Chair of Governors

Educated at Caterham School and Oxford Polytechnic, Mr Wilson spent ten years in commerce, export finance and then capital market instrument issuances.  In 2001, he moved into public affairs and politics in a professional capacity at Essex County Council.  Mr Wilson was councillor for Boreham & The Leighs Ward on Chelmsford Borough Council from 2003 to 2019.  He held a variety of senior positions including Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Vice Chairman of Overview & Scrutiny Committee, Chairman of Licensing & Regulatory and Deputy Mayor 2015/16.  He was re-elected in 2023 and now represents the Broomfield & The Walthams Ward.  Married, with two children, both of whom are educated locally, Mr Wilson currently works for the Rural Community Council of Essex as a Grants Manager.

Mr Catchpole was educated and boarded at St George’s College, Weybridge, Surrey, a catholic independent school.  He studied economics and politics at Manchester University.  He went on to study law at the College of Law, Guildford, and qualified as a solicitor at Wedlake Bell.  Mr Catchpole subsequently joined Herbert Smith, Theodore Goddard and finally, for 20 years, was a partner at Stephenson Harwood, before recently retiring.  He has previously been a foundation governor at Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School in Chelmsford, governor at Meadgate Primary School, Chelmsford, and Chair of Governors at St Francis Catholic Primary School, Maldon, and at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, South Woodham Ferrers. He has three daughters, all of whom attended New Hall.

Link Governor for NHVS, Director of NHMAT

Born in Orpington, Kent, Mrs Croom was educated at Bromley High School GDST and at the University of Bristol, where she studied Mathematics with Physics.  On graduation, she moved to Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, to train as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in Birmingham, qualifying in 1976, and working as a self-employed accountant from 1979-2000.  She was a non-executive director of Community and Mental Health Services NHS Trust in Worcestershire from 1993-2000.  Mrs Croom joined New Hall School as Finance Bursar in April 2000, retiring as Finance Director in December 2015.  She continued as New Hall Multi Academy Trust Manager until January 2018.  Mrs Croom is married with two adult children and three grandchildren, who live in London.

Chair of Finance & General Purposes Committee, Link Governor for Health & Safety & NHMAT

Mr Day was educated at Loyola Preparatory School, Buckhurst Hill, Bancroft’s School, Woodford Green, and the University of Manchester.  He has worked as a trader in financial markets for more than 35 years, including two stints located in the Middle East. He is currently Head of Central Trade Surveillance for Bank of America.  Mr Day is an active mentor and is a passionate advocate of education.  Mr and Mrs Day are parents to three New Hall alumni; one of whom studied PPE at University of Warwick, another PPE at University Exeter, and the third History at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Ms Fischer has been a practising solicitor since 1984, with a varied career including private practice, as an in-house solicitor within industry, and in the charitable sector specialising in education law, including work with children with special educational needs. Ms Fischer has worked in the Catholic Education Service since April 2007.  She is the Assistant Director & Head of Legal working directly to the Director and manages the Legal Team. Ms Fischer’s responsibilities are wide ranging including, in particular, school funding, employment matters, school provision and organisation.  She is the lead for the CES at numerous DfE working groups and meetings as well as many other professional body meetings and working groups. Ms Fischer joined New Hall’s Governing body in December 2023.

Mr Khattar was born and educated in Singapore.  Having completed two and a half years of military service, he left for the UK and attended Bristol University.  He graduated in 1996 with an LLB (Hons) and subsequently trained and qualified as a solicitor in the City of London.  He then practised within the corporate finance department advising on mergers, acquisitions, private equity transactions and investment funds.  Mr Khattar went on to found and operate a property investment and development company in London and currently works for a global investment firm with holdings in a range of asset classes, encompassing investments in private equity, public markets and property.  He has, and continues to hold, numerous non-executive directorships on various corporate boards, including a previous board position with an international education company listed on the UK stock market.  Mr Khattar is married with two children, his son having graduated with a masters degree in Pure Mathematics from University of Warwick, and his daughter (New Hall alumna) currently reading Theology at the University of Cambridge.

