Mr Robinson
Head Teacher

Rik started his teaching career as a Science teacher at a high school in Leeds where he began working closely with children with Special Educational Needs. He has worked in both Special education and mainstream as a teacher, SENCo and Assistant Head. He also worked in an advisory capacity for Leeds Beckett University, supporting trainee SENCos across West Yorkshire.

Before arriving at Ravenshall he was deputy Head Teacher at Fairfield school in Kirklees and then Headteacher at a special school in Blackburn. He has a Master’s Degree in the education of children with Special Educational Needs, the National SENCo award, is a Specialist Leader in Education for SEND and holds the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers.
Rik is responsible for providing professional vision and leadership of Ravenshall, ensuring high quality education for all its pupils and maintaining outstanding standards of learning and achievement. He also directly liaises with the Governing Body and the Local Authority.

I joined Ravenshall as a Governor in October 2022 as I believe passionately in ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow and succeed and to lead happy, fulfilling lives.
In my professional life I work in People Services in the Education sector, using leadership coaching to support managers and departments with People matters to ensure service areas run efficiently. I began my career as a science teacher and moved into Special Educational Needs where I spent 12 years working in a number of schools across Yorkshire, eventually moving into an Assistant Headteacher role. I endeavour to utilise the wide range of skills and insights I gained from these experiences to help me support Ravenshall’s ongoing success.
I am deeply committed to supporting our school community and passionate about ensuring that every decision we make keeps the needs of our pupils front and foremost, helping to create the best possible opportunities for them to thrive. I believe in working collaboratively with staff, fellow governors, families and the community so that together we can build on the school’s continued strengths.

I have been a governor for 28 years with a wealth of experience across all sectors, Special school to High School, I am currently Chair of Governors at 2 Primary Schools in Bradford, and a Trustee at Beckfoot Trust. We have fostered children for the authority for over 28years, and specialise on those with additional needs. I love sport, spending time with family, including grandchildren, and going to our caravan in York.

I am currently working for PCAN Kirklees where I provide information and support to families who have children with additional needs. Prior to this I worked for 18 years in the charitable sector undertaking roles in HR, project management and leadership.

One of my children currently attends Ravenshall school and I am passionate about inclusive education and giving all children the skills and knowledge to progress and develop to the best of their abilities. The staff at Ravenshall are dedicated and passionate about what they do and my role as a Governor is to challenge and support the school to give all pupils the best possible outcomes.

Mrs Gray-Sharpe
Staff Governor

After previously working as a School Business Manager for over 15 years in both Primary and SEN settings, I decided to take on a new challenge as Fundraising Manager at Ravenshall in January 2023.

I am CIPD associate member and have completed several qualifications in school financial management including a level 7 CIPFA Financial and Operation Leadership Certificate. 

I became a staff Governor in September 2023, and I am looking forward to representing our dedicated staff team at Governing Body meetings and ensuring the best possible outcomes for our pupils by providing an inclusive, challenging and engaging school experience.

I have worked in education for 20 years in a variety of roles: class teacher, French lead teacher, Science lead teacher, SENDCo assistant, SENDCo and staff governor in a mainstream school.

As a keen advocate for pupils with SEND (& their families), I endeavour to support the school in continuing to have high aspirations for all pupils. I am passionate about inclusivity and take pride in being a part of the governing body, where governors with a range of skills and expertise work collaboratively towards shared goals.
 

Mr Sufyan Patel
Governor

I work as a Senior Technical Architect at NHS England where we aim to deliver a world-class technology strategy that will transform healthcare systems and services nationally, giving clinicians and staff more time with patients and empowering the patients themselves to take greater control of their healthcare.

I am involved in designing components of this system that allows effective sharing of healthcare information between settings. This has been achieved through leading/delivering projects through creating standards and engaging with stakeholders to implement them.

I am delighted to be a governor at such an important school and also being a parent for a child here, I look forward to supporting the governing body and the school in maintaining the exceptional standards across Ravenshall.