Overview

Overview

Firstly all governors are volunteers, they provide their time generously without any remuneration or rewards.

Governing bodies are made up of Parents, Staff, a Local Authority representative, Foundation governors appointed by the Diocese of Westminster, Associate governors and a Clerk.

At St Joan’s our governing body is made up of:

  • 1 Staff Governor
  • 2 Parent Governors
  • 2 Associate Governor
  • 7 Foundation Governors
  • The Headteacher and both Deputy Head Teachers

We are very lucky at St Joan’s, we have a full compliment of Governors with a diverse range of backgrounds and experience. At a time when lots of schools are struggling to attract governors we have continued to have a strong set of governors most recently complemented by a number of ex pupils coming back to re connect with our school
Our mission is to support the school to provide the best care and education for all students who attend to St Joan’s.  

 

Meet the Governing Body

Stuart Hynes - Foundation Governor and Chair of the full governing board

I have worked within Financial Services for 30 years mainly working for myself managing projects and change programmes for Financial Services companies. More recently I joined an Actuarial consultancy group as a Senior Programme Manager. As well as having a degree and project management qualifications i am qualified in Human Resources as an Associate Member with the CiPd.

I have been a Governor for over 20 years originally starting as a Parent governor at The Sacred Heart Primary School in Ruislip. I have been a governor at St Joan's for 12 years and Chair of Governors for the last 3 years. I was also a Foundation Governor for ASCAT Trust until I resigned a year ago.

I play tennis 3 times a week at Eastcote Lawn Tennis club. I have supported the mighty Brentford football club for over 45 years and have a season ticket (come on you bees). To relax I walk the dog and spend time with my family.

Both of my children went to St Joan of Arc. They are both working now having finished university. I am a member of the Sacred Heart church in Ruislip.

At Sacred Heart my wife, Suzanne, was a member of the PFA. I wanted to also find a way to get involved in school life a little more and give something back to the school community so I was elected as a Parent governor. I found the experience rewarding and was able to help the school on a number of projects utilising my experience from a different sector.

I found it enjoyable and rewarding so when the opportunity presented itself at St Joan's I was again successfully appointed as a Parent governor and then appointed by the Diocese of Westminster as a foundation governor. I was asked to be Chair which i was delighted to accept. My experience of working with everyone at St Joan's has always been a positive one. I have always thought that we are so lucky to have so many dedicated members of staff at St Joan's that work very hard to care for and teach our students.

Stuart

Silvio Ciccone - Foundation governor, Vice-Chair & Chair of the CLOTS committee

I have spent my working life in the catering industry. After completing a course in Hospitality at West Herts College, I then began working in my family business. My Grandfather set up a string of coffee shops when he came over from Italy in 1954, and we are still going strong today! I now operate three shops as well as commercial lettings. I enjoy the challenges of running a team, developing new products and mentoring through my consultancy work.

My three children have attended catholic schools throughout their education, my youngest daughter is in year 10 at St Joans whilst my older two have now left. They began their school journey at St Anthonys in Watford, where I enjoyed being a parent governor. I then went on to become a foundation governor at St Joans becoming vice chair two years ago. I have found this position to be incredibly rewarding and very interesting. To be able to work with other fantastic Governors, all from different career backgrounds, has been hugely beneficial personally. Something which I had never expected, as my reason for joining the Governing board was to try give back to the school a little of the unconditional support they had offered my daughter.

Interests outside work, are simply football and family! I currently coach my son’s under 17 football team, a task I took on seven years ago after I stepped down from football refereeing, a career of over 15 years which has many wonderful memories. This love of football has been a constant in my life, and my son and I like to support Watford and Spurs and are fortunate to regularly attend their games. With my knees now confirming my many years of football, I like to relax and keep moving through pilates and family dog walks, both of which provide me with moments of calm!

Silvio

Charley Mc Inerney - Foundation Governor

I have worked within the Public Sector and Project Management Services for the past 7 years, most notably Transport for London leading the management of one of the biggest signalling upgrades in the world where I was selected to undertake an international assignment in Canada managing our Suppliers. More recently, I have now joined Turner and Townsend to undertake a Senior Project Manager role in their infrastructure delivery team working on UK and international projects & programmes. I am a relatively new Governor joining the group in 2021, with the role of Foundation Governor and Link Governor to the 6th Form. I am a former pupil of St Joan of Arc school having completed my secondary and sixth form education between 2009-2016. My sister also went to St Joans. I am a member of Sacred Heart Church in Ruislip.

As a former pupil of St Joan of Arc School, I had access to the highest level of education and access to a strong catholic community that I have felt built the foundations of my career and current successes to date. I want to ensure this is continued by influencing the strategic vision of the school to allow future cohorts to experience the same. Working with the Governing Board at St Joan of Arc is a privilege and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a fantastic team to build upon the future success of St Joan of Arc.

