The Board of Governors

The board of governors exists to:

• Put in place the long term vision and strategic direction of the school
• Monitor the educational performance of the school and its pupils
• Oversee the financial performance of the school and ensure that money is well spent

Our role is to ensure that the Round House constantly and consistently delivers on its visions and values:  essentially, to ensure that every child achieves the highest possible standards through our relentless focus on high quality teaching and learning.  Further information about the school’s visions and values can be found on the  website.

The board of governors also oversees admission, staff employment and buildings management.

The current board of governors comprises:

Governor Attendance

Governor Profiles

Tracy Bryden

I became the Head Teacher of the Round House Primary Academy in September 2013, having previously worked within the Diamond Learning Partnership Trust as Deputy Head Teacher at Middlefield Primary Academy.

Prior to teaching, I worked as a food technologist with H.J. Heinz and within financial management as a branch manager, trainer and area manager, and later running my own company to provide consultancy services to large financial institutions.

My experience in education has involved working with all year groups and with the development of teachers and students, working with other schools and universities.

In addition to my position at The Round House, I am the Trust’s Deputy CEO, Chairperson for Cambridgeshire Primary Heads and Executive Head Teacher of other schools within the Trust including Wintringham, which opened within grounds of The Round House in September 2018.

I am immensely proud of The Round House, its pupils and teachers, and of the way in which the school has grown to become an inspiration to other schools in the Trust and beyond.

Stacey Roberts

I have been working at The Round House Primary Academy for almost 10 years but have worked in education for over 20 years. I joined the School governors four years ago and was previously a community governor at Winhills Primary Academy.

Prior to working in primary schools, I worked as a nanny to three children, a nursery nurse in a private day nursery and I have been the proprietor of my own Pre-School, Boxtree Under Fives in Middlesex, before relocating to St Neots.

I have varied experience in Early Years and Primary education, having been a nursery nurse, a class based 1:1 teaching assistant, a pastoral support teaching assistant and an outreach worker for families with children who have disabilities. I am currently the Inclusion Manager and Designated Person for Child Protection at The Round House. I have worked with children across all Key Stages and also work closely with teachers, teaching assistants, apprentices, students and a range of outside agencies.

I live on Loves Farm and have a vast knowledge of the local community and surrounding area.

I am really proud to be part of The Round House team, and feel very passionate about the journey that the staff and children have been on to make such an amazing success of our school, despite many changes and challenges.

Holly Bates

I have been teaching for 17 years and joined The Round House when it became an Academy in 2014. I joined the governing body in September 2018 when I became Deputy Head Teacher. As well as being Deputy I am also one of the English leads, helping to support the school in teaching and learning in this area.

It is my aim to work with the governing board to ensure that children at The Round House Primary Academy leave our school as successful and passionate life-long learners.

Along with the guidance and support of the school governors, the staff at The Round House work extremely hard to create a safe and inspiring environment and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the views and ideas of the teaching team.

Helene Tame

I joined the governing body at the end of 2014 soon after moving to Love’s Farm to take up my role as community chaplain.

I’ve been involved with the school in a variety of ways: reading (I love phonics having taught my own children to read using Jolly Phonics during the years we lived in Romania!), leading assemblies, acting as an early intervention coach offering 1-1 mentoring to a small number of children who for a variety of reasons have been identified as needing a bit of extra support. My other main area of interest is around staff well-being. I love The Round House and am happy to be involved in whatever ways I can to contribute to its continued success.

Lara Davenport-Ray

I was born in the United States, where I studied engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). I then moved to the UK and completed my further education with a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge. Soon after that I became a UK citizen.

My work history has provided me with experience across a range of sectors. My previous employers include Deloitte, Aviva Insurance, The Royal Household and The National Trust. I currently work part-time for Love’s Farm Community Money Advice, providing free confidential advice to local families. Before the pandemic, The Round House School kindly allowed us to meet with clients on the school grounds. Many clients have been school families and school employees.

My son is part of the first Reception Class to attend the new Wintringham School. As he grows, I would like to become more involved in our local school system, particularly in St Neots’ eastern communities.

