Welcome to the Governors' section.

Governor Biographies

Helen Roberts is the Headteacher of Otford Primary School and has been in post since June 2016. Prior to this, Mrs Roberts was in leadership positions in a variety of schools in both London and Tunbridge Wells, these roles included being Acting Headteacher on two occasions, a Head of School and a Deputy Headteacher in two large primary schools.  She is also a parent with two children. Mrs Roberts has worked in many schools over the past 31 years, her first role was as a Year 2 teacher in her home county of Yorkshire.

Louise Lynch

biography to follow

Joe Blunden is a multi-award-winning marketing and communications specialist with over 20 years of experience across a range of industries. He has worked for the NHS for the past 10 years, including marketing, communications and engagement roles in both acute and community settings.

He is a compulsive learner and recently completed an MBA (Distinction), having gained a Professional Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Diploma in Managing Digital Media and a degree in business.  Joe directed the successful campaign to get the NHS Choir to Christmas number one in 2015, raising over £300k for charity in the process. He also led NHS Voices in 2018, bringing together 30 celebrity singers to record a song for the NHS, which was made into a documentary by ITV.  Joe specialises in strategy development and digital communication and has extensive experience in PR, stakeholder engagement and campaign development.

Georgia Bruce is a resident of Otford village and has two daughters currently attending Otford Primary School. After graduating from Nottingham University with a first-class degree in Mathematics and Philosophy, Georgia qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. She has spent the last 12 years specialising in risk management and governance and currently acts as Company Secretary and Head of Risk and Governance for a housing association. This role includes ensuring good governance practice and regulatory compliance; effective risk management and providing strategic advice to the Board.

Jackie Hill has been the Early Years Leader at Otford Primary School for 10 years. She branched out to take on a new role as an Early Years moderator which she enjoyed for two years. She previously taught in Bexley for 7 years, moving to Otford to join a village school with a community feel to it. She has lived in the Sevenoaks area for the last 30 years and has two grown children, one of who attended Otford Primary.

Charlotte Knight is a business development manager for a top City law firm, specialising in environmental, social and governance. She has over ten years experience working with lawyers and their corporate clients to shape business development strategies and executing marketing campaigns, events and social media channels. Having grown up near Colchester, Essex, she recently moved to Otford from south east London, and lives with her husband and toddler daughter. 

Frances Plowman is the Senior Administrator at the London Policing College. Before her current role she worked for 15 years in primary education in Kent and Surrey, with the last 8 as a school business manager responsible for setting us the administration function of a brand new primary school. She is experienced in school budgets, health and safety and personnel. She has lived in the Sevenoaks area for the last 20 years and has two adult children who attended local primary and secondary schools.

Andrew Preston is a technology lawyer at a European investment bank, leading a specialist team advising on legal issues arising from emerging technologies and other digital initiatives. He works closely with technology and data teams, and has a keen interest in exploring the benefits that new technologies can bring. Andrew grew up in Northern Ireland and completed a Masters in Physics at Durham University before switching tack to train as a lawyer. He moved to Sevenoaks from Wimbledon with his family in 2022.

Hannah Thomas was born and brought up in the local area and her oldest daughter now attends Otford Primary School. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in Japanese, Hannah spent nearly 15 years working in NHS leadership roles focused on developing and improving patient services. She has advised executive leaders on strategic development, efficiency savings and business development. Her work has included projects to improve wellbeing and engagement and she has a personal interest in wellbeing, SEND and inclusion. Following a career break, she now works as a freelance writer and editor and has held a number of voluntary roles in the local area. She has lived in or near Otford for most of her life and has two children at Otford Primary School, where she has been a co-opted governor since 2019.

