Governing Body Profiles

Emma Brett

I joined the Board in November 2020.  I practised as a Solicitor before leaving the profession to raise four children (three of them with SEN).  I understand many of the challenges faced by SEN students and the vital role targeted support can play in their educational journey.  I spent my early years at schools in Nigeria and the Middle East and later taught in a rural school in Zimbabwe.  I have an MA in English Language and Literature from Oxford University.  I have recently taken on the role of link governor for Careers and PSHE and also sit on the Student Care and Guidance Committee.

 

James Cook - Chair of Governors

 

Outside of Army life, I am on the Board of the Rugby Football Union, and referee rugby across Hampshire. When not on a rugby pitch, I'm usually on my bike with Andover Wheelers.

In my appointment, I am keen to focus on student safeguarding and teacher welfare. 

I am married to Helen who is also an Army Officer and have two young children who are also educated in Andover. 

 

Anne Costain

 

 

 

Anne is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Corporate Treasurer. She has worked in housing for over 11 years at a senior level. Before working in housing, Anne worked in manufacturing for a number of organisations from SME to Fortune 500 and FTSE 250 – latterly as Finance Director for De la Rue in their Currency and Supply Chain division.

 

Sophie Curtis

 

 

I am delighted to be joining in Autumn 2025 as the staff governor. I have worked here at John Hanson Community School for 8 years, having a number of roles during that time. I am currently Head of the Religious Studies Faculty and the Deputy SENCO. I have 3 children, all of whom attend the school, so I am very invested in our school. I think our school is a wonderful place for our young people and hope to help the governing body in their journey to making this school the best it can be, delivering the best education for the young people, whilst having the well-being of all staff as a central focus.

 

Angela Day

 

I have been a Governor at John Hanson since November 2020.

My career to date has been in various Human Resources, Risk and Compliance roles across a variety of sectors including manufacturing, insurance and not for profit organisations.  I have directly supported a number of Executive Boards and have been the HR and Risk Lead on a number of leadership teams.  My career passion is one of creating supportive and inclusive environments that allow people to realise and grow their potential and no where is this more important than at school.   I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a workplace Mental Health First Aider.

 

Danny Ferguson 

Danny retired from the Army in 2023 after a 38 year career. Andover has become his home after serving at the Headquarters on 2 occasions and both his youngest daughter came through John Hanson school.

Passionate about supporting young people and communities, offering them the best opportunities to succeed is what drove him to becoming a Governor.

Danny has an in depth background has an instructor on varying subjects and is keen to see that balance and sensibility is maintained through life experience.

Danny has worked as an Equality and Diversity appointee and is also a Level 7 safety inspector, both of which he hopes can be used to support the board of governors.

 

Richard B Hick 

I am delighted to have joined the Governors’ team here at John Hanson Community School, where I started my teaching career in 2007.  I served in the Army for 20 years in numerous roles including command, leadership, policy development and logistics, in the UK and overseas. I then made a career change to teaching and spent my first four years here, initially as a trainee and then Head of Year for three years.  I then moved to Rookwood School, as Head of Senior School and subsequently Deputy Head of the whole School for 7 years.  I am so pleased to be involved with the John Hanson community again and would hope that I have a breadth of experience that I can offer to my Governor’s role. 

 

Michael Hanbury-Williams

 

 I joined the board in late 2023 as a new Governor and look forward to working with the other board members committed to enhancing the prospects of students attending John Hanson.

Having retired from a lifetime working in the financial services industry, I retrained to become a secondary school Maths teacher. This allowed me to follow my desire to inspire future generations in a safe environment where they are not afraid to try. My decision to become a Governor is led by my commitment to creating the best conditions where all students can succeed and be respected for their own individual progress and achievements.

My time in the classroom has enhanced my belief in the important role that a school plays in the lives of students and the wider community.

I have a degree in Engineering from Exeter University and 30 plus years experience in the Financial and Investment world during which time I was able to work with and on governing boards. 

 

Elizabeth Kelly

 

I have worked in education locally in Hampshire (at Balksbury, Wallop and Farleigh primary schools) for over 15 years, latterly training at the Helen Arkell Dyslexic Centre to achieve diplomas in OCR Levels 3 and 5 as a SpLD teacher. I now work with pupils ranging from Years 2 to 8 with SEN issues and have recently completed my SEND Governor training and DTG training. I have an MA in English Literature and Language from Oxford and originally worked in finance for six years and subsequently at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, running the Corporate Membership Scheme. I have had experience of committee work at the Andover Foodbank where I volunteered over a 10 year period. I am a mother of four adult boys, have 28 nephews and nieces and enjoy walking, cycling, reading and painting in my spare time.

 

Rachel Lawley 

I am pleased to stand as a new Parent Governor at John Hanson and bring to the role a strong commitment to the education and well-being of it's pupils. I hold a Level 3 Diploma in Children and Young People’s Workforce, which has given me a sound insight into child development, safeguarding and learning support.  

I live in Andover with my husband Jamie and our three boys: Jacob, aged 14, who attends John Hanson, and Hugo and William, aged 9, twins attending Amport Primary School. Outside of school life, I work part time as Accounts Manager for local company TDI Cables Ltd, which has honed my skills in communication, performance monitoring and teamwork. 

I also volunteer regularly at Amport Primary School, helping listen to the children read. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. 

 

Rob Price

I joined as Governor at John Hanson in early 2022.  Passionate about education in and around Andover, I have worked for Sparsholt College Group for over 14 years and am currently the Director of Learning and Quality across both Sparsholt and Andover campuses.  I am the Quality of Education lead for the College Group, overseeing the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.  I continue to teach on English programmes at the College.

 

Edward Scotney

 

 

I am a new parent governor excited to join the team.  Father of 3, my eldest daughter has just joined John Hanson. I was inspired by a fabulous board of governors at my own secondary school (many years ago)  to one day be a governor myself and try to help support the learning of students.  Professionally I was a career chef and restaurant Manager and for the last 10 years have been a hospitality Operations Manager, most recently looking after a group of pubs for Fuller, Smith & Turner.  I have a BA in drama studies from Winchester university and drama remains a passion.  I look forward to learning about the role and getting involved with the school.

 

Harriet Walker 

I am delighted to be joining the Board of Governors at John Hanson Community School in Autumn 2025. I am a Doctor in the Military and qualified from Southampton University in 2018. I now live locally. My career and my passion is based around leadership, coaching, mentoring and building effective cohesive teams that inspire growth and development. Throughout my career, I have lived and worked in various parts of the country, building a variety of experiences that I hope can contribute to the fantastic work already being done at John Hanson Community School.  

I am very much looking forward to working in collaboration with the school, students, parents, teachers and the wider community to support our children to achieve their full potential.  

Outside of work, I am kept busy with DIY and my cocker spaniel, Karson.  

 

 David Weston

I have contributed to the community in many ways since retiring from paid work.  I have been a magistrate, a trustee for a local charity and a committed volunteer for Citizens Advice.  I have been a governor at John Hanson since 2005 and has undertaken many roles within the governing body including Chair of Resources and a lead on literacy.