Our Governors

Our governors

Dorothy Goodman School is a stand-alone academy. We have five members who meet at least once each year and hold the responsibility for ensuring the finances of the Trust are in order and are spent in the best way to benefit the children and young people who attend the school.

The Trust has ten Governors who are also known as Trustees and they are responsible for ensuring that the leadership and management of the school are effective and policies are being followed. Tony Carr is the Chair of Governors for Dorothy Goodman School Local Governing Committee.

Tony Carr, Chair, Dorothy Goodman Local Governing Committee

Appointed – January 2018

Reappointed – September 2024

I have had the honour of being a parent governor at Dorothy Goodman School since January 2018. My daughter attends the secondary site and I am passionate about the children at all our school and giving them the best opportunities in life. Having been fully involved in the transformation to Open Thinking Partnership (OTP) which is a Muti Academy Trust. I am delighted to be the link Trustee between OTP and Dorothy Goodman School.

I have served as an officer in the Royal Navy, am a Chartered Engineering and I have worked at Caterpillar for 21 years. I am currently the Plant Manager at Desford and Stockton with responsibility for day to day operations across the two sites. I manage budgets and resources and operate as part of a Global Multinational organisation.

I am a trustee of Steps Conductive Education Centre in Shepshed and I believe my skills and abilities can help the team at OTP and all the associated schools.

Michaela Thomas, Community Governor (Safeguarding Link Governor)

Appointed – October 2022

Re-Appointed – July 2026

Lisa Parnell, Staff Governor

Appointed – November 2024

Chris Leeming, Community Governor

Appointed – February 2025

Daniel Elton, Parent Governor

Appointed – June 2025

Kelly Dryden, Headteacher

Heather Reid, Community Governor (Careers Link Governor)

Appointed as Parent Governor – April 2021 to End of Term –  April 2025

Appointed as Community Governor – June 2025

Since September 2019, my daughter has been attending Dorothy Goodman School. Most of this time she was affected by the Covid pandemic. I was so very impressed with how the school as an institution, and every member of staff, dealt with the restrictions placed on them and the worries that they had for themselves and the students. Becoming a governor will give me the chance to support the school to carry on this amazing work, and ensure that the children attending have the best experience , and ensure that the staff are well supported as well.

Sophia Jones, Staff Governor

Appointed – June 2022

End of Term – June 2026

Having worked at Dorothy Goodman for three years progressing from an apprentice into the role of a leader of support for learning, I have watched many positive changes that have enhanced pupil learning and achievement. Following being appointed in the role of staff governor I am looking forward to being able to support children and young people within a new role and being a part of the positive changes in school.

Wendy Jeffs, Governor

Appointed – October 2020

End of Term – October 2024

I was first introduced to DGS when looking for a special school for our daughter. We had been to several others but when we walked into DGS we knew it was different. The warmth and enthusiasm of everyone was immediately apparent and we knew this was the right school for us. As my daughter started at school I was fortunate to be offered a part time job at the school. I started working in class and progressed to working in the intervention team and mainly working in the health team. Here I enjoyed being encouraged to develop my knowledge and skills to enable me to help with pupils with additional medical needs. From day one the school gave my daughter a wealth of experiences in ways to access her learning in a safe nurturing environment while caring for all of her additional medical needs, allowing her to grow and develop into the amazing young lady she is today.

I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed all of my 20+ years at the school watching it grow and develop while still keeping that same warm nurturing environment that means so much. When the time came for me to retire I knew it would leave a great hole in my life but by becoming a Governor it enables me to give something back to the school that has given my daughter and myself so much over the years.

Ahsen Ather, Parent Governor

Appointed – November 2020

Resigned – May 2022

Being a Governor gives me the chance to be involved in the education of children and help the next generation. Given that my own children are of school age and seeing them develop and grow with the critical support of the School really brings home the crucial work they do in our society with the scarce resources that they have at their disposal. I hope that the skills I have developed in my working life will benefit the children, giving me the opportunity to be involved in the strategic decisions and future direction of the school.

Michelle O’Brien, Governor

Appointed – April 2019

Resigned – October 2022

I am a community governor and joined the team in April 2019. I live locally and have worked in mainstream education for the last 10 years. I am currently at university studying Speech and Language Therapy and am due to graduate in July 2020. I am motivated to engage in the role of governance and bring ideas to support the Standers and Expertise Committee to support the school and achieve optimum outcomes for the students.

Melissa Beacall, Staff Governor

Appointed – September 2020

Resigned – February 2022

I became a staff governor in September 2020 which has been an exciting opportunity for me to support children and young people in a different role.  I qualified as a teacher at Dorothy Goodman school in 2019. I am very passionate about supporting children and young people. It is so important we offer children a range of opportunities and encourage their independence throughout their time at school. The school has encompassed a sense of belonging to the children and young people. Many positive changes have happened during my short time within the school and I am excited to be a part of/to see more of these through my time at Dorothy Goodman school.

Danielle Holder, Staff Governor

Appointed – September 2018

Re-elected – February 2023

Resigned – June 2023

I’ve been working at Dorothy Goodman School for the last 11 years, progressing from an LSA to a class teacher, working in EYFS to KS3.  I have been in the position as ‘Teacher Governor’ for the last three years. My experience across the different key stages and sites has enabled me to have a holistic view of all pupils needs and to challenge this within my governor’s role.