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Governor Profiles

Nicky Ling

I joined Ranelagh Primary School as Headteacher in January 2018, however, Ranelagh is a school I know well, having taught here from 1999 to 2004. Ranelagh is a very special place to me and I am delighted to return here to lead the school on the next part of it's journey.  Although Early Years trained, I have taught across the primary age range in a variety of schools and in a variety of roles.  I have a passion for teaching English; a love of reading and the Arts.  When I am not at school, I love walking my two dogs and travelling.

 

David Plowman

I am now retired after a working life that included a management career involving customer service,HR and Finance. I was born on Chantry and have lived in the area most of my life. As a Governor, and particularly as Chair, I wish to support the school in its vision and values. It is important that every pupil at Ranelagh enjoys their education and is enabled to become the best person they can. This can only be achieved by providing the necessary resources and supporting the pupils and staff at all times.

Heidi Austin

I have had two children attend Ranelagh School. I have been a parent governor since 2015. As a parent I value the inclusivity and the feel of community at Ranelagh, I love that our children learn and achieve in all areas of their development and the opportunities that they are offered in music, art and sports that build their skills, their confidence and their abilities to work alongside each other, and the impact this has on their learning in their core curriculum subjects. I am proud that our children feel happy and safe and want to come to school. My primary interest as a Governor, alongside our strategic responsibilities, is the development of learning and opportunities for disadvantaged children. At home I love to read, go to the cinema and spend time with friends and family.

Eileen Allpress

I have had a long career in Primary education. On my retirement from headship in 2016, I joined West Ipswich Teaching School as a Project Manager. This role involves providing school based support and CPD with a main focus on Early Years and SEND. I also workwithin Ipswich Research School as a Research Director. This role involves supporting practitioners from all settings to engage in evidence informed research to improve practice, with key links to Ipswich Opportunity area.

Gary Morgan

I grew up in Lancashire before relocating to Suffolk in 2016, following a career in management that took me across the UK. I am a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Institute of Directors (IoD), as well as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). In addition, I am a mentor on the Institute of Leadership and Management program.

Having previously served as a school governor, I found the experience both fulfilling and impactful, and I was motivated to continue supporting education within the community. I applied to become a governor at Ranelagh as I believe in the importance of local schools and their role in shaping future generations.

As a governor, I aim to use my expertise and leadership experience to support the senior leadership team at Ranelagh in achieving the school's goals and vision, with a particular focus on improving resources to aid modernisation. Outside of my professional commitments, I enjoy martial arts and walking my dog through the beautiful Suffolk countryside.

Olga Hopper

I am originally from Russia where I qualified as a Teacher of German and English as a foreign language. I Completed SCITT Primary in Ipswich and obtained a Master’s degree at Ruskin University, Cambridge.  I started at Ranelagh Primary as a volunteer 15 years ago, a long but exciting journey! I have undertaken lots of different roles at Ranelagh over the years, now I am the Assistant Headteacher and this year became a Senior Leader of Education in Suffolk

Since arriving in the UK in 2002 I have always been an active member of the community. Initially I worked as a translator and interpreter for Translation & Interpreting Project in Ipswich. I then became a trustee for the Race Equality Council. I helped to build up the Russian Supplementary School in Ipswich and had my own Russian language show on Ipswich Community Radio. For the last five years I have been running “Achievers” Supplementary School, on Saturday mornings, for children with English as an additional language.

I fluently speak 4 languages, love travelling, reading, painting and swimming.

Lucy Matthews 

After graduating with a degree in Classics I spent all my working life in the technology industry, initially as a developer and then managing a variety of projects for clients within the finance industry. Having joined a small start-up company in the 1990s I helped it grow to a FTSE250 company in which I held roles on the executive committee representing HR and as senior client relationship manager.

Wanting to contribute in some way to my local community I became a governor of a local authority school in Croydon where I acted as chair of the finance committee and vice-chair of the full governing board. On moving to Ipswich I was keen to continue with a role in supporting the education of local children and am delighted to have joined the governing board of Ranelagh Primary School.

I am married to a retired head teacher and have 3 adult sons.

Liz Woods

Having worked in retail management for 20 years, mainly in London, I moved to Ipswich and started volunteering at a local charity with refugees and asylum seekers. After two years, I became an employee of the charity and was Advice Service Manager when I retired at the end of 2023. In this role, I liaised with both statutory and voluntary agencies to provide support to newly arrived families on different Government Resettlement Schemes. I was also chair of Suffolk Healthwatch Diversity and Inclusion Group for 4 years.  My job has given me an insight into how hard teachers work, an understanding of the challenges they face on a daily basis and the central role they hold in the community. As a governor, I hope to support the school in providing the best possible environment for children and staff to thrive and fulfil their potential.  In my spare time I enjoy yoga, walking in the beautiful Suffolk countryside and reading.

Jackie Sunderland

I have a balance and diversity of knowledge, skills and experience having worked throughout Ranelagh Primary School over the past 30 years experience.  I have had many roles including a Nursery Nurse, KS1 & KS2 Teaching Assistant and as a 1:1 supporting children with additional needs.  I have over 15 years experience as a governor in both a specialist school and an area support class attached to mainstream primary school.  Being a governor is important to me because I want to give back and make a difference to the young people in the school and support the schools strategic direction for the future. I think it is really important for the staff to have a voice to represent them on the governing body.  As a mental health first aider I have a wide understanding of the issues and challenges the staff face day-to-day within our school.

 

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