Governor Profiles

Governor Profiles

Zena Barnes – Parent Governor, Vice Chair of Governors

I have a passion for empowering young people to achieve their full potential, regardless of setting. I work for a professional education company, which shares much of the same ethos and approaches to professional education as Oldfield does in its capacity as a secondary school. I have also worked in a professional services firm in an exam support capacity, wherein I supported school leavers and graduates to achieve their potential through their accountancy and law exams.

From a previous Governor/Director role I have a fair understanding of school governance.  I am the link governor for Pupil Premium students, working closely with the AHT for Pupil Premium to maximise opportunities for all disadvantaged students.

I sit on the Curriculum and Finance & Audit Committees.

Louisa Dale – Parent Governor, Chair of Personnel and Student Welfare

I joined as Parent Governor in June 2022 and became Chair to the Personnel and Student Welfare Committee in February 2023. Living in Weston Bath for over 15 years, both my children attended Weston All Saints Primary School (WASPS) and now attend Oldfield School.

The pandemic brought great challenge and I suspect we will continue to feel the impact for sometime to come yet. I was motivated to become a Parent Governor, to strengthen my support for Oldfield school and local community. I particularly appreciate Oldfield’s inclusive and open culture. My priority as PSW Chair is to enable governors are providing the senior team at Oldfield the support and constructive challenge they need to ensure the welfare of everyone in the Oldfield school community.

My leading area of interest at Oldfield (or ‘link area’) is behaviour. I actively engage with the Deputy Headteacher as Oldfield continues to strengthen and evolve behaviour management approaches. I’ve spent the majority of my career in public service, nearly 20 years in education and research technology. Today I’m an engagement lead and strategist, using creativity and collaboration for corporate impact and the common good.

Tahir Darr –  Chair of Governors

I have recently been appointed Chair of Governors and have been a Governor since 2011 and Vice Chair of Governors since 2013.

I have three children of which one still attends Oldfield School so have a vested interest in the success of the school. I have been an airline pilot for 26 years and I am a magistrate in adult and family court.

I have enjoyed getting to know the excellent staff at the school and admired their dedication and professionalism in the challenging environment of the school.  I look forward to ensuring the success of Oldfield School for many more years.

Tom Davies – Governor, Chair of Finance and Audit Committee

I joined Oldfield as a Governor in November 2017. My wife, daughter and I live in Bath and as Oldfield is our local school I was keen to become a Governor to support the school.

I am a Chartered Accountant and currently the Bursar (COO) at Monkton Combe School where I am responsible for the School’s support operations including its finances and estates.

Before joining Monkton I was a Director in the Education and Charities team at the accountancy firm, Grant Thornton UK LLP where I advised and audited a number of schools, universities and large charities. Before training as an accountant, I was the founding director of an international NGO which focussed on providing education and support for disadvantaged children.

Ruth Henry – Staff Governor 

I have been a member of staff at Oldfield since 2014, working in administration and then as Student Welfare Officer and now Pastoral Support Officer.

My aim is to help provide our students with not only an excellent education but with a sense of self-worth and emotional well-being.  As a member of staff and parent I feel I have a good all-round understanding of our school and have a good relationship with staff, parents and students.

I was a governor with a primary school for 7 years and was involved in meetings there with 2 rounds of OFSTED.  Before having children I worked as Academic Quality Manager for the University of Westminster, where I was responsible for validation and review of all courses within social sciences, law and languages and was lead administrator for all of the QAA visits, which has equipped me for reading, digesting and questioning long documents and policies.  This said my real passion is ensuring each student is treated as an individual to help them reach their full potential.

Susan Kara – Governor, Chair of Curriculum Committee

I have spent my working life in state secondary education. I began my teaching career as a History/English teacher. As my career progressed, I moved schools to become a Deputy Head of Upper School, a Head of Careers Education and Guidance and then moved to Bath to become a Deputy Head at Ralph Allen School Bath. I was responsible for the curriculum and staff recruitment and training. I completed my teaching career as Headteacher of The Grange at Warmley. I then became an HMI specialising in working with schools in special measures and other categories, across the south west. I finished my full-time career as a senior HMI responsible for the team ensuring the quality and accuracy of all reports and letters concerning schools needing to improve. When I retired from full time work, I worked as an independent Education Consultant and was recruited by Ealing LEA to improve the quality of the work of the Senior Leadership Teams in both their primary and secondary schools.

