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Governors and Trustees
If you would like to contact any of the Governors (listed below) please email the Headteacher's PA, who will forward your correspondence, via headspa@jhgs.bucks.sch.uk. Alternatively, letters to the Chair of the Governing Body can be marked for his attention and sent to John Hampden Grammar School, Marlow Hill, High Wycombe, HP11 1SZ.
Peter Phippen - Chairman of the Governing Body
Parent Governor
Estates Committee
New Build Committee
Appointed 12/12/2016
Peter attended Churston Grammar School in Devon, and Cambridge. He has a son at JHGS and three other children who attended Dr Challoner’s Grammar School and Beaconsfield High School where Peter was previously a Governor. Peter has spent 30 years in the media industry. For many years, he was a Board Director of BBC Worldwide. He’s now a ‘portfolio’ person, on the board of a large magazine and digital company called Immediate Media, Chairman of another media business in the science and medical markets and Chairman of Bell Educational Services, one of the longest established British-owned providers of English language and academic programmes. He’s also on the board of The National Archives and chairs a media-related conservation charity, Wildscreen. His hobbies include cycling, the arts and history.
Khawar Asif
Appointed 29/06/2020
Khawar Asif joined the Governing Body as a co-opted governor in June 2020. He was a student at the school from 2010 to 2017 and was deputy head boy in the Upper Sixth.
Since leaving school, Khawar took some time out of education to gain some professional work experience and is currently undertaking his undergraduate degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies with International Relations at King’s College London. He has undertaken various professional work placements at local primary schools, the NHS, a global accountancy firm and the banking industry.
Khawar currently works for the newly formed Buckinghamshire Council, a position he has held since 2017, but is now working towards a professional qualification as part of the National Graduate Development Programme. His specialisms lie in urban planning and development. He is an associate member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Languages. Khawar also works for the local library service.
In addition to the above, Khawar runs his own business which aims to help disadvantaged people navigate immigration, housing and legal matters.
Outside of work and study, Khawar enjoys travelling, running and reading.
Adrian Brown
Vice Chair
Estates Committee
New Build Committee
Appointed 26/03/2019
Adrian is a Chartered Town Planner and is a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Adrian is Managing Director of Berkeley Strategic, a member of the Berkeley Group plc. He has worked for Berkeley for 22 years and is responsible for the acquisition of development land and the promotion of major residential and mixed use development schemes through the planning process. He deals with all aspects of the development process.
Prior to joining Berkeley, Adrian spent periods in both the private and public sectors in various planning and development roles. He holds a BA (Hons) Degree from Southbank University and a MSc from the University of Reading.
Adrian is married with two children and lives in Buckinghamshire. In his spare time, Adrian is a keen cyclist and runner.
Emily Davis
Appointed 24/06/2021
Emily was a commercial property solicitor in the City for over 20 years, but recently took early retirement in order to help out elderly relatives. Her son has been at JHGS for the last 6 years and started sixth form in September 2021.
In her spare time, Emily enjoys going to the cinema with friends, cooking and running as well as a growing podcast obsession!
Jane Godfrey
Appointed 24/06/2021
Jane lives in Maidenhead and she has a son in Year 8 at JHGS and a daughter in Year 10 in another local grammar school.
For the past ten years Jane has worked for Waitrose, managing a team of ecommerce partners at the Head Office. She believes her skills lie in organisation, prioritisation and collaboration - useful as a parent as well as in the workplace!
Barbara Harrison
Support Staff Governor
Appointed 26/9/2022
Barbara joined JHGS in March 2008, as the Learning Resource Centre Manager, in 2012 she took on the additional role as Career coordinator.
Barbara supports the English department in respect of the KS3 & KS4 reading programme, promoting reading and maintaining an exciting stock of challenging books in the Library.
In respect of the Careers Programme Barbara is passionate in ensuring that every student is aware of all their pathway options post Year 11 & Year 13 and organises events and activities for Year 7 – Year 13 students in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks, resulting in students having the experience and knowledge to make informed choices about their futures.
Barbara has been Magistrate for 20 years and is a Presiding Justice on the Wycombe Bench.
Tracey Hartley
All committees member
Miss Hartley was appointed Headteacher of JHGS on 1 September 2016. She was previously Acting Head at Nonsuch High School for Girls in Surrey.
Matt Hill
Staff Governor (Teaching Staff)
Appointed 26/9/2022
Matt joined JHGS as a Teacher of Mathematics in 2019 and has also taught computer science as well as coaching some of the school hockey squads. Additionally, Matt has taken on the role of House Coordinator since 2021 and has helped bring a wide variety of exciting house events to the students.
He completed a Computer Science and Maths degree at the University of Exeter before his PGCE there and returning to High Wycombe, having grown up in the local area and attended RGS.
Sarfaraz Khan
Finance Committee
Appointed:14th March 2022
Saf is a local businessman and is Group Purchasing Manager for a Wycombe based company. He was the Mayor of High Wycombe in 2019 and is an elected member of Bucks Council and has regularly visited and shown interest in the school in recent years in an official capacity. He is involved with a number of local charities including the One Can Trust, the British Legion and the Wycombe Environment Centre and is a Parent Governor at Hamilton Academy which is one of our local feeder primaries.
