After a teaching career in Houghton Regis, Helen moved to Luton to work in the Local Authority’s education team.   Following that she became the founder Chief Executive of Active Luton, a community wellbeing charitable trust.

Helen was involved in establishing Active Education Academy Trust and the opening of River Bank Primary School.

Saira has been a parent governor of the school since 2019. Her first son joined reception in 2015 and is now in high school; her second son is currently studying at River Bank and her third son joining in September 2023. Saira feels privileged to be a parent governor of the school and getting involved with so many talented children’s lives. Being a part of the governing board has enabled her to see the opportunities given to the children to help and assist them to achieve their own potential. She loves playing an active role in the life of the school and enjoys the various roles that involve her with staff and parents. Living in the same community that River Bank is situated in provides her with greater opportunities to build relationships with parents as well as the children.

Professionally, Saira’s background is in finance. She has now had a career change and is now thriving to become a mathematics teacher.

Saira is also a parent governor at her son’s high school.

Toni has an honours degree in Physical Education with Qualified Teacher Status with a specialism in Dance. She also has a Masters degree in Subject Leadership in Education. Following a period of teaching both in Luton and Hertfordshire, Toni joined Luton Borough Council in 2002 as the Active Schools Manager where she provided support to schools in relation to Physical Education and oversaw the two School Sports Partnerships that operated in Luton. In her role as Director of Learning & Skills at Active Luton, Toni manages the schools team, the training team and the Luton library service. She is also commissioned by the Local authority to provide support and advice to schools with regard to Physical Education and Educational visits. Toni was involved in the opening River Bank Primary school. She is a member of AfPE (the Association for Physical Education) and the OEAP (Outdoor Education Advisors Panel) and is the Chair of Governor of a Luton High School.

I've worked in Finance and Procurement over the last 9 years for various private and listed companies. The majority of my career has been spent in Procurement and more recently focused on Technology categories. I’ve spent my career maximising costs and getting the best value, assessing commercial risks, performance management and building strong collaborative relationships, all skills I’d like to bring to support to River Bank Primary. 

 Outside of work I enjoy travelling the world, often backpacking to explore and learn about new cultures and sights. I’m a keen motoring enthusiast and spend my free time going to car shows and watching Formula 1 and enjoy running and cycling to keep fit. 

Ayaz is a dynamic and driven product manager with an enthusiasm for the pension industry. Currently, he works at a leading fintech firm, where he spearheads the development of cutting-edge pension platform products catering to clients around the world.

What truly fuels Ayaz’s motivation is his unwavering commitment to enhancing the lives of individuals on a global scale. Through his problem-solving skills and deep understanding of user needs, he derives immense satisfaction from crafting digital solutions that empower people with financial stability and security.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Ayaz believes in the power of education and its ability to shape a brighter future. Eager to make a tangible impact, he aspires to become a school governor, believing that it is through such a role that he can contribute directly to the betterment of future generations.

With his experience in product management, Ayaz brings a blend of creativity and strategic thinking to address complex challenges. Through his relentless drive and unwavering vision, he is determined to create lasting positive change for the benefit of present and future generations alike.

Sarah is teaching assistant with experience of inclusion. She has worked with children a wide range of needs and has extensive knowledge and understanding of special needs, especially autism.  In addition, she has significant experience in the construction industry, in quality management, auditing and in health and safety.  Her experience in construction includes the failure or deterioration of building materials and deleterious materials used in construction, including asbestos.    

Sarah joined River Bank Primary School as a member of staff in 2016 and shortly afterwards joined the Board of Governors as a staff governor.  She acts as Health and Safety governor. Sarah has been a member of the local community for 35 years.

Having been an educator for over forty years Marie firmly believes that a great education is the right of every child. Her passion is ensuring that the most challenged children in terms of life chances get the best education possible so that they have the world of work opened up to them and they can succeed against all the odds. Her track history as a teacher is that of ensuring the disadvantaged children she taught succeeded in their Key Stage 2 SATs so that they could flourish in the next stage of their education. As a Literacy Consultant she worked with those school with the lowest results to raise their standards in English. That work was successful. She led on a four year project called ‘Spotlight on Standards’ which resulted in the overall standards at Key Stage 2, in Luton, rise year on year. On gaining the School Improvement Partner qualification she extended her range of work to whole school improvement. She has helped to guide schools from Ofsted Special Measures judgements to Ofsted Good judgements and has helped them sustain that standard over time. More recently she chaired an Interim Executive Board for a Secondary school while it transferred into a Multi-Academy Trust. Currently, Marie is a Director of Oideachas Limited a company that provides school improvement support for schools.

Following his daughter joining River Bank Primary School in Reception in 2022, Edward continued to become a parent governor in late 2023.

His initial career was in the Royal Navy where, over sixteen years, he reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander, serving at sea and on land in locations as varied as the Middle East, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and the Baltic.

After leaving the Navy, Edward transitioned to the social housing sector, initially in Rochdale to lead the corporate governance, risk management, data protection and compliance of a local housing provider. In 2020 Edward moved to Luton and started working for a different housing provider in London which, following a merger, became the fourth largest landlord in UK. Edward is presently responsible for corporate compliance and assurance across the enlarged housing group.

Edward is passionate about enabling others to reach their full potential and would like all children to benefit from a rich, varied education so that they can be happy and excel. He believes this can only be achieved through a healthy partnership between parents, trustees, school staff, and the wider community as well as an unwavering focus on achieving excellence.

Edward also has a passion for sustainability and using data to help drive better outcomes.

Hena has a background in Human Resources and is a Senior HR Business Partner for a school improvement provider.  With years of dedicated service in education, including roles within a multi-academy trust, Hena’s journey is rooted in a profound commitment to enhancing educational outcomes.

She is extremely passionate about making a difference and that every child deserves the right to the highest quality education, ensuring they have access to the best opportunities available.  

Outside of work Hena enjoys spending quality time with her family whether it’s exploring the great outdoors on walks or unwinding with movie nights.