Governing Body

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Governing Body 2024-02-07T13:08:49+00:00
Governing body

Local School Board

Below you will see our Local School Board members, together with information about them and their roles.

The LSB terms of office is four years. Current LSB members’ term of office expires on 31 August 2027 for all members.

Wendy Mason          (Chair of the Local School Board)

I have been a local school board member since 2007 and Chair of the Local School Board since December 2019. As Chair I have a wide involvement with the school including helping steer its strategic direction, local school board management and membership, ongoing review of policies and reports, and support to staff and student hearings.

I have raised my three, now grown-up, children in Hackney and the youngest attended Haggerston’s 6th form. 

I was originally appointed to the local school board as an architect to help steer the school through the completion of its BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme. Since then, I have widened my involvement across all aspects of the school and have been pleased to play a part with its continuing success. 

I am passionate about Haggerston’s inclusive educational environment which ensures that every student is able to achieve to their very best ability. I am now privileged to chair a diverse and stimulating group of local school board members who work hard to challenge, promote and support the school community.

Doy Owino-Townsend (Local School Board Member – Parent)

I have been a local school board member since September 2021 and have been involved in areas around Inclusion and Wellbeing & Mental Health.

I have experience of working within Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) as well as within a Senior Leadership Team, continuing my work around inclusion and safeguarding.

Having worked as a teacher for many years, I feel privileged to have been able to work alongside experienced, passionate and committed colleagues to ensure the best outcomes for our pupils. As a parent, I hope to see those same skills and qualities working to ensure the best outcomes for my own child, and all pupils, at Haggerston and I believe that being a local school board member offers a unique opportunity to continue to work within our community to help achieve this.

Bhaavin Wallia           (Co-opt Local School Board Member)

I have been a co-opted local school board member at Haggerston School since September 2020. My work at Haggerston has covered areas for finance, procurement, data privacy & premises. I read law at University College London before working as a Research Assistant for a Court of Appeal judge. I have since worked as a management consultant advising a variety of organisations, specialising in strategy & operations. I live locally in Hackney and care deeply about the local community, education sector, and equality of opportunity

Geoff Nicholas            (Co-opt Local School Board Member)

I have been a co-opted local school board member since December 2018. I am currently vice-chair of the local school board.

I have worked as a partner in a law firm, which has worked closely with Haggerston for many years, helping the school in various different ways. In my work, I was one of the partner leads for both our Black African and Social Mobility networks. I am passionate about ensuring equal opportunities for all, whatever a person’s background.

My experience of the educational sector includes membership of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee of Oxford University. Until recently, I was also a non-executive director of the body that regulates the solicitor’s profession in England and Wales. I look to use this experience on the local school board of Haggerston, to ensure good governance and bring strategic thought to the management and future direction of the school in the interests of all its stakeholders, whether pupils, parents, teachers or other staff members.

I am proud of what Haggerston has already achieved and ambitious for its future, serving a richly diverse community.

Nat Goodden              (Co-opt Local School Board Member)

Starting as a local school board member in 2018, I’m now a co-opted member of the governing body.

 I’ve had intertwined careers as an artist and academic. My first degree was in sculpture, and my masters in interactive computing. I’ve taught in art and design higher education in the UK, Europe and Australia, have led undergraduate and postgraduate Fine Art courses, and am now engaged as a university research supervisor, specialising in cross-disciplinary practices. As an artist, I always say that I make situations rather than things.

 I believe that everything is interesting, academically and otherwise, and that life can be an adventure. I love cycling, languages, reading, thinking, travel, and anything involving manual skills. As a local school board member, I want to help Haggerston in its ambitions to be the best school it can, always sustained by its humane ethos and care for the individual.

Nelly Ngugi                 (Co-opt Local School Board Member)

I am a co-opted local school board member and was appointed to the local school board in October 2021. 

I work as an investor at a sustainability focused private equity fund, where we invest in technology differentiated companies contributing to decarbonisation. Prior to that, I spent three years as an M&A investment banker.  I graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Finance, Accounting and Management. 

I am passionate about high quality state education and in defining outcomes for students in more than just examination grades. I chose to become a local school board member at Haggerston School due to its ethos on fostering students’ creativity and character.

Matt Wojtyniak                (Co-opt Local School Board Member)

I have been a local school board member since Oct 2021. My areas of focus at Haggerston so far has included 6th Form with a focus on careers, marketing and the Computing & Business Faculty. 

I have worked in the education sector throughout my career, within a range of types of provision (SEN learners, a London prison, adult education, work-based learning and 16-18 academic and vocational curriculum), but most extensively within the Further Education sector, and continue this work as part of a senior leadership team.

I am a passionate advocate for education and the transformative power it can have on young people and their lives. Having experience within the 16-18 provision I aim to provide support to Haggerston school, particularly to the A-level provision, to support the senior leadership team at the school in ensuring students achieve to the best of their ability.

Maurizio Isabella       (Co-opted Local School Board Member)

I joined as co-opted local school board member in November 2022. I was born in Northern Italy and have spent most of my adult life in the UK.

After finishing my history PhD at Cambridge I worked abroad, in European affairs for 5 years and have been teaching now for 18 years. In my life and in my work I am a passionate historian and teacher. I have been curious about exploring different cultures and countries, and exchanges and interactions among them. In the last 10 years have spent long periods of research and teaching in the USA, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece. In the summer, I love visiting the islands of the Aegean and currently learning modern Greek.

I am excited about the multicultural nature of Haggerston School, an institution that shares the same values as the university where I work, and the same ambition to make a substantial impact on the lives of its students by delivering first-class education. As a local school board member I hope to support staff, teachers and students to achieve their aspirations and choose the best possible career paths, including those to study in excellent universities.

Shereece Harry           (Local School Board Member – Staff)

I have been a teacher for over 15 years and joined Haggerston School as Head of Sixth Form in 2019, having worked previously in other Inner London schools. Teachers join this profession as they recognise the impact positive outcomes can have on a young person’s life chances. They want to provide opportunities for students to support their growth and development so they can leave school with all of the attributes to deal with our changing world. My current role as Deputy Headteacher allows me to directly impact our young people by overseeing our curriculum. However, becoming a local school board member provides me with even more opportunities to work alongside staff, parents and our local community to achieve this goal. 

Alice Roberts              (Local School Board Member – Staff)

I have been a member of Haggerston teaching staff since July 2020, currently working as the Head of Social and Computer Science and have been a local school board member since October 2022.

I have previously worked in secondary schools in Tower Hamlets and Camden and am committed to working to improve student outcomes and opportunities, particularly focusing on students from disadvantaged backgrounds. I am passionate about the work that teachers do to improve our students’ life chances, through outstanding curriculum and high quality teaching and learning. My role allows me to have a direct impact on students, whilst also supporting to develop staff members in my team.

Being a local school board member allows me to represent the staff body in the local school board, working with other board member’s to continue to support Haggerston in developing and reaching our ambitions as a school.

Here are our documents containing further information on the roles of the Local School Board for you to view.