The Committee Model

At Otford Primary School, we have a dedicated Governing Body which strategically supports our school. The Governing Body follows the committee model.  The two committees which Otford Primary has are:  

• The Finance, Resources and Personnel Committee (Frances Plowman) 

• The Curriculum Committee (Hannah Thomas)  
   

The Full Governing Board and each of the committees meet a least 3 times a year. Governors work with the staff and the Local Authority to help secure the best possible education for the children and has general responsibility for the conduct of the school with view to promoting high standards of educational achievement. 

 
An agenda for each meeting will include all the tasks which the governing body is required to consider, and the governing body will ‘commission’ assignments or activities arising from the business of the meeting, which will be recorded in the minutes.  

 
In addition to ‘commissioning’ activities or actions on their behalf, the governing body has delegated monitoring activities to ‘monitoring pairs’ or ‘individuals’. This applies to statutory functions, and the priorities of the School Improvement Plan.  

 
There are three core functions of a governing body as reflected in OFSTED's inspection handbook are:  
•    Setting vision, ethos and strategic direction, engaging stakeholders, and ensuring statutory duties are met.  
•    Holding heads to account for teaching, achievement, behaviour and safety; challenging and strengthening leadership; contributing to school evaluation.  
•    Ensuring financial solvency and probity with effective management of financial resources, including the Pupil Premium, to raise standards.  
 

 If you are interested in becoming a Governor at our school, for more information please contact Mrs Roberts (Headteacher) or Mrs Hannah Thomas (Governor). Contact details for governors are available from the School Office. 

Otford Primary School Governing Body Details

Previous Governors

Mr Paul Jackaman

Co-opted

3.2.21-2.2.25

Mrs Amanda Flaherty

Co-opted

18.7.23-3.7.24

Mrs Philippa Taylor

Parent Governor

13.12.17-10.7.24

Mr Ben Harrison

Co-opted

KCC

19.4.17 – 27.05.23

Safeguarding, SEND, LAC, Pupil Premium and Sports Funding

Mrs Rachel Philips

Co-opted

Governing Body

12.4.13 – 21.4.15

Mr Paul Gaskin

Co-opted

Governing Body

12.4.13 – 7.7.15

Mrs Rebecca Wilde

Parent

Parent Body

5.12.14 – 13.4.16

Mr Rob Wilson

Co-opted

Governing Body

12.4.13 – 13.7.16

Mr James Wall

Co-opted

Governing Body

12.4.13 – 26.9.26

Ms Hannah Chalkley

Staff

Staff

07.13 – 07.17

Employee

Mrs Marie Simms

Parent

Parent Body

2.12.16-1.12.20

F&R, Training

Mr Keith Gristock Co-opted Governing Body 7.7.15 – 6.7.19 F&R, Policies Mr Paul Cluley Co-opted Governing Body 14.7.15 – 13.7.19 (resigned 11.7.18) L., Data Mr Carl Roberts Co-opted Governing Body 19.4.17 – 18.4.21 (resigned 11.7.18) Chair of Finance and Resources, S, Staffing, HTA Mrs Tula Fitzpatrick Local Authority Governer Kent County Council 19.4.17 – 18.4.21 (resigned 18.9.18) S, F & R Mr Johan Bjorkland Parent Parent body 2.12.16 - 1.12.20 (resigned 10.5.19)

L, IT Parent of pupil Rev’d Richard Worssam Co-opted Governing Body 2008 – Aug 2019 L, Safeguarding Mr Jerry Hansford Co-opted Governing Body 5.12.16 - 4.12.20 (Resigned Dec 2019) 

F&R, Safeguarding Mr Christopher Woolard Co-opted Governing Body 19.4.17 – 29.9.20 Chair, S, HTANone Mr Colin Parks Co-opted Governing Body 19.4.17 – 29.9.20 Vice-chair, S, F&R, Py, School Expansion and Health and Safety Mr Joseph Kershaw Co-opted Governing Body 15.05.19 - 25.11.20 Safeguarding, Health and Safety Rev'd David Guest     Mrs Tracey Balcombe Staff Staff 13.7.17-17.12.21 Training and Development Employee