Meet the Governors

 Our Governing Body offers an incredibly valuable mix of experiences and skills that combine to drive forward our progressive ambition of being a truly remarkable school.

• Lorraine Couves
  Chair of Governors
  Lorraine Couves

  Joined in 2010
  Chair of Governors, Member of the Learning & Progress Committee, Member of the Finance & Resources Committee, Member of the Education and Outcomes Committee

  I moved to Buckinghamshire after studying Chemistry at University to begin my career as a Research Chemist at ICI in Slough. In the ensuing years, my career has taken an interesting journey through Research and Development, Business Analysis, Project Management, IT and I am now a Business Change Consultant and Leadership Coach. I am married with 3 daughters, 2 of whom were students at Beaconsfield High. My 2 older children are now teachers and the youngest is just completing her degree in Biochemistry at Imperial College and will be embarking on a PhD in October 2018.

  I am passionate about education and I have always strived to use my own skills for the benefit of the schools I have served. In 2008 I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies in Education and in 2015 I completed the National Chairs of Governors Leadership Development Programme. In 2016 I became a National Leader of Governance and in this role offer help and support to other local governing bodies.

  It is a privilege to have been a governor at Beaconsfield High School since 2010, to have served as Chair of Finance and Vice Chair and I am now delighted to be the Chair of Governors of this remarkable school. During this time governors have worked hard to respond to the financial challenges that we (as with many schools) are increasingly facing but with commitment of staff and governors and our partnership with parents we are able to continue to provide some of the best educational facilities in the county and year on year our delightful and hardworking students celebrate exceptional achievements in and beyond academic results.

  This is what makes being a governor so rewarding!

• Rachel Smith
  Headteacher
  Rachel Smith

  Joined in April 2015
  Member of the Education & Outcomes Committee, the Finance & Resources Committee, and the Community & Wellbeing Committee

  I am incredibly proud to be the Headteacher at Beaconsfield High School; a remarkable grammar school for girls. I am also a Specialist Leader of Education and trained coach and facilitator for the National College delivering NPQML qualifications. Prior to joining Beaconsfield High School I held the post of Deputy Headteacher at Langley Grammar School. I established my leadership experience at Kings College for the Arts and Technology in Guildford as Vice Principal and finally as Acting Co-Principal. In the role of Head of English at Robert May's School in Odiham and Leading Teacher in Hampshire I built and shared a strong skills base in successful classroom practice.

  I am a tenacious educationalist putting children and learning first. I believe that education does open doors and those doors can lead to a fulfilling future for all that want to step through; for those that need some help to find the key, my passion exists.

  Teaching is a wonderful career that requires constant self reflection, regular reading and access to updates on current thinking to enhance pedagogy. But, most of all, we all need opportunities to share with like-minded colleagues new and proven ideas and techniques to improve learning for all students and staff!

• Gaby Heppner-Logan
  Appointed Governor
  Gaby Heppner-Logan

  Joined in October 2015
  Member of the Education & Outcomes Committee

  As a governor, I aim to bring my business experience, energy and passion to support and encourage our students to be the best they can be. During my career, I have worked with some amazing women. It's often those with a good educational grounding, breadth of interests, as well as strong values and the confidence to be themselves, that are most able to fulfil their potential in the work environment and make a real difference.

  I grew up in Beaconsfield, before going to boarding school and working for The Body Shop. The founder, Anita Roddick was a huge inspiration, encouraging free thinking, hard work and taking responsibility for yourself and the world. I later did voluntary work with a Romanian orphanage charity she founded.

  I loved the excitement of work and was offered a great opportunity to join Cable and Wireless. They sponsored me to study marketing and I later became a chartered marketer. After 8 years, including having twin boys, I joined BT in 1998, leading various marketing teams and also had a daughter. In 2005 I became Director of Regulatory Affairs for BT and in 2012 moved to HR, to lead employee engagement and a culture transformation programme. From 2014 to 2017, I was on Openreach's executive team, initially as Director Communications and Public Affairs, where I was responsible for external communications, public affairs, sustainability and charity and volunteering work. I then led governance changes for Openreach to become legally separate from BT, as part of a regulatory agreement between BT and Ofcom.

  In 2018, I joined Camelot, operator of the National Lottery, as Director of Regulatory Affairs - I love that our business purpose is to 'change lives', both for winners and to maximise returns for good causes.

  My husband and I live in Gerrards Cross. Our three children are all now at university, including our daughter who was at Becky High for seven great years.

• Debbie Starrs
  Appointed Governor
  Debbie Starrs

  Joined in December 2017
  Chair of the Finance & Resources Committee

  I was born in Kent, and attended Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School, where I was heavily involved in the drama department, performing in a number of plays, which cemented a life-long interest in the theatre.

