Governors 2023-24

Maggie Shields - Co-opted Governor - Chair of Governors and Member of Business Committee

Lead Governor for Governor Visits

I have been a governor at Meridian since 1998.  My two children, now aged 30 and 28 attended Meridian from Nursery through to Year 6.  I think that every child should be able to attend an excellent local community school.  Meridian is not only an extremely friendly and welcoming community, but provides an outstandingly rich and varied education for every child lucky enough to go there.

Up until October 2019, I worked as the Business Director for Thomas Tallis, which is a community secondary school in Greenwich.  Prior to this, I worked as a Finance Manager in local government, working on the strategic planning of projects to build new schools in various London Boroughs.  I have visited lots of different schools and met many Head Teachers, and I have been a governor of two other Greenwich schools in the past.  I can see that Meridian is a fantastic school, with a very strong and talented team in place, and I am proud to be part of the governing body, offering support and challenge for the future.

I am particularly interested in Meridian’s focus on the wider curriculum of Art, Sport and Music, and I think that Meridian knows how important it is for every child to enjoy and achieve in a variety of skills and subjects.  For the future, I hope to support Meridian to develop a strong partnership with other local schools and a secure and sustainable financial foundation.

Latest Term of Office: 07/2019 to 07/2023

Declarations of interest - Business Director at Thomas Tallis School up to 04/10/2019

Positions of Responsibility: Governor Visits

Attendance at meetings: FGB: 4/4

Mary Dixon - Co-opted Governor – Member of T & L Sub Committee

Lead Governor for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

I have been a member of the governing body at Meridian Primary since 2002. My 3 children all attended Meridian school and when my youngest son was in Reception I volunteered weekly in his class.

Prior to having a family I was a team leader in IT with responsibility for planning and estimating projects, working with project managers to develop and prioritise projects and organising and managing the work within my own team.

For the last 14 years I have been a teaching assistant in another local primary school. I initially supported children on the autistic spectrum in a specialist provision and main stream classes. For the last 7 years I have worked as a general teaching assistant in Reception.

I have been the SEND governor since 2005. I liase with the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and the Lead Teacher of the Deaf to ensure children with special needs are having the appropriate care and support at Meridian. I visit the school and observe the children in the school environment to get a first hand experience of how their needs are being met.

I believe all children should be encouraged and supported to be confident and feel good about who they are and what they can do.

Latest Term of Office: 07/2019 to 07/2023

Declarations of interest - Employee at Millennium P S

Positions of Responsibility: SEND

Attendance at meetings - FGB: 4/4

Thomasina Tobin Parent Governor – Member of the Business & Premises Sub Committee

Lead Governor for Health and Safety

 I am the most recent addition to the Governing Body and was elected as Parent Governor in September 2017.  I am a member of the Business Sub-Committee and Link Governor for Health and Safety.

I have two children who attend Meridian.  My son, Séamus, is in Year 3 and my daughter, Rhea, is in Year 6.  As a parent, I want my children to go to school in a comfortable and safe environment and to enjoy a great learning experience.  

For work I am a construction cost consultant. As part of that role, I review and challenge budgets on a variety of building projects. I always seek to find solutions to ensure best value is being achieved.  Given recent budget cuts that the school and the Local Education Authority have endured, this is more important than ever and I look forward to putting the skills I have learned over the years to good use.  I am also involved in learning and development at an adult level.

I have been a Greenwich resident for many years and feel very lucky to live in such a vibrant part of London with a great community spirit.  This has been reinforced by being part of the Meridian “family”.  I am always interested in hearing positive suggestions as to how we can make Meridian even better.

Term of office: 11/2021 to 11/2025

No declarations of interest

Positions of Responsibility: Health & Safety

Attendance at meetings: FGB: 4/4

Manpreet Grewal - Co-opted Governor - Member of the Business & Premises Sub Committee

 I have been a co-opted governor at Meridian School since March 2019, having joined the Governing Body via a successful application through the charity Inspiring Governance, which seeks to assist in matching interested volunteers working in business with schools looking for governors.

I have been working in financial services for the last 20 years, a period that has seen immense technological and regulatory change. As a result, I’ve continually strived to develop and hone my skill set; in particular, my core competencies include risk management, data analysis and problem solving. I aim to employ these skills in my role as governor, particularly with respect to financial and organisational decision making and planning.

Furthermore, given the rapid pace of change in the modern world, I’m extremely passionate in my belief that children should be afforded the opportunity to leverage their potential fully, in particular by developing lifelong learning skills.

Finally, as a local resident, I’m very motivated to help Meridian maintain and grow in its role as a positive force within the broader community in Greenwich.

Term of office: 03/2019 to 03/2023

No declarations of interest

Positions of Responsibility: tbc

Attendance at meetings: FGB: 4/4

Shaher Bukhari - Co-opted Governor

I have recently joined as a co-opted governor and look forward to being a part of community working for the welfare of school and its students. I am a lawyer by profession and specialise in criminal law.

Term of office: 03/2019 to 03/2023

No declarations of interest

Positions of Responsibility: tbc

Attendance at meetings: FGB: 3/4

Craig Gonzales - Co-opted Governor

I am a Greenwich local and interested in supporting education. My background is in information and cyber security and I am an IT and software expert. As our schools and students navigate a digital world, I'd like to be a voice to support both digital growth and online safety.

Term of office:  to 

No declarations of interest

Positions of Responsibility: tbc

Attendance at meetings: FGB: 

Erik Cummins - Co-opted Governor

Term of office:  to 

No declarations of interest

Positions of Responsibility: tbc

Attendance at meetings: FGB: 

Philippa Peto - Parent Governor

Term of office: 02/2021 to 03/2025

Zelee Hill - Parent Governor

Term of office: 02/2021 to 03/2025

Jo Graham - Executive Headteacher

Term of Office: Ex-officio

No declarations of interest

Voting Rights

Attendance at meetings - FGB 4/4: serves on all sub-committees

Nadia Dickson - Staff/Associate Governor

Term of office: 09/2019 - 09/2023

No declarations of interest

No Voting Rights

Attendance at meetings - FGB: 3/4

All Governors have valid DBS clearance checks

Parent Governor - elected by parents/carers

Co-opted Governor - appointed on the basis on the skills they possess to contribute to effective governance

LA Governor - appointed by Local Authority with appropriate skills to contribute to effective governance

Staff Governor - elected by other members of staff