Local Governance

Date of Appointments

 

All appointed November 2022 unless otherwise stated.

 

Rachael Goode

Rachel has spent the last 23 years working in the education/research publishing sector, mainly at Oxford University Press. She's currently responsible for a global marketing team supporting the work of the Academic Division, and also the classical music publishing business at OUP. Prior to that she trained as a secondary school teacher, specializing in the performing arts, and worked in state schools in South East England and also in Hong Kong. Rachel's main passion has always been music, having graduated from Oxford University with a Music degree. Outside of work, Rachel plays flute in a few ensembles, sings in a choir, runs with her dog, and loves being a mum to an energetic son with ADHD and Dyslexia. Having recently joined the Evolve Academy as it's Chair of Governors, Rachel is really looking forward to supporting the school in its ambitions to provide students with the opportunity to progress academically, as well as meeting their vitally important social and emotional needs. 

Martyn O'Donnell

Nearly 30 years experience in Education. Previously Headteacher of Mainstream, SEN/AP settings and Head of Service in a large Local Authority. NPQH in 2004 and NLP Master qualification. Martyn works directly with Headteacher quality assuring the strategic and financial development of the academy and developing Trust initiatives into Evolve Campus and other Academies within the Trust.

 

Melissa Elvé-Williams

Melissa Elvé-Williams has worked for PLT since April 2015, and has been Head at Evolve Academy since it opened in November 2022. She ran her own vocational school for the Trust, was Headteacher at the two previous SEMH and AP provisions in Lambeth for PLT, and has also been on the Leadership team of a mainstream Lambeth school. Her area of expertise is vocational education, and prior to becoming Headteacher at the Trust's AP setting in Lambeth, Melissa worked as the Vocational Lead across Parallel Learning Trust. Despite living in North London, she has worked in Lambeth for more than twenty years.

 

Alice Dias

Alice Dias has a Master’s degree in social work and over 15 years of experience working with children and young people in education and voluntary settings, including 6 years working and volunteering for the NSPCC. Before moving to London in 2013, Alice coordinated several youth mobility projects across Europe. Alice is an experienced leader with expertise in safeguarding and frontline work. As a former Lambeth resident, Alice has excellent knowledge of the local community and resources available and works for a local charity supporting unpaid carers from the age of 5.

 

Amanda Kamin

A senior corporate reputation specialist with 20 years’ marketing and communications experience, Amanda Kamin is Chief Marketing Communications Officer for Digital Catapult. Having worked in international organisations (Motorola, Visa Europe and VisionFund) and within the UK public sector (Food From Britain) both in agency and in-house roles, she has broad experience across a range of markets and audiences. Amanda is skilled in multichannel oversight, leadership communications and quality content generation.

 

Daniel Arthington

Dan is currently working as a Technical Specialist at the Bank of England. His experience with education involves creating a social enterprise focusing on bridging the gap between employers and students in the autism spectrum. He has also completed work with TeachFirst. In his spare time, Dan loves travelling and sports, having completed a cycle from London to Milan carrying a tent.

 

Grace Jackson

Grace is an Academy Council Member with experience in the international development sector and the UK Government, currently working for the charity GiveDirectly. Grace has experience leading teams to deliver complex aid projects and develop emergency response strategies, and has worked in the Middle East and Africa. She is originally from Oxfordshire but currently lives in south London. Outside of work she enjoys travel, music and theatre. 

 

Hilary Ndukuba

Hilary is a Therapeutic Counsellor for counselling agency, One-In-Four UK, and Learning Support Staff for Evolve Academy with vast experience in working with children and young people with challenging behaviour, low self-esteem, and troubled family backgrounds, within the alternative provision.  He is the Learning Support representative within the council.

 

Lynda Harris

Lynda didn’t become a teacher until 1999, previously she was a Youth Worker and ran the Outreach Support for Hertfordshire. Alongside this, she was a Teaching Assistant in a large secondary school and an Outdoor Educational leader. Before Wandle Valley, she ran the behaviour support unit in a secondary school and assisted in the behaviour support across the borough. During her working career she has delivered CPD in a number of schools and in a DFE setting.

 

Attendance records for Academy Councils members will be available at the end of each academic year.