Meet the Governors

Welcome to the Governors page of our school website.

The link below sets out who the Governors are and their roles of responsibility. If you wish to contact any of the Governors please do so via the school office.

Charlotte Beadle (Chair of Governors)

Charlotte Beadle has been a parent governor since July 2014 and, in February 2019, was elected as Chair of Governors. Her children have been attending Whitchurch Combined School since 2012 when she and the Beadle family moved to the Aylesbury area, and Charlotte became a governor when her youngest started at the school in September 2014. Charlotte runs her own company providing compliance consultancy to the pharmaceutical industry, and as there are similarities in the governance of all organisations Charlotte felt she could help provide her experience to the school. The key role that all governors provide is to be a ‘critical friend’ to the school and given this is about the welfare and education of children Charlotte wanted to contribute her support to this. Charlotte is a member of the Finance and Management Committee and has governor responsibilities for Early Years Foundations Stage (EYFS).

Michael Roberts

Michael has been a parent governor since June 2019.  He and his wife have lived happily in Whitchurch since 2011, and both their children attend the school.  Michael has worked on behalf of business for 30 years on a range of public policy and reputational issues, most recently as Chief Executive of two trade associations.  He enjoys sport and is interested in architecture, history and the environment.  As governor, he aims to work with his fellow governors, the highly dedicated team at WCS and the wider community to promote the continuous improvement of the school.

Janet Sampson

Janet Sampson has been a Local Authority/co-opted governor for 7 years and is Chair of the Curriculum Committee. She is also currently responsible for safeguarding, SEN and gifted/talented provision. Her two children attended Whitchurch Combined School from 2003 to 2013. Why did she become a governor?  Having been an active member of the Whitchurch School Association and a parent volunteer when her own children were at Whitchurch, becoming involved on the governing body was another practical way to support and 'give something back' to the school and all its students - a worthwhile and hugely rewarding experience.  All schools face significant challenge and change in the current climate: being a governor helps you appreciate and understand the key role of education. Janet lives in Whitchurch and works full time as a Teacher of English at Aylesbury Grammar School.

Jane Holliday

Jane joined the Board of Governors in November 2019.  Jane lives in the village and both her children previously attended Whitchurch School in the late 1990s.  At that time Jane worked full time and had little involvement with the School and, now that she has retired (early!), she saw the vacancy for a Governor as the opportunity to contribute back into the school.  In Jane’s former career she was an HR Director for a global fmcg business and also ran her own consultancy for a number of years, and so she brings a knowledge of general management and a commercial perspective to her new role. Jane is a member of the Finance and Management Committee and her first impression of being a Governor is just how much reporting and data is involved in running a school!

Simon Patrick

Simon has been a parent governor since 2016 and is the vice chair of the finance committee. Simon is a Chartered Surveyor specialising in commercial property and has two children, Rory and Maisie, who are both at Whitchurch Combined School.

Simon became a school governor to help support the school, to understand the education system better and to assist in making the school a better place for our children. 

Outside of his day to day work, Simon is involved in the Bucks County Show and enjoys spending time with his family and his dog, Betsy.

Natahalie Nutbrown

My name is Nathalie Nutbrown and I am very pleased to be one of the governors of this wonderful school. I’m originally from Hong Kong and have now lived in the UK for over 20 years. In my role as governor I feel I can positively contribute to the school’s continued improvement. I will work with the parents, teachers, leadership team and other governors to help achieve and meet the objectives set, which will provide our children with the best platform to be successful. I have 2 children who attend the school and I’m passionate about their education.

I have a science background and have many years working within the pharmaceutical industry where I will look to apply this knowledge and skill set to my role as a governor.

Mark Soar

Mark is the Deputy Head at Whitchurch Combined School and has been a Governor here since September 2017 upon his arrival at the school. He has worked as a teacher and governor across Buckinghamshire for the last 15 years. As part of his role as Governor, he enjoys supporting other colleagues in developing a strategic vision for the school. Outside of school, Mark runs a local Junior football team and enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Helen Armour

Helen joined the Board of Governors in February 2020 having moved to Whitchurch in 2016 from St Albans. Helen worked in the retail industry for many years in senior head office roles before moving into university teaching thirteen years ago and is now a Principal Lecturer teaching UG and PG students on applied business courses relating to her industry expertise. In addition to her teaching duties Helen is also one of the university's International Directors, responsible for establishing and building active relationships around the world. She has been a governor previously at a junior school in Harpenden and has also been a trustee for a local bereavement charity. Helen and her family have settled very happily in Whitchurch with both her grown up children living locally and she is keen to contribute to the life of the community and the school in particular. Helen is a member of the Finance and Management Committee and looks forward to utilising her business and education experience to the benefit of the school.

Gemma Cooling

Gemma joined the Board of Governors in January 2020. She lives in Oving with her husband and two young children. She is a qualified secondary English teacher and taught in schools across the country for ten years. As part of this role she managed a busy English department; giving her managerial experience as well as involvement in developing and executing strategic plans in an educational setting. These are skills that she hopes to bring to her role as Governor. Since starting her family Gemma has been self-employed running her own private tutoring business. Gemma hope that through her role she will be able to contribute positively to the school and the local community.