Helen Linkenbagh - King's Governor
I am a parent of a child who is in Year 7 at KAR.
A dance educator with twenty-five years’ experience as a choreographer, lecturer and teacher, my work is focused on the development of progressive, inclusive teaching and performance practice in the community and in the primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors.
In my current role as Director of Dance at Brighton College, I lead in-curriculum and co-curricular dance activities including pre-vocational dance training in contemporary and classical dance and teaching the AQA GCSE Dance specification. I manage the Brighton College Dance School, leading on the overall artistic direction, curriculum development, administration and marketing of the College’s after-hours dance provision.
Denise Kong - Vice Chair of Governors
After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in Maths and Computer Science, I came to Sussex to start a family. I worked part time in IT events and journalism, until I was unfortunately widowed. In order to be able to spend more time with my children, I took a job in Admin at Ringmer Youth Centre. Since then I have worked as a youth worker, as a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Leader at Ringmer, and then in Attendance/Behaviour/SEND at The Cavendish School in Eastbourne, before I returned to my original interests in numbers/computing when I became the Data Manager/Timetabler at Cavendish. In 2010 I became a school governor at Laughton Community Primary School, and in 2011 I became the Chair. My various roles in schools have helped me form a holistic view of a school as a governor.
In 2014 I was elected to the East Sussex Governor Representatives' Group and now chair this group, which represents governor interests across East Sussex. In this role, I work with Headteacher representatives from schools across the area as part of the local area Partnership's (EIP's) steering group.
I enjoy meeting lots of different people in my role as a school governor and find it particularly rewarding when people start to work together and exchange ideas about how to make education work really well for our young people.
My email address is denise.kong@kingsacademies.uk or you can contact through the clerk to governors.
Natalie Moorhouse - Staff Governor
I have been the Head of Humanities at Ringmer since 1997 during which time the department has evolved from just History and Geography to encompass RE, PSHE and Careers Education (and in the past, Sociology, Psychology and Law).
Having grown up in Brighton, I read History at Cambridge University and taught in two schools in the West Country before returning to Sussex. One of the consequences of having worked at Ringmer for so long is seeing so many generations of students become adults and it is always a delight to hear about what they are up to now.
Angelina da Nobrega - Staff Governor
| Teacher of English and KS4 Progress Leader |
Mrs Stacey Fountain - Clerk to Governors
Mrs Di Smith - Link Trustee
Di is a former secondary headteacher and Government Advisor for workforce reform in schools and is now a Leadership Coach for Children's Services in the South East.
Mr Bob Baines - Governor
I am the parent of a child in Year 9 and a professional, with 25 years experience in property and strategic estate management.
My roles managing country estates have taken me to most corners of the UK and given me significant insight into the challenges of profitably managing a complex, multifaceted and cherished institution, as well as experience implementing transformational strategies and change. A problem solver and pragmatist I enjoy working collaboratively in teams and building consensus with stakeholders and a wide variety of people with diverse backgrounds.
After a first career at sea on cargo ships, I returned to education whilst working in my late twenties to do a degree in property management and later qualified with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. My own education and career path has given me a strong belief in education and lifelong learning as well as a school’s role inspiring children to embrace life and meet their full potential.
Moving back to the South-East two years ago it has been great to get to know East Sussex in all its diversity, beauty and the opportunity it has to offer. This feels like an exciting time to be joining the Governing Body and Kings Academy in its next chapter and journey to excellence.