Capel Primary School

Governors

The Capel Primary School Board of Governors has four main responsibilities.

We:

• ensure clarity of vision and strategic direction.
• hold school leaders to account for the educational performance of pupils and the performance management of staff.
• oversee the financial performance of the school and make sure money is well spent.
• ensure the voices of stakeholders, including pupils, parents, staff and the wider community are heard.

We meet every term (six times a year) and in between those meetings we carry out monitoring visits across a broad range of areas, including Behaviour, Attitudes and Wellbeing, Quality of Education, Health and Safety, SEND, Pupil Premium and Finance.

Governance is strategic. Governors, other than the Headteacher and our Staff Governor, do not involve themselves in the day-to-day management/operation of the school.

Our Governors are:

Lisa Summers (Chair)

Monitoring Safeguarding, Quality of Education, EYFS

Current Term of Office: May 2020 to May 2024

I have been a Governor at Capel Primary School since 2016 and stepped up to Chair in 2018. I am a Palliative Care Nurse and mother of four children. My two youngest children are pupils here at Capel and the older two are alumni, now attending local Secondary schools. 

The skills I bring from my professional role and my passion for every child at Capel school to feel as happy, safe, and eager to learn as my own children do, made me want to be part of the Governing Body at Capel. To be a part of the Capel family driving the school to be outstanding in every way is a privilege.

My favourite book as a child was Stig of the Dump by Clive King

Sue Woods  monitoring SEND, Pupil Premium

Current Term of Office: July 2021 to July 2025

I joined Capel Primary School as a member of the office team and as Clerk of Governors 25 years ago. I became the School Business Manager and a Staff Governor.  I now work at Bennett Memorial Diocesan School. I am very passionate that all children should be given the opportunity to achieve and aspire to fulfill their full potential.

Suzanne Farr (Headteacher)

I have been a part of the Capel Community for over 20 years, firstly as a Class Teacher, then as KS 1 Leader, followed by Deputy Head and now as Headteacher. One of the truly special things about our school is the way we work together as a community for the benefit of our children. Every decision we make has our children at its heart. I am really excited to be leading this amazing school and working with such a dedicated and effective group of Governors.

My favourite book as a child was My Naughty Little Sister by Dorothy Edwards.

Farah Brooks-Johnson (Local Authority Governor)

Monitoring Finance and Behaviour, Attitudes & Wellbeing

Current Term of Office: May 2021 to May 2025

My working life began as a Management Consultant for Accenture. I then worked in a number of Investment Banks in Technology and Strategic Development. I enjoyed a career break while my children were very young then worked at Somerhill from 2015 to 2019. I have lived in Capel for 23 years and have two children, who are now young adults. I look forward to working with our team of Governors to make the best possible decisions, ensuring a bright future for pupils and staff at Capel Primary School.

My favourite book as a child was The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton.

Sarah Buxton (Elected Staff Governor)

Monitoring Health & Safety, Training & Development

Current Term of Office: September 2020 to September 2024

 Sarah Levitt (Co-Opted Governor)

Monitoring Quality of Education and Behaviour, Attitudes & Wellbeing

Current Term of Office: March 2023 to March 2027

 I joined the governing body in March 2023.  I have two children within Capel Primary and live within the local community.  I am a Paediatric nurse by background and now work in a regional leadership role to support services for children who are critically unwell.  I am passionate about the role education has throughout a persons life and the significant role schools have in the relationship individuals have with education that lasts a lifetime.  I am particularly passionate about the role schools play in the development of skills such as confidence, kindness, resilience and independence and the importance of this alongside traditional education.  My aim is to work within the governing body to support the school to enable all children to reach their full potential to empower them to have their own voice in the world. 

Zeljka McLean (Co-Opted Governor)

Monitoring Finance and Leadership & Management

Current Term of Office: March 2023 to March 2027

I joined the Capel Governing Board in the year that my son started Reception. I have a deep interest in the quality of education and l understand the interaction between the quality of leadership and children’s healthy, happy growth and development. I have lived in Tonbridge since 2016, and I am a mum to two boys.  I am a Chartered Counselling Psychologist with experience in child development, adaptation, psychological well-being, productive and collaborative leadership systems and organisational psychology. I aim to support school leaders in continuing to provide the best education to Capel pupils, ensuring that the school environment is collaborative, open, transparent, safe and nurturing, for staff, parents and pupils. 

My favourite book as a child was Snow White by The Brothers Grimm. 

Bukky Obidairo (Elected Parent Governor)

Monitoring Health & Safety

Current Term of Office: September 2020 to September 2024

I joined the board in 2020 because I wanted to play a small part in supporting the life chances of every child that was dropped off at the school gates every morning. My day job is in Business Analysis so I’m comfortable with big-picture strategy setting as well as identifying key objectives and milestones to track success. I hope to work with the school leadership in order that Capel might become and remain excellent in all aspects of school life. Away from this, you will find me in the choir or spending time with my three sons.

Jess Price (Co-Opted Governor - Vice chair)

Monitoring SEND, Pupil Premium

Current Term of Office: December 2021 to December 2025

I moved to Capel in June 2021 and wanted to immerse myself in the community whilst using my educational background to have an impact on the local children's lives. I currently work in a secondary school within a small Trust in North Kent and have responsibility for Exams, Data and oversee school systems. It is always such a privilege to visit the school and I feel a sense of pride that I am a part of a Governing Body that is working hard, alongside the amazing staff, to help drive the school forward to be outstanding. 

Dani Saffer (Co-Opted Governor)

Monitoring EYFS

Current Term of Office: September 2023 to September 2027

I have always been passionate about education and came to teaching later in life. I spent the first 15 years of my adult life in business and later retrained, focusing my research on how children learn and Transfer of Knowledge. A geek at heart and regularly found tinkering with anything electronic, I started my teaching journey in a robotics lab for kids. I am currently the Head of Prep at Beechwood School in Tunbridge, Wells, and unashamedly make children's happiness paramount in all my decision-making.

Nina Dhillon (Co-opted Governor)

Monitoring Leadership and Management

Current Term of  Office October 2023 to October 2027

Nina has worked in education for over 18 years. She started her career as a secondary MFL teacher. She then took on middle leadership roles before moving into Senior Leadership where she led on school wide Data and Assessment and Teaching and Learning. Following this, she was asked to join Teach First where she led on recruiting, training and developing teacher educators working with Early Years, Primary and Secondary trainee teachers on the Teach First Post Graduate Diploma of Education. Following this, she led the implementation of the Teach First Early Career Framework for the Early Roll Out, Expansion and National Roll Out. She is currently the Principal Education Adviser for the Early Career Framework offer at Education Development Trust (EDT) as well as the also Programme Director for EDT’s Future Teaching Scholars Programme. Her drive is developing quality first teaching and learning in schools and at scale, teamed with a commitment to support the professional development and well-being of teachers at all stages in their careers. 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact The Chair at

 chair@capel-tonbridge.kent.sch.uk