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Governors' Impact Statement
As school governors, we are responsible for the strategic direction and the financial performance of Mathilda Marks-Kennedy. We challenge and monitor the School’s Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team. Within this remit, we meet as a full governing body once a term, contribute to the school improvement plan and regularly oversee various aspects of the school through, for example, learning walks, and meetings of three specific committees:
(i) Curriculum Impact, with a Jewish Studies working party
(ii) Finance and Resources, including personnel, premises and security working parties
(iii) Admissions
The Governing Body comprises relevant skills and expertise; our governors work in fields such as law, accountancy, education and communication. Keen to improve and keep our skills updated, we also regularly attend professional governor training. We volunteer our time and energy to promote the School’s vision to the best of our ability while adhering to our inclusive ethos. Indeed, we aim to drive best practices throughout the school in order to match our aspiration that each child receives the best education to enable him or her to fulfil his or her potential.
The Governing Body
The Governing Body is chaired Zoe Sinclair. The Governing Body comprises eight Foundation Governors including the Chair, plus six others including Mrs Kaye as Headteacher, ex-officio.
All 8 foundation governors are appointed by Scopus Jewish Educational Trust which is the school's Foundation Trust and part of the United Synagogue, each for a 3 year term. Other governor terms of office are 4 years: two parent governors are appointed by parent election, one staff governor is appointed by a staff election, one LA governor is appointed by the Local Authority, and one co-opted governor is appointed by the governing body itself.
Mr Smerin, as Deputy Headteacher, is invited to attend Governing Body meetings in a non-voting capacity.
- Please click here for Committee Membership, Register of Business Interests
- please click here for Meeting Attendance
- Please click here to access the MMK Governing Body Code of Conduct
Zoe Sinclair
Chair of Governors, Foundation Governor, appointed January 2018 zsinclair@mmks.barnet.sch.uk
Zoe is the Founder of Employees Matter, the largest provider of employee engagement seminars and webinars in the UK. Zoe works with a wide range of clients across all sectors. In 2017 she joined forces with Jonny Benjamin MBE and Neil Laybourn to start This Can Happen, a corporate mental health conference.
Having owned a nursery in Harpenden for a short time, Zoe developed a further interest in the wellbeing of staff and pupils alike. Zoe sits on the Personnel committee.
She has two children who are both at senior school. They both had a wonderful primary education at a very similar school to MMK and Zoe looks forward to being part of the governing body to give back so that many more children can benefit from the warm and loving ethos of MMK.
Miriam Kaye
Head Teacher/Governor, appointed September 2019
Miriam has been the headteacher of MMK since September 2019. She has worked in education since 2000. In her previous school she was Deputy Head and SENCo for 7 years. In 2015, she attained her SENCO accreditation having passed the National Award for SENCO accreditation.
Miriam has a clear vision to lead our school and this is noted in our most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2021.
‘Leaders and governors have a good understanding of the school’s current strengths and areas for development. They have appropriate plans in place that are being implemented at pace and are closely monitored
Miriam is an annual lecturer for the LSJS BA Jewish Education Program where she lectures on Assessment.
Raachel Lewis
Staff Governor, appointed November 2025
Raachel Lewis has taught Jewish Studies over the past 30 years. She started her teaching career in the United States and then moved to the UK. Raachel taught at Sinai from 2000-2012. She then began teaching at Mathilda Marks-Kennedy School where she has taught for the past 10 years. She teaches many year groups and is passionate about parasha and chagim lessons.
Matthew Radstone
Parent Governor, appointed November 2020
Matt is a barrister, specialising in white collar defence work. He has been involved in Jewish Charity committees for many years and was heavily involved in Jewish youth leadership.
Matt is a member of the Personnel Committee and previously chaired the Admissions Committee. The school's strategic development is very important to him, allied to maintaining the level of excellence that in his view MMK provides.
Matt has three children at MMK. He is passionate about sport, exercise and well-being and believes this is an area that can be further developed at MMK.
Ilana Hutchinson
Parent Governor and Chair of Curriculum, appointed August 2023
Ilana is an MMK parent and has been for 10 years. She is a mother of 3 children and two are still at MMK. She feels MMK is a special ‘family’ community.
Following a 15 year career as a primary school teacher, she moved to the charity world and now leads the Schools Programme at Jewish Women’s Aid, educating about healthy relationships and consent.
She is a youth mental health first aider and cares passionately about the wellbeing of young people.
Since Covid, there has been a rise in mental health issues in young people and she would be keen to support in this area.
As parent governor she aim to bring my knowledge of education to support our school in providing our children with the space to learn, grow and foster positive Jewish values that will shape them in their formative years and beyond.
Ben Weiner
Local Authority Governor and SEND Governor, appointed February 2020
Ben Weiner is a clinical psychologist, working in both the NHS and private practice. Since qualifying he has focused his career on working with children and young people, an area he is extremely passionate about. Ben has experience working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Learning Disability Services, Local Authorities, Charities and legal proceedings.
Ben is appointed by Barnet as our Local Authority governor. As governor with responsibility for special educational needs (SEN) he liaises regularly with the school SENCO.
