Governors

Governor Biographies

Ruth Griffiths – Chair of Governors

Ruth Griffiths is Executive Chair of The British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust (BSLBT). Ruth worked in broadcasting for more than 25 years, notably building the BBC’s subtitling, Sign Language interpretation and audio description services. After leaving Red Bee Media in 2006, Ruth worked on research and consultancy projects, in both the access and translation arenas, before joining BSLBT in 2009.

Alison Miles – Vice Chair of Governors

Alison joined the governing body as a parent governor in December 2018 and became Chair of Governors in October 2019.

She has two deaf children that attend Blanche Nevile School and one hearing child that attends a mainstream school.

Alison has a BSc in Philosophy and Psychology and used to work in improving social housing. She has been a full time parent for almost 10 years whilst also doing a variety of voluntary roles at times. She is currently treasurer for a local nursery.

Alison works hard to promote awareness of disability and deafness on various social media platforms. She has written a blog about her experience as a hearing parent to deaf children and provides support for those experiencing similar trials in their lives.

She is passionate about bimodal bilingualism and is currently sitting her BSL level 2.

Lucia Glynn

Lucia Glynn is a co-opted Governor of the Blanche Nevile School and was elected Vice-Chair in September 2019. She has lived in Muswell Hill for over twenty years and brings to the Governing Body both a broad and specialist knowledge of the current education landscape and recent extensive experience as a Haringey school governor. Lucia’s early career was in financial PR and Marketing, working for two global banks; after a career break, she entered the education sector. Lucia worked as a School Business Manager for a Local Authority before joining Oasis Community Learning as a Programme Manager leading on opening new academies. She later moved to Arcadis, a global built-asset consultancy delivering new school buildings via the Free School programme, and a broad range of other strategic projects for Multi-Academy Trusts and the Department for Education. During this time she developed a special interest in Special Educational Needs Schools and Alternative Provision.

In June 2019 Lucia became Head of Operations at a medium-sized Academy Trust with five primary schools and six secondary schools located in Essex and East London. Lucia is married with four children who have all attended local schools.

Tarhe Ibehre

Tarhe joined the governing body at Blanche Nevile in July 2016 as the Local Authority governor, and is our lead safeguarding governor. Tarhe has extensive safeguarding experience, having worked as a frontline social worker in Haringey for 10 years and for the NSPCC.

Richard Bartholomey

Richard is a co-opted governor. He’s a Fellow of the CIPD (the professional body for HR professionals) and currently works as Deputy Director of Civilian HR at the Ministry of Defence. He’s previously had a range of senior roles in government focusing on organisation design and development as a specialism. He has deep expertise in strategy, leadership, organisation design and development, governance and employee engagement. He lives within walking distance of both the school’s departments and has been involved with the school since 2018.

Richard is passionate about public service and in all his work and voluntary activities strives to create a better and more inclusive world for everyone.

Sabrina Batchelor (Parent Governor – Primary School)

Prior to becoming a parent governor at Blanche Nevile in July 2023, Sabrina had served as a parent governor at her other children’s school. She has one deaf daughter who attends Blanche Nevile and two hearing daughters.

Sabrina has a degree in French and prior to the birth of her three children worked in debt finance. After her role as a full time mum for nearly 9 years she recently started working as a Teaching Assistant in a local school.

Having gained her BSL level 3 she is passionate about ensuring a communication rich environment and bilingualism is offered to all deaf children and believes in the necessity of providing this generation with the confidence to achieve.

Fiona Wallis (Staff Governor)

I have been a teacher in both mainstream and special schools for 30 years and qualified as a Teacher of the Deaf in 1992. My first Teacher of the Deaf post was in fact at Blanche Nevile School! It has therefore been a privilege for me to return after 24 years and see how the school has changed.

I am fascinated by issues in Deaf education, teaching English literature and recently completed a Masters degree in Educational Practice and Research.

I am committed to improving educational outcomes for all pupils and the additional opportunities that schools can provide for social and emotional aspects of learning. I am also interested in the benefits of outdoor education, particularly residential trips that take place further afield.

Caroline Fearon (Co-opted Governor)

Caroline Fearon is deaf and attended deaf schools where she gained so much from being amongst her peers and the deaf community. She then went to Durham University where she read Zoology. After that she worked in various roles in IT at Kimberly-Clark for almost 30 years. She then worked briefly for the Usher team at Sense (a deafblind charity).

She is now Head of Operations for British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust (BSLBT) where she has worked since 2017. She is passionate that all deaf children should always be surrounded by deaf peers and have deaf role models to aspire to.

Caroline is married with 3 grown up children and lives in Kent.

Oliver Westbury (Co-opted Governor)

My name’s Oliver and I live in East Finchley. I currently work as a Software Developer for DK Books (Dorling Kindersley). I’m an easy-going person and pride myself on being flexible and listening to the needs of others. I am very committed to any project I undertake and have a positive outlook on life. Outside of work, I enjoy sports challenges: I once ran 26 marathons in 26 different countries; I have completed an Ironman, two half Ironmen & other triathlons and have even been on a successful expedition to the North Pole!

Closer to home, I get great pleasure from taking my three daughters to fun activities and spending time with them. Web developing has been my passion for the past 20+ years and I really love solving coding problems.

Nina Dada (Associate Governor)

I work as an Assistant Headteacher at Waterside Academy in Hackney, where I teach languages. I am passionate about languages and how it gives insight into other cultures.

I studied at the Université Paris X and I have an MA in Law (Medical Responsibilities and Labour Law).

Both in my teaching role at Waterside Academy, and as a governor at Blanche Nevile, I want our students to achieve their full potential, to dream beyond the possible and firmly believe that the sky’s the limit.