Governors

There are 14 governors on the school’s governing body.

They include representatives of the main political parties nominated by Camden Council, school staff, parent and co-opted representatives. We aim for a balance of deaf and hearing governors.

The governors ensure the school is well run and provides children with the best possible education. parent governors are elected by the parents. They make sure that our parents’ views are valued and represented at an official level.

Our governors have secured excellent resources and facilities for Frank Barnes and ensured the school remains at the cutting edge of Deaf education in England and internationally. In support of this, we are delighted that the London Borough of Camden has guaranteed funding for a ten year strategy for deaf children.

We hope this website gives you a taste of our learning community, what we do and why we do it. However, to fully appreciate what we can offer your child, please come and visit us.

If you are interested in becoming a Governor, please register your interest via email.

For the register of members’ and governors’ interests please click here.

If you would like to contact the school governing body you can write for the attention of Robert Adam, Chair of Governors, email c/o the Frank Barnes School Office – admin@fbarnes.camden.sch.uk

Former Governors

Dr Robert Adam
I am Chair of Governors at Frank Barnes School and have been a Governor at the school since 2006.  I am Assistant Professor in Languages and Intercultural Communication at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and my research interests are in sign language, interpreting, translation, minority languages and multilingualism.  I studied my PhD at UCL focussing on minority language contact between two sign languages. Previously I was Director, Continuing Professional Development/Teaching Fellow at the UCL Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre and I am now also Visiting Professor at the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin and Honorary Lecturer at the UCL Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre.  
My other volunteer work is as coordinator of the World Federation of the Deaf Sign Language and Deaf Studies expert group, as well as Chairperson of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (UK) Deaf Interpreter Network. I also work as a sign language interpreter and translator.  In my spare time I enjoy baking and hill walking locally around Scotland.  I am from Melbourne, Australia and my parents and sister and an aunt are all deaf.

Dani Sive

I was born and bred in South Africa and moved to London following my studies and qualification as a primary school teacher in 1999 from the University of Cape Town.  I started working at Frank Barnes School in 2000 as a supply teacher, and worked my way up from a being class teacher, Team Leader, Assistant Headteacher, and finally Headteacher since September 2016.
I am proud to be leading such a dynamic and outstanding school where our pupils are growing up with a positive Deaf identity, accessing the curriculum in BSL and developing academically and socially as bilingual learners.  I am also proud to be a positive deaf role model for the pupils, staff and the Deaf community, and have a strong vision for Deaf education.  I believe that all deaf children have a right to a high quality bilingual education in BSL and English, with so many Deaf role models in the staff.  I am very fortunate to have the support from and collaboration from a dedicated and diverse group of Governors to drive school improvement and achieve high standards.
 

Katie Lam
Katie Lam has been a Governor of Frank Barnes since 2016, and Chair of the Business Committee since 2019. When she is not supporting Frank Barnes, Katie has recently been working in government as a Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, and most recently as No10 Deputy Chief of Staff. 
Katie is also an award-winning lyricist and scriptwriter, with musicals performed at venues including the London Coliseum, Cadogan Hall, and the ocean liner Queen Mary 2.  Katie is a trustee of two creative charities - theatre charity Antic Face, and the Ivors Academy Trust, the songwriters' and composers' charity.  Katie is based in London.
 

Simon Pearson
I’m a retired Chartered Quantity Surveyor, and since 2018 I’m a Camden Councillor for Swiss Cottage ward (where Frank Barnes used to be!).  I’m the Council Champion for Learning Disabled and for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.  
I became the Local Authority nominated Governor in 2017, as it seemed an exciting and different challenge. I’m on the Health and Safety sub-committee.  I’m a carer, and I walk and cycle everywhere, and I’m passionate about a green new deal.
 

