Vale School Governing Board

There are fourteen governors on the governing board. The board is made up of the following types of governor:

4 Parent Governors

1 Staff Governor

1 Headteacher Governor

1 Local Authority Governor

7 Co-opted Governors

Parent governors are elected by the parent body and elections are organised and run by the school. Staff governors are elected by the staff. Local Authority Governors are nominated by the Local Authority. Co-opted governors are invited onto the board by board members. Governors have a four-year term of office. The governing board meets each half term. Meetings are usually open to the public and parents / persons with parental responsibility are warmly welcomed to attend our meetings.

Vale Governors play an active and crucial role in the strategic management of the school. They act as a ‘critical friend’ to ensure that the provision for the pupils is of the highest quality and that the school meets all statutory requirements.

Interested in becoming a governor?

If you think you might be interested in becoming a governor of the school please contact the Headteacher, Sarah McLay or Chair of Governors, Phil DiLeo for more information. The work is interesting and you would be involved in the issues that go to make Vale School the vibrant and exciting school it is today.

Introducing our Governors...

Parent Governors:

Stephanie Buckingham

Chair of Resources Committee

Link Governor for Communication

Link Governor for Teddy Bear class

Following a 15 year career as a Television News Editor, I decided to change careers and teach languages. I am a native French speaker (with fluent Spanish) and have been running French language clubs, in various Haringey primary schools, for 11 years now. My son started at the Vale, in September 2016 and I joined the governing body in 2017.

I have also held a number of voluntary positions (in an NGO, school PTA and reading group, as well as in a GCSE language tutoring scheme -for children from deprived backgrounds). I currently do some volunteer editing for a magazine and I am also a trustee for WAVE (We Are All Valued Equally)

Minakshi Dogra 

Vice Chair of Governors

Chair for School Development Committee

Link Governor for Brown Bear class

Link Governor for Parent partnership

I have been a Governor at the Vale since 2012. I have been working with parent partnership groups and organising meetings on various topics / issues to help my community. I am also Governor at the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham and I have worked at a Primary branch in the speech and language therapy department as a volunteer. I am an ex-science teacher and now self -employed. My child is currently attending the Vale secondary school. My vision as a Governor is to bring school and community together; to empower our children and bring support to their families /carers whilst offering the very best of my service.

Susie May

Link Governor for Panda class 

I was appointed governor in early 2020 during my youngest daughter’s reception year at the Vale Primary. My professional background is as a senior editor in non-fiction publishing. I have volunteered on the PSA of my elder daughter’s mainstream primary school, and provide voluntary one-to-one reading support in that setting. I also serve on the committee for my amateur chamber choir.

Alaine Alley-Lamptey

Link Governor newly appointed

Staff Governor:

Charlie Rooney-Norris

Link Governor for Vale@Belmont

I began working at Vale school in 2018 after 24 years of working in mainstream primary education in Tottenham. During this time I held a variety of roles including class teacher, SEN teacher, Science lead and Reading Recovery teacher. I decided to move to Special Education after 4 years as SENCo/Assistant Head for Inclusion at Lancasterian Primary School, one of our mainstream partner schools. It has been a great honour to work at Vale school where I am currently one of the Deputy Headteachers with my main roles being leading our Primary site and assessment across the whole school.

Local Authority Governor:

Jean Brown 

Link Governor for TG4

I first became a governor of The Vale in 1984 when special schools first were given permission to have governing bodies. I served for 20 years, 17 of those as chair. During that time I led the GB towards the inclusion scheme, and the five-school partnership which now characterises The Vale’s successful offer to children with Special Needs. I am currently the Local Authority Special Schools’ Link Governor on Haringey Schools Forum

As a member of Haringey Council for 8 years 1998-2006, which entailed my leaving the Governing Body to concentrate on my Council responsibilities, I also led the Council’s scrutiny review on inclusion which resulted in the adoption of borough-wide inclusion arrangements for special needs schools. We were then the first local authority to have all

its special schools with inclusion arrangements.  I have also served as a governor in mainstream secondary and primary schools in Haringey. I returned to the Vale GB when I retired from the Council in 2013. I have also been a Trustee (Governor) at the Sixth Form Centre for the last two years where I have worked closely with the Special Needs Faculty.

My professional background is as a secondary teacher, school manager, lecturer in education on the PGCE course at the Institute of Education and the University of Greenwich, and as a local authority advisor for children with English as an additional language.

Co-opted Governors:

Phil DiLeo

Chair of Governors

Link Governor for Assessment

Link Governor for TG5

I am a qualified secondary school teacher and from 1984 increasingly worked with and on behalf of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families. This has included role of SENCO, setting up the Haringey Education Support Service and Acting Head teacher in a special school for boys with behavioural difficulties. I then moved into the Local Authority Administration as Head of Additional Needs and Disabilities which gave me the opportunity to work with a wide range of statutory and voluntary services including special and mainstream schools, Health and Social Care in developing and implementing policies and strategy in line with national legislation and local requirements.

I retired from this post in July 2014 and I am pleased to have the opportunity to be a Governor of the Vale School and to work with colleagues to ensure pupils achieve their potential through rich and inclusive educational experiences.

Sukina Campos 

Link Governor for Assessment

Link Governor for TG1

Laura Forbes

Link Governor for Literacy

Link Governor for TG2

I have been working as a music specialist for The Vale for a number of years and was delighted to be invited onto the governing body. Prior to freelancing I was full time Artistic Director for Haringey Shed Inclusive Theatre Company working alongside The Vale and many other schools and community groups in Haringey. My current music teaching is based at Great Ormond Street Hospital School, KAOS signing choir and I run an inclusive community choir in Walthamstow. I very much look forward to taking my experiences from these inclusive environments into the governing body to support the growth and development of Vale School.

Rachel Lissauer

Link Governor for Health

Link Governor for Paddington class

I work and live in Haringey. I have a background in NHS management and policy and am the Director of Commissioning for Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group. 

Gillian Martin

Link Governor for Safeguarding and Health and Safety

Link Governor for TG3

I am a qualified Nursery Nurse and am based at the Primary Department as the Support Staff Coordinator.

I have been a Vale governor for over 30 years, appointed when Special Schools first had their own Governing Body. I have also represented the Vale on the Belmont Infant Governing body and for many years I chaired their Premises, Health and Safety Committee. I am a member of the Vale Resources Committee and the Governor with responsibility for Health and Safety.

Ben Raffles

Link Governor for Polar Bear class

With a long-time interest in education, but a career in finance I found Vale School via the charity “Inspiring Governance” connecting skilled volunteers to schools. I have been learning a great deal from the tenured staff and governors since my appointment in 2019, but also hope my experience leading a team in a Global Financial firm brings a differentiated skill set and view to the board of governors. I also sit on the board of a financial technology company. The time spent in school with staff and seeing teachers interact with pupils has been both enjoyable and enlightening - I look forward to more years of partnership. 

Jeannette Brand

Link Governor for Koala class

I am a co-opted Governor at the Vale School having been appointed in February 2020.  I am a registered Social Worker after qualifying in 1990, the majority of the years working with Disabled children. I am a Disabled woman, a fact about which I am very proud. I am very much looking forward to learning from and contributing to the Vale Communities. 

Headteacher Governor:

Sarah McLay 

Headteacher 

I was appointed Headteacher of Vale School in January 2011 and work closely with the Governing Body to monitor, evaluate and review school policy and practice for continuous school improvement.

Clerk to Governing Body

Jan Smosarski