Proprietor's Name: West Heath 2000 Ltd.
Pauline Knutton, Chair of Trustees
Pauline started as a Teaching Assistant at the school not long after it first opened. At that time there were less than thirty students and half the school was unusable. Pauline developed along with the school and is very proud to have played a part in improving the lives and opportunities of so many young people.
Now retired, Pauline is able to spend more time with her own children and grandchildren and has welcomed the opportunity to become involved with the school once more as a Trustee.
Our Chair of Trustees can be contacted via school reception and at the school’s address – please see contact us section
Robin worked in Asset Management in the City for over 25 years. He then trained as a teacher and taught Mathematics at Tonbridge Grammar School for more than 10 years. He continues to teach part time.
Given this background, and the fact that his son was a student at West Heath, he was delighted to be asked to join the Board of Trustees in July 2022 and sits on the Finance Committee.
He lives locally with his wife and several grandchildren live close by.
Michelle joined the Board of Trustees in 2024, having been made aware of a vacancy arising on the Board for someone with HR experience. Michelle has had a long HR career in the financial services and public sector in a range of HR roles and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD. Michelle was delighted to be appointed after being impressed with the passion and commitment from everyone at the school, to support young people who have had a difficult school life to have significantly improved outcomes through a tailored approach to the curriculum, and a holistic and nurturing approach to the young person.
She sits on the Governance committee.
Michelle lives near Bromley with her husband and labradoodle, since her stepsons have grown and left home. In her spare time, she enjoys being with family and friends particularly eating out and theatre, travelling and ‘home organising’!
Jo has been involved with West Heath since 2014 when she joined as Head of Finance and Clerk to the trustees. As a Chartered Management Accountant Jo has worked in industry within manufacturing, supply chain and service sectors in senior roles for more than 30 years. Jo is chair of the finance committee and also deputy chair of trustees.
Jo lives in Ashford with her husband John and has 3 grown up children.
Marguerite was very pleased to join the Board of Trustees in 2021 and to share her experience gained from seventeen years as Headteacher of two primary schools in Kent and as Headteacher Adviser.
Marguerite joined the Citizenship Foundation/Young Citizens in 2005 to create and manage ‘Go-Givers’, their flagship resource for primary schools. She originated the Go-Givers ‘Make a Difference Challenge’, which supports children throughout the UK in implementing projects for the benefit of their communities.
Marguerite developed a set of learning materials entitled ‘Get on with the Game’ for the Premier League. She has also written two books published by A & C Black.
She developed the Quality Mark for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education (SMSC) which has been implemented in primary and secondary schools throughout the UK since 2017.
In 2018 Marguerite was invited by the British Council to develop a curriculum for the Education Department in Lebanon.
Since retirement Marguerite has indulged in creating fused glass art.
Marina joined the Board of Trustees in December 2018.
Marina sits on the Student Services Committee and is also the named Safeguarding Trustee.
Marina is a member of the West Heath Old Girls Association having previously attended West Heath School, at which time it was a private all-Girls school. Marina feels enormously privileged to be part of West Heath School in its current format, helping to drive the future of this exceptional school.
Marina works in the City and lives locally with her husband and two children. In her spare time she enjoys pottering around the garden with the invaluable assistance from her children and the dog.
I am married with two sons, one of whom has attended West Heath School since 2015 and is now supported by West Heath at North Kent College.
I chair the West Heath's Parent/Carer Group which meets monthly onsite, although participants can also join meetings via Teams.
For several years, I have been the parent representative for the Student Services Committee and the Online Safety Committee.
In September 2022, I joined the Trustees of West Heath as a trustee for Teaching and Learning.
I feel privileged to be part of the West Heath School community and enjoy meeting Parents, Staff and Trustees throughout the year.
Dr. Mimi Kirke-Smith (CPsychol) is a Consultant Chartered Child and Adolescent Psychologist. Following 20 years in marketing (a significant percentage at senior management level), a change in career direction led to me retraining as a Child and Adolescent Psychologist. This involved gaining a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, an MSc in Developmental Psychology, and a Doctorate in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Disorders (specialising in childhood trauma). In addition to over 24 years of working in a variety of schools (mainstream and specialist, primary and secondary) including over 16 years at West Heath School (spread over 20 years), I also gained experience of working in clinical settings whilst completing my doctorate. Having held various roles within West Heath, I was (until December 2023) the Head of HEART and Therapy, overseeing both the specialist therapeutic department for students with significant mental health difficulties (which I set up in 2016), and the extensive multidisciplinary therapy team. I am now semi-retired and have various consultancy roles which keep me busy. I have presented my research at a number of UK and European conferences, and I am also a published author in both national and international publications.
I am the Headmistress at Solefield School in Sevenoaks, a boys' only prep school for ages 4-13. I remain a teaching Headmistress and have been at the school since 2009 as Head of Languages, More Able Lead, Academic Deputy, Deputy and Deputy DSL. My subjects are French, Spanish, Italian and Latin. I have held the roles of Housemistress, Head of Year, Head of Department and Games' Coach in various independent senior and prep schools such as Epsom College and Kingston Grammar School. I was a PGCE tutor (senior and primary) at the University of Buckingham for many years and have worked as an examiner for GCSE for OCR. I also have years of experience as a governor and chair of committees.
Coming soon ...
Coming soon...
If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a West Heath School Trustee please use our Contact Us page and either submit a message, for the attention of the Principal’s PA, or ring our main number and speak to Reception.
West Heath School, Ashgrove Road, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 1SR
01732 460553
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