About the Governors

For those of you that do not know me I live in Hailsham. I am married (to a teacher) and have one child. I am a Civil Servant and have recently taken partial retirement. I relax by playing, umpiring, and coaching hockey for Hailsham. I also have an allotment, though I am struggling to find enough day light hours to do it justice. I also seem to get roped into running for good causes – even though I really am not that keen on running! I think if someone highlights a good cause, I appear to be easily...

With a long-standing commitment to education, my career has been defined by a strong track record of achievement. Under my leadership as Head of Department, for example, languages at one of the country’s top ten universities rose to third place in the UK national league tables. After retiring, I relocated to Nutley seven years ago to be closer to family. That said, higher education remains an integral part of who I am – I still work as an Associate Lecturer at the Open University teaching German...

I have lived in East Sussex for the past 15 years and am now settled in Chiddingly with my family. Professionally, I am Head of Academic Governance and Quality at a UK university, where I lead activity relating to governance, quality assurance, curriculum development, and regulatory compliance. I have worked in higher education for more than 25 years and, throughout my career, have worked closely with senior leaders, governing bodies and external regulators, designing governance frameworks and assurance...

I have taught all year groups across primary schools in Lincolnshire and East Sussex, moving through roles as a Leading County Teacher, Senior Teacher, Deputy Headteacher, Head of School, and now Executive Headteacher. Nothing is more rewarding to me than seeing the children in our Federation find their learning irresistible. I love seeing them actively explore concepts, apply new skills, ask questions, and drive their own independent discovery. Achieving this is a collaborative effort, and I thoroughly...

I was born and brought up in the Village of Westham, and attended Pevensey & Westham Primary School, Willingdon Secondary school and Eastbourne Sixth form College I began a nursing career in Hastings in 1985, qualifying as a Registered General Nurse in the May of 1988, working initially in paediatrics, then moving on to Adult Cardiac Care. During my nursing Career I completed a BSc. (Hons) degree course with Brighton University. I responded to a call to Ordained ministry towards the end of the...

I enjoy being involved in various community groups including Groombridge Scout Group and Jarvis Brook Football Club.  I was Chair of Groombridge PTA for three years to Oct 2024 and lead co-ordinator for the Groombridge May Fair for three years, bowing out after this year’s event.  It’s a great time to be involved with the Pioneer Federation as it grows and evolves and I look forward to contributing meaningfully where I can.

As a former parent of children at Stonegate, I have been on the governing board for 8 years and really enjoy being a part of the school community and helping make a positive learning experience for the children of the school. I’m looking forward to being part of the wider Pioneer Federation and contributing to so many more children’s experiences.

I have been a parent governor at Stonegate for the past four years, having been an active member of the PTA prior to that. During that time, I was responsible for SEND and Sustainability. I have two daughters, one of whom recently finished her time at primary school, and my youngest who thankfully still has a few years left! I grew up locally until my late teens when my family relocated to South Africa. After a brief hiatus, I returned and after working in advertising in London, moved back to East...

I am an experienced leader in education having spent a varied career supporting and developing schools in a range of situations, many challenging ones.. I have been a headteacher, School Improvement Partner, Adviser, Diocesan Effectiveness Partner and Ofsted Additional Inspector. I have been a governor for over 25 years. Currently I work as an independent consultant for the Local Authority and work closely with the Leadership and Governor Services teams. Personally, I have two grown up daughters,...

I have been the proud leader of Chiddingly Primary School since September 2020, dedicated to fostering an environment where inspiring learning and pupil well-being come together. Beyond my day-to-day role at Chiddingly, I am the Downs Cluster Lead Headteacher within the Pioneer Federation, working strategically to drive collaborative improvement, shared curriculum design and strong educational outcomes across our schools. As a staff governor, I want to bridge between the daily reality of school life...

I have always lived locally in East Sussex, growing up in Shinewater in Eastbourne; I attended St Thomas a Beckett, St Richard’s, and Park College. I then moved to Brighton and studied law at Sussex University. I now work as a court clerk at Lewes Crown court, which is fascinating and varied! I really really (really!) like walking. My husband and I chose to walk from Land’s End to John O’groats for our honeymoon (1200 miles in 3 months!) and I have walked 100k in 23 hours. I also run and go to the...

I come from an education background, having worked in a very wide variety of secondary and all-through schools for over 35 years, the last 22 of which were in various leadership roles, including Executive Head. I enjoy horse-riding, reading, music and Chess as well as house renovation and interior design.

I have worked in education for more years than I would like to admit as a teacher and Headteacher in Sussex and in Africa! Then after 12 years with the LA in Greenwich as a schools adviser, I moved to Chichester Diocese in 2016 where I worked as a schools effectiveness adviser. I support two Diocesan Academy Trusts as a governance consultant. I first became a governor for East Hoathly in 2014 and have loved it so much that I have stayed on through the exciting growth of Pioneer to the great group...

I have lived and worked in Hartfield for over 25 years. I’m married to Christina and have three lovely children, two of whom have already passed through St Mary’s school in Hartfield and my youngest hopefully due to attend in the next couple of years. I run my own graphic design business, am on the board at East Grinstead Rugby Football Club (my playing days are fast running out) and am currently St Mary’s Church youth leader and Church Warden. The strong links between Hartfield church and school...

My name is William Neil Lovett (Neil) and I have been married for over 40 years we have 2 children and 4 grandchildren and enjoy family time together. I am a retired chartered accountant with significant financial experience including being employed as European finance director for a USA fortune 500 company. I was a governor for Nutley primary school for nearly 10 years before it joined the pioneer federation, I am also the treasurer for friends of Ashdown forest which is a charity raising funds...

I have had a varied ministry over 36 years. Mancunian by birth and upbringing, I was ordained in 1988 and served for 14 years in inner city communities in Newcastle upon Tyne, where my parish was finally demolished by the City Council. In 2002, I joined the staff team at Derby Cathedral as Canon Precentor, where I also worked as the presenter of the Sunday Breakfast on BBC Radio Derby. I then spent six years serving a large church in Harrogate, also serving for a year as the Acting Archdeacon and...

I have been a school governor for over 20 years in 4 different schools. As staff governor at St Paul’s Rusthall, where I worked as a special needs Teaching Assistant, and then at St Mark’s Tunbridge Wells, Crockham Hill and since 2023 as a foundation governor at Groombridge. From September 2025, when Groombridge St Thomas joined the Federation, I have been a Pioneer Governor. From September I look forward to chairing the Ashdown Cluster.

My background is as a Secondary School teacher in Religious Studies with History with Special Educational Needs. Juggling work around my 3 active children (8-16 years) means that I have done tutoring in GCSE English, History and Religious Studies, Primary school Literacy and A-Level History and Philosophy. I mark GCSE papers in Religious Studies and currently do supply work in local secondary schools and Nutley Pre-school. I was managing Chair of Nutley Pre-school and am currently Safeguarding Officer...