Governance
Governors play a vital role in both supporting and challenging schools to ensure they meet their objectives.
At EKC Sheppey Secondary, we are incredibly grateful to have a team of local governors with a wide range of professional, educational and voluntary experiences.
Alan Horton – Chair of Governors
Alan is a lifelong public servant, safeguarding our communities for over 30 years with Kent Police. In serving as a Swale Borough and Upchurch Parish Councillor, he’s championed and shaped the local area.
This, and his 20-year dedication to education, as a School Governor, Chair, and Trustee, Alan proudly Chairs EKC Sheppey Secondary’s Governing Body.
Fiona Trigwell“I am very excited about this role for two reasons. These changes offer real choice to the young people on the Island, and secondly, we get to work with local families, the Sheppey community, and a great EKC Sheppey Secondary team, to create, from scratch, an entirely new school offering a unique curriculum tailored to the needs of our pupils, preparing them for the exciting world ahead!
The Governing Body will ensure the focus is on the things that we know really matter: support, behaviour for learning, and great teaching. We have an ‘Outstanding’ Primary school and ‘Outstanding’ college on the island already, we know the community, and we are drawing on our proven track record to deliver real change. We have a great team, all of whom have young people and the community at heart and are ambitious, dedicated and looking forward to the challenge.”
Fiona is a passionate islander with decades of experience working in education in Swale. Fiona has championed the island all of her life and has shaped the futures for many families all over the island.
Fiona started her teaching career on the Isle of Sheppey 45 years ago and in that time worked across Island schools in various leadership roles. In 2012 she was appointed as a Headteacher in a Sittingbourne secondary school where she raised standards and transformed the school’s reputation. Since her ‘retirement’ she has been Chair of the Board of Directors for an academy trust of eight schools, two of which are on the Island
“I’m excited about being a governor of EKCSS, it’s a privilege to be asked and support the next generation to make a difference for our young people. I believe they have the expertise, skill set and drive to understand the community and work with all stakeholders to ensure that our future generations of children have the educational experience they deserve, within their local environment.
I learnt many years ago that the best form of governance is to challenge and support in equal measure. It certainly isn’t an easy balance to achieve at times but is crucial to a successful environment. I aim to build positive relationships with all members of staff, regularly seek the views of students and parents and be prepared when needed to have open and honest conversations.“
Jackie Noble
Jackie has educational experience spanning over 28 years within a challenging Swale School. She is committed to offering all young people a chance to be successful, whatever their background and circumstances.
Jackie has leadership experience of safeguarding, curriculum development, career education and whole school strategic planning. Her family have always lived on the Island and she spent most of her childhood school holidays staying with grandparents there.
“Having spent so many years working in education in Swale, being close to family living on the Island, I am fully aware of the challenges facing young people and their education there, which is why I am excited to be part of the Governing body working with the leaders and staff at EKC Sheppey Secondary to make a change for the future.
Governing is about challenging the school leaders and staff, whilst also supporting their work in delivering a strong ethos and education for the young people of Sheppey. I am committed to be part of a team who will turn round the opportunities available for education on the island and am delighted by this new challenge ahead.“
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Denise Knights
Denise is an experienced entrepreneur who has made an enormous difference to the lives of the young people of Swale helping those who have often felt left behind.
She ran her own successful international Interior Design business for over 30 years. Working with celebrities and corporate clients, worldwide. She took early retirement and joined Canterbury College in the Visual Arts Department, as an Industry Liaison Officer. In this role, she was responsible for getting young people work experience and getting them work ready. After 5 years, she was offered the role as Enterprise Manager at Launch It on the Isle of Sheppey, to grow the next generation of entrepreneurs and creatives on the Island.
“I am excited to be able to offer my wealth of knowledge and experience to the young people of the Island.
I am passionate about giving the next generation the chance to explore their options in the world of work and to become the best they can. I would like every young person to feel valued and enabled to reach their full potential.”
Dolley Wooster
Dolley is a Labour counsellor for Sheerness. As a passionate and dedicated Islander, she has a proven track record in campaigning for positive change in Sheerness and ensuring that the voices of the Sheerness community are heard at every level.
As an experienced governor and within her own family, she has personal experience of schools on the island. She has been working in the local community for many years and is involved in a number of development projects across the island.
“I am incredibly excited to be supporting EKC group on Sheppey especially with bringing forward a new secondary school in Sheerness. Working with schools in various governance roles has been a real privilege. As a family we have benefitted from going through the education process that our island relies on and our children deserve. Providing choice, quality teaching and an educational offering that works with the community are ideals that we all share and more importantly will give the voice of the child every opportunity to be heard.
I will do my best to support children and families to enjoy and celebrate their time in education and aspire to a life beyond education that realises the individual potential that each student carries with them. I will bring commitment, understanding and expectation to the role on behalf of Sheppey and our kids.“
Clare Bush
Clare is an experienced and committed safeguarding lead who has dedicated her career to safeguarding young people throughout Swale.
She has 15 years of experience in working with children and young people in Swale in both primary and secondary settings. She is passionate about supporting families in her role as a Designated Safeguarding Lead and being a mental health lead and qualified counsellor has enabled her to transform the lives of the young people she works with.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to be part of the improvement to secondary education for young people on the Isle of Sheppey. EKCSS have high expectations of their students and will provide an exciting option for young people on the island.
I am looking forward to drawing on my experience of working with young people and their families on the Isle of Sheppey to enable them to get the best possible educational experience with EKC Sheppey Secondary.“
Alexandra Syrotiuk
Alexandra started her long career in further education 15 years ago. She has had the opportunity to work nationwide in different colleges and brings this wealth of experience to her role as Principal at Sheppey College
Alexandra is a proud member of the EKC Group Leadership Team who is dedicated to working with our young people on the island to support them into further education, degrees, apprenticeships or successful employment.
“I am excited to support EKC Sheppey Secondary on its journey to ensure that secondary education on the Isle of Sheppey is reimagined.
It is a privilege to be given this opportunity to both support but also challenge EKC Sheppey Secondary to achieve its targets in my role as school governor, and I am looking forward to continuing to support students in Sheppey achieve their goals
“I have the honour and privilege to lead the finest team I could ever dream of, on what I believe is the most exciting development in education on the Isle of Sheppey in at least a generation, and arguably much longer.
Together with our team of dedicated and passionate staff we are going to work our socks off to reverse the injustices of the past and change the lives of the young people on whose shoulders the future of the entire community rests.
In exchange for that hard work I promise each of you the most rewarding experience possible, to know that you shaped a life, in fact many lives, and delivered hope, ambition, self-worth and the valuing of all in society, to the island and beyond as our students grow as individuals and shape their community for years to come.
I am reminded of the words of JFK in his famous speech at Rice University in which he gave the immortal lines; ‘We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’
For us, we chose Sheppey because it is the right thing to do.”
Alan Horton
Governance In Action
At each of our meetings, we make recommendations and decisions on a number of key priorities that affect the school. These are recorded along with our discussions and what we have supported and what we have challenged. Part of our role as Governors is to act as a ‘Critical Friend’ to the school.
EKCSS-Register-of-Governors-Interests-2024-2025 pdf
Governor Membership
EKC Schools Trust Governance
You can learn more about the Trust’s governance structure and remit of the members, board of trustees, its committees and its scheme of delegation via the Trust’s Governance page.