Governors

Ripon Grammar School governors' primary responsibility is to set the school’s strategic direction, working closely with the headmaster and staff to ensure objectives and standards are achieved, while making certain that resources are allocated and used in the best way possible. Governors are always keen to promote good communication with parents and the wider community.

Following the reconstitution of the Governing Board in 2015, as required by the DfE, the Board now comprises eighteen governors, of whom six are elected by parents. 

The structure of the Board of Governors and its committees can be found by clicking here.

2019 - 2020 Governors' Annual Report

Elizabeth Jarvis - Chair of Governors and co-opted governor

Elizabeth is a consultant renal physician at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Deputy Medical Director of the Trust. She is a senior lecturer within the University of Leeds and has a particular interest in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, with responsibilities for the training of junior doctors. She is an examiner and advisor for the Royal College of Physicians. Elizabeth has been a governor at RGS for five years, and sits on a variety of committees. She is married to Stephen, with four children, three of whom are students at RGS. In her spare time, amongst other things, she enjoys pursuing her musical interests - a keen organist and pianist when time permits.


Email: jarvise@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership         Admissions, Boarding, Curriculum, Finance & Personnel, Pastoral
Positions held Governor for Inclusion
Declarations of interest Husband is chair of governors at Roecliffe C of E Primary. Works for the NHS. Member of Leeds University teaching staff.
Date of appointment 01/09/2018
Term of office 4 years
Attendance
2019-20   		100%

Eric Medway - Vice Chair of Governors and co-opted governor

After a degree in bacteriology and three years’ research, Eric started his teaching career at Ermysted’s Grammar School. From 1994 until retiring he was a deputy head at Leeds Grammar School (later the Grammar School at Leeds). He has been a governor at RGS since 1996, when his daughter attended the school. He is a founder of the Hebridean Sheep Society which has brought about the recovery of the Hebridean sheep breed from virtual extinction. Eric has bred them for more than 30 years, and currently has a flock of 80. He is refurbishing the 18th century mill where he lives and walks long-distance footpaths, with ex-colleagues, every week.

Email: medwaye@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership      Admissions, Curriculum, Finance & Personnel, Pastoral
Positions held Chair of Admissions and Curriculum committees
Declarations of interest None
Date of appointment 01/09/2019
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 90%

David Ball - parent-elected governor

David is married, with three children, two of which were students at Ripon Grammar School. He has a degree in architecture and building science and works as a building consultant. He was born in New Zealand and has lived in the UK since 1991. He has a keen interest in outdoor activities including sailing, skiing, travelling and hiking.


Email: balld@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership        Finance & Personnel, Premises
Positions held Governor for health & safety
Declarations of interest Governor at Ryedale School 
Date of appointment 13/10/2017
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 100%

Matthew Bean - co-opted governor

Matthew has practised as a barrister for the last 20 years, specialising in criminal law.  Although his Chambers are in Leeds, he works throughout the North East of England.  Matthew was born in Harrogate and has lived in North Yorkshire for most of his life.  He is married to Georgina with three children, the eldest two of whom are pupils at RGS.  In his spare time he enjoys horse riding, gardening and skiing.



Email: beanm@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership         Boarding
Positions held Chair of Boarding Committee
Declarations of interest Director of IST Property Limited   
Date of appointment 01/09/2019
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 100%

Vikki Barton-Brown – parent-elected governor

Vikki has more than 25 years experience working extensively within finance for both the private and public sector. Currently she has a senior finance role working for Cummins Inc, a global organisation where she has worked for over 11 years, managing employment taxes globally, governance and compliance. Prior to this she worked as the UK tax manager for Carlsberg UK and for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte accountancy firms. Vikki has additional project management skills and has experience of working in areas of human resources and employment law to promote governance and compliance. Vikki has an interest in promoting the STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and maths) to students and in particular recruiting women into engineering. Vikki is married to Gary, with two children, their youngest at primary school and the eldest who is a pupil at Ripon Grammar School. Vikki enjoys the outdoors and horse riding in her spare time.

