Governing Body

School governors form one of the country's largest voluntary groups, with around 345,000 members contributing to strategic development and raising standards of achievement in over 30,000 schools.

School governors are drawn from different parts of the community, such as parents, staff, the local education authority, the community, and other groups.  This helps to ensure that the governing body has sufficient diversity of views and experience, whilst avoiding governors of a particular category ‘representing’ that group on the governing body. 

The governing body has a range of duties and powers and a general responsibility for the conduct of the school with a view to promoting high standards of educational achievement, including setting targets for student achievement, managing the school's finances, making sure the curriculum is balanced and broadly based, as well as other responsibilities.

The governing body has considerable discretion as to how to discharge its responsibilities but is required to constitute itself in line with the regulations and to appoint a chair and vice chair.  The governing body may delegate certain responsibilities to certain governors or committees of governors, although in general, it is not compelled to do so.

The governors are:

Gerard Kelly – Chair of Governors

Gerard Kelly, Chair of Governors, is a director of an education communications agency. He was previously the editor of the Times Educational Supplement and before that editor of Times Higher Education. He has also been a member of various education commissions in Haringey, Brent and Knowsley.

Noreen Graham – Vice Chair of Governors

I am a self-employed public policy consultant and work as a researcher evaluating education, employment and social policies.  I also run training sessions for other school governing bodies who want to improve how they operate and for the past two years, I have worked closely with a care leavers’ charity.  I became a governor at Woodside as I am a Haringey resident and I wanted to help improve education in my area. I come from a family where I and my cousins were the first generation to stay on at school and go to university and I’ve seen first-hand the benefits and life chances that a good education can bring. 

Miranda Smith – Chair of the Finance & Resources Committee

I am an editor and Author of non-fiction books for both children and adults. I became a governor at my children's two schools because I wanted to have a say in anything that concerned their welfare. They have long since left school, but my interest in finding ways to fulfil the needs and aspirations of young people has continued, so I am now a governor of two schools – Leytonstone School in Waltham Forest and Woodside High School. I am also a JP in both adult and youth courts.

Sue Davidson – Chair of the Curriculum & Inclusion Committee

Sue has been a Governor at Woodside since 2010 and is the Chair of the Curriculum and Inclusion Committee. Sue trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama .She is passionate about raising the educational outcomes for students. Having been Chair of ArtsInform, an applied Arts organisation working with professionals in the Arts Industries, she knows the importance of good inclusive Arts education.

Sam Freedman

I have worked in education my whole career and am currently an Executive Director at the charity Teach First, which recruits teachers from top universities and places them in schools like Woodside. I previously worked at the Department for Education as a Senior Policy Adviser. I have three primary-age children and have lived in Haringey for the past seven years.

Philip Graham

Philip Graham has been a Governor of Woodside Academy for over six years. He has a passionate interest in the education of children and young people. As a retired Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, he is especially concerned for those students with special educational needs. He is also a Governor of Riverside School, the special school on the same campus as Woodside High School.

Ceri Humm

Ceri Humm has been a Parent Governor at Woodside High School since 2013, having also been a Parent Governor at Lordship Lane Primary school before that. Ceri's main aim has been to encourage parent/carer involvement in the school and also to promote better communication between the school and parents/carers.

Woodside High now has a small but rapidly growing group of parents/carers who are part of the "Woodside Family and Friends". We have had a number of successful coffee mornings and have a programme of interesting events happening over the next few terms. See the weekly newsletter for details, click here or contact the school for further information. Ceri works full time for the NHS as a Sexual Health Adviser.

Daniel Cain-Reed

Sharon Smith

Sharon joined as Governor at Woodside School in 2013. She is an estates & Facilities Manager in local Mental Health Trust with comprehensive experience in Business & Facilities Management in the Commercial and Public Sector. She has a Dip.HE in Counselling (Youth & Community Care) and currently mentors young people and adults. With two children in their twenties, Sharon is keen to work in the community and further develop a supporting environment for young people. She has past experience include Residential Manager for a local YMCA and worked for the Children’s Legal Centre. She works with schools and colleges in the provision of work placement opportunities and is currently the Governor Link for Health & Safety at Woodside. 

Jacob Adekunle

Jacob joined the Governing Body in March 2014, he serves on the Finance & Resources and Curriculum and inclusion Committee. 

Prior to joining Woodside High School, he served as a governor in a primary school in Islington where he represented Inner London Education Authority (ILEA). Jacob is deeply interested in raising the educational outcomes and supporting the ambitions of young people within and outside the Borough. He worked at City of London Corporation for over 16 years as Energy Management Professional and currently works for Local Authority as Energy Management Officer and he’s a member of Rotary Club of Tower Hamlets, he was elected the Club President for 2016-2017.

Felicia Rock

I have worked for The Brook Special Primary School since September 2011 and prior to that I worked in several schools as well as working for the London Borough of Haringey Education Department. My son attends Woodside and what drew us to choose this school was the warm, family atmosphere, close community links and polite, well-motivated pupils when we visited and I still feel that to this day.

It is my pleasure to support Ms Robinson and the Governing Body and for a very short time I was part of the Friends and Family of Woodside Group but gave that up to apply for the role of Parent Governor.

I too attended Woodside as a child and have fond memories every time I visit. Education has always been a very big part of my life and as I believe that every child deserves a rich education regardless of where you live or how you were raised, I am sure that Woodside will continue to provide a rich education to all children and be a thriving part of the local community for many years to come  and I am proud to be part of that for the foreseeable future.

Rosemary Corbin

Rose-Marie Corbin has recently joined our board of Governors at Woodside High School, in June 2017, as a Parent Governor.  As a local parent of two boys who’ve attended Woodside High School, she is now in the position to use this experience to be the voice of parents in our school and make a difference.

Rose-Marie is also keen to use her skills gained form working for the Department of Work & Pensions, as a Support for Schools Adviser for Haringey and Islington, to support Woodside High School in their delivery of Career, Advice and Information service to help prepare our students for their Post 16 Options and the world of work.  Supporting the school community to ensuring that all our students have a clear plan of what they are going to do at  16+ and help students to develop the necessary people-skills to becoming productive, active member of our community, who are empowered, who have high aspirations and a will achieve their life goals.

Gerry Robinson – Head Teacher

Structure of the Governing Body

All Governors are elected for a 3 year term. The Chair, Vice Chair and committee members are appointed annually at the first FGB meeting of the School year.

Full company information is available on Companies House website, including dates of appointment:

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07831292

• current memorandum of association
• articles of association
• funding agreement
• annual accounts
• annual report
• register of interests

Governors Login