Governing Body
Jodie Laing
Chair of Governors
I left school in 1999 before gaining an NVQ Level 2 in Hairdressing. I then started training to support teenage pregnancy and teenage mums in education, using this education to support teenage parents to get them back in to work and with parenting life. I continued to build my area of expertise with mental health first aid training and counselling, working with the local authority to help safeguard and keep children safe.
Watching my 2 younger children grow up with additional needs (ASD and GDD) and start their journey through education has been a real eye opener. I have gained many extra skills and an understanding of how the world can be seen in a different way. I have a qualification in behaviour that is challenging, Level 2 Safeguarding and a Diploma in Autism and SEN. I also have a qualification in speech and language, and other qualifications around children with additional needs.
I originally joined RCS as a parent governor in February 2022 and from this progressed to Chair of Governors. I am hoping to put my knowledge and skills to good use, supporting the students at Rawmarsh to be the best that they can be.
Chris Wainwright
Support Staff Governor
Since leaving University in 2005 I have always worked in Education performing a number of different roles with different responsibilities. I was appointed at Rawmarsh Community School as Student Progress Leader in 2011 with one of my key objectives being to take a lead role within the pastoral support team.
Having worked at Rawmarsh for over 6 years I care greatly for all stakeholders who are involved with ensuring that our students get the best possible opportunities to progress as young people.
The opportunity of becoming a member of the governing body is personally a very exciting one, it will give me the chance to not only give a greater insight to existing members of the daily work that is completed at Rawmarsh but will also allow me to experience other aspects of running a secondary school.
Andrew Costello
Co-Opted
I have worked in a variety of roles in education and employment throughout my career. Early on I worked in careers advice and guidance in South Yorkshire. After this I progressed in to the development of qualifications, apprenticeships and related products. I have experience of working for professional bodies and employer led organisations in a range of occupational areas.
Since 2018 I’ve worked for an awarding organisation called NOCN. I currently work as Product Manager for Maths, English and Digital qualifications. In this role I use a range of techniques to evaluate, enhance and manage products and services.
I hope to be able to use my experience of working in the further education sector to help the senior leadership team at RCS to continue to create and develop a supportive environment where every student can thrive and progress.
John Green
Teaching Staff Governor
I started work as a Science teacher at a small school in Barnsley in September 1993. I arrived at Rawmarsh in 2001 and have been a member of staff at the school ever since.
I care deeply about the young people of our school and the wider community in general and I hope that being appointed to the Governing body at Rawmarsh will allow me to support the Leadership Team in moving the school forward over the coming years.
Mark Richmond
Parent Governor
For virtually all of my career I have worked in the IT sector for a large bank. I currently manage a global team of IT staff focussing on global payment technologies.
I moved to Rawmarsh 20 years ago and once my children were born I took more of an interest in education. This led me to become a parent governor for a number of years at an RCS feeder school.
Personally I believe that education, both in academic subjects but also in people skills, is key to setting up our youngest members of society with the best chance of success in the future.
Lisa Wortley
Co-Opted
For the past 15 years I’ve worked for a leading Telecommunications company and currently work as a Change and Regulation Manager. This means working with internal and external regulators and auditors, ensuring my company is compliant, as well as looking at policies and procedures and how these can be improved.
Watching my two children experience the secondary school environment, SENDCo, GCSEs and day-to-day challenges, has helped me gain an understanding of what ‘good’ looks like and how I can help drive change and improvements within the school.
Amanda Devlin
Co-Opted
I have worked within local community roles within South Yorkshire for the last 30 years. Mainly in Employment and Wellbeing as well as identifying training solutions for Employers. I am currently a Health and Wellbeing Manager for an Employment Service in the Barnsley Community. We support people in work and looking for work that have health barriers both physical and mental. I am a qualified Careers Advisor and Trainer who also holds general Management Qualifications.
All my working life has involved in Empowering and Enabling local people to live their best lives, alongside gaining knowledge and access to local provision. For a number of years I was also an In Custody Careers Advisor, working with prisoners across 4 Doncaster prisons due for release.
I have completed many courses over the years to enhance my overall knowledge of Safeguarding, Autism, Mental Health, Challenging Behaviour and Counselling, plus many others to understand how life can mould people.
I feel there is a real connection with the adults using community services today and their past years, which has led to them reaching out for support currently. I am hoping that I can use some of these real life experiences to ensure that we can create a strong link of community support knowledge for pupils leaving education and entering the local community after their education.
Contact the Chair of Governors
To get in touch with Jodie Laing, Chair of Governors, please email jlaing-gov@rawmarsh.org.
Become a School Governor
INSPIRE. CHANGE. DEVELOP.
Wickersley Partnership Trust encompasses 13 schools across Rotherham and Gainsborough. It exists to further the interests of the young people it serves.
Becoming a School Governor can have a positive impact on the young people in your local community and help to drive school improvement. A Local Governing Body plays an integral role in a school’s success; working together with senior school leadership and guiding their strategic direction.
Why not give back and help give children and young people the best start in life, whilst developing your own skills in a way which can benefit your career. We like to think of it as a win-win situation!
Become a School Governor
