Guildford Public - Carmel (Ann) Keane-Maher | Public Governors

I was appointed as a Governor at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust in March 2024.  Prior to that I had been a Governor at the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  I am a local girl, having grown up in Claygate and Esher.  I went to school in Chertsey and then trained as a teacher of English and Drama in Birmingham.  I remained teaching in the Midlands for 31 years.  I have two children, a boy and a girl, who were very clear about one thing in life – they would never teach.  I returned to Surrey 13 years ago following the death of my mother and to be near to my father who was suffering from Alzheimer’s.  I finished working in schools in August 2024.

I absolutely loved my job, and I am proud to have been a public servant.  Hospitals and schools have a great deal in common – we touch the daily lives of so many and hopefully try to make them better.  I was appointed as a Headteacher to a wonderful school in 2002.  We achieved four consecutive “Outstanding” judgements and became the highest achieving 11-16 state school in the country.  In 2007, I was approached by a Government Minister to be the first outstanding state school in the country to sponsor another school and so commenced the next phase of Academistion.  This was about collaboration and support for the good of children and their communities. 

Over the last 15 years, I have led a range of school trusts and academies as CEO, Headteacher and Executive Head.  Each relationship was very different and had to be developed according to the needs and desires of the various participants.  There was no exact blueprint – some came together through individuals who shared a common set of values, some had a collaborative goal, some had lost direction and benefitted from a new clarity of vision, some needed a supportive partner with spare capacity to guide them out of a rough patch.  However, in all instances, the decisions were taken with a single focus – will children’s learning be improved and will the local community be better served?

One of the unexpected outcomes was to find myself heavily involved in three new school builds, two Secondary £56m and one Primary £18m, plus three other major building projects.  It was rewarding and scary work.  My training taught me to teach Romantic poets and Shakespeare.  All the rest I’ve had to learn on the job.  Being responsible for the learning of thousands of children, the dreams of their parents and the working life of the staff was daunting.  I can't begin to imagine how much harder it is to be responsible for a hospital. 

Education is never boring – no two days are the same and each day brings new learning.  Children are great fun, they’ve kept me optimistic and young at heart.  So, if I have anything useful to contribute, I will do all I can to support the hospitals that have repeatedly saved my life.  In exchange, I hope they will help keep my mind busy, give me a whole new world of learning to explore and allow my husband some respite.

Email:  C.Keane-Maher@nhs.net