Mark Phillips KC
Co-opted Governor
Finance Committee
Appointed 24/03/2014
Mark was a pupil of the school between 1972 and 1979. He went to Bristol University where he studied law (LLB 1982, LLM 1983). He was a member of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain between 1976 and 1982. He won several national debating competitions and debated in the US for Great Britain in 1983. Mark was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1984. He was appointed an Assistant Recorder in 1998 and a Recorder in 2000. Mark was made a QC in 1999. He is a past President of the Insolvency Lawyers' Association, a member of the International Insolvency Institute and a Fellow of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals. Mark's practice is in Insolvency and Banking law, and Sports Law. His clients have included the Bank of England, Arsenal FC and Lewis Hamilton.
Alan Reed
Appointed: 20th March 2023
Alan joined the staff of JHGS in 1987 as a teacher of Geography, becoming Head of Department in 1990. During his time at JHGS he was also appointed as “Head of Middle School”, leading the pastoral teams in years 10 and 11. He also ran “The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme” within the school during the 1990’s as well as leading expeditions to Bolivia and Nepal. In his later years he also acted as temporary Head of the Religious Studies department.
Before JHGS Alan worked in retail management, as well as playing drums in a number of very poor rock bands.
He is now retired, leaving JHGS in 2021.
Giles Roberts
Greg Stevenson
Community Governor
Chair of Finance Committee
Appointed 27/03/2017
Greg was educated at Downside School and studied Archaeology at The University of Southampton, prior to qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1992. In 2000 he became a Partner in Knox Cropper, a city firm of chartered accountants, specialising in charities and other ‘not for profit’ clients.
Greg was born and brought up in Beaconsfield and now lives in Wooburn Common. He is also a Governor at High March School in Beaconsfield. All three of his children benefitted from the grammar school system, with his elder son being a student at the school from 2003 to 2010, going on to become a primary school teacher.
Ian Stubbs
Safeguarding Governor
Education Committee
Appointed: 01/08/2019
Ian Stubbs joined the BBC in 1974 as a Trainee Camera Assistant at BBC Television Centre in west London and spent nine years learning and practising the craft of TV Cameraman on shows as diverse as The Good Life, Question Time, Top of the Pops, Parkinson, The Morcambe and Wise Show, The Two Ronnies and I, Claudius. Over a 35 year career in broadcasting he launched ‘in-vision’ presentation of CBBC (on BBC One) with Phillip Schofield in the ‘Broom Cupboard’, managed the immediate response on air to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and moved over 50 TV channels from BBC TV Centre to the new Broadcast Centre at White City.
Ian's two boys were educated at John Hampden and, as a Senior Tutor at the National Film and Television School since 2012, he has worked with JHGS on joint TV exercises to the benefit of both NFTS and JHGS students.
Sylvia Tai
Appointed 25/09/2023
Sylvia has been the Headteacher of Watford Grammar School For Girls since 2017 and draws many parallels with JHGS supportive and academic environment. She started her career in 1992 as a Geography teacher at Tring School in Hertfordshire, followed by 2 years teaching in Botswana and Mill Hill County High School and joined Watford Girls in 2007.
Sylvia is currently on the Management Board of Chessbrook ESC and completed her MA in Education Management through Kings College London in 2021.
Sylvia has travelled widely and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. She has volunteered as a Samaritan and enjoys regular visits to the theatre.
Mark Till
Staff Governor (Teaching Staff)
Appointed 7th December 2020
Mark joined JHGS as a Teacher of English in 2015. Since then he has been a Head of Year, Assistant Safeguarding Lead and is now Head of English and Drama and Deputy Head of Sixth Form (Year 12) - on a mission to promote a love of language and literature and to raise attainment.
Before JHGS Mark worked for the Everyman and Playhouse theatres in Liverpool and sometimes wrote short plays and jokes for the radio.
Amanda Wolfe
Appointed: 17th November 23
Details to follow
Simon McDowell
Appointed: 17th November 23
Parent of one alumnus, (left in 2023, for Dyson’s degree apprenticeship) and one current student (Year 12). Following a degree in Economics, French & Spanish, my fairly international career started with KPMG, before moving to BG Group. After the BG-Shell merger in 2016, I have run a consultancy business providing my services as a CFO or Board advisor to clients, particularly in the field of AI / Machine Learning. I also serve as a Trustee for our local church charity.
Nigel Cairns
Appointed: 19th Feb 24
Nigel became a governor, after his son completed his education at John Hampden, because he believes in John Hampden’s ethos, encouraging the boys to Quit themselves like Men.
His passion is unlocking potential in people and teams including mentoring future leaders.
Nigel is a COO specialising in transformation. He has spent the majority of the past 23 years in the Information Communications Technology industry. He is globally experienced in delivering large scale programmes and managing complex stakeholders. He has led multi-disciplinary and international teams in business transformation and shaping deals. These range in value from small to £5bn GBP.
He is a keen mountain walker and runner.