Governors
Caroline Dawes
Chair, Parent Governor
Caroline currently has one child at King Athelstan Primary School, and another who left in 2024. She was elected as a parent governor in 2020. She became Chair of the Governors in July 2022. Her day job involves leading children's services policy for London Councils, working for all the London boroughs. Through her work she is acutely aware of the current pressures facing schools and wants to support King Athelstan to continue to deliver an excellent education to all our children. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, films and playing tennis.
Majeed Neky
Vice Chair, Co-Opted Governor
Majeed works in local government and has previous experience in multiple Government departments and in the charity sector. Before joining King Athelstan, initially as a parent governor, he was previously a governor at another local primary school. Majeed lives locally in Surbiton with his wife, two sons and two naughty cats.
Jess Castellino
Safeguarding Governor
Jess works in the investment management industry, in regulation, risk, strategy and governance. Jess volunteers in the community as a mentor for Kingston Young Carers charity. She lives locally and enjoys running, cooking, dancing and all things musical.
Helen Higgins
Parent Governor
Helen is a civil servant who has worked at a number of Government departments. She currently works in local government policy at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Helen joined as a parent governor in November 2024. Helen lives locally and has two daughters at King Athelstan. In her spare time she enjoys playing games, exercise, the local pub quiz with other KA parents and spending time with her family.
Chris Leat
Parent Governor
Chris has two children at King Athelstan and was elected as a parent governor in 2025. He works in banking, managing two information security departments. He is keen to support the school community and brings his professional experience to help strengthen the school’s approach to health and safety, as well as safeguarding.
Kate Cockle
Local Authority Governor
Kate has worked as a Human Resources adviser to schools for over 35 years. Most of that time was with RBK schools, but more recently for schools in Sutton and Richmond in addition to Kingston. Kate retired from this role in April 2025 but is keen to continue supporting schools in a governor role. Over the years she has advised on many aspects of the HR field, but particularly specialised in Employee Relations and Organisational Development. She has lived in Kingston for 40 years and has two adult children who attended local schools. Prior to her HR career, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and has a background in the life sciences. Kate enjoys singing and is a member and trustee of Kingston Choral Society. She also enjoys walking, cycling and exercising in the gym!
