Our Governing Body

All school governing bodies have three core functions:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils, and the performance management of staff; and

• Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent.

At Holy Innocents, the full governing body meets each term.  There are main two committees, each of which also meets termly.  One Committee is responsible for overseeing the curriculum and standards at the school and the other is responsible for financial, premises and personnel matters.  There are also smaller committees that meet as required for Admissions, Pay and Safeguarding. Each governor is linked to an aspect of the work of the school, such as a particular area of the curriculum or priority for development, visits the school regularly and reports back to the relevant committee. All meetings are minuted and the minutes can be found below.

2023-24 meeting dates

Our Governors

Chair of Governors:             Rev Barry Chalkley

                                           bchalkley1.305@lgflmail.org

Vice Chair of Governors:    Mr Ikenna Nze

Chair of Business, Premises and Personnel Committee:    Mr Melvyn Chungath

Chair of Standards and Curriculum Committee:   Mr Marcus Warner

Chair of Safeguarding Committee:   

Foundation Governors: (appointed by the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Southwark)     

                                              Sr Esther Boles                                       

                                           Rev Barry Chalkley

Mr Melvyn Chungath

Mrs Agnieszka Corkery

Mr Ikenna Nze

Mr Marcus Warner

Mr Paul Newhouse

vacancy

Staff Governors: (appointed by election by the school staff)                 

                                              Mrs Sharon Browning

Miss Catherine Hollands

Headteacher: (Governor by right of office) 

Mr Ryan Langford

Parent Governors: (appointed by parents)             

                                             Mrs Nneka Chinyerem Nwadike

                                             (Vacancy)

Clerk to the Governors:      Croydon Education Services

Governor Profiles

Sister Esther Boles (Foundation Governor)

I am a qualified teacher and have worked in both the primary and secondary schools. I work every day in the Reception class as a volunteer and contribute widely to the daily life of the school.  I also act as spiritual advisor to staff, pupils and parents. 

I am an active member of the Parish of Holy Innocents' and belongs to the Religious Community known as the 'Sisters of Mercy'. This Order has a long history both with the parish and with the educational community here in Orpington stretching back to the time of the original St. Anne's Orphanage which was managed by the Sisters many years ago.

I am the link governor for Religious Education.

Barry Chalkley (Foundation Governor)

I am a retired Finance Director and Company Secretary in the charitable sector. I am also an experienced school governor, having served on the governing body of another school prior to joining the Holy Innocents governing body.

I am a Permanent Deacon of the Catholic Church based at the adjacent parish of Holy Innocents and the main liaison between parish and school. I have a strong commitment both to the catholic faith and to education, seeing the children in our charge as the future of both our church and society. I believe that my particular combination of business experience and faith training enables me to contribute effectively to the strategic direction and business management of the school.

Agnieszka Corkery (Foundation Governor)

I have a daughter in the school and have done a lot of voluntary work for the school, in particular helping develop the school allotment from the beginning.  I am an active member of the Parish - I am the Parish's Safeguarding Representative and am childrens' liturgy leader at the Sunday Family Mass.  My hobbies and interests include theology, singing, gardening, cooking and travelling. I am interested in being a governor to help maintain and develop the excellent standard of the school.  I am enthusiastic and willing to learn.

Melvyn Chungath (Foundation Governor)

I was born in a Catholic family and grew up learning Catholic values from my parents, religious clergy and especially the Bishop of my home Diocese.  I had the privilege to develop my skills, knowledge and foundation skills in a Catholic school and college at my young age. 

As a governor, I hope that I will have the opportunity to learn and also bring the skills I have gained to support the development of the school.  I believe that my skills and engaging with other governors will help with the implementation of the plans for the development of the school.  Additionally, being a parent, I would bring the perspective of a parent and the understanding of the needs of children in the wholesome development of their journey through the school.  I work for a fortune 200 company in the Corporate Development team from the London office.  Through my work I have gained skills in strategic thinking, problem-solving, execution of greenfield projects and many more areas which will be of great use in working with other governors to help to make the school better year after year.

Catherine Hollands (Deputy Head Teacher & Staff Governor)

I joined Holy Innocents' Catholic School in September 2014 as Deputy Headteacher after teaching for 7 years in a Catholic school in Swanley. I am part of the senior management team of the school and am very pleased to be able to contribute to the development of the school through being a member of the Governing Body.

I am passionate that all children in our care are offered the opportunities to realise their full potential and, as a practicing Christian, I am dedicated to the school maintaining and living through its Catholic Christian identity.

Ryan Langford (Headteacher)

I am the current Headteacher of Holy Innocents’ Catholic Primary School. I joined the school in January 2011. I have worked in several other Catholic primary schools before joining Holy Innocents’ and am a passionate believer in the Catholic education system.

I really enjoy working with the governors, staff parents and pupils at this school and feel very privileged to be part of it.

Ikenna Nze (Foundation Governor)

I have a good understanding and experience of primary school governance, having been a foundation governor in another catholic school for over 12 years and Chair of Governors for 2 of these.  I have experience of budget setting and financial management both within the school setting and as a director of a business.  In the ever changing world of school governance, I have attended and continue to attend training to enable me to understand the various changes that have been introduced, to ensure compliance with statutory and contractual requirements and to effectively support and challenge the school.  My family and I are active parishioners of the Parish.  My two older children attended a Catholic primary school in Croydon and my youngest is currently at Holy Innocents'.  I am committed to improving education for all pupils regardless of socio-economic background by ensuring the right resources are utilized to help fulfil the potential of each child.  In my professional life, I am an engineer with particular responsibilities in the area of health and safety

Makbule Sipahi-Ogretme (Parent Governor)

I am a general dental practitioner and a paediatric dentist, working at a dental clinic in Locksbottom.  I also work part-time as a Clinical Teacher at King's College, Dental Institute, London where I train dental undergraduate students. I hold appropriate training certificates in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. Raising the profile of an educational institution is a collaborative effort and governors play an essential role. I am confident I can bring a set of positive and constructive dimensions to the Governing Body. 

Marcus Warner (Foundation Governor)

I am a hospital pharmacist specialising in cancer health informatics and I lead a small team that delivers an electronic prescribing service to seven hospital sites at three different Trusts within South East London. I have extensive experience of multi-disciplinary working on various groups and committees with responsibility for governance, financial and operational performance. I feel that I can use these skills and experiences to support the work of the governing body. As a husband and father of two young boys I am a firm believer in the importance of a Catholic education and our critical role in passing on the faith to our children. I try to reflect these values and choices for my own family and this is why I feel having a thriving Catholic primary school within our Parish is vital to the life of the community.

Governing Body letter to parents 2022 - 23

Minutes of Governing Body and Committee meetings

(Please note that, at each meeting, the minutes of the previous meeting are agreed and 'signed off''; they are then added below i.e. the minutes of meetings in a particular term are available in the following term.

2021 - 2022

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

2022 - 2023

Autumn Term

Spring Term