My overriding passion throughout my career has been to improve the quality of state education, in a comprehensive co-educational setting, to that of the best for every student.

Kelly Ogden – Parent Governor

I have been a Parent Governor at Oldfield School since 2014.   I am also a Parent Governor & Chair of the Parent Council at Two Mile Hill Primary School.

I have 3 children, two are currently at Oldfield School. I feel very passionate about volunteering my time towards both schools and enjoy all aspects of the role.

I am on Personal and Student Welfare Committee. My main link areas lie with Student Council & SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability).  I feel that the student voice is very important as they are the ones that have to deal directly with day-to-day life within the school.  I will be working closely with Student Council to tackle every day issues and listen to their views.

Governors at Oldfield School work together as a team to make sure we get the best possible outcomes for the students.

Samantha Parker – Parent Governor

I bring 20 years of experience as a Civil Servant and Industry Professional to my role as a school governor. My background in Business Analysis, IT and Business Support roles equips me with valuable insights that can contribute to the effective governance of the school.

I am passionate about education and believe that every child deserves access to a high-quality learning experience. As a school governor, I am committed to supporting the school in providing an environment that fosters academic excellence, personal development, and inclusivity. I am also dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within the school community. I believe that a diverse and inclusive educational environment benefits all students and prepares them for success in an interconnected world.

I sit on the Curriculum Committee, and I am the creatives curriculum link governor.

Nick Regan – Parent Governor

As one of the parent governors, I bring perhaps the most important perspective in the school community – that of the parents – to the discussions of the Governing Body.

I am Chair of the Curriculum Committee. My role there is to ask for, and receive, along with the other members, reports from the Senior Team and Heads of Faculty on the students’ progress and achievement of targets, and on changes to the curriculum and the impact that they have, to ensure high quality teaching and learning in all subjects. I also ask the Link governors, who have special liaison roles with the academic Faculties, to visit their Head of Faculty in school in order to stay up to date with developments within their subjects, and to report back to the Curriculum Subcommittee.

I have always worked in language teaching, at secondary and university levels; I am a Teaching Fellow in Spanish at the University of Bath. My experience, and the B&NES Governor training, helps me engage properly with teaching, learning and assessment at Oldfield.

Steve Vickery – Governor

I joined the Board of Governors at Oldfield in September 2021,  I am a bursar and clerk to governors at schools in London, and previously served in the British Army for 30 years.

I am a member of the Finance & Audit Committee where my experience of management accounting and strategic projects enables me to support and add value to the school’s SLT.

I have 3 grown up children, and live with my wife in Corsham, Wiltshire.  I am an avid fan of Newcastle United and chair Corsham Cricket Club; not too much of a surprise to predict that my link area at school is PE & Dance.

Kevin Ward – Governor

I joined the governing body in October 2012 and became chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee in May 2014. I have lived in Bath & North East Somerset for the past 10 years and currently live in Keynsham with my wife and two young daughters.

I have worked as a ‘big 4’ management consultant for the past 10 years allowing me to hold many senior positions across public and private sector organisation in both an advisory and delivery capacity. I bring to the governing body significant experience in programme and project management, strategy development and delivery and change management expertise. My aim is to utilise the skills and experience I have developed over the last 10+ years to support the delivery of Oldfield School’s exciting, ambitious and challenging plans over the next few years and beyond. I am also actively participating in the B&NES governor training programme to improve my knowledge and specific skills needed to support Oldfield.

My focus in the short term will be ensuring that we have a balanced budget focussed on delivering the priorities that matter to our children, parents and other stakeholders from across the local community and that we constantly challenge ourselves to deliver value for money in everything that we do.

Stuart Weatherall – Governor

I joined Oldfield School’s governing body in March 2012 and was Chair of Governors between March 2014 and September 2020 but I will continue as a member of the governing body.  When not engaged on governance matters, I work as a consultant project manager at Army Headquarters and as a company director.  Work brought me to Bath in 2006 where I still live with my wife and five children.

I have a considerable amount of general management experience from my 30 years’ service in the Army which has equipped me with a range of relevant skills including project management, performance management, planning, budget management and HR to undertake the challenging role as Chair.  To improve my knowledge I also participate in ongoing governor training provided by B&NES.

I am particularly interested in working with parents and other stakeholders to ensure that the school has a positive and important profile in the local community, that we have a culture of openness and constant improvement and that the talents and efforts of our students and staff are nurtured, valued and celebrated.