Anny joined the Ivydale Governors in Spring 2025. She has lived in London most of her life. She studied Community and Youth Work in South East London and now works at the local hospice supporting families. She is a member of London Community Land Trust’s Scylla Road Steering Group, campaigning for long term affordable housing in the area. She volunteers for a charity supporting children to camp in wild places and likes spending time at Stuart Road Allotment, failing to grow anything.

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Helen became a parent governor in March 2025. She has two daughters in the school - moving in to Year 5 and Year 3 in September 2025. 

Helen works at the Greater London Authority as the Director responsible for the London Assembly, and was previously a Civil Servant holding roles in both the Cabinet Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport working on things like honours, propriety and ethics, and the London 2012 Olympics.

A football fanatic, Helen plays for Athenlay Women (come and join us on a Wednesday evening - all welcome!) and is a Trustee at Athenlay football club. 

Toby was co-opted to the governing body in November 2022, he is chair of the children, families and community committee and has a special interest in safeguarding.

He has been working in policy roles in the public and third sectors for the last 20 years or so, working in different countries and organisations and across many different subject areas. Much of his career has been in regulatory policy and recently in healthcare regulation.

Toby has lived in south east London for nearly ten years now. He is an active member of the community and can often be seen in local parks and playgrounds with his son.

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Nathan has been a governor since 2022, first elected as a Parent Governor and then appointed as a co-opted governor in 2026. He is the Managing Director of a charitable foundation that supports small charities around the UK. Nathan has lived in the local area for over 15 years and his three children have all attended Ivydale school. 

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Dipalee Jukes has chaired Ivydale Primary School’s Governing Board since summer 2025, having joined the governing body in 2021. A long‑standing Nunhead resident and Ivydale parent, she has previously served as Vice Chair and as Chair of the Standards and Inclusion Committee. She is deeply committed to ensuring every child is supported to thrive in a high‑quality, inclusive learning environment.

Alongside her role at Ivydale, Dipalee is co‑founder and co‑CEO of Ground & Water, a UK‑based consultancy delivering sustainable ground engineering solutions. With over 23 years’ experience in engineering and leadership, she is passionate about mentoring, widening access to STEM, and supporting young people and communities.

A mum of three and a female industry leader, Dipalee brings care, perspective, and a strong sense of purpose to supporting Ivydale’s children and wider community.

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Manisha has been a teacher at Ivydale since 2023 and has worked in both Year 3 and Year 5. In 2025, she became Maths Lead,supporting the development of teaching and learning across the school. As a staff governor, she offers a strong understanding of classroom practice and is committed to supporting high standards and positive outcomes for all pupils.

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Judith has been a teacher for over 30 years, working mainly in Southwark, with a couple of years in Essex. She also served as a maths consultant, supporting schools and teachers across the local authority, before joining Ivydale as Deputy Head. Since arriving at Ivydale in 2011, she has been proud to contribute to the school’s development, and in 2024 she took on her current role as Head of School.

She has two grown-up children and shares a much-loved dog with her mum, who looks after her during term time. Outside of school, she loves going on holiday to France, where she spends her time gardening, cooking, swimming and reading.

What she loves most about working at Ivydale is the strong sense of teamwork between staff, children and parents, and the opportunity to see first-hand the positive impact that great teaching and a strong curriculum can have on young minds.

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Roisin is a former secondary school teacher, and she now works for the children’s mental health charity Anna Freud. She grew up and had was educated in Northern Ireland, but she has been working and living in South East London for over 30 years. She raised her family here and is keen to support the amazing work of local schools. Her areas of professional interest include curriculum, teacher development and mental wellbeing in schools. She hopes these help her to make a useful contribution as a governor. She is very proud to be an Ivydale governor. When she speaks to children, parents, carers or staff, she's always impressed by their sense of school as a place of fun, care and learning.

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Claire is proud to be  Executive Headteacher at Ivydale and Dulwich Hamlet Junior School, where she has worked as a teacher and senior leader for over 20 years! Claire is committed to providing a rich and exciting curriculum and wide offer to all our children. She has a specific passion for music and is proud of our exceptional music provision.

Mrs Mary Utuk has been a co-opted governor since the end of 2023. She began working at Ivydale in 2018 as a trainee teacher and is currently teaching in Reception. She is also the Art lead for the whole school. Her husband, Engles Utuk, teaches Year 4 at Ivydale and she has 2 daughters in the school. 

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Anna is a a senior civil servant and qualified accountant with one child at the school and another due to start soon. She currently leads on Adult Skills strategy for the Department for Work and Pensions, and has spent much of her career leading teams in the Department for Education. She is passionate about ensuring that young people have access to high-quality education opportunities. 

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Hywel Wilson is Head of AI, Data and Digital at Acuity Analytics, where he supports organisations to use data and technology to drive insight, efficiency and transformation. He brings extensive experience in analytics, digital strategy and business growth across a range of sectors.

He serves as Co-Vice Chair of the governing body and Chair of the Resources Committee, providing oversight on finance, operations and strategic planning. Hywel brings strong financial and commercial acumen, supporting effective decision-making and sustainable growth.

As a governor, Hywel contributes expertise in data, strategy and organisational performance, and is committed to supporting Ivydale’s vision of fostering “a love of learning for life” and enabling all children to achieve their best in a creative, caring and inclusive environment. He is passionate about using evidence and insight to support continuous improvement and positive outcomes for every pupil in a school with a strong financial position.

Mariam is a highly experienced youth and community development professional with over 25 years of experience working with young people across education and training settings. As an interpersonal skills expert and community leader, she specializes in developing the confidence, communication, and employability skills necessary to prepare young people for the future.

She currently runs a training and development business, delivering programs that support young people and organizations in building essential interpersonal and professional skills. Her work is rooted in creating meaningful opportunities and driving positive outcomes for individuals and communities. Additionally, in her role as a school governor, she is committed to supporting strong leadership, high standards, and an environment where every student can achieve their full potential.