Hillyfield Primary Academy

I have been associated with Hillyfield as a parent for eight years as both of my children attended the school. I am now a Community governor.
My background is in the museum and gallery world – until October 2017, I was the director of two history of art degree programmes run by Christie’s auction house in conjunction with the University of Glasgow and I was the director of a continuing professional development programme at the Attingham Trust and Royal Collection.  Since 2019 I have been the Director of Collections and Learning at a major London museum.
I was elected Chair of the Hillyfield Governing Body in October 2017.  I very much enjoy working with the exceptional, talented staff at Hillyfield, and particularly enjoy our governor monitoring visits where we get to see the fantastic, creative classrooms and happy, confident learners.

I am Director of Employment and Skills at A New Direction (and creative education charity) where I lead on employment and skills around progression into the creative industries. This manifests itself in an innovative programme called Create Jobs which offers innovatives solutions to skill gaps and growth areas within the wider digital economy, matching local talent with local employment opportunities.
My background is as a programme producer and manager with over 14 years of experience working in education and cultural sectors focusing on the progression of young people through task-based and purposeful learning.
 
I am also a parent of a Year 4 pupil.

I have worked in universities throughout my whole career, principally working with schools, students and their parents/supporters to deliver outreach projects. I am currently Director of Student Recruitment for Goldsmiths, University of London responsible for admissions process and policy, financial awards, global recruitment, marketing, events and widening participation.

I currently have two children at Hillyfield, which will become three in a few years’ time and I am delighted to have this opportunity to support the school.

I am a Civil Service Fast Streamer, having joined the graduate leadership programme in October 2017. I graduated with a BA International Relations (Hons), from the University of Birmingham. I am a ‘new’ school governor, and have been impressed with the warmth and calibre of the teachers and fellow governors. I look forward to working with those associated with Hillyfield, to grow the enriching environment that the students and staff currently enjoy. 

As a father of three children I am honoured to serve the school as a parent governor and work with the school to ensure all our children are getting the best out of their time at school.
I work as a Senior Adviser to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, focusing on social integration and communities. My role is to ensure that the Mayor is kept informed of Londoners’ concerns, whilst helping to devise and implement
London’s social integration strategy. From City Hall, I work closely with voluntary organisations and community groups, supporting them to improve the lives of Londoners.
I am proud that Hillyfiled is a wonderfully diverse school and I want to make sure we embrace and celebrate our diversity as much as possible.

I am really pleased to be an associate governor at our school. My two children attend the Park site (Year 1 and Year 3).

The opportunity to have input in the school via the Governors is important to me. I am the Safer Recruitment lead and working with Chong Aik Lee to look at the school’s approach to Diversity and Inclusion as I have a keen interest in that area and to achieve our core value to create a sense of belonging.   

I am a People Projects Manager working at Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association – a large national provider of social, shared ownership and affordable housing along with care and support.

I started my career in an educational centre for excluded children of secondary school age, worked at Ofsted – providing learning provision for Early Years Inspectors. I have over 15 years’ experience in Learning and Development and HR.

I also sit as a committee member of Migration Foundation, formerly known as the Ashmore fund. This was established to help migrants and the communities they live in, including people who are refugees and asylum seekers. Our vision is to make migration work for the whole community by creating places free from destitution and division.

I chair a community interest group call ‘BOB Community’. This group was set up following a training programme that our organisation invested in, to get more people of colour in a position to have confidence to apply for and improve success in gaining board roles. The committee seeks to support those who have completed the programme to continue on their journey and seek funding to sponsor young people onto similar programmes to support with their career opportunities.

Looking forward to supporting the school to achieve ‘Brilliance in Every Child, Excellence Every Day’

I have lived in Walthamstow for 10 years and have 2 children currently attending Hillyfield. My background is in the arts and I have worked as a Photographer for 20yrs. My job requires me to explore ideas in a creative way or from a new perspective, to be organised, to work in a team, to adhere to deadlines and budgets and in situations where confidentiality is paramount. I think these skills will help me in my role as a school governor.

I’m looking forward to supporting the school and working alongside people from a broad range of backgrounds and professions who are united in focusing on the best outcomes for all the children.

I joined teaching in 1988 with the hope of trying it out and then moving on to other jobs but l discovered the joy of teaching during my first three teaching months; l have enjoyed every experience ever since. My speciality is in personalised learning, positive behaviour management and accelerated learning. Teaching gives me an everyday learning opportunity, for that I am forever grateful. I am into research, l like to use cutting edge methods to create a better learning environment for all pupils. I genuinely believe that no child can fail if the education is presented in a personalised and easy platform or ways that takes into consideration the child’s ability and levels of understanding. Students do not fail, but teachers do, if they fail to consider and acknowledge how each and every pupil learns.  I spend time reading Neuroscience and advanced knowledge literature tailored towards better teaching and learning. 

During holidays, l volunteer in secondary schools in Africa, working with pupils on self-esteem and career guidance. I have worked part time as a talent manager and music promoter for a small record company. I am pleased with the opportunities Hillyfield Academy provides for both staff and pupils.

 I am a solicitor and magistrate, working for the Bar Council of England and Wales, regulating the conduct of barristers. Prior to my   involvement with Hillyfield, I was a school governor of Noel Park Academy for four years. I am committed to Hillyfield's aims of   helping every child to achieve their full potential. 

I have been associated with Hillyfield as a parent for the past four years and both of my children currently attend the school. I was part of the parent council and involved in enrichment sessions and then decided I would like to be more involved and committed to the school as a governor. My background is in Higher Education – until October 2017, I was the director of two history of art degree programmes run by Christie’s auction house in conjunction with the University of Glasgow.  I am now the director of a continuing professional development programme at the Attingham Trust.   I was elected Chair of the Governing Body in October 2017.  I very much enjoy working with the dedicated and exceptional staff at Hillyfield, and particularly enjoy our governor monitoring visits where we get to see the fantastic, creative classrooms and happy, confident learners.

Bio coming soon...

I was a community governor at Hillyfield and I joined in January 2017 until April 2022. I have been involved with the school for almost a decade as my three children all attended. I was the Vice-chair of Governors and as well as sitting on both the Resources and Education and Standards Committees, I had a specific role as a link governor for Safeguarding. This is such an important area and I work closely with the school’s senior management team to ensure that pupils from all backgrounds benefit from a fantastic education and range of opportunities. My professional background is as an economist and civil servant, primarily in the area of crime and policing and currently I lead on policy around domestic abuse. It is great to be able to put that experience to use in a different way to help and support Hillyfield to be the very best it can be.

Bio coming soon..