School Governors

Goldfinch is proud to have joined the Dunraven Educational Trust in January 2019. The Trust is run by a Board of Trustees, who appoint the members of the school’s Local Governing Board. Working closely together, the Board of Trustees and the Local Governing Board have three core responsibilities:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction

• Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils

• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent

The Headteacher is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the school.

Our Governors are:

Kate Bower

Chair of LGB and Link responsibility for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Kate trained as a Chartered Town Planner and following a successful career in planning, moved into the world of political PR, specialising in Property matters. Following a career break to raise her two children, Kate uses her experience and skills to assist a number of not-for-profit and charitable organisations including London First, Orchid Project, HomeStart and is an ambassador for HFT, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities. Kate was recently appointed to the Magistracy. She is a former Governor of a secondary school in Hertfordshire. She is very pleased to be supporting Goldfinch, in particular the children with SEN.

Term of office: April 2023 - April 2027*

David Burgess

Vice-Chair of LGB

David is the Publishing Director of The Legal 500, the largest leading law firm referral research group, which now spans 180 countries. He was recently named one of the world’s “Global leaders and influencers in legal business”, and sits on the board of the Association of Corporate Counsel Alliance in Washington DC. He travels extensively across the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe speaking at conferences, and providing bespoke training for law firms and general counsel. David previously served as a governor at a Lambeth primary school for five years. He is committed to helping to provide the best school experience for children at Goldfinch and across the Dunraven Educational Trust.

Term of office: April 2023 - April 2027*

Jennifer Ledsham

Jennifer is a qualified Chartered Accountant with the ICAEW currently working within the Forensic Disputes and Investigations team of a Big 4 accountancy firm.  Jennifer was appointed as a governor of Goldfinch in February 2023 as her first school governor role.  Jennifer is the Writing Lead governor for Goldfinch.

Term of office: February 2023 - February 2027

Hamimah Semambo

Link responsibility for Health and Safety

Hamimah is a qualified nurse with over 10 years experience working in the NHS supporting the health and wellbeing of children and their families. She is passionate about equality for all and bridging the gap between poor health and poverty. Hamimah is committed to supporting the holistic wellbeing of children and she will bring her knowledge and enthusiasm of health to contribute in shaping the learning experience for the children at Goldfinch.

Term of office: April 2024 - April 2027*

Bob Soni

Bob is a senior banking and finance executive with over thirty years of experience across the capital markets industry, as well as extensive consulting firm management, business strategy & development, and project management expertise.  As the ICT Link governor at Goldfinch, he is workign with the Local Governing Board and staff to assist the school in maintaining a strong focus on leveraging technology for children's learning and maximising the ICT capabilities available.

Term of office: January 2023 - January 2027

Ellie Roberts

Staff Governor

Ellie has worked at Goldfinch for five years.  Ellie has experience as the Maths Lead at Goldfinch and began working within the Maths Hub as Primary Mastery Specialist last year.  Already working in the school, she has first-hand experience of the education system and knowlede of teaching and learning, and is committed to ensuring every child receives the best education. 

Term of office: June 2021 - June 2025

Charlotte McDermott

Parent Governor

Charlotte was appointed unopposed to the role of Parent Governor in March 2022.  Charlotte is currently Vice-Chair of Friends of Goldfinch PTA.   

Term of office: March 2022 - March 2026

Jacinta Waters

Link responsibility for Safeguarding

Having trained and spent 5 years working in Australia as a primary school teacher, Jacinta began working in Lambeth in 1990 and enjoyed the experience of teaching in London so much that she never returned!  Her last position was as the Head of School at Hitherfield Primary School in Streatham and took the opportunity to develop partnerships with schools in northern Europe as far away as Tanzania.  Jacinta retired in January 2023 and joined the Goldfinch Local Governing Board soon after doing so.  She is passionate about learning development and community involvement and is keen to use her knowledge and experience to support leaders at Goldfinch to achieve their aim to provide the best possible educational experience for the children who attend the school.

Term of office: May 2023 - May 2027

*denotes second term of office

Governors who have left in the last 12 months:

None to note.

We have a vacancy for a second parent governor.  Any parents interested in finding out more about the role, please contact Kylie Burgess at governance@det.org.uk