The population of our town will grow very quickly over the next two decades. I have begun working with County Councillors to address future-planning on the number of places available for our secondary school children. I hope that I can also use my skills and experience for the benefit of primary pupils with the Diamond Learning Partnership Trust.

Annabel van Nieuwkerk

I joined the governing body in 2021 as a parent governor and was delighted to take up the role of Chair in 2022. As an extension of my role, I act as the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) governor, due to my experience and special interest in this area.

I am a proud mum to three little boys; two are currently at The Round House, and the third is due to join them in September 2023. I have spent over 10 years working in the field of corporate reporting, mostly as an Account Director, moving more recently to a training and development position within the same industry to allow me to spend more time with my sons.

I also come to this role with personal and first-hand experience in supporting children with SEND; I fully comprehend how complex, challenging and yet rewarding it can be for parents and carers who find themselves in this position. With growing knowledge and understanding in this area, I feel passionate about promoting the benefits of diversity and equality amongst all children and I am committed to celebrating the unique achievements of every single child, regardless of the path that brought them to our school.

We have been so fortunate with the high levels of teaching and care that our sons receive at The Round House, and I welcome the opportunity to give something back, by lending my personal and professional experiences to the Board and by working with its members as they uphold the school’s values and its dedication towards helping each child reach their full potential.

Charlotte Ashley-Roberts

I am extremely keen to give something back to the school and its staff who have given so much to my two children (years 2 & 5 with my youngest starting next year). Like many of you, both my children had their routines severely disrupted throughout the pandemic. I have been impressed with both the care they have received and the progress they have been able to make throughout their time there. For me, this is a great opportunity to be able to repay that kindness.  

I have a background in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) before retraining as a careers adviser in 2009. Since Emily was born I have been self-employed as a professional and certified career coach. As a coach, it is my job to support my clients and help them reach their potential, by holding them accountable for their actions. This involves challenging in a constructive and empathetic manner; I am not afraid to ask difficult questions if necessary on behalf of all the children this school serves. I am also keen to support the school and all of its dedicated staff who work so hard to keep the school running smoothly. These are skills I would bring to the parent governor role.  

In addition, I am a qualified mental health first aider and am passionate about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of people at all stages of their life, especially our children. 

I am well connected within the community, volunteering as a run coach for Love's Farm Runners and I am the bar supervisor at Love's Farm House bar. My main priority is making sure our children have a safe and secure environment in which to learn and thrive so that they have the opportunity to reach their full potential regardless of their background, special educational needs, or disabilities. 

I am committed to undertaking training to acquire and develop the skills in order to make an effective contribution to governance. I believe I can help steer the school in its strategic direction and retain its excellent reputation for both academic success and happy, friendly children. 

Rebecca Edwards

I have been part of The Round House parent community for a number of years. I currently have a daughter and a son who attend the school. I also have a younger daughter who will be following in their footsteps in the years to come. As a family, we are happy to have called Love's Farm our home for 10 years and counting.

I applied for the role of parent governor because, just like every other parent and carer at The Round House, I care deeply that all children receive the best education. I believe that every child should have equal opportunities to learn in a safe, happy and purposeful learning environment - one that is inclusive, develops resilience, promotes positive outcomes and a lifelong love of learning. As a parent, I understand how unique every child's learning journey is and recognise how vitally important our parental voice is when advocating for our children. 

With 15 years' experience in education and over 10 years as a qualified primary school teacher, I feel I have both the personal and professional experience to bring a strong parent voice to the governing body. As a parent governor, I will endeavour to ensure the best interests of our children are always kept at the heart of the school's vision and its continued success within our community.

Hugues Kamba-Mpiana

Holds a First class degree in Digital Communications and Electronics.

Currently leads a team of Software Engineers working on various projects to simplify the development and management of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Previous representative positions include:

* University class student representative (2 years)

* Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) champion (3 years)

* Employee Resource Group (ERG) leader (2 years)

Joined the Local Governing Body to give an active voice to parents in order to ensure the children get the best out of their education experience.

Believes in teaching children the skills they will need later on in their life, skills such as:

financial literacy, computer programming, leardership, independent thinking, self-defense and emotional intelligence.

Grateful for having gained parents confidence to represent interests and raise concerns.