Governor Profiles
Marcus Bell (Chair of Governors)
Marcus has been a governor since 2012 and has been the chair of the governing body since 2013. He lives at Cranbrook and has four children: all of who attended Cranbrook Primary School until moving onto secondary school. Marcus works within the Race Disparity Unit of the Cabinet Office, in London.
Frank Shepherd (Vice Chair)
Frank moved to Cranbrook with his family in 2016, following periods spent living in London, Paris and Tokyo.
John Furminger
John has lived in Cranbrook since 1974. He taught economics at Cranbrook School where he was also responsible for university applications as well as helping with sport and serving as an elected Teacher Governor, retiring five years ago.
His wife also works with young people while both his daughters enjoyed their days at Cranbrook CE Primary before going on to Angley School (now High Weald), Cranbrook School and university.
John has been on the governing body for four years, chairing the Resources committee and acting as vice-chair. He is committed to the cause of state education in the town.
Sarah Goatman
Sarah moved to Cranbrook in 2020 and has three children. She worked in corporate insurance claims in the City for several years, which involved a lot of overseas travel and a lot of time working through detailed policies with lawyers. She is particularly enthusiastic about all pupils and staff having the best possible and equal opportunities at the school.
Lesley Atkins
Lesley and her family moved into the area and her children started at the school in 2009. She quickly became very active within the school, firstly as Chair of the PTA and then in October 2011 as a Governor. Lesley is committed to ensuring that all children receive the attention and support that they need to achieve their very best, and focuses on narrowing the gap.
In her spare time Lesley is involved in supporting the local Pre-School and the Out of School Club.
John Mather
John is originally from Manchester, went to an independent boys Grammar school in Altrincham, Cheshire, which was the foundation of his three degrees. After five years working at PowerGen in Solihull, he went to work and live in Melbourne for seven years, where he helped restructure and then privatise two large utilities for the Victorian State Government.
John is now a professional change manager and work often takes him overseas to Arabia, Africa and Asia, working primarily in the electricity and gas industries, for Governments, Regulators or energy companies.
John usually works with teams of engineers, various experts and accountants, to make them work more efficiently or more effectively, changing out-dated working practices, or, with the addition of some new technology and retraining, enables them to work "smarter" rather than harder to achieve their objectives.
John is an active member of the local community and has been a Headcorn Parish Councillor for a number of years.
Matt Lock
Matt has worked in local government for almost 20 years, initially training as a Chartered Internal Auditor and later as a Chartered Public Finance Accountant, and currently working for the City of London Corporation.
Matt is keen to help the school to make best use of its resources and to support the Board of Governors in discharging its responsibility for ensuring effective financial management and has joined the Resources Committee as an Associate Member.
Holly grew up in Cranbrook and attended all three local schools (Cranbrook C of E Primary, High Weald academy and Cranbrook School). After university, she travelled round the world working in the polar regions before returning to Cranbrook with her young family.
Holly is an experienced educator both inside and outside of a classroom setting. She was Head of Science at a school near Sevenoaks teaching both primary and secondary aged students. She has also lead a number of Science expeditions for teenagers to the polar and tropical regions of the world. Holly is keen to use her own educational background to support the leadership in developing and maintaining an excellent standard of education for everyone.
Andrew Gasson
Andrew grew up in Cranbrook and attended both Cranbrook Primary School and Cranbrook School. Following university, he began a career in education working first at Abingdon School and then Cheltenham College, where he held various positions including Head of Geography, Senior Tutor and Assistant Head. Having retired in 2017, he moved back to Cranbrook and, in addition to becoming a school governor, he has joined St Dunstan’s PCC, is a member of the Cranbrook Literature Festival committee and is one of the leaders of the local well-being walks. In terms of leisure interests, Andrew enjoys travel and is a committed supporter of Kent County Cricket and Gillingham FC.
Jenny Danczak
Jenny moved to the area over 20 years ago and became a Parent Governor at John Mayne Primary School for six years, and more recently is in her sixth year as a Foundation Governor at Cranbrook School, currently as Vice Chair. She is keen to encourage and maintain links between the two schools for the benefit of both.
Georgia Read Cutting
Currently working as both a Teen Life Coach and Adult First Aid Instructor, Georgia has a background as a Hospital Dentist specialising in Paediatrics and Oral Surgery in the UK, having also worked on Hong Kong and Belgium. She is a Mother to three children who attended Primary School in Belgium before joining Cranbrook School when the family moved back to the UK in 2011.Georgia has always been passionate about empowering children and teenagers to overcome blocks and achieve their dreams and recognises that an important part of this lies in supporting their parents and teachers .She was a Rainbow/ Brownie / Guide Leader for many years and helped set up the D of E programme at Cranbrook School where she continues to and loves being an Expedition Assessor. She also very much enjoys working with students as part of the High Weald Mentoring programme.
Jo Barker-Platt
Jo and her family moved to Cranbrook in 2021and her daughters joined Cranbrook Primary School. Jo was Chair of Governors at the girls previous school and had really enjoyed the role and the opportunity to give back, so when the chance arose to join the Governing Body at Cranbrook Jo was delighted to be involved.
Jo has worked in the Education Sector for over 8 years now and is currently HR Director for a Multi Academy Trust, consisting of 11 schools in North Kent.
She is passionate about ensuring all children have access to education and opportunities to allow them to fulfil their potential. Jo is looking forward to working with the school as it embarks on its next exciting chapter.
Francesca Shaw
Headteacher Governor
Francesca joined Cranbrook Primary in 2017 and became Headteacher of the school in 2023. She has worked in education roles for the last decade and finds working with children, and watching them thrive, to be the key motivator for working in this sector. In her spare time she enjoys reading, swimming and travelling.
Carl McCabe
Staff Governor
Carl started teaching at Cranbrook Primary in September 2019 after five years’ previous teaching experience at another Primary School in Kent. Carl then became one of the Assistant Headteachers in September 2020 and holds the responsibility of being the assessment and data lead for the school. He currently teaches Year 6 and leads maths across the school. Carl helps to develop and maintain close links between Cranbrook Primary Staff and the Governing Body.
