Governors Biographies

BIO

Sarah McQuillen

Chair

Sarah McQuillen

A former journalist, Sarah is now Constituency Manager for Salisbury.  She is a recent ex-Chafyn parent.  When she is not at work, Sarah enjoys music, watching sport (particularly cricket), and running her side hustle, trading in vintage fashion, books, and ephemera.

BIO

Yori Griffiths CBE

Vice Chair of Governors

Yori Griffiths CBE

Following a full career in the Army Air Corps, Yori now works in the City for a boutique insurance broker.  His two boys both attended Chafyn Grove and his wife Jenny was the nursery teacher until 2015.

BIO

Sandra Pitcairn

EYFS and HR Link Governor.

Sandra Pitcairn

Sandra has over 30 years’ experience in HR and is currently a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel & Development (Chartered MCIPD). Her current role is HR Director for a Salisbury based Care Company (Abicare Services), where she is responsible for the design and implementation of HR strategy for the business.  Originally from Scotland, Sandra moved to Salisbury 27 years ago with her husband and three children.  Sandra was an active member at her children’s schools and was a founder member of Salisbury Pre-school Weekends.

BIO

Christian Saenger

SEND Link Governor.

Christian Saenger

Christian has nearly 20 years experience in education, in both state and independent school settings, and both secondary and primary settings. He has been Headmaster at Dumpton School, Wimborne since 2019, and before then he was Deputy Head (Academic) at York House School in Hertfordshire and previously Head of English at Bedford Prep School. Christian is a passionate educationist, with a particular interest in educational research, professional development and character education. He currently lives at Dumpton School in Wimborne with his young family, and is very much enjoying life down in Dorset.

BIO

Christina McNeil

Marketing Link Governor.

Christina McNeil

Christina McNeil has over 20 years of experience working in global mobility at PwC. She is presently working for Vialto Partners and is a member of the Finance Committee for the Governing body at the school. Outside of work, Christina is often watching her sons play sport – a passion they nurtured whilst at Chafyn Grove or hiking in the Outer Hebrides. 

BIO

Andrew Donald MRICS

H&S/Estates Link Governor.

Andrew Donald MRICS

Andrew Donald is a Chartered Surveyor and is a partner with Woolley & Wallis. He has had experience working across the firm and is currently senior partner a Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer.

Andrew has a wide experience of inspecting, advising on and valuing land and property in the Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset areas for over 30 years.

He was brought up in Bramshaw in the heart of the New Forest, much of Andrew’s boyhood was spent riding ponies, working on a local dairy farm, countryside pursuits and sailing in the Solent.

Andrew has a number of close associations with the area. He was chair of governors of a local church school for over ten years, rear commodore of Spinnaker Sailing Club and is chief sheep steward at Romsey Show with which he has been involved for over 35 years. Andrew is a keen lover of all outdoor sports, he sails, keeps fit running and cycling including completing a 960 mile trip riding an 1882 penny farthing from Lands End to John O’Groats in aid of Cancer Research UK.

BIO

Anne-Marie Perry

Safeguarding Lead Governor and Boarding Link Governor.

Anne-Marie Perry

Anne-Marie has more than 20 years’ experience running her own care company and has recently embarked on setting up a tech start-up for the sector. She and her husband, David have four children all of whom attended Chafyn between 1995 and 2013. Out of work Anne-Marie enjoys all forms of sport and tries to keep active with squash and running the Wiltshire countryside.

BIO

Benjamin I H Coward

Benjamin I H Coward

Ben is a Boarding Housemaster at Canford School, having joined their teaching staff as a Design and Technology Teacher in January 2018. Following an Architecture degree at Nottingham University, Ben spent 12 years in the British Army, retiring as a Major from the Rifles. Unsurprisingly, he runs the Army Detachment of Canford’s CCF, enjoys a variety of adventurous pursuits and is an avid sportsmen, coaching rugby, hockey and cricket. He is married to Laura, a GP in the Poole area and they have two children. He attended Chafyn Grove in the early 90s and is grateful for the excellent start it provided, hence his interest in returning as a Governor.

Governance

Chafyn Grove is part of United Learning, whose Trustees hold the ultimate responsibility for the governance of each United Learning school.

We abide by these essentials of effective governance:

  • Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction.
  • Holding the executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the effective and efficient performance of management of staff.
  • Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

United Learning’s Trustees delegate certain key roles and responsibilities to the School’s Local Governing Body (LGB) and these are set out clearly in our United Learning Scheme of Delegate.

