GOVERNING BODY – PERSONAL PROFILES

SIMON BATY (Foundation Governor)

Simon grew up in New Malden and moved to Surbiton in 2011. He now lives in Long Ditton with his wife who is a teacher and his two children, who attend Long Ditton St Mary’s Junior and Long Ditton Infants schools. 

Simon studied Computer Science at the University of Warwick in 1998. He subsequently spent over 20 years in the financial services industry, including senior management roles accountable for governance and oversight of risks, financial performance and staff development. Simon values supporting people to thrive within a strong community and is committed to governance of the school as part of giving back to society.

ALAN CLUBLEY (Associate Member)

Alan grew up near Birmingham before moving to Surbiton in 2002 shortly after meeting Claire, whom he married in 2007. They have lived in Long Ditton since 2011 and have two daughters, one at LDSM and another at Hinchley Wood Secondary school who attended LDSM previously.

Alan is a CIMA qualified accountant who has worked in Finance for over 20 years, supporting both public and private sector organisations with financial management and planning.  He values the strong sense of community in Long Ditton and the pastoral approach to education at LDSM, and is very pleased to be able to share his experience and support the school in his role on the Resources Committee.

JAMES COOPER (Associate Member)

James joined the school as a class teacher in September 2020 before being appointed as Deputy in January 2021.  Born in Wolverhampton, he gained his undergraduate degree from the University of Liverpool before completing a PGCE at Oxford Brookes University.

He has taught in a number of state schools in Kingston & Surrey during a 14 year career. Since starting as a teacher, James has worked in a range of schools, building key relationships with staff, students and families. He is passionate about developing links between schools and their communities, through such events as sports, music and communal events.

A former resident of Thames Ditton, James now lives in Hersham with his wife, who is a special needs teacher, two year old son and dog.

RACHEL COOK (Foundation Governor)

Rachel grew up in Hampshire and moved to Surbiton in 2002.  She lives in Long Ditton with her husband and their two children, both of whom attended Long Ditton Infants and Long Ditton St Mary's Junior School. She studied law at the University of Warwick and the College of Law, Guildford, and works for a global law firm as a solicitor specialising in employment law.  Rachel was elected Co-Chair of Governors in September 2017 and has been Chair of Governors since January 2020.

CHLOE EARL (Foundation Governor)

Chloe is originally from South West London and has lived in Long Ditton since 2020 with her husband and two children, both of whom attend Long Ditton Infants / Long Ditton St Marys. She studied English Literature at Cardiff University of Wales followed by post graduate study at Exeter University. She has been a teacher, working in inner London primary education for 18 years. Chloe was an Advanced Skills Teacher for English in the London Borough of Ealing, as well as working as an associate English tutor and guest lecturer with the Institute of Education. For the last 8 years, she has been Assistant Head of an outstanding Primary School in Shepherd's Bush, as Head of Teaching and Learning. She is passionate about inspiring and supporting all learners to reach their full potential.

CAROLINE EVANSON (LA Governor)

Caroline grew up in Teddington and moved all the way to Surbiton in 2004 and Long Ditton in 2009.  She lives with her husband and two children, both of whom have attended Long Ditton St Mary's Junior School.
 

Caroline studied at the University of Birmingham and then began a career in Human Resources.  She spent 12 years working within complex multi-national organisations in energy, natural resources and construction.  She worked across the spectrum of HR activities in both managerial and advisory roles.  Caroline decided to leave corporate employment in 2013 and has since worked independently as an executive coach and facilitator of leadership development programmes.  Clients span the corporate, public and charitable sectors.

SAMANTHA HOOKE (Foundation Governor)

Sam has lived in Surbiton since 2001 where her husband, Mike, grew up and they moved to the Long Ditton area in 2009. She has three children who have all attended Long Ditton Infants’ School and Long Ditton St Mary’s Junior School with her youngest child still a pupil at LDSM. Sam studied law at the University of Exeter and qualified as a family law solicitor. She worked as a partner in a London law firm for several years before starting a career break after her second child. Sam has experience in acting for parents and children in child protection cases.  Sam has been a governor of the school since 2017 and was appointed for a second term in September 2021. She is currently Vice Chair of the governing body, Safeguarding Governor, Vice Chair of the Children and Learning Committee and a member of the Admissions and Staffing and Pay Committees.

Sam has been both Chair and Vice Chair of the Friends of Long Ditton Infant & Nursery School. She is committed to supporting both Long Ditton St Mary’s School and the local community.

TIZIANA LEONE (Parent Governor)

Originally from Rome, Tiziana moved to Southampton to study in 1998 and then New  York to work for the UN. She moved to Thames Ditton in 2019 having lived in Surbiton for 7 years. Tiziana has two children with one currently in LDSM. With a degree in statistics and demography and a PhD in Social Statistics from the University of Southampton she is particularly fond of numbers. She has a background in education having taught in higher education for over 15 years currently an Associate Professor in health and international development at the London School of Economics.

