John Nicholson

I have been a governor at Ambler since May 2001, first as an LEA governor and now a co-opted governor. I am currently Chair of Governors and link governor for safeguarding and looked-after children.

I have worked for over 20 years in the field of HR specialising in work promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. After 30 years working in the public sector, most recently as Head of Staff Diversity and Inclusion at the Prison and Probation Service, I began work as a freelance consultant. My latest project is researching the issues around social mobility and work opportunities in London.

I enjoy travel, especially in Spain and South America which allows me to improve my Spanish. I also enjoy the cinema and theatre and reading classic crime and spy novels by Agatha Christie and John Le Carre. I am a London fan of Athletic Bilbao FC.

Mary Stevens
I’ve been a governor since 2010 and the vice-chair since 2014. I’m a co-opted governor, which means I was appointed by the governing body.

My daughter attends nursery (‘foxes’) and I’ve been a regular user of many of the Children’s Centre services since she was born in 2012.

I’m the link governor for ICT (including e-safety) and also for sustainability.

I have over 6 years’ experience as a civil servant in the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and I’ve also worked as a researcher at University College London.

As vice-chair my job is to build our skills and capability as a group, for example by coordinating training and helping new governors find their feet.  I love the way Ambler is such a warm and inclusive community, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

Elli Bate
I have been a co-opted governor since 2013, and am chair of the Finance & Personnel Committee and link governor for the Sports Premium.

I’m a Chartered Accountant, and trained as an auditor working on schools and colleges, as well as other charitable organisations ranging from religious orders to international development charities.

As well as accountancy, I also have a background in architecture, and have worked for an architectural practice in a finance and business development role. For the past three years I’ve worked as Financial Controller of No1 Lounges, a company which develops and runs airport lounges.

My husband and I have a son called Jarvis (who is 1 ½), and a spaniel called Humphrey (who is 3). We enjoy eating good food, music and travelling, and Jarvis loves coming to the stay & play session at Ambler Children’s Centre on Saturday mornings.

Rebecca Crosby

Co-opted Governor.

Link governor for Inclusion

Victoria Smith
I’m a parent of two boys at the school – in years 4 and 5.  I’ve been a governor for 3 years and am currently the link governor for: Pupil Premium, EYFS and maths.

As governors, we’re all committed to supporting the school to make the small improvements needed to make it even better than it already is.

For example, the school’s maths lead thought that Mathletics would help all children improve their numeracy skills and I helped support him to buy Mathletics for all children in KS2.  Parent governors also provide crucial first hand input, and we all feed back information, where appropriate, to the governing body, to ensure that necessary questions are raised and changes made.

Pascal Auberson
I’m a software developer building Virtual Reality games and applications. Previously I’ve built many websites, so continually encourage the school to improve theirs and communication with parents and the wider community.

I’ve been a parent governor since May 2015. I’m now chair of the Safety, Services, & Communications committee and link governor for Attendance, Health & Safety and Services.

Cassie Dummett
I joined as a parent governor in December 2015 and sit on the Safety, Services and Communications Committee and am the link for pupil wellbeing.

In this role I support the senior management team to support behaviour for learning, anti-bullying and a wider environment for pupil progress in the children’s centre and primary school.   I bring skills and experience in strategy development, monitoring and evaluation, partnership and international relations.

Outside Ambler I work in humanitarian response, supporting aid agencies to provide quality emergency assistance and protection through the development and dissemination of international standards.  I have experience in program management and team leadership and have lived and worked in Bangladesh, India and Congo.

Suad Ahmed
I was elected as a parent governor in December 2015 and my two sons are in years 3b and 5.

I am on the Development and Learning committee and have since taken over the role of Link governor for Literacy. My role includes termly meetings with the Literacy co-ordinator, keeping up to date with any developments/progress and reporting back to the governing body.

Due to my background in Health Promotion, I am also interested in how Ambler strives to provide a healthy environment for its pupils. In my role as governor, I am particularly interested in making sure that all children in Ambler are able to achieve to the best of their ability regardless of their ethnicity/starting point.

Clare Potter
I have 2 children at Ambler and have been a parent governor since April 2015. I have two link governor roles; parent voice and inclusion. I aim to support the school in ensuring every child is able to achieve their potential; and to encourage an inclusive climate where all parents can contribute and feel part/ enjoy a sense of ownership in relation to the school.

My work and study experience includes; Residential Social Work, Social Policy, Carpentry, Construction training, Employment Support, Site Management and Sustainable Buildings. I am a local ward Councillor in Brownswood (Hackney) from where many children attend Ambler.