LGB Chair

The Chair of our LGB is Sarah McQuillen. To write to our Chair of Governors, please use the address below:

c/o Clerk to the Governors, Chafyn Grove School, 33 Bourne Avenue, Salisbury, SP1 1LR.

 

 

Governors & Staff

Headmaster & Senior Management Team

  • HEADMASTER – Simon Head MA (Cantab), BA, PGCE
  • DEPUTY HEAD (PASTORAL) – Lynsey Hearsey BA
  • SENDCO – Hannah Rogers BEd (Hons)

Governors

  • Sarah McQuillen – Chair of Governors
  • Debi Coveney 
  • Andrew Donald – H&S/Estates Link Governor
  • Yori Griffiths – Vice Chair of Governors
  • Christina McNeil
  • Anne-Marie Perry – Boarding Link & Safeguarding Lead Governor
  • Sandra Pitcairn – EYFS Link Governor
  • Christian Saenger
  • Benjamin IH Coward

To contact the Chair of Governors, please write to:

Mrs Sarah McQuillen
c/o Clerk to the Governors
Chafyn Grove School
Bourne Avenue
Salisbury
Wilts
SP1 1LR 

PREP SCHOOL TEACHING STAFF

  • Rebecca Arch BA (Hons), Director of Music & Drama
  • Stewart Bell BSc, PGCE, Science Teacher, Director of Tracking
  • Jack Bond, Games, Maths and Assistant Houseparent
  • Jamie Clark MA, BA, PGCE, Head of Art & Design
  • Hannah Green BSc (Hons) Grad Dip Ed, Head of Maths, Head of Years 6, 7 & 8
  • Sally Anne Harrison Montessori Diploma, MA SEN, Link Teacher
  • Simon Head MA (Cantab), BA, PGCE, Headmaster, RE Teacher
  • Lynsey Hearsey BA Maths, Deputy Head Pastoral, Science and Games Teacher
  • William Hearsey BSc (Hons), Maths, Games
  • Pippa Napier, Link & EAL Teacher
  • Lucy McFarlane, BA (Hons), MSc, Year 5 Teacher, ELSA
  • Charlotte Oshinsky, Houseparent, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Teacher, Games Teacher
  • Marcus Reeve BA (Hons), PGCE, Head of Geography & History
  • Chris Richardson BA (Hons) PGCE, Head of English
  • Hannah Rogers BEd (Hons), Head of The Link, SENCO, Director of Wider Curriculum
  • Lucy Vuckovic BA (Hons), Head Years 3, 4 & 5, Year 3 Teacher
  • Frederique Wagner, Modern Languages Teacher
  • Vicki Wellman Year 5 Teacher
  • Rachel White BA (Hons), PGCE Year 4 Teacher

PRE-PREP DEPARTMENT

  • Faith Martin, Year 1 Teacher
  • Helen Morgan BEd (Hons), Head of Early Years, Reception Teacher
  • Fiona Thomas BEd (Hons), Year 2 Teacher

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

  • Sabina Bell, Pre-Prep Teacher Assistant
  • Mandy Burt NVQ 3, Pre-Prep Teacher Assistant
  • Lauren Penny Nursery Manager

PERIPATETIC STAFF (MUSIC & DRAMA)

  • Mary Chelu – Flute
  • Luigi Cibrario – Drums
  • Oliver Flanagan – Guitar
  • Sarah Freestone – Violin
  • Sophie Gordon – Speech & Drama Coach
  • Chris Hurn BA (Hons) – Cello
  • Emma Killick, Piano & Accompanist
  • Mark Newman-Wren – Brass
  • Meinir Ottoway GRNCM, PPRNCM – Singing
  • Ute Schwarting Dipl Berlin – Piano
  • Susan Topp GTCL, LTCL – Saxophone / Clarinet / Theory
  • Rosalie Watson MMus, Bmu – Oboe

MEDICAL STAFF

  • Daisy Paterson, Medical Matron
  • Alison Wells, Medical Matron & Boarding House Matron, ELSA

SUPPORT STAFF

  • Paula Mortimer, Network Manager
  • Sabrina Strong, Marketing Manager
  • Claire Ward, Headmaster’s Personal Assistant, Registrar & School Secretary

ESTATES

  • James Banner, Estates Supervisor
  • Alan Howell, Director of Estates
  • Dave Lawrence, Head of Grounds

CATERING MANAGER

  • Sean Adams

HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER

  • Paula Yates

GAP STUDENTS/SPORTS INTERNSHIP

  • George Robbins, Bath University Sports Placement Student

Latest Good Schools Guide

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“A happy, busy school where children are individually understood.”


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