Tiziana has been involved in management and governing boards within and outside the LSE for the last 10 years, including being trustee and treasurer of a small charity. She has a strong belief in giving children maximum opportunities to discover their full potential through education and extra curriculum activities alike, whatever their background. She cares deeply about state school education and is passionate about pushing its potential.

SARAH MARTIN (Headteacher- ex-officio)

Sarah is originally from South West London and now lives in Tolworth with her husband and two children. After gaining an undergraduate degree at Loughborough, Sarah completed her PGCE at the University of Roehampton and started her teaching career in Fulham. Sarah joined LDSM as Headteacher in April 2020 having previously taught for nearly twenty years in Inner-London primary schools. Sarah believes that the role of schools is to equip children with the academic, social and personal skills they need to succeed in education, relate well to others and fulfill their dreams.

DAISY McCALLUM (Staff Governor) 

Daisy is a full time teacher at LDSM and takes the lead on how both RE and French are taught in school. She studied Primary Education with QTS at the University of Brighton and undertook teaching placements in the Brighton and Hove area before starting her teaching career in Long Ditton. Daisy is passionate about supporting all children to succeed and providing them with engaging experiences to get them excited about their learning and school life. 

COLIN POWELL (Foundation Governor)

Colin lived in Long Ditton for 28 years. He grew up and attended school locally. He has a degree in Mathematics and Music. Colin has a background in Primary Education at teacher, Deputy Head and Headship level and has worked in a diverse range of schools. He has recently retired from the post of Diocesan Director of Education for the Diocese of Southwark. Colin worked for the Diocesan Board for 15 years, prior to this he was a School Improvement Inspector in Kingston and a Headteacher of an 'Outstanding' Church school for 10 years. Colin is passionate about education and giving pupils the best life chances. In his spare time Colin enjoys music, eating out and spending time with family and friends.

SARAH RAWLINSON (Associate Member)

Sarah and Stephen, her husband, have lived in Long Ditton since 1990 and raised their four children here. Sarah has recent experience of schools as a parent and a teacher. She believes that a good education is essential for developing valuable life skills. Sarah is fully committed to her role as Foundation Governor of LDSM.

After completing a degree in Mathematics at the University of Bristol and a PGCE at the University of Cambridge, Sarah taught Mathematics in Liverpool for a few years before working with Price Waterhouse, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. She returned to education on moving to Long Ditton, and has enjoyed teaching Mathematics locally for more than 20 years.

REVD DR KUHAN SATKUNANAYAGAM (Foundation Governor – ex-officio)

Kuhan has been rector of St Mary’s Long Ditton since August 2015.  Before coming to Long Ditton he was the curate at St Mary and St Nicholas Leatherhead.  Kuhan read Natural Sciences at St John’s College, University of Durham and then later trained as a Chartered Counselling Psychologist with a masters and professional doctorate at the University of East London and worked in Hammersmith and Fulham. He returned to Cranmer Hall in Durham for his ministerial training.  Kuhan is married to Christine who is a GP and they have three children.

VICKI SHARP (Parent Governor)

Vicki has lived in Long Ditton since 2009 and her two sons have attended Long Ditton St Mary's Junior School. Vicki grew up in Buckinghamshire and studied French at the University of Manchester.  After graduating, she moved to London where she established a career in Human Resources. Over the past 20 years, she has worked for a variety of organisations including the BBC and two higher education institutions. Alongside her professional experience, Vicki also has a Masters degree in HR.  Since 2019, Vicki has been working as a freelance HR consultant with clients in a variety of sectors including charities and healthcare.

SARAH SPENCE (Foundation Governor)

Sarah was born in Long Ditton and grew up in the area until she moved away in 1992 where she studied Hotel & Catering Management at Oxford Polytechnic.  Having worked in the sector for some time, she since found her passion working in the public sector and making a difference in local communities. She moved back to the local area in 2005 with her husband Jonathan.  One of her children attended Long Ditton St Mary’s and has recently moved to Hinchley Wood Secondary School whilst the other is still at LDSM. Sarah continues to work in the public sector and is currently a lead digital analyst at Royal Borough of Kingston.  She has recently set up the Friends of Long Ditton Recreation Ground and joined the governing body of LDSM in October 2019.

HILARY WILLIAMSON (Foundation Governor)

Hilary and her husband Trevor, have lived in Long Ditton for 25 years and prior to that in Surbiton for 10 years. Their two daughters attended local schools in the area. Hilary taught in state secondary education throughout her working life; firstly as a teacher, then a head of department and latterly in the delivery of CPD for teachers. Now retired; she is a strong supporter of local state education which promotes the development of happy confident pupils whatever their ability or background and hopes that her experiences will enable her to help the governing body to continue the development of the school.

January 2024