Governors
Thames Valley School is part of the National Autistic Society Academies Trust. The Trust is responsible for three free schools. More Information about NASAT can be found here.
NASAT delegates numerous functions to the schools local governing body.
Thames Valley School governing body (also known as the local governing body or 'LGB') is made up of representatives from the local area and covers a number of governor roles. School governors have a key role in setting the strategic direction of a school, ensuring the accountability of teachers and staff, and thinking critically about the welfare of a school. For further information, see our NASAT Governance Plan and Scheme of delegation.
Register of Conflict of Interests and Attendance Record 2020
Download Constitution of the LGB
Governor lead areas and pairings
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Appointed 11/04/14 – Appointment End Date 11/04/22
Economist, former senior Civil Servant and company director
Helen worked for nearly 30 years as a senior civil servant initially in the Department of Education but mainly in HM Treasury where she worked on public policy including education reform under Gordon Brown and on improving health service delivery and waiting times for the Prime Minister's delivery unit. One of her projects identified an extra £1 billion for the government which would pay for hundreds of schools.
She has a degree in PPE from Oxford as well as an MBA and is a qualified accountant and spent a year at Harvard in 2004-05. She has previously run a charitable trust and been a governor of an inner city school. She has long supported increasing schools' independence so is enthusiastic to be chairing a free school. Helen has been proud to be part of the team setting up Thames Valley School from its early stages to a fully-fledged school with a waiting list.Helen has 3 sons of 16,18 and 20 and her experience of autism derives mainly from the children of close friends but she also has extensive experience of mental health services in relation to her wider family. Helen completed the Blenheim triathlon (slowly) last year on behalf of Bloodwise for a friend's child with leukaemia.
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Appointed September 2019 - Appointment End Date September 2023
Heather has been a clerk since 2008. She serves several schools in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Berkshire - ranging from academy trusts, maintained schools, independent schools, primary, secondary and colleges. She is also an independent clerk, offering advice to educational institutions.
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Appointed June 2017 - Appointment End Date June 2021
Faye is currently a non-practising solicitor and full time housekeeper, chauffeur, chef, repair man, travel agent, PA (and sometimes tiger mother) to her two little boys, one of whom is currently in the primary department of the school. She has seen first hand the positive impact the school has provided to her son, taking heed of his autism and needs but also pushing him forwards academically.
She read History with French at Royal Holloway, University of London and then did her law conversion and LPC at BPP Law School. After BPP, Faye qualified as a solicitor in London and worked at a London law firm before escaping the big smoke and moving to Buckinghamshire where she took up a job working for a law firm in Slough. Faye left active practise after birth of her eldest son in order to concentrate fully on his needs.
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Julian joined Thames Valley School in September 2017 having previously worked in two autism specialised schools. His teaching career started in a mainstream school after gaining a Maths degree and then completing a PGCE. In 2007 he began his move into schools for pupils on the autistic spectrum and has since completed a Postgraduate certificate in Autism.
Appointed December 2017 - Appointment End Date December 2021
In his previous school, Julian was given the responsibility for writing several of the local policies and procedures. He simultaneously held the position of Maths Teacher, Lead Assessment and Progress Coordinator, Exam Officer as well as being the schools E-safety coordinator. Julian delivered the “sensory processing” part of the autism training to new staff and was an interviewer for new Learning Support Assistants after undergoing the NSPCC safer recruitment in education training.
Julian is a committed and enthusiastic person who believes in the strengths of autistic pupils and is keen to see them gain the skills and resilience they need to fulfill their potential in life. He enjoys listening to and discussing ideas with the other governors and learning from their experiences.
Outside of school Julian is a railway modeller, gardener, bridge player, competes in Othello tournaments, and enjoys practicing Choi Kwang Do.
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Appointed June 2017 - Appointment End Date June 2021
Richard is a parent to two children at Thames Valley School, one in Primary and one in Secondary. He has seen first-hand the positive impact that a specialist school can have on both academic engagement and homelife.
He works at the University of Reading as a Senior Quality Support Officer. This role involves the review of the University's programmes and the development of rules and regulations. He has spent nearly 20 years working in university administration where he has been employed in various roles, including the Library, Research and Enterprise, Marketing and Student Communications, and latterly in the Quality Assurance of Teaching and Learning.
Outside of work he tries to keep up with his children's (ever-changing) interests (most recently learning the names of numerous Pokemon, and the rules to Warhammer), reading, listening to music and working on his allotment.
Richard took up the role of Parent Governor to help support the school in its decision-making and development. He is keenly interested in governance and strategic development of the school and how it can best meet the needs of pupils and parents alike. He believes that his skills and experiences mean that he can help influence changes that will make the school better for everyone.
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Appointed June 2019 - Appointment End Date June 2023
Marc Jacobs is a Lecturer in Mathematics Education at Reading University. His specialist areas of interest include Teaching and Learning of Primary and Secondary Mathematics, and Enhancing the use of technology in secondary mathematics teaching.
Before working as a Lecturer, Marc taught in several secondary and primary schools - an all girls school in Lambeth, an all-boys school in Hillingdon, a comprehensive school in Teddington and a primary school in Cape Town, South Africa. Marc enjoyed teaching, and found working in a diverse range of schools to be an enriching experience.
Marc has a masters degree in Education: Innovation and Change from St Mary's University. He is currently in the third year of his PhD. The working title for his thesis is Intervention in Mathematics: Creating successful strategies to ensure success in Secondary Schools.
Contact us
Thames Valley School, 2 Conwy Close, Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG30 4BZ