List of governors

List of Governors

Name	Category	Term From	Term To	Leads & Link Governor Roles
Tahir Darr Vice Chair of the Governing Board	Appointed by Members	30 Mar 2016	29 Mar 2020	·     Science ·     Exit Interviews (Staff) ·     OSA (Oldfield School Association Link)
Tom Davies	Co-opted	07 Dec 2017	06 Dec 2021	·     Sixth Form ·     Capital Development
Duncan Giles	Co-opted	21 Mar 2017	20 Mar 2021
Ruth Henry	Staff governor	09 Feb 2017	08 Feb 2021
Vicki Jackson	Co-opted	09 Feb 2017	08 Feb 2021	·     Communications ·     Behaviour for Learning ·     English
Verity Lewis	Staff	08 Feb 2018	07 Feb 2022
Steven Mackay Headteacher		01 Sept 2017	ex officio	·     Lead Professional ·     Accounting Officer
Michelle O’Doherty	Co-opted	10 Oct 2018	09 Oct 2022	·     Art, Technology & Music ·     Pupil Premium ·     Community
Kelly Ogden	Parent	04 Dec 2018	03 Dec 2022	·     Student Voice ·     SEND ·     Anti-Bullying
Nick Regan Chair of the Curriculum Committee	Appointed by Members	20 Sep 2017	20 Sep 2021	·     Humanities ·     MABLE (More Able) ·     Modern Foreign Languages
Ashley Russell	Appointed by Members	01 Feb 2019	31 Jan 2023
Joanna Symons	Co-opted	25 May 2017	24 May 2021	·     Safeguarding ·     Pastoral
Kevin Ward Chair of Finance & General Purposes	Appointed by Members	08 Dec 2016	07 Dec 2020	·     H&S
Stuart Weatherall Chair of the Governing Board	Appointed by Members	30 Mar 2016	29 Mar 2020	·     Maths RAP (Raising Achievement Plans)

Governor Profiles

Stuart Weatherall – Chair of Governors

I joined Oldfield School’s governing body in March 2012 and was elected as Chair in March 2014. My aim is to work with my colleagues on the Governing Body to build a high performing team which challenges and supports the head teacher and all staff in order to make Oldfield a great place to learn and work while maintaining its status as an outstanding school.  When not engaged on governance matters, I work as a consultant project manager at Army Headquarters and as a company director.  Work brought me to Bath in 2006 where I still live with my wife and five children.

I have a considerable amount of general management experience from my 30 years’ service in the Army which has equipped me with a range of relevant skills including project management, performance management, planning, budget management and HR to undertake the challenging role as Chair.  To improve my knowledge I also participate in ongoing governor training provided by B&NES.

I am particularly interested in working with parents and other stakeholders to ensure that the school has a positive and important profile in the local community, that we have a culture of openness and constant improvement and that the talents and efforts of our students and staff are nurtured, valued and celebrated.

Tahir Darr – Vice Chair of Governors

I have recently been appointed Vice Chair of Governors and have been a Governor since 2011 on the Finance and General Purposes committee.

I have three children of which two attend Oldfield School so have a vested interest in the success of the school. I have been an airline pilot for 20 years and have run my own various businesses.

I have enjoyed getting to know the excellent staff at the school and admired their dedication and professionalism in the challenging environment of the school.

Tom Davies – Governor

I joined Oldfield as a Governor in November 2017. My wife, daughter and I live in Bath and as Oldfield is our local school I was keen to become a Governor to support the school.

I am a Chartered Accountant and currently the Bursar (COO) at Monkton Combe School where I am responsible for the School’s support operations including its finances and estates.

Before joining Monkton I was a Director in the Education and Charities team at the accountancy firm, Grant Thornton UK LLP where I advised and audited a number of schools, universities and large charities. Before training as an accountant, I was the founding director of an international NGO which focussed on providing education and support for disadvantaged children.

Duncan Giles – Governor

In 2005 I joined Oldfield School as Head of Year and remained there happily for 5 years. During that time I was fortunate to be part of an inspiring school community that demonstrated excellent commitment and dedication throughout. Oldfield’s student body, its teachers and support staff strove for excellence and it left a strong impression on me, which remains to this day.