Email: barton-brownv@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership       Admissions, Finance & Personnel
Positions held
Declarations of interest None
Date of appointment 03/11/2018
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 93%

Dr Tom Cavell-Taylor – co-opted governor

Tom works for the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, a national institute for translating new science into industrial production in the UK. Current national programmes are on: zero emission cars (batteries and power electronics), zero plastic packaging, personalised medicine manufacture (for cancer treatment), and replacement of bar codes with interactive tags. He and wife Carolinehave four sons, one currently at RGS, one at Outwood Academy, and two who are proud old Riponians. His focus as a governor is the pastoral care and welfare of students in both the day and boarding sides of the school. He has been a governor since 2012 and is the governor representative at the Young Peoples Scrutiny Committee of North Yorkshire County Council.

Email: cavell-taylort@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership       Boarding, Pastoral
Positions held Chair of Pastoral Committee, Governor for CEIAG
Declarations of interest Director of Centre for Process Innovation, Innovation Services Ltd
Date of appointment 01/09/2020
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 100%

Sqn Ldr Mike Chambers – local authority-nominated governor

Mike served in the Royal Air Force for 35 years, retiring in the rank of Squadron Leader. He then became Unit Welfare Officer with firstly 38 Engineer Regiment and subsequently 21 Engineer Regiment at Claro Barracks, providing care and support to soldiers and their families. He serves on the pastoral committee and is a Harrogate District Councillor and a Ripon City Councillor. Mike has two children and two grandchildren.



Email:  chambersm@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership            Pastoral
Positions held                                                                                                                      
Declarations of interest Elected member of Ripon City, Harrogate District and North Yorkshire County Councils.
Date of appointment 01/09/2017
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 67%

Dr Stephen Chaplin - co-opted governor

Steve has a background in the relationship between agriculture and the environment and has worked in public sector environmental organisations for nearly 20 years. During this time he has managed a number of significant national programmes and projects, developed enduring partnerships with a range of local and national organisations, provided evidence-based advice to national government on environmental policy issues, successfully bid for external funding and authored a range of reports and scientific publications. Currently he is managing a national programme of environmental monitoring of farmland. His interest in scientific inquiry is reflected in a passion for supporting the development of the learning, scientific and research skills of pupils within the school.  Outside of work he is a keen runner (injuries permitting!), a regular road cyclist, a proficient wood worker and a Leicester City supporter. He has two daughters at the school.

Email: chaplins@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership         Admissions, Curriculum, Premises
Positions held ChaIr of Premises Committee
Declarations of interest Employee of public body. Director of a resident's management company
Date of appointment 07/10/19
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 100%

Andrea Edmondson - parent-elected governor

Andrea has two daughters, one in Lower Sixth at RGS and one now studying medicine after finishing school in the summer of 2020. Andrea and her husband Chris live in Bishop Monkton and also have two younger children at local primary and secondary schools. Her family has been on the move since 2002, living a large part of this overseas. The children have attended more than ten schools between them, and this has given her insight into different educational systems and schools. Andrea is a stress & wellbeing trainer and coach, primarily working in the care and social sector. Andrea hopes her international education experience and knowledge of mental health and wellbeing will be of value to RGS.


Email: edmondsona@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership          Boarding, Pastoral  
Positions held
Declarations of interest None
Date of appointment 03/11/2018
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 75%

Prof Kiran Fernandes - parent-elected governor

Kiran is a Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Durham. He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, University College Durham and the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing. Prior to his academic career he was a Sub-Systems Engineer at NASA's Stennis Space Centre, where he worked on the development of the Block II Space Shuttle Main Engine systems. He currently sits on a range of advisory panels covering various aspects of Operations and Innovation Management, Academic Advisory Council member of the Chartered Management Institute, and is member of a variety of journal editorial boards. He is married to Lucy with two children, the eldest two of whom is a boarder at RGS. His main hobbies are road cycling and cricket.

Email: fernandesk@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership          Boarding 
Positions held               
Declarations of interest Foundation Governor, Director and Trustee, St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Academy Trust. Director, Global Gateways Federation. Director, United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO. Director, The Fernandes and Rosario Consulting Limited. Governor, St Mary’s School, Askham Richard.
Date of appointment 10/10/2020
Term of office 4 years
Attendance
2019-20 		n/a

Dr Richard Grime - staff-elected governor

Richard has been head of science and chemistry at RGS for a number of years. Richard is also Chair of Governors for the Federation of Holy Trinity C of E Schools. He also does work for the examinations regulator Ofqual as well as for several education publishers and exam boards. His main hobbies outside education are sporting, including cricket and road cycling.