Mark Jackson
Foundation Governor and Chair of Finance, appointed May 2023
Mark is a CFO and Chartered Accountant, having primarily focused on helping start-ups and scale-ups grow, over the last decade.
Mark has sat on the MMK Finance Committee since 2017, helping advise on various areas over this critical and transformational period.
Mark has been a resident of Mill Hill for nearly 15 years, is a member of Mill Hill Shul and has 2 children in MMK.
Daniel Braham
Foundation Governor, Chair of Admissions, appointed September 2023
Daniel qualified as a solicitor and worked in a number of roles in the international hotel industry.
Daniel chairs the Admissions Committee and has many years of experience in the Schools Admissions Process. He has previously chaired the Admissions Committee of another primary school and regularly sits on panels that hear school admissions appeals across the country.
Daniel lives in Mill Hill and has a child in MMK.
Ian Wolfson
Foundation Governor and Premises, appointed June 2024
Ian is delighted to have been asked to be a Governor at MMK, assisting particularly with premises matters and projects. Ian has recently retired, after 45 years as a Chartered Accountant in his own local practice. Outside of this professional career, Ian has always been a hands-on, pragmatic person who enjoys combining problem solving and practical skills with a can do outlook. Ian is a grandfather of four children, two of whom are currently MMK pupils and one who will start shortly. As a father of 3 children, Ian worked on the PTA of their Jewish Primary School in the early years of t he school being set up, with key involvement in the voluntary contributions and termly newsletter. During that time, he was on the local Shul Board and was involved with children's services and in combining Shul and school events with the participation of both parents and pupils, especially around the Chagim. Ian moved with his wife, Lynne, to Mill Hill in 2015 to be near to their children and grandchildren and is pleased to have the opportunity to serve the school community.
Marc Bergen
Foundation Governor, appointed June 2025
Marc’s day job is Principal Lawyer, Pensions & Treasury at BT. He advises on all pensions matters that affect the BT business and also holds responsibility for BT Group treasury legal matters. Marc acts as a trustee/governance committee member for pension schemes at both BT and the Royal Academy of Arts and sits on the Independent Governance Committee for Hargreaves Lansdown's workplace pension scheme.
Communally, Marc facilitates and leads children services at Mill Hill Shul. He has over the years been heavily involved in Jewish youth leadership and various charity committees. Marc became an MMK governor in June 2025, having previously sat on the Finance Committee in an observer capacity. Marc is keen to use his skills and experience to ensure MMK continues to go from strength to strength.
Marc has three children currently attending MMK.
Emma Shaw
Foundation Governor, appointed November 2025
Emma recently retired after more than thirty years teaching Mathematics at North London Collegiate School. where she was also the lead teacher for the Jewish Society. She brings her experience of working at the cutting edge of teaching to her role as governor of MMK.
Emma now volunteers for a number of different Jewish charities and is enjoying sitting on the other side of the desk, learing Ivrit, hoping to be able to chat with her Israeli grandchildren.
A passionate advocate for Jewish education, Emma sent all three of her children to Jewish Primary Schools and two to Jewish Secondary Schools. She has seen that the Jewish values learned at Primary School give an anchor and a joyfulness to one's Jewish roots, securing them for life.
Emma also champions well being at the heart of school life, believing that children flourish in a supportive learning environment where their happiness and personal growth are nurtured.
Shosh Hill
Foundation Governor and Safeguarding Governor, appointed September 2025
Shosh has been involved in education for over 30 years, including 10 years as Head of Jewish Studies at Kerem School. She currently works as the Bnei Mitzvah Coordinator for GIFT, serves as an educational coach with Kadima, and writes Jewish Studies curricula for schools around the world. Shosh is also the Rebbetzen of Potters Bar United Synagogue.
Originally from Liverpool, Shosh moved to London, where she completed both her B.Ed. and MA degrees through the London School of Jewish Studies. A passionate and creative educator, Shosh believes deeply in child-centred learning, encouraging curiosity, higher-order thinking, and the use of educational technology to make Jewish education both relevant and inspiring.
Shosh is a proud mum of five - three of whom live in Israel - and a doting grandma to three adorable grandchildren. She feels honoured to serve as a governor at MMK and is excited to share her enthusiasm and passion for Jewish education with the school community.
Paula Cowan
Foundation Governor, appointed November 2025
Paula taught in primary schools in Scotland for twenty years before moving to higher education at the University of the West of Scotland. There, Paula led and taught on several undergraduate BA education modules, supported primary teachers on their school placements and pursued her research interest in Holocaust and Citizenship education. This was the focus of her PhD thesis and authored publications.
A founding trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Paula is the founder and Director of Vision Schools Scotland, a (Scottish) Goverment funded schools' programme that supports teaching and learning about the Holocaust in Scotland. In 2025, Paula was awarded an MBE for her services to Holocaust Education and Remembrance.
A former member of Habonim, Paula is a regular visitor to Israel. Paula left her home town of Glasgow for London in 2022 to be with her children and grandchildren. Paula's hobbies are singing, walking, reading and playing bridge.
Paula looks forward to contributing to the MMK community, supporting and sharing the School's continued success.