Meet our Local Academy Committee Members
Mark Clutterbuck
Trust Associate (Vice Chair Local Academy Committee (from 17 April 2023))
Category: Trust Associate
Date of Appointment: 1 January 2022
Term ends: 1 January 2026
Appointing Body: Trust Board
Mark has been working in education for 36 years. He is currently Head Teacher at Coombe Hill Junior School, a post from which he is retiring in July 2022. Mark has worked in both Secondary and Primary Schools as a Teacher, Head of English, Deputy Head and as a local authority advisor. Prior to that, he worked for a small human rights organisation, working with schools, churches and trade unions as well as fundraising through arranging pop concerts, ballet events at Sadlers’ Wells and poetry evenings.
In 2020, working with a group of colleagues, Mark set up the Spark! Book Awards which promotes reading across schools through building links with writers and creating a competition in which pupils can vote. The Spark! Book Awards also raises funds to purchase books for disadvantaged children. It started as a local initiative and quickly developed, now working in partnership with the Open University and with over 150 schools across the country.
Saphina Sharif-Crocker
Trustee
Category: Community Trustee
Date of Appointment: 1 January 2022
Term ends: 1 January 2026
Appointing Body: Trust Members
I am a qualified Project Manager, having spent most of my career to date working for a global engineering consultancy. As well as working on several multi-discipline projects, including project managing the London2012 enabling works project, I have experience in business development and planning.
I am passionate about supporting our community and using my business skills in strategy, project and change management to benefit the school. I am also a committee member of the North Kingston Forum and of Friends of Latchmere Rec., as well as an active STEM Ambassador.
I have two daughters at Fern Hill.
Dave Stratton
Trust Associate
Category: Trust Associate
Date of Appointment: 1 January 2022
Term ends: 1 January 2026
Appointing Body: Trust Board
For the last 15 years, Dave has worked in advertising for a number of household names and is currently leading the marketing team for a large UK telecommunications company.
He has three daughters who attend and adore Fern Hill and he says: "it's a pleasure to play a small part in helping the school develop and build on its success".
Outside of work (and being run ragged by the aforementioned three girls) Dave is either studying for an MBA at Warwick Business School or watching far too much football.
David Alsop
Trust Associate
Category: Trust Associate
Date of Appointment: 21 July 2022
Term ends: 21 July 2026
Appointing Body: Trust Board
David has worked as a Science Teacher for 15 years in a wide range of educational settings and currently leads a Science Department in a school for 7-13 year olds.
He is passionate about education and is using his knowledge of the educational sector to support the school and trust in this role.
David's two nieces attend Fern Hill and he recently moved to Kingston. He is building links within the local community and in his spare time David plays tennis at a local tennis club and regularly takes part in the Kingston Park Run.
Nick Main
Trust Associate
Category: Trust Associate
Date of Appointment: 27 January 2023
Term Ends: 27 January 2027
Appointing Body: Trust Board
Nick is looking forward to bringing his key skills of project management, critical attention to detail and financial acumen to the role, derived from his work within Corporate Finance.
Nick also brings the perspective of being a relatively recent school leaver himself.
Karen Balmond
Trust Associate
Date of appointment: 8.3.24
Term of office: 4 years
From: 8.3.24
To:8.3.28
Appointed by: Board
Lorna McLaughlin
Staff Trust Associate
Appointed by: Staff body
Term of Office from: 3 June 2024
Term of Office ends:3 June 2028
I have been a teacher at Fern Hill Primary since 2007. Whilst there, I have taught in a range of age groups across KS2 and I am currently teaching in Year 6 and leading in Music.
In my previous life, I worked for several years in Marketing, then Administration and subsequently in Customer Services for British Gas, joining first as a graduate trainee in Cardiff, straight from university in Glasgow. Following a move down to Twickenham from Dundee, I took time out to raise my family and during this time I made the decision to change careers and re-train as a primary teacher, completing my PGCE at St.Mary's University.
I look forward to using my years of teaching experience to contribute to the Fern Hill community and to the Trust.
Current Vacancy
Parent Trust Associate
Category: Parent Trust Associate
Date of Appointment:
Term ends:
Appointing Body: Elected by parents
Francesca Lee
Governance Professional to the Fern Hill Local Academy Committee
I work as a governance professional, ensuring the smooth running of the Local Academy Committee, by organising meetings and maintaining records, as well as offering legislative and procedural advice on school governance.
My background is in education, having worked as a teacher trainer and teacher of English as a foreign language, in various settings from language schools to an NHS hospital.
My son attended Fern Hill until 2020 and I volunteered for many years at the school, building up a knowledge of and passion for Fern Hill.
