Community Council
Governance of our school: The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust is the governance body responsible for the school as a whole with the Board of Trustees accountable for decisions made. For more information on the Trust and how our governance structure works, please visit www.elliotfoundation.co.uk (Trust Governance and Community Council documents) noting in particular the Scheme of Delegation and Accountability and Representation documents. The Trust Legal and Governance Director can also be emailed on jem.shuttleworth@elliotfoundation.co.uk
Welcome and Introduction to our Community Council
The Trust governance model recognises that Community Councils are, whilst a full and formal part of the governance structure in line with the Trust’s Articles of Association, wholly advisory bodies who focus on;
- The ethos and values of the school
- The ambition, appropriateness and effectiveness of the school's curriculum for its children
- The wellbeing of pupils, families and staff
Our Priorities for 2022-2023 are
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Reading: Improve literacy and develop a love of reading
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Wellbeing: Embed the importance of wellbeing
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Arts Mark: Recognise the importance of creativity and achieve Arts Mark status
Community councillors are a much valued group of volunteers that play a crucial role in our school offering challenging but positive and proactive support to the Principal and Senior Leadership team on behalf of the children and community that the school serves. They know and celebrate the strengths of the community that the school serves alongside holding the highest aspirations and expectations for our pupils.
Community councillors are appointed from current parents, staff and pupils alongside committed individuals from the wider community. Councillors have an interest in the education and wider opportunities offered by the school to all pupils and have some free time to give to supporting the school vision and aim for every child to develop and enjoy their time at school, learning and progressing with the three bubbles that make up our curriculum, ABC.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Childs Hill & Claremont Federation Community Council, please contact Dan Hawkins, head@childshillprimary.org
The community council is scheduled to meet four times in each school year, and their activities will include visiting during the school day and linking closely with the pupils and parent champions.
2022-2023 Community Council
| Name | Role | Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Sara Alexander | Parent Councillor | I have a child who is a very happy member of our school and another in secondary school who is a proud Childs Hill alumni. I became a co-opted governor in the summer of 2018, I am the link governor for curriculum matters and am delighted to work with the governing team in a school that is a wonderful environment in which I have witnessed my own and others’ children thrive. I learnt a great deal from my short time as a parent governor at Claremont Primary School where I also founded and ran their PTA. I have worked with children as a drama, dance and piano teacher for over twenty years and grew up and attended all my schools in the neighbourhood. Now I am a freelancer working in the arts, as an actress, voiceover artist and author. |
| Emma Casey | Community Councillor (Chair) |
I began as a parent governor in 2015. Since then my roles have included Chair of Governors, link governor for safeguarding, teaching & learning and SEND. I have been an active member of the school community for many years and all of my children attended Childs Hill. I have volunteered in school and assisted on many school trips and I have been a familiar face at school events of the years. As Community Councillors we are ambitious for all children to thrive. Their emotional and educational wellbeing is a priority. Feeling safe, ready to learn and taking pride in themselves as part of the Childs Hill and Claremont Federation. I look forward to working with staff, pupils and parents to enable the best possible outcomes for all pupils. I have a background working in Postgraduate students for an NHS Trust and the Institute of Child Health. |
| Cory English | Parent Councillor | I moved to the neighbourhood in 2002 from New York City where I was lucky to perform in Broadway shows for over a decade. Most of my work since then has been in the West End, voice overs, film and television. My wife and I chose to bring up our children here and I am so happy that they are part of the Childs Hill community. I have taught children alongside my performance career, as both a baseball and drama / dance coach and teacher. I have a passion for the arts and sports, understanding that the discipline required in both these fields have lasting effects on children’s development in all they do. |
| Michelle Golan | Staff Councillor |
I have worked with children my whole working life. First as a nanny, and for the past 15 years in primary schools, as a SEN Teaching Assistant, Classroom TA, and my present role is as a Pastoral Officer. For many years at Childs Hill I ran a highly proactive School Council, where we raised thousands of pounds for charities, both here in the UK and abroad. I also helped set up and run Childs Hill Peer Mediators, which are children, who helped other children resolve low level problems in the playground. I’m passionate about 'pupil voice' and believe that all children should be heard. Children are more insightful than we give them credit for! Being part of the Childs Hill restorative journey has been eye opening and I’m excited to be part of Claremont’s journey. |
| Emily Harrison | Staff Councillor |
I have recently become a community council member after being a teacher at Childs Hill School for almost 7 years primarily teaching in KS1. I am now as Digital Innovations Lead across both Claremont Primary and Childs Hill School, responsible for supporting digital learning. Before becoming a teacher I worked for 5 years as a fundraiser and event planner for the NSPCC and have a continued interest in safeguarding and child protection. |
| Daniel Hawkins | Executive Headteacher |
I am proud to be the Executive Headteacher of this federation. We are a thriving, inclusive, creative federation made up of two fantastic schools in NW2. Our federation is a member of the Elliot Foundation Academies Trust, a child centre positive thinking organisation with whom we share common visions and values. Namely that all children deserve a good education and that education should be of the whole child. We have high aspirations academically, developmentally and creatively for all pupils in our diverse community and working together in partnership we can achieve our goals. |
|
Paulette Singer |
Community Councillor | I am a Director of the Clitterhouse Farm Project, an organisation that I co-founded with the hope of bringing the Clitterhouse Farm back into community use. The drive behind this has been an awareness of the lack of community infrastructure and general investment in the area. I believe the school's potential to become a central and essential part of the local community infrastructure, a place that children are excited to go to everyday and the community are proud of. |
| Nigel Taylor | Community Councillor | I have been a school governor since 2007 and joined the governing board at Childs Hill in 2016. I became a school governor to us my knowledge and experience to assist in the oversight of the education of our children to give them the best possible start in life. I am now retired following a career in finance as a chartered accountant. |
| Margaret Yates | Community Councillor |
I have lived with my husband in Cricklewood for 43 years and have 4 delightful daughters and 3 great grandchildren. I retired from teaching in September 2020, I have worked in primary schools for many years before teaching at The College of North West London for 16 years. I taught English both at the college and in the workplace, mainly to adults who had English as a second or third language. I was very involved for many years with Girl Guiding both as local brown owl and county commissioner. I am Chair of the Fitzdale Trust, a small local charity supporting woman and children. |
