Meet the Team!

Gill Jones – Lead Proposer and Trust Member (Chair Person)

Gill is an experienced education and school improvement professional. She has been involved in opening four primary free schools in Hertfordshire and was the CEO of West Herts Schools Trust. Previously she was Head of Standards and Effectiveness in Hertfordshire. She was also a member of the Director of Children’s Services strategic management board. Her career prior to this included work as a school adviser, Ofsted Inspector, NPQH trainer, Head Teacher and teacher.

Heidi Russell Jones – Community Governor (Vice Chair Person)

Heidi has spent many years working alongside schools through her role as a Marketing Manager for an educational ICT resource provider and a charity developing life skills in young people.  During this time she developed a passion for supporting schools to create meaningful and memorable learning experiences that inspire young people and help prepare them for life beyond school. 

As a mother of a young son heading off to school in September she has both a personal and professional interest in understanding the opportunities and challenges of a growing school.  She is committed to support HCFS in offering the very best education to each and every child in the school. A keen wildlife watcher and traveller she is enthusiastic about the outdoors and understanding and enjoying the world around us.

Jean Wilson – Community Governor

Jean is a qualified Solicitor with over ten years of legal experience in the financial services industry. She is also currently completing a Company Secretary qualification in order to expand upon her knowledge of governance and best practice of company organisation in both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors.  
Jean was delighted to become a Governor of HCFS and she hopes to provide the school with support from her legal and governance perspective.  She feels that HCFS is already established as a vital part of the local community and a shining example of what can be achieved when an enthusiastic and committed group of people work together.  Jean wants to be part of the team that can help HCFS continue its achievements.
Jean lives in St Albans with her husband, young baby and excitable dog.  She is a keen amateur triathlete and marathon runner who can often be found spending Sundays pounding the streets come rain or sunshine.

Anne Murphy - Community Governor

Anne is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Portsmouth.  Prior to joining UoP she worked at the University of Hertfordshire for twelve years. In addition to her work in university administration, she researches in eighteenth-century history. She has published two books: The Origins of English Financial Markets and The Worlds of the Jeake Family of Rye. Before joining academia, she worked in banking in the City. Anne is passionate about ensuring educational opportunities for all and is proud to be a governor at HCFS. She is particularly enjoying learning more about education in a new context.

Helen Mussellwhite – Community Governor

Helen Mussellwhite is a Community Governor. Helen is a Secondary School teacher at a local secondary school. She has been a teacher for 20 years and specialises in Physical education and Childcare. Helen is the vocational and PSHE Co-ordinator for her school. 

Helen is very passionate about education and ensuring that schools give their students the best opportunities and experiences that they can, in order to help the children become model citizens and succeed in the future. Helen is looking forward to working with the school to share experiences and knowledge to make this happen.

Victoria Hobson – Principal Governor

Victoria began her teaching career at HCFS, before spending a short period of time working at the sister school at the time. Victoria returned to HCFS in 2019 as a member of the Senior Leadership Team and became Principal in January 2021.

As HCFS’s Principal, Victoria reports to the Governing Body on the progress the school is making and advises the Chair and other Governors on a range of matters in relation to the strategic development of the school. Victoria is passionate about ensuring the pupils at HCFS are not just seen as a number on a page. She strives to ensure all members of the school community are uniquely valued in school, are given the care and attention they require and are provided with the relevant opportunities and support to flourish and become the very best they can be.

 Victoria’s biggest passion is her family. She has a three year old son and a loving husband who she adores and loves spending time with. Victoria has an allotment and a lot of her and her families’ free time can be spent outside there, growing fresh produce and enjoying each other’s company.

Tatiana Andries – Parent Governor

I am proud to be elected as the parent governor at Hatfield Community Free School. Having my academic background in law and many years of experience working as a Legal Counsel, I slo worked with Non-Profit organisations, providing free legal advise for victims of domestic abuse. I enjoy meeting new people, familiarise myself with multicultural traditions and literature. 

It is an honour to be allowed to contribute to the educational excellence strategies of Hatfield Community Free School - a school in which my daughter Daliana-Andreea is a proud student. A change to help children to reach their full potential means a lot to me. I am happy to support the school in all endeavours related to bringing out the best in children. 

Being a parent of a child with developlmental language disorder, I have significant experience in speech and language therapy and special educational needs. I am aware, how important it is to be a child advocate promoting their interests inside and outside of a school. I believe this role is the opportunity to share my experience and contribute to the work done by the school in supporting and nurturing children in their educational excellence, social and emotional well-being. 

Maxine Kinghorn – Parent Governor

I am delighted to have recently been elected as a parent governor. I have two children at HCFS, one in Reception and one in Year 2.  My background is in business & finance, as an accountant and office manager working in various business areas, from small start-ups to a global law firm for the last 25 years.  My aims are to assist the school in achieving and maintaining excellent standards in all areas, utilising my current knowledge as the financial governor of another school in Hatfield, where I have  been placed for the last 2 years, making sure high standards are met in line with OFSTED guidelines, maintaining policies and budgets and supporting the school during the COVID crisis.  It is very important to invest in a child’s future and to ensure that their school and teacher are working to the best that they can be. 

Anne Richardson – Staff Governor

I am married with three grown up children and seven Grandchildren. Being a Grandma is a role I treasure, and spending time with my family is my favourite pastime.

I remember vividly walking around the building site that was to become HCFS on a soggy Saturday with my eldest Granddaughter who had been allocated a place in the first reception classes. Her two siblings have since joint our school, one is just completing year 6 and the other year 4.

I was employed in March 2015 as an inclusion LSP, then I moved to classroom LSP before in September 2018 taking on the role as Thrive Practitioner. I am very passionate about the Thrive approach and look forward to continuing  working in this role and growing the Thrive approach across our school. 

I have loved being a part of our school as it has grown, Hatfield Community Free School is a very special place where I believe everyone is committed to ensuring that all our pupils are nurtured and educated to the very highest standard. 

Ellen Summers – Staff Governor

I feel incredibly fortunate to have been elected as a Staff Governor at HCFS. I have spent the last six years working at HCFS across each phase in the Primary Curriculum and feel this offers me a clear -understanding for the curriculum  and day-to-day running of HCFS. Across the years, I have been fortunate enough to undertake a variety of training to support the school in a number of roles. In 2021, I qualified as a Thrive Practitioner and am now enjoying helping all pupils develop socially and emotionally across the school; something that is extremely topical and close to my heart in our current society. In my spare time I enjoy taking walks with my Husband and my dog and spending time with family and friends. I have an interest in amateur dramatics and definitely bring this into my teaching practice on a regular basis! I definitely hope to get back on to the stage at some point in the future. 

David Adeniyi - Community Governor

Pen Portrait to Follow

Governor Body Attendance 2021/2022

Governor Body Meetings Attendance 2020/2021

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