Being a governor at Vale School is a true privilege and over the last 20 years in that role I have witnessed hundreds of pupils join and move through the school onto secondary education, including my own four children, who to today still have a deep passion for the school. 

I came to governorship with an initial interest in my own child/rens education, but quickly grew to realise that as governors, alongside the school staff, we are charged with ensuring that every child gets the best opportunity to learn and thrive. One size does not fit all and the need to ensure inclusivity for all is essential.

My main career background is outside of education, I completed 30 years policing service with Sussex Police, working primarily across West Sussex, but also the county as a whole. In that time my work enabled me to engage with many statutory authorities at all levels, as well as governmental departments. Across West Sussex I was heavily involved in establishing community ties with our growing diverse communities and helping them to have a voice in policing.

Since my retirement I have retrained as a qualified level 3 teaching assistant and also trained as a National Leader of Governance and a West Sussex Local Lead Governor, supporting schools and senior leaders where needed. I have further experience working on various school board formats at academy and interim executive board level. This experience, working in many schools across West Sussex, has enabled me to fully understand the challenges faced in education and helps me to ensure that Vale School stays on the front foot as a leading large primary school in the county.

Alongside this, I am an elected local councillor and continue to work across the two-tiers of local government in West Sussex promoting community cohesion, wellbeing and provision of quality education. More recently I work full-time as a class cover supervisor in a local secondary (high) school in Worthing. 

It's true to say that after 20 years with Vale School, it is very much in my DNA and I welcome the opportunities for the continued journey as we grow as a school, ensuring that every child who comes to Vale School, gets the best start in life we can offer them.

I am proud to say I am the Vice Chair of the Governing body as a co-opted governor, having been a parent governor whilst my daughter went through Vale school before leaving for her Secondary school experience.  I have previously been a trustee for Friends of the Vale.

Professionally, I am recently retired from Sussex Police having spent 30 years working in different aspects of the community and also overseas. I now work for a Premier League football club.

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed her time at Vale and my initial reason for being involved was to be that “nosey” parent as I left school many years ago! I wanted to understand what a typical school day was like and how I can support my child. My daughter may have left, but I stayed! I enjoy being that critical friend to the Senior Leadership team and all the staff that work at Vale school.

My drive is to do all I can to ensure your child gets the best opportunities at our school and to prepare them for their Secondary school journey.

Mrs Emily Lipscombe

I am delighted to be part of the Governing Body as the Local Authority Governor. I have served the Vale for four years and counting, and feel privileged that my children also attend this fantastic school. My background is in education, and I have been a primary school teacher for fourteen years, working across the KS1 and KS2 phases. 

I hold the position of SENCO and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead at another local school, and I am incredibly passionate about inclusion, equity and ensuring every child can thrive. My interests lie in SEND, inclusion and safeguarding, and supporting all children to access the education they are entitled to. My experience in special educational needs has strengthened my belief that all children deserve to feel safe, valued and well-supported. 

As a governor, I aim to bring a balanced perspective and to contribute positively to the strategic direction of the school, keeping children at the centre of all decisions.

I have the privilege of having three children who attend The Vale School. I have been a member of the Governing Board for two years. I am proud to support the school community and to have the opportunity to contribute both my professional experience and my perspective as a parent.

I bring a background in early years education to my role on the Governing Board. I previously worked for five years as a SENCo within a specialist provision, where I supported children with a wide range of additional needs and developed a deep commitment to inclusive, child-centred practice.

I now work for West Sussex Fostering Service, supporting children as they transition from residential care into foster families. This role continues to shape my passion for ensuring that all children, regardless of their starting point in life or level of need, are given the opportunity to feel safe, supported, and able to thrive. I am particularly passionate about the use of therapeutic and trauma-informed approaches to support children’s emotional wellbeing and development.

I am a Parent Governor at the Vale School and a proud parent of twins who began their school journey here during Covid. Despite a challenging start, my husband and I have been consistently impressed by the care, support and education the school provides. I am pleased to be able to give something back to a community that has given so much to our children. 

Professionally, I am the Managing Partner of a local Law firm. Our firm specialises in family law, particularly child protection and so I bring valuable experience in safeguarding, alongside strong skills in finance, budgeting and business management.

Through my work, I see first hand the vital role schools can play in providing stability and security for children. I am passionate about supporting the Vale School to ensure all pupils feel safe, valued and able to reach their full potential.

As a Parent Governor at The Vale School, with two children currently attending, I’m proud to play an active role in supporting the continued success of our school community. I see every day the dedication, professionalism, and care that the staff and Senior Leadership Team bring to creating a positive, vibrant, and ambitious learning environment for all our children. This is complemented by a strong Governing Board whose collective experience and commitment help drive the school forward.

In my professional life, I serve as a Police Sergeant, a role that requires critical thinking, balanced decision‑making, and thorough review skills. These are qualities I bring to my work as a Governor, both in Governing Board meetings and in my specific areas of responsibility.

My key roles include oversight of attendance, premises, and health and safety. I have established strong working relationships with the staff who lead these areas, which enables me to ask informed, constructive questions and provide effective support to the day‑to‑day running of the school.

Above all, I am committed to supporting those who work tirelessly to meet our children’s needs and to ensuring that every child at The Vale feels safe, supported, and able to thrive during these important years. 

Neil served as a commissioned officer in the Royal Marine Commandos where he conducted and managed operations in complex and demanding environments. Since leaving he has created multiple businesses and enabled, overseen and delivered multi-million pound capacity building and capability development programmes in a number of countries, including the Gulf, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe for the UK Government. Neil has been responsible for delivering training and workforce development programmes, including advising national governments on building workforces, whilst managing teams based in different countries around the world.

 He is highly skilled and experienced in Operational Management and Leadership, including portfolio, programme and project management, holding a number of qualifications including change management, risk management, quality management, portfolio, programme and project management and agile project management. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).

 He is also currently the Chairperson of the charity that supports the school, Friends of Vale.

I'm delighted to be a member of the governing body at Vale School. I have a long-standing commitment to local education, having previously served as a parent governor and Chair of Governors at my children's school in the 1990s. Now, as a grandparent, I'm proud to have my grandson join the Vale School community. Professionally, I was a Chartered Scientist and Charted Chemist until my retirement For my latter career, I was a Departmental Manager at UCL in the Dorking Hills, working mainly in space science. This role involved a wide range of responsibilities, including managing all major finances, procurement, ground and premises maintenance and logistics. Because we were a remote site we had no college staff for support onsite. I served on the UCL Academic Board and university-wide Health and Safety Committee as well as our local one. I ran both a university wide Financial User group and a Departmental Managers user group to help my colleagues keep up to date with everything new happening within UCL.

As I previously worked as a teaching assistant at Vale and I am a parent of past pupils, I share a history and retain a vested interest in our school. I am in a strong position to use the practical knowledge gained from working within the school environment for many years, together with the business and financial skills gained from professional roles before entering the education sector, to assist the governing body in supporting the school in all areas to provide the quality of education, safeguarding and care we aspire to for all our current and future pupils. I care deeply about the mental wellbeing of all pupils and staff, and regularly gather from small pupil and staff groups, their ‘voice’ which is shared to support the school in understanding how it enables, delivers and supports our ethos for pupils to become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.