  I went on to Somerville College, Oxford, where I read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Whilst there, I rowed for college, produced a play, and wrote for the university paper. I harboured aspirations to be an actress, but harsh reality led me into management consultancy instead. I worked for many years for Accenture, a global consulting services company, where I specialised in strategic planning and leadership development.

  After a career break to raise a family, I decided to change direction, and became involved with two local primary schools, both as a governor, and working with children with special educational needs. I believe education should be about providing students with great opportunities to develop their talents in a positive environment. I am excited about being part of the governing team at Beaconsfield High, supporting the staff to provide all girls with a remarkable education.

  I am married with a daughter at university, a teenage son and an extremely badly-behaved Labrador. In my spare time, I enjoy running and spinning, and have recently been attempting to reconnect with my creative side through an art course and creative writing classes.

• John O'Rourke
  Co-opted Governor
  John O'Rourke

  Joined in April 2020 

  Member of the Education & Outcomes Committee and Careers & Sixth Form Governor
  
  I am a co-opted governor and have 7 children, one of whom attends Beaconsfield High. I have lived in Beaconsfield for 12 years. I grew up in the North of England in the foothills of the Western Pennines, went to School in Wales and I have a BA (Hons) in Humanities and a MSc in Computer Science.

  I am an experienced Business and IT Transformation Leader with extensive experience running my own consulting firm as well as Executive Team experience in a variety of sectors and geographies around the world, including Med. Tech. and Airlines.

  I love change in all its forms because through change, we witness new possibilities and have the opportunity to re-imagine the world around us whether that be in the workplace, in school or society at large. I believe that our children have the greatest capacity to re-imagine the world, and that all our hope lies in them. Whilst still a relative newcomer to the Board of Governors at Beaconsfield, I can already see that our students are given every opportunity to be the change they want to see in the world.

  I love music of all kinds, travel, my big family, my dog Bobby, writing and gadgets

• Atia Ahmed
  Co-Opted Governor (Parent)
  Atia Ahmed

  Joined in April 2020

  I was born in Sheffield, a lovely part of the North renowned for Hospitality. Here, I graduated with a B.A. in Historical Studies, and the love of learning further allowed me to obtain an MSc in Computing and Management Science.

  This resonates with raising my 3 beautiful daughters. The eldest daughter; studying Medicine, second; A - levels and youngest; blessed to be at Beaconsfield High School.  Having heard first-hand; a plethora of positive anecdotes from my daughter - I am a huge proponent of BHS. From the well thought out, all-inclusive enrichment clubs that play an integral role in making Learning a joy - to the positivity of the subject teachers. Coupled with the ethos “Dare to be Remarkable” all give me great pleasure to serve as a member of the Governing Body.  Having served as a Staff Governor for four years, I hope to share any skills to benefit Beaconsfield High.
  Balancing work with hobbies is one key to success. We live near Burnham Beeches and regularly go for family walks here . Taking along freshly baked bread as well as our badminton rackets, playing two aside versus three is the highlight of the week. Returning home to our magnificent kitten, Labeeb who never fails to make us smile are just some of our creature comforts.

• Sara Davies
  Parent Governor
  Sara Davies

  Joined in March 2018
  Member of the Education & Outcomes Committee

  I grew up in New Zealand and studied architecture at the University of Auckland. I moved to London in my late twenties where I worked as a senior architect on commercial office refurbishments, cinema fit-outs and high-end residential projects. The UK became home when I met my husband and we settled in Putney.

  After our first daughter was born, my husband's work took us overseas to Norway, where we lived for nearly 9 years. I was heavily involved in the International School of Stavanger and saw the benefits of the Scandinavian way of educating children. We returned to the UK in 2014 and settled in Gerrards Cross. Both our daughters now attend Beaconsfield High School.

  I have recently returned to studying, completing a Masters in Law and Business and I am now training as a commercial property and development solicitor.

  My free time involves family, trail running, skiing, the outdoors and the occasional good book. I try to bring my experience into my role as a parent governor and am delighted to be part of the team supporting our wonderful school.

• Iain Miller
  Appointed Governor (Parent)
  Iain Miller

  Joined in April 2020

  Member of the Finance & Resources Committee and the Health & Safety Governor
  
  I am a parent governor with two daughters. I have lived in Beaconsfield for 10 years, before which I lived in the US for 20 years, where I met my wife. I grew up in Scotland, where I also obtained a degree in Physics, a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA. I work in the biotechnology industry, where I have a portfolio career leading and/or advising several medical technology companies.

  Education is very important to me, as it opens the mind to the complexity of the world we live in, helps us contribute meaningfully to society, and affords us exciting life and career opportunities. I strongly feel that Beaconsfield High can help bring out the very best in its student body, and am proud to be able to support the “Dare to be Remarkable” mission.

