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.
Appointed by Governing Body
Term of Office: 09/2019 to 09/2023
Declarations of interest - Investors in People Assessor
Positions of Responsibility: Safeguarding, Prevent, Curriculum, Sports Premium
Attendance at meetings -
FGB - 4/4
Governor at St Ursula's Convent School
Matthew Filbee - Co-opted Governor – Vice Chair of Governors and T & L Sub Committee
Lead Governor for Curriculum and CPD - Stepped down as Governor in July 2022
I became a member of the governing body in 2010 and took on the role of Joint Vice-Chair in September 2013. My 3 daughters attended Meridian and now attend a local secondary school.
In my working life I am an Investors in People Assessor. This takes me to many different types of organisations where I review their effectiveness as an employer and make recommendations for improvements. I am OFSTED’s IIP Assessor so this work takes me into many schools and keeps me relatively current with Education. Part of my original motivation in becoming a governor was to hopefully share some of my learning from other organisations with Meridian.
I lead on the Teaching and Learning Committee, which oversees the curriculum, the progress and achievement of the children and the quality of teaching.
Meridian Primary School
Old Woolwich Road, Greenwich, London SE10 9NY Tel: 020 8858 3572
with Designated Special Provision for Deaf Children
Governors 2021-22
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.
Dave Borland - Local Authority Governor – Member of the T & L Sub Committee
Lead Governor for Looked After Children (LAC)
I became a member of the governing body at Meridian Primary School in late 2014 and currently sit on the Teaching and Learning Sub-Committee.
I work as Head of Children and Young People Joint Commissioning for the Royal Borough of Greenwich. In this role I am responsible for overseeing that looked after children in the borough live in high quality provision that enable them to feel safe and achieve their full potential. I also oversee the commissioning of a number of children's services in the borough such as Youth and Substance Misuse, Speech and Language and Mental Health provision.
I have previously worked supporting the development and improvement of Early Help services, such as Children’s Centres and Family Support services. This includes working with organisations in how they work with children and families to make a difference. In a former role supporting International Partnerships I also supported the establishment of partnership links between 10 primary schools in the UK and 10 in South Africa.
I love sport and play volleyball alongside being a season ticket holder at Millwall FC. As a local resident and lifelong Greenwich borough resident I’m committed to ensuring Meridian is a school where all children are given the best start in life.
Nadia Dickson - Staff/Associate Governor
Appointed by Governing Body
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
Appointed by Governing Body
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
Appointed by Governing Body recommended by Local Authority
Term of Office: 03/2019 to 03/2023
Declarations of interest - employed by the LA
Positions of Responsibility: Looked After Children
Attendance at meetings -
FGB: 3/4
Ex-officio
Term of Office: Ex-officio
No declarations of interest
Voting Rights
Attendance at meetings -
FGB 4/4: serves on all sub-committees
Staff Governor
Term of Office to 09/19-09/23
No declarations of interest
No Voting Rights
Attendance at meetings -
FGB: 3/4
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
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.
Parent Governor
Term of office: 11/2021 to 11/2025
No declarations of interest
Positions of Responsibility: Health & Safety
Attendance at meetings:
FGB: 4/4
Thomasina Tobin Parent Governor – Member of the Business and Premises 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.
Co-opted Governor
Term of office: 03/2019 to 03/2023
No declarations of interest
Positions of Responsibility: tbc
Attendance at meetings:
FGB: 4/4
Jo Graham - Headteacher
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.
Co-opted Governor
Term of office: 03/2019 to 03/2023
No declarations of interest
Positions of Responsibility: tbc
Attendance at meetings:
FGB: 3/4
Parent Governor
Term of office: 02/2021 to 03/2025
Philippa Peto - Parent Governor
Parent Governor
Term of office: 02/2021 to 03/2025
Zelee Hill - Parent Governor
Richard Graham - Parent Governor – Chair of Teaching & Learning Sub Committee
Lead Governor for Pupil Premium
I have worked for numerous international development charities with a focus on education reform. I have spent a number of years working in Egypt, Sudan and Afghanistan.
I am currently the Director of Programmes at the Education Partnerships Group, having previously worked for Comic Relief, Save the Children and Oxfam.
I live in southeast London with my wife and two daughters. They both attended Meridian and are now at Thomas Tallis. I have been a school governor at Meridian for many years and am currently the chair of Teaching and Learning sub-committee as well as being the designated governor with responsibility for pupil premium. I am writing my first novel for children.
Parent Governor
Term of office 09/2017 to 09/2021
Declarations of interest: Ark Education Group Employee
Positions of Responsibility: Pupil premium, attendance
Attendance at meetings:
FGB: 4/4
Stepped down December 2020