When the opportunity to become a governor arose in 2013, I did not hesitate. It felt important to support a school I believed in and work alongside colleagues I trusted and respected. Oldfield was and remains an outstanding school and I believe it as our priority to ensure that does not change. Working together, supporting one another and putting the interests of the school and its pupils at the forefront of everything we do should ensure the schools continued success.

Since leaving Oldfield in 2010 I was appointed Assistant Headmaster at Kensington School, a British curriculum school in Barcelona and more recently as Principal of Baleares International College, Mallorca. My experience in both the classroom and management in addition to working with inter-school bodies such as NABSS, (National Association of British Schools in Spain), BISA, (Barcelona International School Association) and the British Council will hopefully allow me to support my fellow governors, the Senior Leadership Team and the Oldfield community as a whole.

Ruth Henry – Staff Governor 

I have been a member of staff at Oldfield since 2014, working in administration and then as Student Welfare Officer and now Pastoral Support Officer.

My aim is to help provide our students with not only an excellent education but with a sense of self-worth and emotional well-being.  As a member of staff and parent I feel I have a good all-round understanding of our school and have a good relationship with staff, parents and students.

I was a governor with a primary school for 7 years and was involved in meetings there with 2 rounds of OFSTED.  Before having children I worked as Academic Quality Manager for the University of Westminster, where I was responsible for validation and review of all courses within social sciences, law and languages and was lead administrator for all of the QAA visits, which has equipped me for reading, digesting and questioning long documents and policies.  This said my real passion is ensuring each student is treated as an individual to help them reach their full potential.

Vicki Jackson – Governor

I was appointed a community governor at Oldfield in Feb 2017.

I am passionate about supporting the local community and helping the teaching team at Oldfield to maintain its high standards and values and to provide the best education it possibly can.

With over 20 years’ experience as a Retail professional, across commercial management, product development, marketing and project management, I hope that my experience, skills and interests will contribute to the success of Oldfield, benefiting all stakeholders – students, parents, staff and the local community.

Verity Lewis – Staff Governor

I have been a teacher of science at Oldfield School since 2013.  Within my career, I have worked at several schools across all Ofsted gradings in Surrey and South West of England.  During my time at other schools, my teaching and learning responsibilities have involved maintaining and raising achievement in my learning area, whole school roles on the then named ‘Gifted and Talented’ and ‘Aim higher’ students and promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics within and outside of the allocated curriculum time of students.

My recent focus has been to concentrate on the very rewarding role of being a classroom teacher.  Becoming a staff governor allows me to further support our school’s development in providing our students with a supportive and challenging learning environment that leads them to become successful members of the wider community.

Michelle O’Doherty – Governor

I became a Governor at Oldfield in September 2014 and am a member of the Curriculum committee. I am also on the Governing Body at Newbridge Primary School in Bath, where I have been the Chair of Governors since April 2014.

For the past 12 years, I have worked in publishing and I also work as a cello teacher and I am involved in Scouting, where I might do anything from climbing trees and lighting fires to taking computers apart!

As a Governor at Oldfield, I am really keen to strengthen the school’s links with the local community and to help maintain Oldfield’s excellent academic standards. Most importantly, I am looking forward to helping to promote Oldfield as an excellent place to learn and work.

Kelly Ogden – Governor

I have been a Parent Governor at Oldfield School since 2014.   I am also a Parent Governor & Chair of the Parent Council at Two Mile Hill Primary School.

I have 3 children, two are currently at Oldfield School. I feel very passionate about volunteering my time towards both schools and enjoy all aspects of the role.

I am on Personal and Student Welfare Committee. My main link areas lie with Student Council & SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability).  I feel that the student voice is very important as they are the ones that have to deal directly with day-to-day life within the school.  I will be working closely with Student Council to tackle every day issues and listen to their views.

Governors at Oldfield School work together as a team to make sure we get the best possible outcomes for the students.

