Meet the Team
Meet the Team!
Gill Jones – Lead Proposer and Trust Member
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.
Maxine Kinghorn – Parent Trustee (Chair Person)
I am delighted to have recently been elected as a parent trustee. 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.
Heidi Russell Jones – Community Trustee
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.
Victoria Hobson – Principal Trustee
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 Trust Board on the progress the school is making and advises the Chair and other Trustees 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.
Anne Richardson – Staff Trustee
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 Trustee**
I feel incredibly fortunate to have been elected as a Staff Trustee 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.
Chetan Pawar – Parent Trustee
Chetan is an Engineer at core and an experienced IT practitioner. He currently leads the Microsoft technology-based health practice across all Europe for one of the largest & global IT consulting organizations.
He previously established some of the UKI education practice for his employer which spreads across schools to higher education and academic facilities. Over the last two decades, he has been instrumental in setting various new benchmarks in both Educational and Health fields from transformations to re-enabling the workforce, from fine tuning business processes to releasing trapped value for client investments across brown or green field highly complex IT environments which he enjoys.
At HCFS, he would love to use this experience, contacts, and insights to help the school, its staff, it’s pupils and where possible parents in all possible ways to enhance their learning, skills, apply productive use of technology and any such thing that he can bring in from the wider UKI educational sector to enhance and enrich the school in any positive way possible.
When not working, he loves spending as much time as possible with his better half and two lovely daughters apart from his passion for cooking and being a technical author with published work sold on Amazon.
Vinh Huynh – Co-opted Trustee
I currently work in IT as a Software Engineer. I have previously worked as a secondary school teacher of computing within Hertfordshire, and have had the pleasure of teaching some ex-HCFS students. I am passionate about educating the minds of our future, and making sure everyone reaches their full potential. I have taught through the pandemic lockdowns, and have seen how it has negatively impacted on many students through all aspects of their education and life, so I hope to be a part of the change in expanding the depth and breadth of their education by promoting high standards. I understand first-hand the challenges faced by teachers, and my personal aim is to support the school in reducing teachers' workloads and improving their well-being, which should make a direct positive impact towards students' achievements and progress.
Shireen Tamer – Co-opted Trustee
I am excited to be recently elected as a Co - opted Trustee. I have one child in HCFS who has just started Year 4.
My background is in Operations and Logistics and I have been working in this field for some years now.
My aim is to support the school in its goal to continue delivering the best education for the children of HCFS. I understand the importance and responsibility of a Trustee role and consider it a privilege to be an active part of this team. I intend to contribute to the positive changes that continue to be made for the families and children at our school.
In my spare time I enjoy taking long walks as well as spending time with friends and family. I also enjoy staying active and looking after my own and family’s health and well-being.
Pierre Robert – Co-opted Trustee (Vice Chair Person)
I grew up on a sugarcane farm on the east coast of South Africa, where I went to school and University. After graduating I lectured for several University courses and that was when the “teaching” bug hit me! I did that for two years before starting a 15-year farming career. I spent much of that time mentoring and training to empower and develop our team into a business that eventually employed ±800 people. Over the same time, as a parent of four now “grown up” children, I spent many hours supporting their learning, or around a sports field of sorts.
A career change saw me move into business consulting, executive education and coaching, and facilitating management development programmes to groups of middle and senior managers. After a move to the UK, I implemented a global learning management system and been the lead facilitator for online learning programmes.
I have seen the tremendous positive impact that education has on people. I’m keen to use my business and education experience to support the school’s objectives to continue providing a high quality learning environment to the Hatfield community.
Lauretta Baker – Co-opted Trustee
I am an ex employee of HCFS having left in 2022. I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to be a member of the Trust Board of such a dynamic, impressive and nurturing school. There is a fantastic team of motivated staff at this school who work very hard to ensure that all pupils achieve the very best that they can do.
My background is in Finance and Operations having worked in the industry for over 20 years. I started my career in banking and then moved across to Education in 2017. I am currently the Finance and Operations Director at a local school.
I am very passionate at ensuring I use my skills and knowledge to help lead HCFS on it's continued journey.
