Governors

Rose Durban, Chair

I live locally and want to contribute to making a difference locally and can’t think of a better way than to help contribute to changing young people’s learning and life-chances across The St Leonards Academy and The Hastings Academy.  I come with experience of working on behalf of vulnerable children and young people and their families within and across the education, health and voluntary sectors which complements the wealth of skills, expertise and support other Governors bring.  

Our job is to champion student’s well-being, learning and achievement in each of our schools.

In my experience, what children and families say they need is simple and powerful:

 

  • I tell my story once
  • Support and services join up around me
  • People do what they say
  • I feel better, safer, able to learn and achieve

I believe that every student at each of our academies has the right to be safe and cared for, succeed in learning, thrive and mature into adulthood, able to contribute to the economy and their community in a positive way.  I’ve been hugely impressed on at the passion and commitment from everyone who works at The Hastings Academy and The St Leonards Academy to make this a daily reality for students.

We should think big for young people, believe in them, and work together so that their rights are realised, their views shape decisions made about their lives and they respect the rights of others.  Together, as a Local Governing Body we can and want to contribute to helping school leaders in their work to make sure young people are safe, happy and healthy, learning and achieving well and with a bright future.

I am pleased and proud to be chair of our federated Local Governing Body.  Please do get in touch via any of the academies if you want to contact me.

Rose Durban

Andy Davy, Vice Chair

Andy was born in London and raised in Eastbourne. He has 40 years experience of change management in retail and shopping centres with a strong ethos of people leadership. Roles have ranged through store, area and regional management. Has recently taken early retirement from shopping centre management taking up a volunteer role as lifeboat operations manager at Hastings RNLI.Also chairs the Maidstone Town Centre management company.

Lives in St Leonards with Cathy and their two mad dogs.

Interests include boating, sea fishing and motorsport.

Jon Francies, Lead Principal of The St Leonards Academy

Since May 2021 It has been a pleasure to lead across the amazing St Leonards and Burgess Hill Academies.  I have been at Burgess Hill Since 2016. I am incredibly proud of students as staff as the school has grown from 750 to 1100. I have worked in The Trust since it began and I was a Vice Principal and Principal at The St Leonards Academy. It has been great to return! I began my career in London as a drama teacher moving into a head of year role and then into senior leadership. 

Leopold Sutton

Leopold was a Science Teacher at The St. Leonards Academy between 2015 and 2017 as part of the Teach First programme, he was then appointed to the Local Governing Body in May 2020. Since 2017 he has worked as a Management Consultant for Deloitte focusing on enterprise technology and performance in the private sector. He holds a Diploma in Management Accounting, as well as an M.A. in Transformational Leadership from Canterbury Christ Church University, and has contributed to European Educational Leadership: Contemporary Issues.