       Charley Mc Inerney

Andy Rodgers - Co-Opted Governor & Chair of the Finance Committee

I live in Rickmansworth and have been a foundation Governor of St Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary school since 1988, and a trustee of ASCAT since its inception in 2012. I have served as the Chair of the St Joan of Arc Finance Committee for some decades and am also a Board member of Docklands Academy Ltd, which provides courses to international students.

I have enjoyed a full career with the Bank of Ireland, half in Ireland and half in London, and retired from a senior executive position in 2000. I am now a non-exec director of a diverse range of companies; mentor to chief executives and promoting the cause of many charities. I have been honoured with a knighthood (KSG) from Pope Francis amongst other honours. I have three daughters (all of whom attended St Joans) and four grandchildren. In my limited spare time I am a keen gardener, tennis player and golfer.

Andy

Mary Hughes - Foundation Governor & Chair of the Resources Committee

 have spent much of my working life in the retail sector in commercial and HR roles and I now work locally as a School Business Manager.

I joined the Governing Board as a Foundation Governor in November 2019; I chair the Resource Committee and am also part of the Catholic Life of the School committee.

I enjoy cooking, watching rugby, walking in the Chilterns and spending time with family and friends.

I am a parishioner at St Aidan’s in Little Chalfont. My 3 children attended St Joan’s and they had a very positive experience here. I am delighted to have joined the Governing Board so that I can play a role in this special school and contribute to the wider school community.

Mary

Anita Ribeiro - Foundation Governor

My career background is in the legal, professional services, construction and charity sectors.  I am currently the Head of Partnerships at a UK charity supporting care-experienced young people aged 16-26 in London to transition from care into a career.

I have varied experience at manager level predominately in community outreach and social value, business development, sales and marketing and human resources.

I have been a governor at St Joan’s since June 2017 where I am the careers link governor. 

I enjoy travelling, especially visiting family in Spain and Portugal, and sampling different cuisines, cultures and attempting to learn a few words in other languages.  I have a keen interest in social mobility and playing my part in ensuring there are opportunities for all no matter what their starting point.

My son is alumni of St Joan’s school and 6th Form and I have other family who are current and past pupils too.  My local parish is St Luke’s in Pinner.

I am now in my second term as a Foundation Governor and took on the role so I could give something back to the community and learn more about the education sector.  The role has particularly given me the opportunity to broaden my network and to upskill plus it is good fun too.

                                        Anita

Angela McCarthy - Foundation Governor

I have worked within the criminal justice system for 20 years mainly working within the probation service and most recently at the Parole Board managing projects within the People hub. I have a degree in sociology and a Masters in criminology.  I have a keen interest in restorative justice and how conflict can be resolved through effective communication. 

I am a relatively  new Foundation Governor at St Joan of Arc. As a former pupil I have held St Joan’s in my heart all these years and really delighted to be back making a difference and to see Mrs O’ Hanlon,  now as Head, when we both started at St Joan of Arc on the same day and she was my Year 7 tutor! 

Bring a mum of two boys keeps me busy, but when I do have some free time I like to practice Yoga and Pilates and  I also sing in a choir. Holidays to Ireland particularly to Mayo and Cork form part of our annual trip and this year maybe going a bit further now we can!  I have chaired the Parents Staff Association at my boys Catholic Primary School and as a family we ste regular parishioners at my local Church in North London. 

St Joan of Arc made the start of my learning experience a great one and my love of learning is still engrained within me. I am delighted to be part of a great team of people with a shared vision and commitment to the school. 

Angela

 

 

 

Steve McHugh - Associate Governor

I have worked within Construction for many years, running a small family Utilities business for 20 years before becoming a Construction Health and Safety advisor. I was Project Manager for the High voltage installation at Tilbury docks, which became one of London's first onshore windfarms, generating 10 MW of  power.

I have been an Associate Governor for nearly 4 years  and part of the Resources Committee.

In my spare time I have a workshop where I restore 70's Classic superbikes, as well as smaller machines and some modern motorbikes . I occasionally make it to a Shape Up  workout class, and I like to follow Ireland Rugby.

I have a lot of Cousins, second cousins and Friends who all attended St Joan of Arc.  All 6 of my children went to St Joan of Arc and my wife works on Reception and in Welfare at the School. We are Parishioners of Sacred Heart, Bushey and all the children went to the Primary school there.

When I was approached to become a Governor , I felt I could offer some experience and knowledge to assist the Board of Governors from my construction background. This has been a rewarding experience and an excellent opportunity to provide support to the school.

