Board of Governors
To write to the Board of Governors, please address correspondence to:
Nicholas Mercer
Chair of the Board of Governors
c/o Clerk to the Board
Bede's Senior School
Upper Dicker
East Sussex, BN27 3QH
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Board of Governors, Bede's
Bede’s School in Upper Dicker, East Sussex was awarded ‘School of the Year’ at The Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS) annual conference in London on 18 March.
The Board of Governors have been awarded the 2023-24 Good Governance Programme certificate. This Programme was jointly developed by the Association of Governing Bodies in Independent Schools (AGBIS) and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) to support and provide recognition of high-quality governance in schools. It requires all Governors to undertake additional Safeguarding training and alongside taking part in training on a wide variety of relevant topics. The certificate will remain valid for three years.
Bede’s is an independent co-educational day and boarding School located on three sites. We offer education from the age of 3 months through to 18 years old through our Nursery, Prep School and Upper School based in Eastbourne and Lower School, Senior School and Sixth Form based at Upper Dicker. We also offer education for girls only aged 4 – 18 years old at Burgess Hill Girls. We also run a Summer School at various campuses.
About the Governors
St Bede's School Trust Sussex is a company limited by guarantee where the members of the Board of Governors are also the Directors and Members of the Company. As the Trust is a registered charity, the members of the Board of Governors are also Trustees of the Charity. The Trust runs on a not-for-profit basis, whereby any surplus generated is used to further the charitable objects. Governors are all volunteers and do not benefit financially from their involvement with the Trust.
The Board of Governors is responsible for planning the strategic direction of the whole Trust, which is then implemented by the Executive Leadership Team. The Board of Governors is also required to confirm that the Trust is compliant with all relevant legislation and operates as a going concern.
The Board of Governors meets approximately four times a year with a number of sub-committees meeting three times a year prior to each main Board meeting. The Governors have overall responsibility for maintaining oversight of safeguarding and ensuring that appropriate consideration is given to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster inclusion. The key current sub-committees, with their key responsibilities, are shown below:
Audit and Risk Committee:
a) Monitoring and reviewing systems and methods of risk control through the Risk Register including risk identification, risk analysis, emerging risks, and risk management.
b) Responsibility for the oversight of internal audit and the implementation of appropriate controls.
Education Committee:
a) Monitoring and reviewing the agreed academic, curricular, and pastoral provision of the Trust and making recommendations to the Board as appropriate.
b) Maintaining oversight of ‘safeguarding’ as this pertains to the Trust’s delivery of academic, curricular, and pastoral provision.
Finance Committee:
a) Overseeing all financial aspects of the Trust including annual budgeting and the setting of fees to ensure the Trust’s viability and long-term sustainability.
b) Ensuring that the Board fulfils its legal obligations in relation to the financial management of a charitable trust.
Governance, Nominations and Remuneration Committee:
a) Reviewing and monitoring the Trust’s governance arrangements for the purpose of ensuring compliance, continuity, sustainability, and enhancing overall performance.
b) Making recommendations to the Board on the appointment and reappointment of Governors.
c) Overseeing the compensation principles and structures across the Trust.
Property Development Committee:
a) Maintaining and developing the Trust’s buildings, utilities, plant and vehicles, grounds, gardens, roadways and security.
b) Developing the Trust’s capital development plan and providing oversight of capital projects.
c) Reviewing and approving the Trust’s 10-year Long Term Maintenance Plan.
d) Overseeing the decarbonisation and sustainability strategy for the Trust.
The Health and Safety Committee is a management committee with a Governor in attendance:
a) Monitoring the health and safety management system, including the development and implementation of health and safety objectives and an improvement plan.
b) Conducting an annual review of Trust Health and Safety performance, in terms of compliance with the Trust’s Health and Safety policies, statutory compliance and best practice.
Nicholas Mercer, BA (Hons) (Chair)
Nick Mercer graduated from the University of London with a First-Class honour’s degree. Nick has over 35 years’ commercial experience, having served on several boards as an Executive Director. Nick is currently a Non-Executive Director of a media company and he also chairs a charity and acts as an advisor to a CIC focused on helping the education of disadvantaged children in inner London boroughs.
Stephen Avery, BA, MBA, FCA
Stephen is a graduate of Stirling and Heriot Watt Universities and also studied at the University of Kansas in the USA. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and completed his articles with Price Waterhouse. Stephen has held senior financial management roles in a number of organisations and in recent years has worked as a consultant and senior financial management lead for a number of universities in the UK. Stephen has also been a Trustee of a UK Charity and a Director/Governor of a Sixth Form College.
