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Dacorum Education Support Centre

Dacorum Education Support Centre

Management Commitee

The Management Committee is DESC’s governing body.

The Management Committee has a membership of 12 governors, each serve a two-year term of office. The Committee meets on a regular basis acting as a single committee with governors being appointed to specific areas of responsibility.

The Committee is formed of primary and secondary headteachers, stakeholders, county councillors, local authority officers and community members. This is an excellent combination for ensuring that DESC meets local needs in the context of education. The Committee also oversees how we operate and the way we spend our budget of public monies.  

 

Name

Role/Links

Gary Lewis 

Role: Chair of Management Committee | Community Representative 
Responsibilities: Pay Committee
Term of Office: September 2023-25

Sara Johnson

Role: Vice Chair of Management Committee | Community Representative 

Responsibilities: Safeguarding | Finance

Term of Office: July 2022-24   

Sally Ambrose 

Role: Community Representative, Secondary School Headteacher  
Responsibilities: Pupil Premium | Pay Committee
Term of Office: September 2023-24   

Brett Daddow Role: Community Representative 
Responsibilities: Standards KS3/4
Term of Office: February 2024-2026     
Rob Weightman

Role: Community Representative, Primary School Headteacher

Responsibilities: Standards KS1/2 | Reading | Behaviour

Term of Office: November 2023-25         

Patricia Walker

Role: Local Authority Representative 

Responsibilities: SEND

Term of Office: February 2023-25

Sara Lalis

Role: Staff Representative, Executive Headteacher at DESC   

Amanda Bright

Role: Staff Representative

Term of Office: February 2023-25

Anna McCarthy

Role: Parent Representative
Responsibilities: Communication and Marketing

Term of Office: March 2022-24

Mel Stanley

Role: Community Representative

Responsibilities: Mental Health and Wellbeing

Term of Office: September 2023-25

Karen Rackley

Role: Staff Representative

Term of Office: October 2023-25

Email: chair@desc.herts.sch.uk

Appointments and Resignations

Gillian Davies - Resigned 01/09/22

Patricia Walker - Resigned 23/09/22

Amanda Bright - Joined 07/02/23

Patricia Walker - Joined 07/02/23

Ron Tindall - Resigned 27/04/23

Mel Stanley - Joined 01/09/23

Kane Beere - Resigned 19/09/23

Karen Rackley - Joined 19/10/23

Management Committee Meeting Attendance

Name Type 20.09.22 20.10.22 29.11.22 07.02.23 27.04.23 23.05.23 15.06.23 29.06.23 19.09.23 19.10.23 28.11.23 08.02.24
Gary Lewis Chair
Community Representative
Y N Y Y N Y Y N Y N N Y
Jacky Webby Previous Chair
Community Representative
Y Y N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Sara Lalis Staff Representative
Headteacher
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Sara Johnson Community Representative N Y Y Y Y Y N Y N Y Y Y
Patricia Walker Community Representative N/A N/A N/A N Y N Y N Y N Y Y
Sally Ambrose Community Representative N Y Y Y N Y Y N Y N Y Y
Rob Weightman Community Representative Y N Y N Y N N N Y N Y N
Kane Beere Staff Representative Y N Y Y Y N Y Y N N/A N/A N/A
Ron Tindall Local Authority Representative N Y Y N Y N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Brett Daddow Community Representative N Y Y N N Y Y N Y Y N Y
Anna McCarthy Parent Representative N N Y N Y N N Y N N N N
Amanda Bright Staff Representative N/A N/A N/A Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Mel Stanley Community Representative N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N Y Y Y
Karen Rackley Staff Representative N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Y Y Y

 

Meet the Members of the Management Committee

Gary Lewis
Appointed by the Management Committee. Gary is a retired Headteacher of Kings Langley School and is now a Member of the School’s Trust. He is a consultant for Birmingham University with The Jubilee Centre on Character Education, and is Chair of The Association for Character Education (ACE).

First Appointed: September 2019
Register of Interests: None declared

 

Sara Johnson
Appointed by the Management Committee. Sara is a retired Headteacher from The Park ESC and now works with the rehabilitation of Offenders delivering courses to help prepare offenders for the world of work. 

First Appointed: July 2018
Register of Interests: None declared

 

Sally Ambrose
Nominated from being a member of DASSH (Dacorum Association of Secondary School Headteachers) and appointed by the Management Committee. Sally is the Headteacher at Tring School.

First Appointed: September 2021
Register of Interests: None declared

 

Brett Daddow
Nominated through DASSH (Dacorum Association of Secondary School Headteachers) and appointed by the Management Committee. Brett is the Senior Assistant headteacher of Astley Cooper School.

First Appointed: November 2021
Register of Interests: None declared

 

Rob Weightman
Appointed by the Management Committee from the Centre’s Primary School stakeholder group. Rob is Headteacher of Tudor Primary School and a member of the Dacorum Primary Behaviour Board.

First Appointed: November 2021
Register of Interests: None declared

 

Sara Lalis  
Executive Headteacher – Ex Officio 
Sara has been Headteacher at DESC since 2010

Register of Interests: None declared

 

Anna McCarthy
Appointed from our parental body. Anna is the Marketing Assistant at Abbott’s Hill School and has a broad experience in marketing having worked in a variety of industries - biotechnology, retail, publishing and education. 

First Appointed: March 2022
Register of Interests: None declared

 

Patricia Walker
Appointed by the Management Committee. Patricia is the Integrated Services for Learning Area Manager and Professional Lead for the SEND Specialist Advice & Support Service in St Albans and Dacorum at HCC.

First Appointed: September 2020 and Re-joined February 2023
Register of Interests: None declared

 

Amanda Bright
Amanda is a DESC Outreach Caseworker and part of the Therapeutic Team as an Advanced Drawing and Talking Practitioner.

First Appointed: February 2023
Register of Interests: Interest declared - A relative's company Ultimate Finish Ovens has been engaged for oven cleaning services by DESC at times.

 

Mel Stanley
Mel has had a long association with DESC through her roles at JFK School (INCO) and the Dacorum DSPL (Delivering Special Provision Locally) group.

First Appointed: September 2023

 

Karen Rackley

First Appointed: October 2023