The School has charitable status (Registered Charity Number 281680). Registered Office: 30 Causton Street, London, SW1P 4AU. The governors of the school are the charity’s trustees and company directors. We are hugely proud and grateful for their invaluable contribution to the continued success of our school.

The governors’ function is to:
– make sure the charity complies with the law and its governing documents
– act responsibly, in the interests of the charity and its beneficiaries
– manage any conflicts of interest
– exercise reasonable care and skill – using relevant personal knowledge or taking professional advice where appropriate.

Parents and prospective parents may contact the Chair of Governors by writing a letter to Chair, Fairley House School, 30 Causton Street, London, SW1P 4AU or emailing tina.tietjen@fairleyhouse.org.uk

Tina Tietjen – Chair of Governors

Tina became Chair of Governors of Fairley House in August 2020. She started her career on The Times, then spent a number of years running the commercial side of Video Arts, the world leader in video based soft skill training for business. She co-led a buyout of the business from Antony Jay, John Cleese et al. In recent years she’s had a portfolio career as a Charity Chair including the Royal Voluntary Service, a Governor of a university (West London), a consultant for Business in the Community, and as a Committee Chair for Energy UK. She also chaired the former consumer body for the airline industry, the AUC. She has travelled extensively on business and spoken at many conferences on subjects as diverse as client care, on women in business and the need for companies to reduce their carbon footprint.

Sarah Hamilton-Fairley

Sarah is the founder and chief executive of StartHere, a charity, founded in 1998 to fill a critical gap in the information chain between people who need help and services and the myriad organisations that provide them. The result is an easy-to-use electronic signposting system that directs people to organisations – statutory and voluntary, national and local – that can help across a broad range of social issues. It is a proven, holistic and citizen-focused solution.

Sarah has spent twenty years working in the voluntary sector after pursuing a career as an account executive at ad agency J Walter Thompson and as a researcher and presenter for BBC Radio 4. In 1988, Sarah founded Whitewater – a design and communications agency producing new corporate identities, annual reports and brochures largely for not-for-profit organisations. The premature birth of her twins, in the middle of the 1992 recession, highlighted the urgent need for a user-friendly, accessible signposting service to the wide range of help and support available. Sarah brings a founder’s passion to StartHere and a clear vision of how it should be developed to ensure that her mantra of keeping the citizen’s needs at the heart of the service is achieved. Sarah graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English. She is a governor of Marlborough College, a trustee of the Multiple Births Foundation and a member of the Patients’ Council at the College of Medicine. 

Paul Barnaby

Chair of Finance Paul joined the board in 2012 and is a chartered accountant and senior manager at a global professional services organisation, specialising in auditing and financial services. Paul has led the UK learning and development function of his organisation since 2009. Paul lives in Westminster.

Jolyon Luke

Jolyon joined the Board of Governors in 2016. He is a qualified lawyer, starting his career at Freshfields, and is now an investment banker specialising in advising financial institutions.  Jolyon is married to Kirsty, who runs her own Executive Search firm.  His son Dylan attended Fairley House for 7 years from 2005 to 2012, graduated from Greenwich University in Film and Television Production, and now works at the school. They also have two younger children and live in Holland Park. 

Fiona Dixon

Fiona read Economics and Politics at Exeter University. After a brief stint in the City, she trained as a teacher and taught in west London for over 13 years, before studying for a Masters at UCL in the field of SEN.  She now works with primary and secondary schools in the maintained sector, particularly in relation to children with dyslexia and other learning differences, as well as providing advice and training for their teachers. Fiona joined the Board of Governors in November 2017 and is delighted to contribute to the continued development of Fairley House. 

She is passionate that Fairley House is a beacon of excellence to influence the debate and provision of specialised SEND practise in the wider educational arena. Fiona is married to Adam and lives with her two (neurodiverse) daughters in Barnes. 

Emma Hattersley

Emma has vast educational experience including running a co-educational day house and a girls’ boarding house at Canford School, becoming a Pastoral Deputy at Sherborne Girls and as Head of Godolphin School. Emma has examined for OCR and the ABRSM and is an experienced school governor.  She has chaired the HMC Inspection sub-committee and is an inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), as well as a member of the ISI Educational Advisory Forum.

Emma is delighted to be involved with our school that caters for children who need extra support and is active in shaping the school’s future in a positive and impactful way. Emma is married to Stephen, and they have four grown up children.

Rebecca Shalom

Rebecca joined the Board of Governors in 2021.  As a management consultant with a global professional services firm, she brings her experience of turning strategy into action and leading teams through change. She has a passion for helping children achieve their full potential and as a mother of two knows that is not a given. She was inspired to join Fairley House because of its mission and the potential for it to influence outcomes for children.  Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her artist husband, family and friends, gardening and everything Italian.

Lawrence Dore

Lawrence is the father of three girls, the youngest of whom is both dyslexic and dyscalculic. Aware of the huge challenges these difficulties present children (and adults) Lawrence is delighted to be involved with Fairley House as a governor. The school’s focus on providing its pupils with the tools they need, delivered by specialist teachers in small class sizes is invaluable, allowing the children to flourish, find their confidence and go on to fulfil their potential. Lawrence graduated from Oxford in Modern History, trained in the city and today runs a leading strategic communications agency.

Ali Azam

Ali is our newest Governor having joined our Board in 2024.  He is a chartered accountant with over 12 years of experience as an auditor, working with a broad array of clients including many large private and not for profit organisations.

Ali is married with two children, both of whom have special education needs (SEN). He is hugely passionate about the work Fairley House is undertaking to develop and support children with SEN so they can realise their full potential.