Steve

Mario Cirillo - Associate Governor

I am an ex-student of St Joan of Arc school and 6th form. During my time at Joan of Arc a passion was ignited for all things IT. Since leaving after A levels, I have been working within the IT sector for close to 20 years. During that time, I have had several roles from working as a support analyst at Heathrow Airport right through to founding and running one of the UKs fastest growing Managed Services Providers. 

I recently joined the Kerv Group where I am CTO of our IT Transformation division. At Kerv we are focused on using technology to build a better and more sustainable future for our employees and our clients. 

When I’m not working, I spend time with my young family. I also enjoy fishing, going to the gym and tennis. 

I have been a Governor at St Joan of Arc since 2022 – I’m still very much learning and finding my feet. When the opportunity to join this fantastic team came about, I jumped at the chance. Joan of Arc will always be very special to me and was instrumental in helping me identify my passions and strengths. I hope as a governor I can use my skills to give back and support the school in the fantastic work the amazing staff do. 

Mario

Rebecca Bridger - Parent Governor & Safeguarding Link Governor

My name is Rebecca and I am a parent governor and link governor for safeguarding and relationship sex education (RSE), at St Joan of Arc. In my professional life, I am a Sister in children’s intensive care (PICU) at a London hospital. I have been working in PICU for twenty years and despite it’s challenges, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

I became a governor at St Joan of Arc in the autumn of 2019. I decided to apply to be a governor as I wanted to give something back to our school community in a positive way. I find it very rewarding to hear about school life at our meetings and to be able to support the school in its vision and ethos.  I regularly attend training on a whole range of aspects of school governance, as well as committee meetings, governing board meetings and school visits. Due to my professional background, I volunteered to become the safeguarding and RSE link governor and I enjoy coming in to school and speaking with the school safeguarding lead and senior leadership team about all things safeguarding and RSE.

In my spare time I love being at home with my family, reading, fitness and walking in the lovely Chiltern countryside. I have three children at St Joan of Arc and we are parishioners at Our Lady Help of Christians in Rickmansworth.

Rebecca

Emma Stack - Staff Governor

I have been a member of staff at St.Joan of Arc since 2007, and in my time at the school I have had many roles including Learning co-ordinator and Curriculum Lead. My current position is Curriculum lead for Psychology and Sociology and I work predominantly with the Sixth Form. Within this role my mission is to ensure each student is treated as an individual to help them reach their full potential.

My overriding passion throughout my career has been to improve the provision of state education, in a faith, co-educational setting. I recently joined the governing board in January 2022 as I wanted to contribute more to the wider school community and be more involved in the strategic development of a place that has been home for so many years, as I am also a past student of JoA and have family who have also been part of the community. Becoming a governor has given me an even deeper understanding of what goes into making JOA such a great school.

My spare time is spent wrangling two children to their various sporting activities and experiencing the highs and lows that go with supporting Arsenal. I am also an avid reader. I have strong connections with the parish of St.Josephs in South Oxhey and my children attend a local Catholic school.

Emma Stack

Tim Williams - Community Governor

I have been a governor at St Joan’s since 1988 and was previously a pupil here from 1976 to 1983 (2nd year of boys joining!). My sister attended St Joan’s as did four cousins and a nephew (quite a family affair).

I am the Local Community Governor (as I’m a local Councillor on Hertfordshire County Council, and also on Watford Borough Council), however in the past have served as the Local Authority appointed governor, and as a Foundation governor appointed by the diocese. I am a member of the Governor’s Finance Committee.

I was a Finance Manager in the IT/Communication industry but I’m now semi-retired doing contract work every now and again.

Time permitting, I do like to get down to the local Leisure Centre for either a work-out, yoga class, a swim or a game or two of badminton, and I also enjoy jogging around the local park (in the distance past completed six marathons). We have an allotment locally at which we try to grow edible food every year.

Tim

Christina Reffold - Clerk to the Governing Body

As Clerk to the Governing Board my role is to provide advice on governance, constitutional and procedural matters and to provide administrative support to the Board and its committees including minute taking and convening meetings. I am also responsible for maintaining first line communication between members of the Governing Board and the school community.

I have a background in property and business management prior to moving into the Education Sector, where I have worked in both student facing and administrative management roles including providing a clerking service to other schools and the All Saints Catholic Academy Trust Board.

I have strong connections with the local Catholic Community, having grown up in Harrow and attended Catholic Primary; Secondary; and Sixth Form Education. Since moving from Harrow I am a parishioner of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bushey. In my spare time I attempt to keep up with two young children and enjoy spending any free time reading historical fiction and walking our family dog. I have a strong family affiliation with the West Coast of Ireland and travel to Achill Island in Mayo most summers.

Working with the Governing Board at St Joan of Arc is a privilege and has provided the opportunity to serve the Catholic community in a professional capacity. The role of clerk to the Governing Board is a rewarding and fulfilling post and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such a fantastic team.