Governance

Chair of Governors

John was born, bred and has lived all his life in Sedgefield. John and both of his children are ex-pupils of the College and John is so proud to be its Chairman. He has been given the gift of 5 wonderful grandchildren, who keep him young!

He has spent all his professional life working in the National Health Service, initially as a nurse working in many local general and mental health hospitals, before going into Nursing Education and then Management. He was for 14 years Vice-Chair and SID of the local Mental Health Trust.

He is currently the County Councillor for Sedgefield Division, where his roles include Chair of Durham and Darlington Fire Authority, including National Fire Commission and FSMC. He Chairs the County Adult, Health, and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and Regional Health Committees. He is also Chair of the Durham County Planning Committee. He is a Justice of the Peace.

It is an honour and pleasure to Chair the Governing Body of such a wonderful College and to support and encourage the young people of today who will be the Adults of the Future.

Associate Governor

Chris has been on the Board at Sedgefield Community College since 2017, previously a parent Governor. Chris has enjoyed working as part of the SCC governing body team and is currently an associate governor.

Both of Chris’s children are currently at SCC and his wife is a primary school teacher, so Chris has a good insight into both the challenges of providing a great educational experience and of high parental expectations.

Since graduating from University in 1995, Chris has had leadership roles within the retail, telecommunications and insurance industries. Several of Chris’s recent roles have focused on providing exceptional customer satisfaction and achieving a variety of business and customer targets.

Chris believes that many of the same principles of delivering a great customer experience in business also apply to how we communicate and treat our parents.

Associate Governor

Chris is a primary school Headteacher in County Durham and has previously been a parent Governor at Sedgefield Community College. After graduating from Lancaster University in 1998, Chris returned back to the North East to focus on teaching primary education. Throughout his career, he has held several teaching and leadership positions across two Local Authorities and has been a serving Headteacher for over 10 years.

During his time as a parent governor at SCC, Chris has been involved in the appointment of a new Headteacher and the school's conversion to become part of the Laidlaw Schools Trust. In his governor role, he is responsible for monitoring teaching and learning.

Chris has no other relevant business interests and pecuniary interests that impact his role as a governor.

Parent Governor

I am delighted to be elected Parent Governor at SCC.

My Daughter joined Sedgefield Community College in Year 7 in September 2021, I am committed to support the schools future growth and development. I believe each child should be treated as an individual and be given the opportunity to maximise their potential in a school where they feel happy and safe. A thriving school is one where leadership is strong at all levels and where staff are supported and enjoy their working environment. 

I have several years of governing experience, starting as a member of the local governing body at Wynyard Primary from its inception in 2014 helping with the original free school application. I joined the Board of Directors at Melrose Academy Trust in December 2020 and am currently the Vice Chair.

I have worked in the Med Tech Industry for the past 18 years, currently employed by Beckton Dickinson where I hold the position of Senior Sales Representative for Surgery.

Local Governor

Originally from the South East, Tom moved to the area for University over 20 years ago and loved the region so much that after graduating from Durham in 2002 he decided to make it his home. He currently resides in a village near Gateshead, but retains many connections to County Durham and is thrilled to be appointed to this role.

Tom has been a teacher for 12 years, working in both state and independent sector, and currently works at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle where he runs the Physics Partnerships programme, working within partner state schools to support and upskill non-specialists, develop curricula, run exam and other academic interventions and provide opportunities for young people with an ability in STEM to explore in more depth through open ended, regionally contextualised engineering projects. During his career he has held a number of roles in addition to classroom teacher, including EPQ Coordinator, Head of Year and Assistant Head of Middle School.

Tom is passionate about equality of opportunity in education, especially around access to meaningful co-curricular activities which allow students to develop transferable skills, raise aspirations and encourage the development of the whole person.

Tom also undertakes several voluntary roles, including Duke of Edinburgh Award Assessor, Expedition Leader, and Cadet Forces Adult Volunteer with the Royal Navy.