Gordon Smith, Chair of Governors

Gordon Smith is the Principal at Riddlesdown High School, a local secondary school of 1900 pupils and students. He is Chair of the Central and South Croydon 14-19 Partnership as well as Vice Chair of Governors at Croydon College.

Gordon’s work in a range of London schools means that he has a clear understanding of educational and leadership issues which he contributes to Kingsdown.

Anne Orija

Anne is a consultant with over 15 years experience of the public and private sectors.  She has a passion for the issues surrounding young people who are gifted and talented and those on the fringes.  Anne is a trustee of a local grass routes voluntary group, member of Institute of Leadership and Management and an active member of her local Chartered Institute of Professional Development branch.

“Barbara was born in Nottingham in 1942.  After grammar school she went to university at the age of 17 to read Modern languages at Exeter.  After graduation she taught for a year in Germany, before gaining a teaching diploma at the University of London Goldsmiths.  She taught in Brixton at Stockwell Manor School, rising to Head of Sixth Form and briefly Acting Deputy Head.  She was then appointed First Deputy Head of Riddlesdown High School, a post she held for 24 years before retiring in 2003.  She also worked on several teacher training initiatives.  Barbara is married to Michael Round, former Headteacher of Haling Manor High School.  Together they have fostered a number of teenagers, now all grown up with their own families.  She continues to have wide interests in education.”

Wendy is Development Director for London for Rathbone, the national charity whose mission is to support, through training, young people either at risk of exclusion or not engaged in education.  Prior to this she worked for the Learning and Skills Council and at Croydon College.  Her knowledge of the government’s 14 -16 agenda as well as her experience with young people not engaged in mainstream education is invaluable to Kingsdown.

 Mike Vingoe

Mike Vingoe has been a Science teacher in Croydon since 1972, having previously studied Zoology at Liverpool University. He began his teaching career at Haling Manor High School and was then Head of Year and Head of Science at Sylvan High School. After gaining a DMS qualification he moved on to Riddlesdown High School as Head of Faculty and eventually became Vice-Principal with responsibility for community involvement. This included acting as the science specialism co-ordinator and allowed him to concentrate on his first love, science teaching. He has been instrumental in devising an award-winning primary-secondary pupilpeer teaching scheme and his science club won a competition to represent the UK at a NASA sponsored competition at their HQ in Houston, Texas. He is a science consultant to the Science Learning Centre in London and a member of the ASE.