Staff & Governors
Senior Leadership Team
Mrs Rachel Hamlyn
Mr Tom Willner-Reid
Mrs Victoria Evans
Mr Varun Footring
Pippa McConnell
Mrs Jennifer Shaw
Mr Neil Jackson
Mrs Nikki Hemsley
Governors
Mr James Sporle
An Abingdon alumnus, James read law at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, obtained his Legal Practice Diploma at Nottingham Law School and undertook his legal training contract at Linklaters where he qualified as a solicitor.
After several years advising corporate clients at Linklaters, James went on to hold General Counsel roles at online takeaway company Just Eat plc and AI cyber security firm Darktrace plc. James is currently General Counsel at MUBI, the global streaming service, production company and film distributor.
James also served as a trustee of The Aldridge Foundation education charity for over ten years until January 2025. He was appointed Chair of Governors of the Abingdon Foundation in August 2025.
He and his wife Lucie live near Abingdon and have a daughter and a son, at St Helen & St Katharine and Abingdon Prep School respectively.
He can be contacted at the school via heads.pa@abingdon.org.uk.
The Governing Body guides Abingdon Schools Group, supporting each school while working to a shared, long-term purpose.