Nick Regan – Governor, Chair of Curriculum Committee

As one of the parent governors, I bring perhaps the most important perspective in the school community – that of the parents – to the discussions of the Governing Body.

I am Chair of the Curriculum Committee. My role there is to ask for, and receive, along with the other members, reports from the Senior Team and Heads of Faculty on the students’ progress and achievement of targets, and on changes to the curriculum and the impact that they have, to ensure high quality teaching and learning in all subjects. I also ask the Link governors, who have special liaison roles with the academic Faculties, to visit their Head of Faculty in school in order to stay up to date with developments within their subjects, and to report back to the Curriculum Subcommittee.

I have always worked in language teaching, at secondary and university levels; I am a Teaching Fellow in Spanish at the University of Bath. My experience, and the B&NES Governor training, helps me engage properly with teaching, learning and assessment at Oldfield.

Ashley Russell – Governor

Appointed in February 2019, I am very proud to be a part of the Oldfield School community as a Board member. Through my trusteeship, I hope to have a positive impact on the work the school does to allow young people to thrive and grow, both academically and personally. I anticipate being able to scrutinise and challenge the school’s performance to ensure we’re working on the right things, in the right way.

Professionally, I’m a manager at the Sainsbury’s store in Bath Green Park. In my role, I’m responsible for a team of over forty-five people who pick, pack and deliver groceries for customers all over Bath. Starting as a Christmas temp, operating a checkout and collecting trollies, I took part in Sainsbury’s leadership development programme, becoming a Team Leader and then Manager. I’m accountable for making sure our delivery operation is safe and legal, recruitment, ensuring colleague wellbeing, training and all HR and employee relations activities. Regularly, I’m required to run our store’s operation in the absence of the Store Manager.

A large part of my life is dedicated to my voluntary work with The Scouts. Having been involved since I was a Scout on the Isle of Wight, I now manage a scout group, 51^st Bath, in Oldfield Park, Bath. Within 51^st Bath, I line manage all the adult volunteers who support our skills for life mission, sit on our trustee board, and ensure we’re delivering the best programme of activities possible for our young people. In addition, I sit on the Board of Trustees of The Scouts on a national level. Through this role, I steer the organisation’s strategy, safeguard the charity’s interests and assets, and oversee the work of our staff team.

Joanna Symons – Governor

My name is Jo Symons and I currently have two boys at Oldfield School. I wanted to be a governor at the school as I believe that all children should have the opportunity to become the very best version of themselves that they can be and a good education is essential for them to do so. I also believe that the skills and experience we gain through life should be used to make a difference to the lives of others.  I have been a governor at a nursery school and a primary school and think that it is a fantastic way to contribute towards making that difference to the lives of all our children.

Kevin Ward – Governor, Chair of Finance and General Purposes Committee

I joined the governing body in October 2012 and became chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee in May 2014. I have lived in Bath & North East Somerset for the past 10 years and currently live in Keynsham with my wife and two young daughters.

I have worked as a ‘big 4’ management consultant for the past 10 years allowing me to hold many senior positions across public and private sector organisation in both an advisory and delivery capacity. I bring to the governing body significant experience in programme and project management, strategy development and delivery and change management expertise. My aim is to utilise the skills and experience I have developed over the last 10+ years to support the delivery of Oldfield School’s exciting, ambitious and challenging plans over the next few years and beyond. I am also actively participating in the B&NES governor training programme to improve my knowledge and specific skills needed to support Oldfield.

My focus in the short term will be ensuring that we have a balanced budget focussed on delivering the priorities that matter to our children, parents and other stakeholders from across the local community and that we constantly challenge ourselves to deliver value for money in everything that we do.

Governor Applications

If you are interested in becoming a governor at Oldfield School please use this link to contact the Clerk to the Governing Board and mark your email for the attention of the Chair of the Governing Board.

Governor Queries

Any governor queries should be addressed to Marya Marriott, Clerk to the Governing Board at the school’s address:

Oldfield School
Kelston Road
Bath
BA1 9AB

Telephone: (01225) 423582
Fax: (01225) 464986