Folkestone Academy Governance

John graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne joining an international firm of Chartered Accountants. After qualifying, he gained several years experience in the firm’s audit and management consulting business before moving into the financial services industy. Here he held a number of management roles which included a period of time working in the United States. John most recently spent 15 years with MasterCard International working in both London and Brussels in a number of leadership roles. The father of Max, a pupil at the Primary Academy, John also has two older children who have now successfully embarked on their own careers. John, his partner Anette and Max have lived in Folkestone since 2011 and he was elected to the role of Parent Governor in 2018.

Tracy has 35 years experience as a  teacher and leader within schools. She has served at all levels within a range of comprehensive, selective and boarding schools. She has been a Head of Department, Head of Year, Assistant Head, Deputy Head, Principal and Executive Principal.

In addition Tracy has been a National Leader of Education and an Ofsted Inspector. Tracy has experience as a Governor at an independent school, a Pupil Referral Unit and at a number of secondry schools. Tracy is a Director of Turner Schools.

Parent Governor Nesrin Rosemarie Savva is a qualified Personal Assistant and a dedicated Multilinguistic Interpreter.   She has served as a Parents Association representative at her child’s previous school and is passionate about supporting every child to reach their full potential.

Alexia qualified as a Barrister in 1993 and has been practising full time since 1995. She has worked in Hampshire, London and the South-East and the North-East, moving to Kent in 2011. In the area of Criminal Law she acts for both the defence and prosecution.  She has a particular interest in child safeguarding issues and has been instructed to act in countless family court cases where the Local Authority have been required to investigate.  Due to this background of a specialism dealing with children she has recently become involved in Child and Vulnerable Witness training being rolled out to all Barristers throughout the country.

Alexia became interested in education early in her career when she began teaching advocacy to students and trainee barristers. This led her to becoming an external examiner covering the Bar Professional Training Course, where her role involves her monitoring the quality and content of teaching of the BPTC at numerous providers around the country. In 2016 she was appointed as Co-Ordinating External Examiner by the Bar Standards Board, covering all BPTC providers.  She has previously supported local schools in the North-East to become involved in Mock-Trial Competitions and hopes to do the same in Kent. She has also run lectures at schools for 14-18 year olds to increase awareness of sexual offences and the law, with particular reference to social media. She is an advocate for non-selective/comprehensive education, having come through the system herself, is actively engaged in encouraging students from all backgrounds to consider a career at the Bar.