I have spent the last 40 years of my life living in Stanford and Corringham, and as a youngster attended Gable Hall School finishing my O Levels in 1981.

On leaving school I managed to obtain an apprenticeship with British Telecom which gave me a grounding in a number of areas. During this time I attended Basildon College and obtained a HNC in Microelectronics.

After a few years they gave me the opportunity to work on large infrastructure projects in the City. I was sponsored to complete a 3 year distance learning degree in Cost Management at Nottingham Trent University, which I was lucky to graduate from in 1999 with a 1st Class Honours Degree.

During this time I had two of my three children and the third shortly followed. They attended a local primary and junior school where my wife, Heather worked as a LSA and continues to work to this day as a MDA.

In 2004 and I became a Governor of Hassenbrook School. The first few years of being a Governor I found quite difficult, being inside an alien environment, with so many new terms, goals and objective to get my head around, especially not coming from an education background. After a couple of years I managed to contribute more particularly in areas of finance, management and HR related matters.

Following an Ofsted visit, the school was placed in special measures which had a significant impact on the school.  We realised  the best way to try and secure a future for Hassenbrook would be by joining the Stanford and Corringham Schools Trust (now Ortu Trust).  We are now 18 months in and although times are still really tough we have a fantastic new HT and continue to work together at local and Trust Board level to address the issues that need to focus on to give our local pupils the education they deserve, which is the absolute best we can deliver.

I will continue to do all I can to support the school and the Trust and hopefully to make a positive impact on some young people’s lives. 

Dr Asong joined Gable Hall School as Headteacher in April 2011 after 5 years as Deputy Headteacher and then Acting Headteacher at Forest Gate Community School in Newham, inner London. Holder of a doctorate in Education (Organisational (Systems) Management and School Improvement), her leadership style can best be described is as pacesetter, completer-finisher and shaper. A high achiever with a strong bent for distributed leadership, Dr Asong has since led the school through an early Academy conversion, a good Ofsted, a 5% rise in headline results to 71% 5+A*-CEM (2012), a jump in the school’s national ranking from 31st to 4th percentile (Value Added Best 8 (2012)) and an IIP Gold Award amongst others. She leads an experienced and highly motivated Senior Leadership Team.

Mr Harman, born in Stanford le Hope, has been a Governor since 2005 and also acts as voluntary School Chaplain to students, providing advice and support to those whose social and domestic situation may be chaotic.  With his colleagues, he offers daily spiritual, moral, social and cultural guidance and counselling to students at risk of fixed term exclusion, alongside the school’s Pastoral Team.  He is also supporting the PSHE Curriculum in specialist community cohesion and diversity related subjects. Mr Harman is Managing Director of his own small specialist printing components distribution and services company and is experienced in the management of companies and financial accountability. This business has a designated policy for charitable distributions for local families hit by economic and social hardships, including the local church where he leads the 24/7 Prayer Stanford Community. 

Private Charity Fund Manager, City of London 

Andrew Scott is Acting Deputy Headteacher at Ortu Hassenbrook Academy. He has worked in education for 17 years now, having started out teaching English as a Foreign Language during a 4 year stint in South Korea. Andrew began his UK teaching career in 2011, when he moved to London and took up a position as an IT teacher at Greig City Academy. He moved to Hassenbrook Academy as Assistant Headteacher in 2017, and was promoted to Acting Deputy effective from September 2021.

Andrew is an exiled Glaswegian, who supports Partick Thistle FC but rarely gets to their games. He keeps busy (road) cycling at weekends and lives in North London with his partner, and their dog and two cats.

I moved into the area of Stanford-Le-Hope in 2011 with my family. I work as a Design Engineer within the Automotive industry and also co-own a small house building company. Our children have attended one of the local primary schools where my wife has helped with the PTA and we have enjoyed becoming part of the local community. My hobbies include a love of classic cars, and I have a couple of restoration projects I am always tinkering on in my garage. I also enjoy DIY projects, watching sporting events and taking long walks with the family and our dog. I applied to be a parent governor for Hassenbrook as I am passionate about education for future generations, wishing to ensure that every opportunity is available for both my own and all children to achieve their best. I wish to be a part of helping Hassenbrook continue on its journey to becoming a good school with a great reputation in the area.

Laura Clayton is a communications professional with over twelve years diverse experience across the private, public and third sectors. Laura has a special interest in employee communications and engagement, having seen how they contribute to a workplace where people can thrive.

Laura has worked with young people in a voluntary capacity for over 15 years. She is passionate that every young person has hope for a good future - and is given the opportunities and skills to realise their full potential.

Laura is married to Tom and they have two cat-children. In her spare time, Laura enjoys eating out, reading and long chats with friends that ‘make the world right’