Mary-Anne Dalton - Co-opted Trustee
Mary-Anne has had an extensive career in sales and marketing across a broad range of industries that has enabled her to work all over the world. In many roles she was able to facilitate placements and work experience for students. Mary-Anne and her husband have lived in Hertfordshire for over two decades where they have bought up their two children. Whilst both children had very positive and successful experiences at school, they had very different learning styles and interests. Mary-Anne loves spending time outside, either on her bike, hiking or in the garden where she grows a lot of vegetables and flowers; she also has a passion for reading which she has passed onto her children.
Mary-Anne is excited to assist the Board of HCFC, enabling every child to have access to an education that is tailored to their learning in a positive, happy environment.
Sian Hammond – Staff Trustee**
It is a pleasure to be on the HCFS Trust Board this academic year, covering the role of staff trustee in Mrs Summers’ place whilst she is on maternity leave. I have worked at HCFS for ten years and have worked in various phases of the school during my time here and held many different roles with varying responsibilities. My current role is Assistant Vice Principal and oversee the pastoral care of children at our school including monitoring attendance. It was a delight to work in the school when we had only 60 children and the progression that has taken place over the years has been nothing short of a joy to watch develop. In my time away from work I am a mum to two beautiful daughters, who keep me very busy. We enjoy trips to the park, spending time with family and holidays wherever possible!
Sarah Adler - Co-opted Trustee
Growing up, I lived with my Grandparents and travelled with them depending on where they were required to work. Due to this, I had a limited exposure to the UK education system but decided to study UK law. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete my course due to family circumstances. However, I returned to law as a legal executive and ran a London based solicitors firm. After getting married and raising a young family, I set up an administration department for my husband’s firm which provided a good work life balance. At the same time, I volunteered for Citizens Advice bureau and the local library which subsequently became a partnership library with Barnet Mind. I was a subsequent carer for my husband and continued to take up voluntary work including setting up a gardening club for the local church primary school as well as planting a garden for the library. After my husband passed away, I began to volunteer with an organisation working with students with learning disabilities which I continue to support, 11 years later. I have been very lucky with the work positions I have had and feel that this is really the time for me to give something back to the community.
Trust Board Attendance 2023/2024
Name | FTB Plan 18/09/23 | O&R
16/10/23 |
FTB Autumn 08/11/23
| FTB Audit 13/12/23 | FTB Strat 24/1/24 | O&R
12/2/24 |
FTB Spring 06/3/24
| FTB Strat 15/5/24 | FTB Budget 5/6/24 | O&R
24/6/24 | FTB Summer 10/7/24 |
Lauretta Baker | |||||||||||
Mary-Anne Dalton | |||||||||||
Sian Hammond** | |||||||||||
Victoria Hobson |
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Vinh Huynh |
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Gill Jones |
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Maxine Kinghorn |
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Chetan Pawar | |||||||||||
Anne Richardson | |||||||||||
Pierre Robert | |||||||||||
Heidi Russell Jones | |||||||||||
Shireen Tamer |
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Sarah Adler*** |
*Jake Fleming resigned with effect 15/09/2023
**Covering Ellen Summers Staff Trustee maternity leave
***Started 08/11/23
Trust Board Attendance 2022/2023
Name | FTB Org 26/09/22 | O&R
7/11/22 |
FTB Autumn 16/11/22
| FTB Audit 14/12/22 | FTB Strat 1/2/23 | O&R
6/3/23 |
FTB Spring 15/03/23
| FTB Strat 3/5/23 | FTB Budget 7/6/23 | O&R
26/06/23 | FTB Summer 5/7/23 |
Gill Jones |
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Heidi Russell Jones |
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Victoria Hobson |
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Helen Mussellwhite* |
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Ellen Summers |
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Anne Richardson |
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Maxine Kinghorn |
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David Adeniyi** | |||||||||||
Chetan Pawar | |||||||||||
Vinh Huynh | |||||||||||
Shireen Tamer | |||||||||||
Lauretta Baker | |||||||||||
Pierre Robert | |||||||||||
Jake Fleming | |||||||||||
Mary-Anne Dalton |
*Resigned with effect 08/10/2022
**Resigned with effect 17/10/2022
Key -
FTB | Full Trust Board | Present | |
O&R | Outcomes & Resources | Absent with consent | |
Absent without consent |