Governors

Cat Heygate: I’m Cat and I’m Chair of Governors at Bealings. I’m also a parent of two, in y1 and y4 and I can sometimes be found helping in the school kitchen. Being a governor gives me a meaningful role in the life of the school and a chance to work alongside the headteacher on the strategy and ethos. I have been a Governor since 2021 and it is a privilege and a huge responsibility to be part of the transition of the school from the inimitable Duncan and Kelly, who, having worked tirelessly on the project of creating an alternative within the system, left in 2023. I have had many conversations about education over the last few years with the community and see them as a rich resource to draw on as we guide the school through this chapter. The community staff, parents, grandparents and carers are very special here at Bealings and they are an enormous part of why I volunteer.

Claire Miller: My name is Claire Miller and I’m a parent of two children at the school, in Year 1 and Year 3, and I have been a local resident for over 15 years. During that time I have contributed to the community in voluntary roles: I founded the Suffolk Home Birth education and support organisation, ran the Ipswich branch of the Suffolk Cloth Nappy Library, and as Chair of Ipswich Hockey Club. I have a keen interest in supporting the school culture, deepening the Mantle of the Expert pedagogy, and upholding the aims and values of Bealings School. I am a Mechanical Engineer by training and have always lived by the Bealings’ ethos that we create to understand. I now work at the intersection of the decarbonisation of transport and energy. The skill of continuous and enthusiastic learning throughout our lives has never been more important for our children to develop, preparing them to tackle the existential threat of climate change and adaption with pragmatism, creativity, and hope. There is no better school to support that than Bealings and I’m honoured to serve as a Governor. 

Helen Clarkson-Fieldsend: I have lived in the village for several years and love hearing the squeals of joy that emanate from the playground. Learning by creating means that the children have incredible confidence, are eager to participate, constantly challenge themselves, empathise with others, and develop skills that will last their whole lifetimes. After spending 28 years in marketing and advertising for global pharmaceutical clients working in New York, London and Milan, I settled in Suffolk and now spend my time doing what I can for the community.

In addition to serving as the Deputy Chairperson of Home-Start in Suffolk and working in a local church development project for the part 7 years, I became a Bealings school governor in 2022. I am a member of the Education Committee. It is a privilege to serve a school where curiosity is cultivated in such a creative, innovate, collaborative and respectful manner. 

John Harrod: I've spent 12 years teaching in secondary schools across Norfolk and Suffolk and am currently a Head of Computing at a local school. I am the nominated Safeguarding Governor and I feel my experiences in education enhance my ability to work with all stakeholders at our school  to ensure it remains a safe, creative and exciting place to learn. 

I visit the school on a regular basis to look at safer recruitment, site safety and safeguarding practices within school - including within the curriculum. This is a really important part of governors' work and is of paramount importance for us on the board. 

Hailey Smith: Hi, I’m Hailey, Parent Governor.

I have 3 children at the school currently spread across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. I have lived in Playford for over 8 years and used to run the parent and toddler group in the village and have enjoyed watching the transition of many of your children throughout their learning adventure. I now find myself in the fortunate position of being an advocate for supporting the school’s ethos and values and to ensure the continued success of raising happy and friendly children. 

Rebecca Leek: I am very lucky to be the interim Headteacher at the moment at Bealings. This means I am also part of the governing body. I have been working in schools for over two decades and I am grateful to have had lots of different experiences (as a headteacher, class teacher, Senco, head of department, governor...) – I have seen lots of schools! I have also worked as a musician and storyteller. In fact, I went to music school for a couple of years before university. I am very interested in permaculture which, although it is something lots of people connect with agriculture, is something that I think we can learn from in education. Its main principles are ‘Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share’ and there is a lot about permaculture that is aligned with the ethos at Bealings. Permaculturists watch and observe, take time to see what needs changing, we try and work in harmony with nature, and we really value diversity. My favourite education theorist is probably Froebel who saw play as the highest form of human development. 

Claire Robinson: I first heard of Bealings School in 2011 when we were looking for a school for our then 4 year old; once we visited we knew this was the school and so began a desperate search for our new home in the village. I then became a teacher here in 2018, and have been a staff governor this past year. I love working in Early Years, and have worked in many Reception and Nursery classes, as well as a Local Authority Early Years Consultant, and enjoy putting all the gathered good ideas into practice. 

One of the things I really value about Bealings is the wonder and awe at everything we are learning, and how the adults facilitate the learning with the children. For me this is very important.