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Ridgefield Primary is supported by a team of dedicated governors who ensure that the school meets a range of statutory obligations and hold the management of the school accountable to meet our development goals and outcomes. The governors are also involved in the daily life of the school, attending assemblies plays and events and linking with classes. We value the contributions our governors make to Ridgefield Primary.
Our school governors meet regularly throughout the year. With the Headteacher, they take responsibility for finance, premises, health & safety and the curriculum. Parent governors are often available in the school playground, should you wish to talk to them.
Jane Rickell is the Chair of Governors.
Elena Williams
I have 3 children & 5 grandchildren (3 still in Primary/Secondary education). I was a Primary Headteacher for 30 years at 4 schools & for 13 years was Ridgefield's 1st Chair of Governors & proud to see how well it has developed. I am a Church of England Lay Minister & for the past 20 years have been regularly with my wife Barbara to support & help untrained teachers in developing countries. I also still run!
Whilst I have previously Chair of Governors at Ridgefield, I am delighted to be able to continue the support he school
Jane Rickell
I am now retired, but was a headteacher for 22 years in two very different settings. My first headship was in a school in Bethnal Green in East London where we responded to a rapid influx of families from Bangladesh in the 1980s. My second headship was in a large primary school on the north side of Cambridge city. After 15 years there, I moved into the Local Authority to work first as a link inspector and then as a School Improvement Partner; in this capacity I worked with the headteacher, governors and leadership team of Ridgefield Primary briefly. I am a passionate believer in the entitlement of every child to a good education and have always promoted high expectations and achievement for all. I am a Trustee of The Red Hen Project, a charity I helped to set up when I was a Headteacher.
I have two very grown up sons and two small grandsons and one granddaughter who live in Australia so travel when I can to see them and practice being a grandma. I now live locally in Cambridge city.
I joined Ridgefield when it first opened in 2002 and before that I taught at Sedley Infant School. I became Deputy Headteacher in 2009. During my time at Ridgefield I taught mainly across Early Years and KS1 but in my role as DHT and English Subject Leader, I supported children across the school.
I became a governor in 2015 and have continued in that role since. After many happy years of working at Ridgefield, in 2020 I made the difficult decision to leave so that I could spend more time with my family. I wanted to continue in my role as a governor so that I could still support the school and contribute to its future development.
Local Authority Governor