Charles Haywood
Charles Haywood has 40 years experience as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and Project Manager in the Construction industry. He specialises in risk managing construction projects and has regularly acted as an Expert Witness in resolving disputes. For 20 years he was a director of a local Surveying Practice before more recently taking on a consultancy role. He chaired the Sussex Constructing Excellence Club promoting best practice and driving innovation in the sector.
Gnananandan Janakan (known as Jan), MBBS FRCS MSc
Jan graduated from the University of London and is now a Consultant Surgeon specialising in colorectal cancer and major trauma working at the King's College Hospital, London. In the past he has been the safeguarding governor at a prep school. Jan is also a reserve Royal Air Force Officer working with the Air Cadets.
Sarah Jelly (Safeguarding Governor)
Sarah Jelly is solicitor specialising in Family Law. She is also an accredited family mediator. She has previously been a Governor at another school and is a past parent, having had a daughter in the Senior School.
Gautam Kakar
Gautam has over 25 years of experience in actuarial, financial modelling and risk management in the financial services sector in the UK and Asia.
Jeremy Maynard, MA (Oxon)
Jeremy has over 40 years' business experience, including 25 years as managing director of several food manufacturing companies. He is a trustee of another charity (Rye, Winchelsea & District Memorial Hospital).
Kate Nash, BEd
After 30 years teaching experience in the Independent sector, 10 as Head of Pre Prep at Marlborough House School, Kate worked as a Subject Advisor for IAPS and as a freelance educational consultant; this included delivering teacher training to the independent sector globally. Kate is also a Governor at Northease Manor School and is a Trustee, and volunteer Mediator and Conflict Coach for Mediation Plus in Sussex.
Victoria Parker, BSc, MRICS
Victoria holds a degree in Land Management from Reading University and has been a qualified member of the RICS since 1996. Victoria is a member of the Worshipful Company of Constructors, where she also serves as Almoner to the livery company. She recently completed the Cranfield University School of Management 'Business Growth Programme' and continues to be a member of the BGP Board.
Both of Victoria's children attended Bede's Senior School.
Marios Pattihis
Marios Pattihis is a solicitor who has over 40 years experience and he specialises in the commercial property sector.
Giles Perrin
Giles Perrin has over 25 years of experience in UK independent, state and international school settings. He is the son of the Senior School’s founding Headmaster Roger Perrin and his family lived at the Senior School from 1978 – 2003. Giles graduated from Edinburgh University with a BA in Religious Studies and Theology and began his teaching career at the Senior School, initially as a teacher and latterly as the Housemaster of Dicker Knights. Following this Giles worked in the state sector in Frome and then as part of a management team, founding a boarding school in India. In 2010 Giles founded Claremont Senior School, where he was based for 13 years.
Susanna Rynehart
Susanna is an employment solicitor, who has been in private practice for 28 years. She was formerly Chair of Governors in another school and is a Trustee of Mediation Plus, a charitable mediation service in Sussex.
Kyle Siwek, BA MSt
Kyle is a doctoral student at the University of Oxford. His research examines the relationship between the Church of England and the British state during the twentieth century. He has previously been a governor of two secondary schools and also a trustee of a Music Education Hub. At Oxford, he is a student representative on his college’s governing body, and is a member of the Humanities Divisional Board. Kyle also has a keen interest in music, and is a Choral Scholar at The Queen’s College, Oxford.
Philippa Southern MA (Oxon), ACA
Philippa graduated from Oxford University and is a member of the ICAEW. After a career at Andersen and Deloitte, she spent six years in Argentina and Denmark. Philippa currently works in special educational needs and is a trustee of another charity.
The Reverend Jeremy Sykes, MA (Hons)
Jeremy Sykes is an Anglican priest and has nearly 30 years’ experience working in a wide range of independent boarding and day schools both prep and senior. He was Chaplain at Giggleswick School and a housemaster, Headmaster of Great Walstead School and more recently Chaplain of Hurstpierpoint College. He is currently Vicar of the parish of Hellingly and Upper Dicker.
Alex Targett
Alex is a proud Bede's alumnus who went on to study Economics at the University of Bath. With four years of experience as an independent school consultant, Alex has specialised in using technology to improve school transport systems, with a passion for innovation in education.
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