Our Governors

As part of the Hope Learning Trust, Graham School is managed by a Local Governing Committee. The following members sit on the LGC:

If you need to contact the chair please contact: chair@gps.hlt.academy

Governors who have stepped down from the Governing Body in the last 12 months:

Get to know our governors

Chair of Governors – Mr Alan Richards

Alan has been involved in school governance since 2001, he has been a National Leader of Governance since 2012 and has a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Wales. He is a member of the Institute of Leadership and Management and the Society of Education and Training and is passionate about school improvement, ensuring that all children are able to achieve to their full potential.

As a National Leader of Governance, Alan has supported and helped to develop Leadership and Governance in Schools and Academies throughout Yorkshire. He is also a Director serving on several other Boards of Multi Academy Trusts and School Improvement Companies.

Alan is the Managing Director of a Leadership and Management Consultancy designing and delivering Courses for, amongst others, the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry and working with many businesses across the region. He runs training programs and seminars developing and promoting Leadership and Emotional Intelligence skills throughout the Country.

Alan says, “I always remember learning ‘the more you put in, the more you get out’ and that has certainly been true with Governance. It’s a very rewarding feeling making a decision or supporting someone in a way that makes a difference for the children of our school.”

If you need to contact the chair please contact: chair@gps.hlt.academy

Hope Trust Staff

Mrs Helen Dowds – Executive Principal

Ms Emma Robins – Principal Graham School

Mrs Lesley Welsh – Principal George Pindar School

LGC Members

Mr Marcus Towse

In most of my professional life I have been a teacher, mainly of Physics, but also Philosophy. Many years ago I spent a few years in the computing industry working as a programmer and systems analyst, but decided that teaching and education were the place I wanted to be.

Having worked in several Colleges, I returned to Scarborough Sixth Form College in 2007, and was Principal there from 2013 to 2018. I am determined to do what I can to help George Pindar School become the best it can be for the community it serves.

Revd Samantha Taylor

I am the Vicar of Eastfield and Osgodby and Area Dean to the town of Scarborough. For the last 8 years I have worked in Eastfield as the Director of Westway Open Arms Social Action and Crisis Centre as a consequence I know the area of Eastfield very well and many families. I have a heart for the community and love working alongside local families. This has given me in-depth knowledge of the specific issues families face and am aware of specific schemes and support mechanisms out there to help. The values of Hope Learning Trust at George Pindar School and Graham School are inspiring and encourage each of us as well as the students to set our goals high and become the best that God intends for our lives.

Mr Gerry Swain

I grew up and was educated in Scarborough and attended Leeds University. I taught English and Drama in Yorkshire schools for about 20 years and was a local authority adviser / inspector in Barnsley and Gloucestershire. For the last ten years of my work, I was regional and then national director for English in the National Strategies and I retired in 2011.

We moved back to Scarborough to live in 2017. I work with various school improvement projects voluntarily and am dedicated to supporting Graham School in its efforts to become a great school.

Mr Richard Benstead – Vice Chair

Richard Benstead is currently Programme Director for the North Yorkshire Coast Opportunity Area Programme. This Department of Education funded programme will invest in the area and address existing barriers to social mobility.

Previously, Richard was Head of Youth Policy at the Cabinet Office and Dept for Culture, Media and Sport, as well as a management consultant at KPMG. In this role at KPMG, he led a range of projects and programmes in central and local government and the NHS.

Ms Mandy Gething

I am originally from Teesside and studied at Edinburgh University and in Germany.  I have lived mostly in the North, including the last 8 years in Scarborough.  During my working life I have had experience of working in several industries in addition to the education sector, including catering management and the Civil Service.  While in York and Lincolnshire in the 1990s I taught German and French, and I returned to teaching when I moved to Scarborough.  I currently work as a teacher of English, EAL and Modern Foreign Languages, but have also taught Citizenship and in Adult Education during my time in Scarborough.  What I find the most rewarding about being a teacher is helping students and colleagues to achieve their potential, so I hope to be able to support Graham and Pindar in this way, too.

Ms Tracey Woodward

I am an experienced KS3 and 4 teacher in my third decade of teaching.  My main subject specialism is Science and I also teach Mathematics.  I came in to the profession to make a positive impact on children’s lives by enabling them to fulfil their potential as life-long learners who will continue to be enriched by the positive contributions they make in their individual lives and society as a whole and throughout my career I have enjoyed working with colleagues in pursuing this shared aspiration.

I am passionate in my belief that the experiences each child encounters within and throughout every aspect of our care is pivotal in the development of their emotional, mental and physical well-being that will form the cornerstone of their academic achievement and fulfilment as well-rounded individuals.

I have experience at all levels of management in both pastoral and academic spheres a variety of roles ranging from literacy coordinator to Head of Year to Assistant Headteacher.

I am proud to be a member of the George Pindar team and look forward to utilising my skills and experience in serving both George Pindar and Graham School in my role as staff governor.