School governance
Our governance structure ensures the best outcomes for students
Our governance structure ensures that the school is well-led, forward-thinking, and focused on the best outcomes for our students. The governors work strategically with the head and senior leadership team to guide the long-term strategic goals, vision and priorities of the school. Their role includes supporting and challenging leadership, monitoring educational quality, reviewing progress, and ensuring that statutory duties are fulfilled.
The governors act as a “critical friend”, a trusted partner who offers constructive challenges while supporting the school’s continued growth and success. Operational responsibilities remain firmly with the head and senior leadership team. The governors’ focus is on strategy, oversight, safety, wellbeing, and long-term school improvement, reflecting the governance approach used across the Dukes Education family.
Our governance structure
Governance at The English School of Asturias ensures that the school is well-led, forward-thinking, and focused on the best outcomes for our students. The Governors work strategically with the Head and Senior Leadership Team to guide the long-term strategic goals, vision and priorities of the school. Their role includes supporting and challenging leadership, monitoring educational quality, reviewing progress, and ensuring that statutory duties are fulfilled.
The Governors act as a “critical friend”—a trusted partner who offers constructive challenges while supporting the school’s continued growth and success. Operational responsibilities remain firmly with the Head and Senior Leadership Team. The Governors’ focus is on strategy, oversight, safety, wellbeing, and long-term school improvement, reflecting the governance approach used across the Dukes Education family.
Our Governors
David Fitzgerald
CEO, Dukes Education Europe
david.fitzgerald@dukeseducation.com
David Fitzgerald is an experienced school and system leader with over 30 years of experience in education and having previously worked for the Reserve Bank of Australia. He holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Undergraduate degrees in Education and Business. David joins Dukes from Education in Motion (EiM), the leading Asia based school group that includes the Dulwich and Green School brands. In his role with EiM, he was responsible for the educational outcomes and the quality of education provision for all EiM international curricula schools and is focused on improving education quality.
David has been a successful Head/Principal of five schools across government, private independent and international sectors. He has been involved in international education since 2006 and has worked in IB World Schools, US Curriculum schools, Indian Curriculum schools and NCfE schools. David has system leadership experience with the English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong and with GEMS Education in the UAE where he was Senior Vice President – for US and IB Schools. David is an accredited IB, CIS and WASC team visitor and Chair, and an accredited Performance Coach.
Chris Eversden
Managing Director of Spain
chris.eversden@dukeseducation.com
Chris began his career in education as a teacher aged twenty-one and has had an extremely rich and varied career in education across the UK, USA, Mexico and Spain. Chris joins Dukes Education from Cognita Spain where he was Assistant Director of Education for Spain and Italy. In his role as Managing Director for Dukes Education in Spain, Chris combines service leadership with his knowledge of pedagogy, holistic education and private schooling to deliver the highest quality experiences for students and staff that will drive growth and success for all.
Libby Nicholas
Group Education Director
libby.nicholas@dukeseducation.com
Having graduated from the University of Bristol with a degree in English & Philosophy, Libby realised her true vocation when working with the Prince’s Trust leading a group of young people ‘not in education or employment’.
Wanting to teach and help young people, Libby completed her PGCE and was accepted on the National Fast Track Teaching Programme ranking as one of the ‘Top Ten Nationwide Fast Track Teachers’. Progressing quickly from teaching English to increasingly senior roles, Libby has held positions such as Head of Year, Deputy Head, Headmistress, Deputy Director of Education at the Girls’ Day School Trust, and Regional Director of Education for the South & West at the Academies Enterprise Trust. Most recently Libby founded and was CEO of Astrea Academy Trust- a family of 27 schools across Yorkshire and Cambridge. During her tenure, Astrea had a 100% track record of significant school improvement including over 20 Ofsted inspections many of which jumped from ‘Special Measures’ to ‘Good’. Libby also offered all 17,000 pupils the ‘Astrea Promise’- a range of enrichment experiences including, amongst many others, residential university trips in Year 5, visits abroad, climbing a mountain, and debating, to ensure all pupils benefit from experiences to raise cultural capital and learning.