Executive Head & Accounting Officer Of New Hall Multi-Academy Trust

Jeffrey has been Principal & Governor of New Hall School, since 2001.  She read Politics, Philosophy & Economics at the University of Oxford and Theology at the University of Maynooth.  She then went on to undertake a PGCE, specialising in RE & Mathematics at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, a Masters degree in Educational Management, including in Special Educational Needs & Disabilities, with the Open University, followed by the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers (NPQH).

In 2005, Mrs Jeffrey took a leading role in setting up New Hall School Trust, working to continue the legacy of the Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre, by expanding New Hall to become became a large, ‘diamond model’ school from 2006.  Under her leadership, the School opened a Nursery (ages 9 months to 4 years) in 2019.  In 2012, Mrs Jeffrey was a founding member of New Hall Multi Academy Trust.

Her career appointments include, Teacher of RE & Faith Development at St Mary’s School, Shaftesbury; Head of RE at Woldingham School; and Deputy Head at The Marist School, Ascot.  She was an A Level examiner in Christian Theology for a number of years and a Governor at St Mary’s School, Hampstead (2004-2009).  She is a Director of the Catholic international weekly magazine, The Tablet (2015–).

Mrs Jeffrey is a member of: the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ); the Douai Society & Foundation (2019-2022); the Heads’ Conference (HMC); the Catholic Independent Schools’ Conference (CISC); the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA); and the Independent Schools Association (ISA).  She is married with four children; three former and one current New Hall School student.

Mrs Jeffrey is a member of: the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ); the Douai Society & Foundation (2019-2022); the Heads’ Conference (HMC); the Catholic Independent Schools’ Conference (CISC); the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA); and the Independent Schools Association (ISA).  She is married with four children; three former and one current New Hall School student.

Link Governor for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Mrs Sutton is a retired teacher having held several posts in a RC secondary school.  She was a member of the Labour Party in South Africa working against the then apartheid regime, volunteering as secretary to Stephen Biko.  She is a founder member of the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ) in England and Wales, being appointed as the second Chair, serving for six years then as immediate past Chair for another six years, before returning as Chair in 2013.  Mrs Sutton is a founder member of The Women@thewell project in Kings Cross, London.   She is a volunteer at the Justice and Peace Commission in the Southwark Diocese, is on the Campaigns Committee for CAFOD and is a catechist in both Corpus Christi, Brixton, and Holy Rosary, Stockwell.  She is a member of the parish Finance & Buildings Committees.  Mrs Sutton has held the posts of Deputy President South, Deputy National President and National President of the National Board of Catholic Women, an advisory body to the Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales.  She is a canon lawyer and a voluntary advocate in the Southwark Metropolitan Tribunal.  She was recognised as ‘Catholic Woman of the Year’ and was the first black woman to receive the Campion Medal during the Jesuit 500^th anniversary celebrations in Britain.  South African of Indian descent, Mrs Sutton is married with two adult children, both married, and two grandchildren.

Link Governor for Chaplaincy and Preparatory Divisions, Member of NHMAT

Miss Williams was born in Llandudno, North Wales and educated at Loreto College and Saint Agnes’ School, graduating in 1976.  She has 38 years’ experience in the field of education, having taught in co-educational schools, both large and small.  Miss Williams had the privilege of helping to set up a brand new Catholic comprehensive school in Milton Keynes in 1988.  She was Headmistress of Thornton College, Convent of Jesus and Mary, an independent day & boarding school for girls, from 1997-2015.

Link Governor for Safeguarding and Member of NHMAT

Mrs Wilson has been Head of Ursuline Preparatory School, since 1994.  She was previously Headteacher of Mayesbrook Senior School, Deputy Headteacher of Sydney Russell School, a Head of Creative Arts, and a Teacher of Mathematics.  Mrs Wilson is a mentor for Catholic independent school headteachers and a  GCSE and KS2 examiner.  She is an active member of the Catholic church.  She is married with two children; one of whom is an executive at BBC and the other a member of a law college in the USA.