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Governors


The Governing Committee

Gossops Green Primary School is part of The Collegiate Trust. Information about the Directors and Members of The Collegiate Trust can be found at www.tct-academies.org. The Directors of the Trust have delegated the oversight and leadership of Gossops Green Primary School to the Local Governing Committee (LGC), made up of parents, staff, LA and Trust representatives. Non-staff governors are entirely voluntary and yet carry high levels of responsibility.  We are very grateful that we have such a committed and professional team at our school.

The register of interests for Governors across The Collegiate Trust, can be found HERE and Annual Reports and Financial Statements can be found HERE.

Information about the Governors at Gossops Green Primary School can be found below.

To contact the Chair of Governors or any Governor on the Governing Committee please email the Clerk, Sarah Church, at [email protected]



Ms Sarah Church

Clerk to the Governors

Mrs Church was appointed as Clerk to the Governors in January 2022, having clerked for several schools from 2005 -2018 when she was appointed to a different role at Riddlesdown Collegiate. She returns to clerking after a four year break after leaving her role as team leader of the Information Management Team following a house move and relocation. Mrs Church started her working career at the Department for Education in 1980 and held various roles during her career, including Assistant Parliamentary Clerk and spent many long evenings (and nights!) supporting Ministers during debates and education bills before leaving in 2007 to look after her family. In her spare time, Mrs Church enjoys long walks with her rescue dog, crafting, especially knitting and sewing, cooking and gardening.


Mrs Annie Macfarlane

Chair of Governors / Trust Governor

Mrs Macfarlane became a governor at Gossops Green Primary in April 2014, and has been Chair of Governors since 2019. The role of being a governor is extremely important to Mrs Macfarlane; she very much enjoys supporting the school, and is fully committed to helping the team at Gossops Green to ensure all our pupils receive an enriching and inspiring curriculum and school experience. She has four children, and her youngest three all attended Gossops Green. She is the Operations Manager at a Financial Advisers in Dorking, where she has worked since 2007. She has also previously run her own business, and also volunteered as Treasurer of a local Scout Group.


Mrs Sarah Dunne

Principal

Mrs Dunne first joined Gossops Green Primary School in 1996 as a student teacher, working in Years 4 and 6.  In 2001, Mrs Dunne returned to Gossops Green as a Year 6 teacher and subsequently spent the next 20 years working in every year group in the school and loving every moment of it!  She was appointed Deputy Principal in 2013 and appointed full Principal in September 2021.  The school, the community and the children have been Mrs Dunne’s whole career and she is determined to continue to deliver an outstanding education and learning experience, with the support of a fantastic teaching team and dedicated governing committee.


Mrs Noreen Aslam

Trust Governor

Mrs. Aslam is a long-term resident of Crawley. A dedicated mother of two daughters, she actively engages in school life. With a BA (Hons) in Business with Psychology, Mrs. Aslam leveraged her academic background into a successful career in the insurance sector, specialising in Fraud Intelligence Analysis for over 12 years. Additionally, she has valuable experience as a teaching assistant within the SEND department. In her role as a Governor, she utilises her expertise to positively impact her community.


Mr Richard Banks

Parent Governor

Mr Banks has lived in Crawley and the surrounding area since relocating in 2004. He has a close connection to the school community, with two of his daughters currently attending, and plans in place for his two youngest to join in the future. Professionally, Mr Banks serves as Head of Corporate Governance at South East Coast Ambulance Service. He oversees a team responsible for shaping and guiding the Trust’s governance framework, ensuring transparency, accountability, and effective leadership across the organisation.

Beyond his role in the NHS, he is actively involved with the Sea Cadets, supporting youth development through confidence-building and teamwork. Outside of work, Mr Banks enjoys cooking and dedicates his weekends to family life—supporting his family at their clubs and spending quality time together. Mr Banks particularly enjoys cooking and spends his weekends taking his daughters to their various clubs and spending time with family. 


Mr Toby Bartholomew

Local Authority Governor

Mr Bartholomew was born and raised in Crawley. He joined the Governing Committee at Gossops Green as a Parent Governor in 2006 when his children attended the school. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a BEng (Hons) in Electronic and Computer Engineering, and is a systems engineering manager for a local company. When (a lot) younger, he swam competitively for Crawley Swimming Club, won a number of local, regional and national competitions as a member of Crawley Town Life Saving Club, and played Water Polo for Crawley and Sussex.


Mrs Nicola Candy

Staff Governor

Mrs Candy started working at Gossops Green in the Summer Term of 2024 as a supply teacher and never left! She is a mum of two primary aged children (Year 3 and Year 6) and has been teaching since 2005; in Kuwait, Algeria and Bahrain, as well as several schools across England. Mrs Candy cares deeply about Early Years education in particular and finds working with the next generation inspiring! She is grateful to be appointed to this position, to participate in, and hopefully enhance, the good work carried out by the Governing team, ensuring that the best possible provision continues to be made with the resources available. Outside of work – both the professional and the unpaid parental kind – Mrs Candy enjoys singing in a choir, walking, running and all of what creativity can offer. 


Mr Gordon Humphrey

Vice Chair / Trust Governor

Mr Humphrey has been a Governor at GGPS since 2016, but with an association with the school for over 40 years. He moved to Sussex in 1983 for a summer job at Gatwick Airport, and never left! Retiring as Managing Director of an international logistics company, and Director of an international business association, he has now turned his time to voluntary work. Qualifying three years ago as a Community First Responder with SecAmb, he now responds to 999 calls, attending patients and incidents alongside the professional ambulance paramedics in the Horsham and Crawley districts. Mr Humphrey has also created and maintains the GGPS Sensory Garden and vegetable plot, where he mentors pupils, and encourages well-being through gardening.


Miss Leah Paterson

Staff Governor

Miss Paterson is proud to serve as a Staff Governor and is committed to contributing to the continued development of the school. She joined Gossops Green in 2022 and has been teaching across Key Stage Two in local schools since 2016, bringing valuable classroom experience to the role. As a Staff Governor, Miss Paterson values the opportunity to represent the staff voice and to support the Governing Body in making informed decisions that positively impact pupils, families, and the wider school community. She has a particular interest in ensuring children are supported both academically and emotionally, enabling them to thrive and reach their full potential. Outside of school, Miss Paterson enjoys reading and exploring new places, believing these interests help broaden perspectives and enrich learning experiences in the classroom.


Miss Katie Roberts

Trust Governor

Miss Roberts was a teaching assistant at Gossops Green for 6 years and has a deep knowledge and understanding of early years development and phonics as well as training in speech and language interventions and special educational needs. She now currently works as a science technician in a secondary school and has a keen interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). She is currently studying towards a BA(Hons) in Biology.

Miss Roberts’ daughters attended Gossops Green and she hopes that she can give back to the school through her work as a Trust Governor.


Mrs Katrina Smallman

Parent Governor

Mrs Smallman joined the governing committee in 2024. She has worked in education for fourteen years as a teacher and senior leader in local schools. She began her teaching career at Gossops Green in 2011 and is excited to be part of the school community again as a governor. She is currently an Assistant Headteacher and SENCO in a Crawley primary school and hopes her experience and knowledge will enable her to support the children and staff at Gossops Green.

Mrs Smallman is also a parent of four children. Her eldest child joined Gossops Green in 2007, when her family first moved to Crawley, and she currently has two children attending the school. As a busy working mum, she enjoys spending quality time with her family at the weekends and is a keen runner.