Governance is a key element of the leadership and management of the Griffin Schools Trust (GST) itself and of the schools individually and collectively. Please click here to see our Governance Structure.

The Trust (itself accountable to DfE) is the body to whom schools are directly accountable. It delegates autonomy to each Local Governing Board/Body (LGB) or School Improvement Board (SIB) according to the Scheme of Delegation.

The Trust Board is made up of experts in UK and international education as well as private sector professionals with a wide range of commercial experience and expertise. In keeping with our vision we also place an emphasis on attracting Trustees who have backgrounds and networks in Sport and the Arts. The Board acts as guardian to the Trust vision, and ensures that progress towards its fulfilment is underpinned with the highest standards of compliance with our regulators so that public funding is very well-used.

Serving as a governor in a GST school requires a commitment to the seven principles of public life and to a code of conduct which puts the school and its pupils at the centre. GST governors meet formally every thirteen weeks (i.e. once every school term) and much of the real work is done between these meetings, through Working Groups and individual contributions to the school’s life according to each governor’s skills and the needs of the school.

The role is very different from that of a governor in a Local Authority school, recognising that the Head is the school’s Chief Executive and the Board is there to advise, support and challenge through appropriate channels and to evidence the impact that governance is having on the school’s progress. As in the world of non-executive directors, GST governors are expected to bring their skills to bear and to work in co-operation and collaboration with the staff team, the whole Local Governing Body and the Trust to bring about rapid and sustained improvement for the pupils they serve.

The Trust is responsible for the appointment, performance management and professional development of the Heads, though the LGB’s work has a vital role to play in highlighting and evidencing the impact that the Head and governors are making through their termly meetings. Through their work in and for the school, governors come to know the school community and to be well-informed about its performance, able to talk about it confidently and accurately to the Trust, to Ofsted, to parents and to interested local groups.

We very much appreciate the work that governors do and the part they play in the success of the schools they serve and indeed of the Trust. We hope that governors find reward in the impact they make on young lives and their individual experience of the living reality of the GST motto: Proud Traditions Wide Horizons High Achievement.

The Medway Local Governing Board is:

Martin Chapman
Justin Creasey
Janey Denton
Lorraine Gammon
Hannah Nash
Anne Powell
Sabrina Reilly – Chair
Angela Sandow
Diana Wilks

Martin Chapman

Martin Chapman is an engineer by trade and brings many years’ experience in the private sector, working in project management, seeing projects from inception to completion. He has worked across many varied commercial sectors, currently working for a shop fitter creating restaurants across the UK. He likes to spend as much time as possible with his daughters, who attend Lordswood Primary.

Justin Creasey

Justin has leadership experience in primary and secondary schools as a Head, Executive Head and School Improver. A maths specialist, he has a keen interest in pedagogy and curriculum innovation and since joining GST, he has worked with schools to make sustainable step changes in outcomes and to speed their journeys to Griffin Great.

Janey Denton

Executive Head, Kingfisher, Lordswood and Saxon Way

Janey has been teaching for sixteen years and spent thirteen of these at her previous school where she was a teacher, Deputy Head and then Acting Head before taking the substantive Headship at Saxon Way. Janey is passionate about improving outcomes and raising aspirations for children. In recent years, she has developed a particular interest in improving teaching and learning through the use of pupil voice. She has found that listening to the thoughts and opinions of children regarding their learning and what they want/need from the curriculum to be very motivating for pupils, teachers and leaders alike. Janey has ridden and owned horses since she was very young. When she has the time, she still likes to compete and enjoys doing local one day events.

Lorraine Gammon

Lorraine works as a volunteer at Saxon Way Primary and has just completed her Learning Support Assistant Qualification. As a parent, she is delighted to be contributing to education and making a difference for young people.

Hannah Nash

Hannah has worked for a high street bank for over 20 years, undertaking high-profile project work, communications management and latterly operations management. Her work in the finance sector has involved delivering hundreds of sessions to primary school children on the benefits of managing money wisely, using fun examples like organising parties or planning for a new pet to explain the importance of saving and budgeting. Hannah is an advocate for Special Educational Needs and dedicates her time to supporting families whose children have a new diagnosis of Autism. A parent to a child with special needs herself, Hannah is passionate about ensuring all children have the right provision to fulfil their true potential in the classroom.

Anne Powell

Anne is a music graduate who found her vocation in teaching in the least affluent communities in East London. As a primary Head and then Executive Head, Anne has led and supported rapid and sustainable improvement journeys in several GST schools, primary and secondary. Her leadership saw two long-term underperforming schools speed from special measures to confidently outstanding. The first GST Head to become the CEO on the strength of her record, Anne presides over the further realisation of the Trust’s vision. She is driven by a belief that good exam outcomes are the corollary of a great education and not its sole focus.

Sabrina Reilly

Chair

Sabrina has been Head of School at Riverley Primary since 2019 and brings a wealth of experience to the role. He passion for school leadership comes from her deep belief in providing exceptional opportunities for every child by designing and implementing an ambitious and personalised curriculum. Sabrina leads Trust-wide training events, is an experienced local authority moderator and has supported many cohorts of newly qualified teachers. Sabrina brings a wealth of school improvement, operational and financial expertise to her role as governor.

Angela Sandow

Angela joined Saxon Way as Deputy Head in September 2013 after 20 years experience at another school. Throughout her career, Angela has embarked on a journey of self-development starting as a teaching assistant, completing a teaching degree and a Registered Teacher Programme, becoming a phase leader, assistant head and an interim Deputy Head. Her thirst for knowledge and development continued and she successfully became Head of School at Saxon Way in April 2015. Before beginning her career in education, Angela was a social worker for Surrey County Council. A background that she finds very useful when working with the many vulnerable families in the school.

Diana Wilks

Diana Wilks has three children at Lordswood School and started working part-time last year after being able to be a stay at home mum for 10 years. Prior to this, she completed a degree in Law with Social studies before working in Share Registration and was a Client Relationship Manager at Capita Registrar’s.

Claire Saxton – Clerk
medwayclerk@griffinschoolstrust.org
01634 336 767

Address of Chair:
Lordswood School, Lordswood Lane, Chatham, Kent, ME5 8NN