Governors' Profiles

Shireen is an experienced Governor and feels privileged to have been appointed as Chair of Governors at Oakwood Park Grammar School in 2021. Prior to this Shireen was a Community Governor at the school leading the Curriculum and Pupil Progress Committee for several years. Shireen lives locally to the school and is committed to ensuring equity in opportunities for all pupils, to ensure they reach their full potential. She is committed to continuous improvement and believes excellence is about working together, always trying to be better through sharing and supporting others.

Shireen is committed to social action and believes engaging pupils in charity and volunteering helps develop their sense of worth and achievement. Her own interests include volunteering, charity support, travel, cricket and supporting Gillingham FC.

She graduated from Manchester University with a Business Studies Degree and completed her PGCE at Nottingham Trent University. She gained a Masters in Educational Management from the University of Greenwich. She has worked in the post-16 education sector for over twenty years. Currently she is Executive Principal at a family of three inner-London Sixth Form Colleges. Before this she worked in Further Education for ten years.

Steve is a former pupil at OPGS and now Vice Chair of Governors at OPGS. After leaving the school as a pupil in 2001, Steve graduated from Lancaster University with a BA in Accounting and Finance. He worked in Local government whilst completing his professional exams. Steve then moved to the Higher Education Sector where he now holds the role of Director of Finance.

Prior to being appointed to the role of Vice Chair of Governors, Steve was Chair of the Finance, Premises, Personnel and Audit Committee. Steve is committed to ensuring that the school continues to provide an exceptional learning experience for students, coupled with an outstanding staff experience.

Wendy originally undertook the role of parent governor when her children were at OPGS before moving into the role of community governor. She felt that with her background in the financial markets and more recently in education, this would enable her to bring a range of experience to the role of governor. She currently sits on the Curriculum and Pupil Progress Committee and has had governor specific roles with SEND, Safeguarding and as chair of the CPP committee. She is keen to support the school in maintaining its excellent academic standards.

After leaving school Wendy went to work at the London Stock Exchange where she worked with member firms such as Barclays, Nomura, Warburgs and Merrill Lynch dealing with client trading services. She then moved to the London International Financial Futures Exchange working in the futures markets.  Following the birth of her children Wendy left the city and worked as a foster carer with Autistic Children before gaining a first-class Hons Degree in Childhood Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University. She then worked in primary education, initially with children with special educational needs before moving on to specialise in sport and PE. She has worked for the past 15 years in schools in Tonbridge and Maidstone where she is responsible for community sport, well-being and leading on Inclusive PE for Kent Schools. She was awarded Kent PE teacher of the year in 2021 and more recently led her school to National Primary School of the Year awarded by the English Cricket Board. She is also involved in pastoral work with children who have poor attendance or who have troubled home lives and is a senior mental health lead. In her spare time Wendy enjoys running, completing the London Marathon, several half marathons and playing netball.

Sarah is a Parent Governor who has been volunteering in school governance for six years, serving a local primary school as Vice-Chair and Co-Chair.  She created a number of resources including a governor induction handbook and a toolkit of information links and training for new and existing governors. 

Sarah has been a civil servant for 25 years and is committed to using her skills, knowledge and experience to give back to the community.

I am a parent governor at OPGS, and I have been part of the governing team since May 2022. I am so fortunate that in my role as governor I witness OPGS's strong community relationships in action, and our well-behaved and polite young adults who work extremely hard to achieve their goals. Also, through my governor work, I am privileged to hear about all the staff at OPGS giving their absolute best to ensure all pupils experience our school's vision every day, so the pupils leave our school with empowering knowledge and resilience to begin their next chapter.

Chris is a Parent Governor who attended Oakwood Park in the late 1980’s and the school has a special place in his heart, more so now his son attends the school.  He relishes the opportunity to ensure that the school continues with the excellent work that is already being carried out.

