Who We Are
Hannah Capgras - Parent Governor (Co-chair 2024-2025)
Hannah was appointed as a parent governor in December 2022. She lives in the local area and has two children at RPHS.
Hannah went to a mixed comprehensive school similar in many ways to RPHS. She went on to qualify as a lawyer and now works in the field of professional regulation. She is passionate about ensuring high quality education is available to all children.
Dean Murphy - co-opted Governor (CO-Chair 2023-2024)
Dean is a successful businessman owning two dry cleaners in South London and has done so for 10 years. Prior to this, Dean was an area manager of a large oil company. Dean attributes his success to being ambitious and having a proactive attitude – something he encourages all young people to have.
Dean takes a keen interest in the quality of education, personal development and safeguarding at Raynes Park High School and aims to ensure the high standards at the school continue and develop to the ever-changing demands of education in the UK.
tracey Benzecry - Co-opted Governor
Tracey was elected as a co-opted governor in March 2019. She has lived in the Raynes Park and Wimbledon area since 1986.
She worked as a solicitor in the private client department of a City law firm before retiring to raise her two children. Since then she has taken on various volunteer roles, including governor of a primary school.
Herself a first generation university student, Tracey is passionate about improving children's life choices through education.
William Bourke - Co-opted Governor
Will was elected as a co-opted Governor in July 2022. He is a former experienced secondary school Deputy Headteacher and currently works for the Department for Education.
Will has a passion for education, strongly believing that all children can achieve irrespective of their starting points in life. Will understands how vital schools, and in particular teachers, are in helping pupils make excellent social and academic progress.
He is excited to work alongside the Senior Leadership Team and Governors at Raynes Park High School in ensuring that the pupils who attend the school receive the best possible education.
oduwa idehen - Parent Governor
Oduwa joined the Governing Body in 2021 as a parent governor. He has a son who is in KS4 at RPHS.
He has worked in various strategy and policy roles across local government, the voluntary and community sector, and the health sector. Oduwa currently works in the Primary and Community Health Care sub-directorate of NHS England.
He also worked as a broadcaster for several years, winning several awards.
Hiren Patel-Parent Governor
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Information to follow.
Sabith Liakat-Parent Governor
Sabith is a local member of the community having lived and grown up in Merton, and now his children attend schools in the borough and RPHS.
He has previously held a Parent Governor position at a primary school in Wandsworth earlier in 2022 and is pleased to take on the role at RPHS, as he looks forward to contributing to the school.
An advocate for healthy eating and road safety, in his previous Governor role he helped drive the initiatives for balanced meals for the children and road safety measures in surrounding areas.
Sabith has worked in the Digital Marketing industry for over 15 years, as a Digital Delivery Consultant across many clients. He is also a Non-Executive Director for a hedgehog rescue charity in Cornwall, helping them develop and structure their online presence, as well as helping develop a new digital system to help manage their hedgehog records for new intakes and existing hoglets. Additionally, he volunteers at a local foodbank in Merton, delivering food parcels to families in the borough.
Chloe Morgan - Staff Governor
Chloe was elected as Staff Governor in December 2023. She has been teaching for fourteen years and started her role as Senior teacher and Initial Teacher Training Lead at Raynes Park High in 2018. She is committed to ensuring that all students reach their full potential and have access to an ambitious curriculum and expert teaching and learning.
George Richards - Co-opted Governor
George joined the Governing Body in July 2023 when he was appointed as a co-opted Governor.
George graduated from the University of York in History and Politics. He is now a qualified chartered surveyor and works in the City as a Fund manager for a global real estate investor. Previously, George has taught English as a foreign language and grew up with parents as teachers. He is keen to see RPHS thrive and provide the best opportunities for its staff and pupils.
Kirsten Taylor - Headteacher
Kirsten began as Headteacher in September 2015. She joined us from The Green School in Isleworth where she was Deputy Headteacher with an interest in inclusion.
She is a Sociology graduate and her PGCE specialism was RE. She is committed to securing the very best outcomes for all RPHS students.
Clare Townsend - Co-Opted Governor
Following a busy, enjoyable career in teaching, mainly in the Battersea and Tooting areas, Clare now have more time to participate in local activities. She has lived in Raynes Park for twenty years (plus an earlier spell as a child) and is a longstanding volunteer at Raynes Park library where she runs story time sessions for parents and pre-school children.
She is totally committed to the advancement of local, community-based education and is the Vice-Chair of the London Retired Headteachers’ Association, keeping in touch with educators and with developments in the state school system.
She also edits the local Guide which is the magazine produced 11 times a year by the Raynes Park & West Barnes Residents’ Association and is distributed to 2,000 households. She retains links with a high school in Tooting through choir and voluntary activities and enjoys being part of the RPHS team of Governors, working for all the students in this truly inclusive school.
Margaret Tulloch - Local Authority Governor
Margaret is a Governor appointed by the local authority, and has been a governor since 1986. Her son was a pupil at the school when it was a boys’ school. Margaret sits on the Premises, Health, Safety & Safeguarding Committee and Business Committee and is Link Governor for Equalities, SEN, More Able and Admin including Leisure.
Nationally Margaret was on the National Executive of the Campaign for State Education (CASE) from 1988 to 2004, for most of that time as Secretary. For several years she was a trustee of the Advisory Centre for Education, including 9 years as Chair. She is a trustee of the research charity Research and Information on State Education (RISE) and secretary of Comprehensive Future, a campaign aiming to end selection on ability and aptitude.
MARINA SZANTO - CO-OPTED GOVERNOR
I am a retired secondary head teacher having had the privilege of working both as senior leader and as a consultant in a wide range of local authority schools across the London area, many of which were in challenging circumstances.
Now having rejoined the governing board at RPHS I hope to further my commitment to making a positive contribution to the educational experience of all our students here at RPHS.
ROB BROOKER - CO-OPTED GOVERNOR
Rob was elected as a co-opted governor in July 2024.
He trained towards his chartered accountancy and tax exams at accountancy firms in the City of London before moving on to industry roles.
He is passionate about students realising their intellectual, cultural, and social potential through education.