Michael Kettiros
I have been a Co-opted School Governor at Frank Barnes since 2019 sitting on the Business Committee as well as being involved in General committee endeavours. This is my first role as a Governor, and I am thoroughly enjoying it! Frank Barnes is a school that I grew up next door to as a child, so I feel as though I have come full circle! I have a degree in Accounting and Finance from Durham University then qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) whilst at KPMG. This experience and skill set has allowed me to try and add value to the finance function of the Board of Governors, ensuring the monetary health of the school carries on for years to come.
My governor role has been a very rewarding experience thus far being involved with Frank Barnes and understanding first-hand the dedication that is put in by the school staff to ensure a fantastic and safe learning environment is forthcoming. This is a role I hope to continue for a long time!
 

Joanna Wootten, Independent Advisor
Joanna has been advising private and public sector organisations around disability, age and inclusion for over 10 years.  She originally trained as a solicitor before joining the not-for-profit sector where she held senior roles, including being Deputy Chief Executive of SignHealth.  She is currently Chair of TfL's Independent Disability Advisory Group, a member of Pay.UK's End User Advisory Panel and an ambassador for the Business Disability Forum.  She was born Deaf.
 

Dr Manjula Patrick 
I have two ‘hats’ at UCL (University College London); Disability Equity Lead in the Faculty of Brain Sciences and, Centre Manager of the Deafness, Cognition, and Language (DCAL) Research Centre with responsibility for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). I have a PhD in Biotechnology (quite a shift from my current roles!) and am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I have won awards for Public Engagement, Equality, Diversity and Fairness, and Innovation and Enterprise.
I am committed to social justice and inclusion, particularly in relation to access, and representation at all levels of higher education. My personal experience of intersectional identities gives me insights to multi-layered barriers, beyond the effects of a unitary protected characteristic. Despite the complexity it brings to addressing equality, I feel intersectionality is central to meaningful interventions.
In my spare time, I run, cook, knit, crochet, paint and am a very keen gardener... and keep rescue hens!
 

Miriam Price

I joined Frank Barnes as a Governor in 2022, motivated by a desire to learn more about Deaf education, and to broaden my experience with the signing community in London. I have been studying BSL since 2016, and first took interest in the language when I was still at school myself. My professional background is a mixture of Sales, Technology, Defence, and broader Civil Service roles, where most recently I worked as a Strategy Advisor in the Cabinet Office's Covid-19 Taskforce.

When I'm not volunteering with Frank Barnes, I am working towards a postgraduate degree in International Development at SOAS, nursing my herbs, dancing, cycling, or studying a new language.

Agustin Molina

I am from Ecuador and have been living in the UK since 2003. 

Over the years my interests have changed from photography, visiting museums and travelling to now dedicating time to gardening.  I am blessed to have a garden in London where I can bring up my children and grow fruit and vegetables. 

 I joined the Frank Barnes School Governing Body as a Parent Governor, because I am interested in getting more involved and supporting the education of my son and all pupils at Frank Barnes School.  I look forward to contributing as a Governor to the formative years of all pupils  and helping make the school’s goals achievable.

Historic Governor Biographies

Nicola Bayley
I have been a Parent Governor at Frank Barnes since 2006.  My son attended the school from the age of two and left when he was 11 in 2008.  He has a very strong Deaf identity as a result which has served him well so far!  I will always be immensely grateful for Frank Barnes, for the education he received and for the support we received as a family in so many ways.
I am a secondary school English teacher and am interested in the experience of Deaf children at school.  Being a Governor at the school is a role I feel privileged to do. I am the Chair of the Curriculum Committee and the Safeguarding Governor. 

Sharon Serra

I was elected Parent Governor last year for Frank Barnes School and was delighted. My son currently attends Frank Barnes School and I can attest to how special the school is, and how hard the teachers and community work to ensure the children are empowered, have the correct support and most importantly a well rounded education. 

Ensuring that my son can access and identify with his deaf culture is important to us as a family. I have just passed my second Level of British Sign Language and endeavour to continue learning. 

After working as a civil servant for over 15 years I decided to leave last November and finish my degree in Child Psychology and continue with my BSL studies and be home more to be with my children. I am hoping to begin a career in the future using my newly acquired skills. I enjoy hours of crochet and being creative.  I also enjoy field walks with my Doberman who is my son’s best friend and understands BSL!