Board of Governors - Biographies

Edward Oatley MBE (Chairman)

Edward was educated at Aldenham School and became Assistant Head of Winchester House Prep School in 1968 where he gained his teaching qualification through the IAPS.  He became Head of Sevenoaks Prep in 1977and founded Sackville School, Hildenborough in 1987. 

Edward and his wife Janet retired from Sevenoaks Prep in 2005 and he became Chairman of their Governors in 2006.   He was warded the MBE in 2006 for services to education and to the community in Kent.  

Edward has also been Chairman of Governors of Steephill School, Fawkham, since 1990. He is Vice Chairman of Seal Parish Council and Chairman of Sevenoaks Sports Council.  He is Vice Chairman of the Sevenoaks 3 Arts Festival and Chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Sevenoaks area. He is an Associate Governor of St John's Primary School and a member of Sevenoaks Amherst Rotary Club.   Edward has been on many charity cycle rides throughout the world raising a considerable amount of money for national and local charities and is a Watford FC season ticket holder.

Jenny Smith-Spark  BA Hons English, Post Graduate Certificate in Education, Advanced Certificate in Autism, (Governor responsible for Learning Support and Child Protection)

I have spent many years in Special Needs education in a mainstream school setting including 13 years as Deputy Head of a secondary school integrated autism unit. 

I was Headteacher of Steephill School from the first day it opened as an Educational Trust in 1990 until 1996, then Learning Support & Child Protection Governor to date.

I had 3 children at Steephill, all of whom progressed through the School and have gone on to obtained degrees at University (one a Doctorate in Psychology, one in joint Hons English and French and one in Philosophy) and all are now employed in top jobs.

My personal interests include horses, dogs, drama, history and equestrian sports, athletics, netball and rugby union. I have lived in Fawkham for many years and attend Fawkham Church, being a long-serving member of its fund-raising committee and involved in its churchyard environmental projects.

Jenny McCrohan PGCE, Diploma Autism (Governor for Curriculum)

I have spent many years co-ordinating educational provision (published). I am a keen artist and book lover. I am currently working as a specialist teacher and have been Governor for the Curriculum at Steephill since August 2009.

I have 2 children, one a graduate in psychology and one building a career in hotel management.

Dr. Ian Cummings – Parent Governor with extra responsibility for Health & Safety

Ian trained in medicine at The Middlesex Hospital Medical School and University College Hospital, London and afterwards in psychiatry at Guys and St Thomas's Hospital to become a consultant in 1998. For the last 12 years he has worked as a consultant forensic psychiatrist in South East London where he works with mentally disordered offenders.

Sandra Scotting (Trust Secretary/Company Secretary)

My son was at Steephill from the age of 3 ½ and then progressed to Dartford Grammar School for boys. He went on to obtain his degree in East Asian Studies at Sheffield University.  During his years at Steephill I was instrumental in helping to set up the School as a Charitable Trust to ensure it continued after the death of its founder Miss Eileen Bignold and I have been a Founding Governor ever since.

I am responsible for liaising with the Charity Commission and completing the Annual Returns and keeping up with current changes in the rules and regulations governing charities. I also liaise with the auditor when completing the annual accounts. I am now retired from my job as Intellectual Property Executive for a national newspaper group, so I bring some basic legal as well as accounting knowledge to the Board of Governors.

I now spend most of my spare time trying to raise money to build a war memorial to the worst civilian disaster in London.  With that, gardening and Steephill, there isn’t much free time left for other interests, though my love of reading will prevail one day.

Doreen Page – Governor responsible for Catering and Personnel

I worked as a Personnel Officer for Lloyds Bank International for many years.  Also in the Health Service           Co-Ordinating the Out of Hours GP Service until September 2010.  I am now semi-retired but working in a GP Surgery.

I have been associated with Steephill since 1987 when my son joined the Nursery as one of Miss Bignold’s “tinies”.  During his school life spent at Steephill, Sevenoaks Prep and Dartford Grammar he continued with his fascination with Science.  He has a 1^stClass Honours Degree and PhD in Chemistry from University College London and is now a Research Fellow working with University College London and the Royal Institution of Great Britain.  

When the school was under threat of closure in 1990 I assisted with fellow Governors to help set up the school as a Charitable Trust and as such I am a Founding Governor.

I am responsible for the Catering ensuring that the school maintains high levels of food preparation also adhering to dietary controls and hygiene guidelines.  I also assist with Personnel matters.

My personal interest include all past history, following the activities of the wild life in my garden, gardening in between.