Governance

I live locally and work in the City, and have been a member of the local committee of Pickhurst Infant Academy since 2018. Having grown up in the Beckenham area and having two young children, volunteering for a local school seemed like the best way to give something back to the community. It has been greatly enjoyable getting to know the school and contributing to it through being on the local committee.

I feel privileged to be a member of the Pickhurst Infant Academy Local Committee. The school is very successful and serves the community extremely well. The outcomes for all children are very positive and children achieve high standards, academically, emotionally and socially.  I retired in 2012 as the Head teacher of a school in the London Borough of Bromley for secondary pupils with social emotional and mental health difficulties. (SEMH) I have throughout my career worked in a variety of educational settings, mainstream and specialist provision.  I am a grandparent with five grandchildren with ages ranging from 3 to 14.

I joined the governing body as a parent governor in 2007 when my son was year 1.  With a background in education, I was keen to be more involved in the school as I felt that my experience could be of benefit. I became a community governor once my youngest son had left the school and became Chair in 2013.  I consider being a member of the Local Committee at Pickhurst Infant Academy a real privilege.  The parents, staff and Committee Members of this school form a wonderful community but most importantly, it is a real privilege to be able to contribute in any way to improving the lives of our young children.

Following a previous career in advertising and a change of direction, I completed my teacher training at Pickhurst Infants.  I loved the school so much I stayed, and currently teach in Year Two.  In addition, I am PE and Pupil Premium Lead across the school and committed to supporting our most disadvantaged pupils and their families.  Several years ago I became a Specialist Leader in Education focussing on Lesson Study, a classroom based research tool, which I have supported other schools in developing through outreach work in London and beyond.    

I was elected as a local committee member by the parents of Pickhurst Infants. I have a background in human rights campaigning, and have spent ten years working for a charity promoting literature, language learning, freedom of expression and cultural exchange.

I’m a Yorkshireman who has lived in West Wickham for over 30 years, and been married to Sharon for 45 years. Since retiring from a long career in Retail Management in 2011, I have been very busy volunteering in Health Charities, Education and Sporting events. We have 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren.  I’ve always believed that a good education is fundamental to success and happiness in life. I’m passionate about literacy and numeracy, and want to do all I can with my colleagues to keep Pickhurst Infants a leader in these areas.

I have over 19 years’ of professional experience in Finance, Entrepreneurship, Consulting and Technology. I am the Founder & CEO of a start-up called Nurturey - the digital Redbook platform to manage child health. I am also a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence - Education Taskforce in the UK. I have worked for firms such as American Express, Infosys Consulting, Financial Services Authority, Rockworth Management Partners, and CMC Markets.   I am a physical endurance sports enthusiast and regularly compete in events such as Toughmudder, Spartan Beast, Triathlons etc.

Sarah is our most newly appointed local committee member. More information about her will be here very soon!