I am very proud to be appointed as the new Principal at Bower Park Academy. However, I never expected to start under such unprecedented circumstances. Firstly, I hope that you and your family are safe and are keeping your spirits up under self-isolation. These are difficult times; family and friends separated from one another and everyday things that we took for granted such as going to school, work and socialising are presently not possible. I, myself, have two children who are in secondary school; home educating, motivating and keeping their spirits up under these circumstances is a challenging task.

As the school is now closed for most of the students, I would like to use this opportunity to introduce myself. I have been in the teaching profession for over twenty-six years, working in three different schools across London. I was a Deputy Headteacher for twelve years with experience in Pastoral, Teaching and Learning and Curriculum Development.

When the post of Principal arose at Bower Park I was extremely excited to apply as I had been following the progress of the school in recent years and the rapid improvement it has made. The values at Bower Park Academy – ‘Aspire to achieve, enjoy and excel’ – are completely aligned to my own; I am passionate about excellence and developing respectful learners with limitless aspirations. I want to raise the aspirations of the children so that they can be the first in their family, the first to be something their parents will be proud of and become something that they never thought was possible. These values are going to be more critical than ever now as the country deals with the situation we are in.

I would like to thank my predecessor, Mr S McLaughlin, for doing such an excellent job. These will be big shoes to fill but I can assure you that I will do my utmost to meet your expectations and to face the challenges that have been thrust upon us under this present situation. Over the Spring term, I have been visiting Bower Park regularly and I know that the school is in a very good place. I will continue to build on its strengths going forward, leading the school through these stressful times and then, as soon as we are open again, making sure we work together to get staff, students and families back to normality.

I look forward to being able to address you all in person, one day soon. Keep safe and well in the meantime.