He has a passion for IT, having worked in the industry for over 30 years.  For the past 16 years he has worked for Kent Police as a Digital Forensic Analyst.  He believes it is important that all pupils are IT literate and would want to inspire pupils to have the same passion as he has for IT. 

Graham started as a parent governor when his son attended OPGS in 2003. Graham later became a Community Governor and has held a position within the Finance, Personnel & Premises Committee for many years. Graham’s daughter later joined OPGS in the Sixth Form and both his son and daughter obtained good grades in their A levels with the careful stewardship of the school’s very capable teaching team.

Graham’s background is in Security and has run a Security Business in Maidstone for over forty years providing advice to the community as well as to the school over the period of his Governorship and his passion and experience is a valuable asset to the school.

Graham’s view on OPGS is that the school offers one of the best learning environments and pastoral care for students with some of the very best teaching staff you could hope for in Maidstone.

Rebecca has 3 children-including 2 boys that attend Oakwood Park Grammar School.

She is a primary school teacher and has a solid understanding of how the education system works and the structures needed to support a school to achieve its full potential. She greatly enjoys mentoring teachers and supporting Early Career Teachers to achieve their full potential.

Rebecca has a keen interest in Special Educational Needs and believes that all children should be given equal opportunities to learn, regardless of any barriers that they may have to their learning. 

Rebecca thinks that Oakwood Park Grammar has a remarkable ethos and spirit about it-a place where all pupils are encouraged to be the best that they can be, both academically as well as morally.

In her free time, Rebecca enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, travelling and having a slow trail run across the Kent countryside. 

Claire has two children, a son who attends Oakwood Park Grammar School and a daughter who will begin her secondary school journey at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls in September 2024. 

Claire works as the Head of Marketing and Partnerships for the Kent FA, promoting grassroots football in our county across all areas of football and developing partnerships with Kent businesses to reinvest back into the game, growing playing and volunteering opportunities in Kent. 

She has also worked within the community as a corporate and trust fundraiser for over seven years, so she has a strong understanding of funding, fundraising, and community engagement projects. 

Claire has a keen interest in all sports and the value they can bring to creating thriving communities beyond participation. 

Claire believes that Oakwood Park Grammar has a fantastic ethos and supportive environment where all pupils are encouraged to be the best they can be academically and morally.

In her free time, Claire can often be seen pitch side watching her children take to the pitch, spending time with family and friends, reading, or enjoying countryside dog walks with Poppy.

Mark brings over 25 years of education sector experience to his role as governor at Oakwood Park Grammar School. Having served as Deputy Headteacher at a mixed 11-18 secondary school in the South-East, he has extensive knowledge of school operations and strategic planning, combined with Governorship experience in a Maidstone Primary School.

Throughout his career, Mark has developed particular expertise in school systems and processes, including timetabling and management information systems. He has created and maintained complex school timetables, trained staff in timetabling software, and understands the importance of balancing technical requirements with the human element of school organisation.

Mark's senior leadership experience includes managing diverse teams and fostering collaborative working environments. He is skilled at bringing staff together around shared objectives and building consensus to achieve school goals.

Mark is committed to supporting Oakwood Park Grammar School in delivering excellent educational outcomes for all its students. 

Josh is a former pupil at OPGS and now acts as the Vice Chair of Governors and Chair of the Finance, Premises and Personnel Committee.

After leaving the school as a pupil in 2012, Josh studied Law and Mandarin at the University of Kent. He qualified as a solicitor in 2021 and now works as a Global Legal Counsel (specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Data Protection) at EY. Josh is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) under the International Association of Privacy Professionals, demonstrating a commitment to Data Protection excellence.

Prior to being appointed as a Governor, Josh held roles as Chairman of the Surrey Junior Lawyers Division and as a member of the Junior Lawyers’ Committee for the Society of Computers and Law.

Josh wanted to become a Governor at OPGS to give back to the school that shaped his academic and personal development, ensuring that the future generation of students benefit from the same high standards of education and opportunities that he experienced.