Libby’s areas of professional expertise include the delivery of school improvement, strategic organisational change, curriculum design, and innovation and all aspects of teaching and learning – thinking, theory, and pedagogy. She has conducted leadership development for middle and senior leaders in primary and secondary education and has also led staff development in the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.
Most recently co-authoring “Understanding Leadership” and “Stronger Boards, Better Education”, Libby is committed to learning-centred leadership; securing high-quality education through excellent staff development at all levels. To this end, Libby has completed the NPQH and graduated with her MBA (Masters in Business) from Cass Business School with Distinction.
Christopher Durbin
External Governor
Christopher Durbin brings nearly a decade of experience in international school accreditation through his work with the Council of International Schools (CIS), most recently serving as Associate Director of School Support & Evaluation. In this role, he has partnered with schools across the world to drive continuous improvement and strengthen educational quality.
Before joining CIS, Christopher was a School Development Adviser for the English Schools Foundation (ESF) in Hong Kong, where he oversaw quality assurance, strategic curriculum development, and professional learning. He also served on several ESF governing bodies and contributed to the recruitment and support of school leaders.
Christopher’s earlier career in the UK included positions as a teacher, head of faculty, and advisory teacher for Derbyshire LEA. He later joined the BBC as an Education Officer, leading the development of the GCSE Bitesize online learning platform. He went on to work as an advisor and inspector for Staffordshire LEA, contributing to inspection frameworks, curriculum innovation, and national teacher-networking initiatives.
A published writer and experienced presenter, Christopher has authored articles and textbooks and delivered keynotes and workshops at national and international conferences, particularly in the field of global citizenship education.
Beyond his professional life, Christopher is a lifelong environmentalist and avid cyclist. A cancer survivor, he regularly takes part in long-distance charity rides, raising funds for myeloma and heart-research initiatives. He is most at home in the wilderness or completing a challenging 100-kilometre cycling route.
Laura Beneroso
Laura Beneroso Otáduy is an international educational leader with 18 years of experience across Spanish and international education. Throughout her career, she has specialised in high-quality teaching and learning, curriculum development, instructional leadership, and educational improvement, bringing extensive experience of both the Spanish national curriculum and the International Baccalaureate (IB) as a teacher and as a school leader.
Before joining Dukes Education, Laura held leadership positions within a Nord Anglia Education school, following earlier teaching and leadership roles in both state and independent schools in Spain.
Across these diverse educational settings, she led curriculum development, instructional coaching, and whole-school teaching and learning initiatives. Her work has focused on developing teacher and leadership capacity through coaching, embedding evidence-informed practice, and fostering collaborative professional cultures that drive continuous school improvement and enhance student outcomes. She has successfully led teams, supported teachers' professional growth, and promoted innovative, student-centred approaches to teaching and learning.
Laura has extensive international experience through the International Baccalaureate, serving as an examiner, workshop leader, consultant, and authorisation visit team leader and member, supporting schools across diverse educational systems and cultural contexts in the Africa, Europe and Middle East region.
She has also contributed to educational research, curriculum development, and pedagogical innovation through collaborations with the International Baccalaureate, Harvard Project Zero – Nord Anglia Education, universities, and national research initiatives, always with a focus on creating meaningful, inclusive, and innovative learning opportunities. Her work spans curriculum design, multilingual education, teacher development, and evidence-informed practice, helping schools strengthen learning experiences and build sustainable capacity for improvement.
Laura holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology and three master's degrees: an MA in Linguistics, an MA in Teacher Training (Language and Literature), and an MA in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language. She is currently completing a doctorate in Spanish Language and Literature and is undertaking the ICF Associate Accredited Coach training.
Her leadership is grounded in the belief that educational excellence is achieved by investing in people, fostering collaborative and high-performing professional cultures, and using evidence-informed practice to drive continuous improvement. She is committed to helping schools create innovative, inclusive, and meaningful learning experiences that enable every learner and every educator to thrive.