Ken Cowdery – Academy Governor & Chair of the Governing Body 

Ken was appointed as school governor in late 2010 and became Chair in September 2012.

Ken is a Chartered Surveyor and has gained considerable professional and commercial experience as founder/director of two property consultancies and formerly as managing director of a property company.

Ken is also actively involved with other charitable causes. He is co-founder/trustee of a Charity, chairs a voluntary Association, and sits on various committees and steering groups.

Philip Knights – Academy Governor & Vice-Chair of the Governing Body 

Having retired from a firm of lawyers in London Philip has taken up several voluntary roles.  His interest in education developed during four years working part time with prisoners at HMP Send. This provided a window into the extraordinary difficulties which many people still face in accessing even the most basic skills in reading and writing. St Dominic’s offers an opportunity to enhance the life chances of young people facing different but equally demanding educational challenges.

Philip was a governor of Godalming College for nine years until 2017, and a governor of St Ives preparatory school in Haslemere. He remains a Member of Godalming College.

When not sailing with friends he is a regular volunteer with Sailability and a watchleader with the Jubilee Sailing Trust, which offers Tall Ship sailing to both able and physically disabled crew on equal terms.

Andrew Falk – Academy Governor & Designated Safeguarding Governor for St Dominic’s School

Andrew has been involved with St Dominic’s since 2009, first as Clerk to the Governors, and since 2013 as a Governor. He is now the Safeguarding Lead Governor. He lives in Hambledon, close to the school.

Andrew, who read history at Cambridge, is a retired lawyer who specialised in criminal law. He is married with 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

Alison Livesley – Academy Governor & Designated Safeguarding Governor for Brantridge School

Alison Livesley is a geography graduate, beginning her career in planning and development for airport operator BAA plc. She helped to secure permission for Heathrow’s Terminal 5 after the UK’s longest running planning inquiry lasting nearly five years. She went on to support the BAA Board in corporate strategy, corporate finance and corporate affairs.

She now has a number of voluntary roles, including as Trustee at St Catherine’s Hospice, Crawley and visiting hospital patients with her Golden Retriever Rufus as part of nationwide charity Pets as Therapy.   She was previously a governor and Trustee at Brantridge School (2011 – 2015) and a Trustee of NASS (National Association of Non-Maintained and Independent Special Schools) from 2013 – 2016.  She is delighted to be back at Brantridge to play a part in the newly formed joint governing body with St Dominic’s School.

Leigh Edser – Academy Governor & Designated Safeguarding Governor for Grafham Grange School

Leigh began her career in special needs several years ago as a Health Care Assistant working with adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. After a couple of years she moved to an LSA role at Dysart School. It was during this time that her passion for ensuring pupils with SEN have access to a high quality education that enables them to be the best they can be, was ignited.  After qualifying as a teacher, Leigh secured her first teaching post at a Special Needs school in Farnborough, Hampshire before moving back to Dysart in 2005 as a class teacher where she has remained and is now the Principal.

Liz Simmons – Academy Governor

Liz is business manager of a secondary academy in Surrey and has particular expertise in the fields of property management and human resources.  She has worked in education for fifteen years and has experience of a range of school phases from a children’s centre, through an infant and primary school to her current role.  She has achieved the ADSBM and is a member of the NASBM.

Liz has lived in Milford for twenty-two years previous to which she lived in Hong Kong for five years.  She has three children, one of whom has special needs giving her additional insight into the positive impact of effective education on students with additional needs.

Liz has been a volunteer in a number of roles with Girlguiding Surrey West for fifteen years ranging from senior section leader to division commissioner for the local area.  She is a keen walker and enjoys exploring the local countryside with her two Labradors.

Martin Lowthian – Parent Governor, Grafham Grange School

Martin’s background is Audit, Governance and Management Consultancy in the NHS, Social Care and, previously, telecommunications and banking.  He now works for a software company that provides solutions to help organisations develop and evidence their compliance with regulatory bodies, track quality improvement and evidence the planning and delivery of care.

He has 3 children, 1 off to University in September 2018, and lives in Surrey Heath, where he coaches junior cricket in his spare time.

Martin has previously been a volunteer for Riding for the Disabled Association and assisted with specialist hospitals’ charity fundraising.

Julian Short – Parent Governor, St Dominic’s School

Cath Drummond – Parent Governor, Brantridge School

Sherie Harris – Staff Governor, Grafham Grange School  

Sherie is the maths teacher at Grafham Grange school.  She has been teaching there for a year but knows the school well as her son attended the school.  Sherie is a part qualified accountant and previous to teaching at Grafham, she taught accounting at a Further Education college for 6 years. During that time, she also taught Business Studies A Level and functional skills maths.  Sherie has two children with SEN and has also worked for a local charity as group leader; providing leisure activities for teens and adults with learning disabilities. This has given her good experience with a wide range of learning disabilities. Sherie is excited to be a governor, and looking forward to the positive impact this role can have on the growth of the school.

Amme Hayter – Staff Governor, St Dominic’s School

Amme has been a teacher at St. Dominic’s for almost 4 years. She teaches English and Performing Arts and is the head of Key stage 4. Before working at St. Dominic’s Amme worked with pupils who had disengaged from school using alternative education programmes in a attempt to reengage them with learning. Amme also works as a supervisor providing respite care for children and young people with SEND during the school holidays. Amme lives near the sea, enjoys paddle boarding and is passionate about ocean conservation.

Diana Puica – Staff Governor, Brantridge School

Angela Drayton – Ex-Officio Governor/Principal of St Dominic’s School/Regional Lead for the Surrey and Sussex Hub

Dafydd Roberts – Ex–Officio Governor/Principal, Brantridge School

Janet Tremble – Ex–Officio Governor/Principal, Grafham Grange School