Emmaville Primary School

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Governor's Pen Portraits

Bill Purvis

Chair of Governors

I have been a governor at Emmaville for more than thirty years, most of them as chair. I consider it both an honour and a privilege to serve the community in which I live in this way.

They say schooldays are the best years of your life and my aim is to make sure that your childrens’ time with us really is the best.

Along with my fellow Governors, Head teacher and staff we work tirelessly to give the children the very best we can. Whilst results are important, we recognise that achievement is different for all children and we want each and every child to reach their maximum potential whatever that might be.

We believe that the best resource we have is our teaching staff and we work really hard to ensure that our recruitment brings the very best staff into the Emmaville family. I am frequently told by visitors what a friendly, welcoming and professional staff we have and this is always pleasing for governors to hear. We take pride in the fact that we are a truly inclusive school and indeed attract many pupils from outside our catchment.

Do we always get it right? Of course not, we make mistakes, but please rest assured that we always try to learn from any mistakes.

Gemma Brown

Co-opted Governor

As a proud mum of two Emmavillians, one of whom has just moved on to Thorp Academy, I joined the governing body in 2018 and have enjoyed learning from the wealth of experience shared by staff and other governors at Emmaville. A journalist and former regional newspaper/magazine editor, I now work in Higher Education at Northumbria University. I am the link governor responsible for the school website and am keen to foster positive approaches to improving communication between school and parents/carers.

Kristian Skipper

Co-opted Governor

Age 39, I am married with 3 young children. My daughter attends Emmaville Primary School. I work at Gateshead Council as a Health and Safety Support Officer, live in Crawcrook and have lived in the area all my life. I enjoy spending time with family and friends and playing football.

Melanie Cornish-Fleet

Co-opted Governor

Being a school governor at Emmaville is something I am very proud of. I have been involved with the school since 2013 and enjoy the enthusiasm for learning you feel as soon as you walk through the door. It is very important to me to see children get the best education they can which is why when asked to join the Governing Body, I didn’t hesitate in accepting the offer.

I run a literacy charity and work in lots of schools encouraging young people to enjoy writing and communicating but when I am not doing this I spend a lot of time in my wellies walking my two Labradors, Archie and Belle or spending time with my family. My life is complete with a good book and a sunny day.

Jonathan Lancashire

Parent Governor

Hi there - I’m Jonathan Lancashire and one of the parent-elected governors at Emmaville Primary School. After working in schools for over 10 years and since having a career change, I was both delighted and extremely proud to be offered the chance to be a governor at Emmaville. My daughters have been here for a number of years now and I can honestly say that they love their school and have thrived as both learners and individuals since starting. We have such wonderful staff here and are lucky to have Emmaville at the heart of our local community.

Kate Henderson

Co-opted Governor

I am delighted to be part of Emmaville’s Governing body as a Co-opted Governor and have been since 2018. I joined the governing body to support the school to be the best that it can possibly be for the benefit of our children. I feel privileged to work alongside a team that is passionate towards making a positive impact to the lives of our children.
My background includes over 18 years of working with children and young people. I have been a Primary School Teacher for the last 12 years in schools in both London and Gateshead. For the past 3 years, I have predominantly taught children with Special Education Needs, which has lead me to be the link governor for SEND at Emmaville. I fully believe in the values and ethos of Emmaville and I am fully committed to ensuring we provide our children with the best possible start and foundation for a happy and healthy life ahead.