 

 

   

 

Email:  grimer@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership     Curriculum, Premises
Positions held  
Declarations of interest Chair of Governors, Federation of Holy Trinity C of E Schools, Ripon. Principal examiner for AQA Chemistry. Assessment writer for Cambridge Assessment. Subject expert for Ofqual. Author for Hodder, Pearson and Chemsheets.co.uk.
Married to Mrs Susan Grime, also employed by the school.
Date of appointment 30/09/2020
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 90%


Helen Stiles - co-opted governor

Helen has always worked in schools, starting her teaching career at Leeds Grammar School (now the Grammar School at Leeds), where she worked for 18 years as Head of the Religious Studies department. She moved into the primary sector, in 2016, to become the Headteacher of Richmond House School, in Headingley. She has recently left this position to return to her love of teaching at Senior School level and to have more time to spend with her partner, Paul, who is also a teacher, and their 17 year old daughter, Jess. She is currently teaching Maths at Tadcaster Grammar School and when not working or with her family, enjoys spending time with friends, running or walking round her local area or reading novels.


Email: stilesh@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership       Curriculum
Positions held  
Declarations of interest None
Date of appointment 01/09/2020
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 n/a

Jonathan M Webb – Headmaster

Jonathan Webb has been Headmaster of Ripon Grammar School since September 2017. A graduate in History from Christ's College, Cambridge, Jonathan has particular interests in early modern social and political thought as well experience in teaching 20th Century international history and politics. Originally from West Yorkshire, he now lives near the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire and enjoys all things outdoors, and in particular cricket.


Email: head@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership       All
Positions held
Declarations of interest None
Date of appointment 01/09/2017
Term of office n/a
Attendance 2019-20 93%

Stephen Williams – co-opted governor

Stephen has more than 35 years experience in the financial services and utilities sectors holding senior leadership positions (including CEO) in many jurisdictions across Europe, Asia and Australia. Stephen is now semi-retired and currently serves as a non-executive director for an energy renewables company and has previously served in similar roles for other charitable organisations. Stephen and his family returned to the UK from Australia in time for his daughter to start her secondary education at RGS in 2015.


Email: williamss@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership              Curriculum, Finance and Personnel
Positions held   Chair of Finance & Personnel Committee
Declarations of interest  None
Date of appointment 4/12/2017
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 93%

David Winspear – parent-elected governor

David has been a parent governor at two other schools for the past seven years. He works for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service as head of operational training and incident command. He is married to Tamsin and they have two daughters, Evie who has recently started at RGS and Annie who is still at primary school. His interests outside work include property renovation, gardening, sport, in particular golf, and holidays with his family.

Email: winspeard@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership         Premises
Positions held   Governor for Child Protection & Safeguarding
Declarations of interest Parent-elected governor at Ripon Cathedral School
Date of appointment 03/11/2018
Term of office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 83%

Kirstin Wood – parent-elected governor

Kirstin has two boys at RGS. She previously worked in performance improvement within the NHS both in primary care and mental health. When she is not chasing around after her boys and dog, she enjoys gardening and cooking.







Email: woodk@ripongrammar.com

Committee membership          Boarding, Pastoral
Positions held   Governor for Staff Welfare
Declarations of interest None
Date of Appointment 03/11/2018
Term of Office 4 years
Attendance 2019-20 100%


Former governors

Dr Chris Preece

Positions held Chair of Boarding Committee, Governor for Child Protection & Safeguarding, Governor for Staff Welfare.
Declarations of interest    None
Date of appointment 03/10/2016
Date stepped down 31/08/2020
Attendance 2019-20 100%

 

 

 

Financial Information

As part of current government guidance, the school must publish the number of staff whose salary exceeds £100,000 per annum in increments of £10,000. The information for Ripon Grammar School is below.

Annual Salary Range Number of employees
£100,000 - £110,000 1

You can view Ripon Grammar School´s financial benchmarking information on the DfE website. Please use the following link:

Ripon Grammar School - Schools Financial Benchmarking