  I love the great outdoors and try to find time to cycle, run, hike and ski whenever I can. I also love to cook with my family and explore the lovely local scenery with my dog. I spend any remaining time reading and am a bit of a history geek who loves to explore what the past can teach us.

• ShreeRam G Ranganathan
  Appointed Governor (Parent)
  ShreeRam G Ranganathan

  Joined in April 2020

  Member of the Finance & Resources Committee with GDPR and IT responsibility

  Born and brought up in India, I studied to become an Engineer. After I completed my graduation, I worked the first part of my career as a technical expert delivering IT support and Technical project management. I later moved into Process and Management Consulting delivering transformational change for clients across the globe.

  After living travelling across US, Gulf and Europe, I moved to the UK with my family in 2009 and have lived in Langley ever since.

  I am a strong believer in education being a tool to develop and open young minds-up to be future leaders of the country. I am thrilled to be a governor in this Remarkable school and contribute the growth and development of the school and its students.

  We live with our two children, a teenage daughter who studies in this school and an energetic 5-year old son in the lovely village of Langley. I am an avid football fan and during my formative years, was part of the University Football team.

• Sanghamitra Nag
  Appointed Governor
  Sanghamitra Nag

  Joined in April 2020
  Member of the Education & Outcomes Committee

  As an HR Transformation Program Director, I am passionate about supporting businesses transforming to intelligent enterprises with human centric business models, in a sustainable way. I have worked with various Global companies and consultancy firms specialising in HR strategy planning and leadership development. Nurturing and building excellence in human resources is my passion and I believe the first step towards building a strong future for our children starts in the education we impart in our schools. I am greatly honoured to be a part of the governing board for this 'remarkable' school.

  I grew up in India where I studied for a degree in English Literature. I did my Masters in business management with Alliance Manchester Business School in the UK. I lived and worked in Singapore for three years before moving to the USA, where I lived and worked for four years. I have lived in the UK for the last 13 years moving from London to Bourne End in 2015. During that time I had my daughter who is now studying at High March School.

  To me, Education is the first step to people gaining the knowledge, critical thinking, empowerment and skills they need to make this world a better place. My faith in education comes from a quote by Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

  My experience in human resources has inspired me to become a Governor at Beaconsfield High School and I was delighted to join the team in April 2020. I believe education is the key driver in striving excellence, leadership and equality for every human being. My commitment to education has motivated me to share my expertise and experiences with Beaconsfield High. I hope to continue contributing to the school's remarkable thriving environment!

• Jon Tucker
  Parent Governor
  Jon Tucker

  Joined in December 2020

  I am a parent of two daughters at Becky High and have been living in Beaconsfield, right next to the school, since 2003. I have been involved in Education for 15 years, both as a Managing Director for the UK Government's Edtech, as well as a partner to schools, colleges and universities via several blue-chips organisations. Until recently, I was a governor at neighbouring Butlers Court school where I helped commission the new science block.

  I completed an MBA at London Business School, am a qualified management accountant and I gained a 1st in Economics at the University of Nottingham.

  Having advised many colleges and Universities over the years, I want to support the school's vision specifically the following phrases: " happy, high achieving ....all students and all staff empowered...valued and secure...encouraged to aspire". The world has been changing rapidly around us and students at Becky High are as affected as anyone. We want students to be able to bounce back post Covid, be confident and mentally strong, adapt to more blended learning yet trust in assessment, and we want to make sure everyone can thrive, whatever their talent may be.

  Like the other governors, I strongly believe in the power of education. My favourite quote is from Michelle Obama: “The confidence to stand up; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in the door and take your seat at the table...all of that starts with education.”

  My hobbies include running, golf, tennis, cycling and 5-a-side.

  I very much look forward to helping the school and its students and staff - together we will make the world a better place.

• Julius Weinberg
  Appointed Governor
  Julius Weinberg

  Joined in January 2021

  I have lived in Buckinghamshire (on and off) since 1992, and am now permanently back and delighted to be engaging with my local school. I have three children who were at school locally.
   
  I qualified in Medicine at Oxford and specialised first in Infectious Disease and then Public Health. As a Consultant Epidemiologist, my interest was international outbreak control. Work took me to odd places like Bosnia during the war, to Zimbabwe for two years, and to a growing interest in education. This resulted in my leaving medicine for Higher Education, ultimately becoming Vice-Chancellor at Kingston University, Deputy Chair of Ofqual and then Chair of Ofsted.  I am currently Co-Chair of the Buckinghamshire Cultural Partnership and a Trustee of an Educational and Journalism Charity.  A believer in “life-long education” I have acquired degrees in Psychology, Education and Art History; I am a potter, can throw reasonably well, but am often disappointed by my glazing and decorating.