Mrs Jan Caisley

CHAIR Co-opted Governor

I am the Chair of the Local Governing Board at North Fawdon Primary.

I worked in education in Northumberland for 32 years before taking early retirement, working in a large first school which later became a very large primary.

I’ve had many roles over the years, including  Maths Co-ordinator, Literacy co-ordinator and Key Stage 2 lead. I was also seconded for a year to Northumberland working  as a Primary Consultant training teachers in initiatives such as Talk for Writing and the Primary Curriculum more generally. Most recently I was a Deputy Head with responsibility for Pupil Premium, Safeguarding, Attendance, Special Educational Needs and Child Protection and was Designated Safeguarding Lead for the school.

I am totally committed to ensuring the best outcomes for all pupils and have a good understanding of how hard teachers work to make this happen. After visiting North Fawdon Primary I was very impressed by the dedication, enthusiasm and hard work of all the staff and the ethos Mrs Elliott, Headteacher is creating.

I’m happy to be working as part of the team to help Mrs Elliott achieve her vision for North Fawdon.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mrs Emma Elliott

Headteacher

I am the Headteacher for North Fawdon Primary School.

I have worked in the North East in education for over fifteen years. I started my teaching career in Morpeth, Northumberland where I was the Computing and Assessment Lead. During my time there I was also a lead teacher in the Every Child a Writer project where I would work with other teachers in schools to improve the teaching and outcomes in writing for children. I love teaching writing and it is still the area I love the most!

I have always been interested in Special Educational Needs and during this time I also studied for a Masters in Autism.

In the Summer term of 2010 I moved to North Fawdon to take up a position as Assistant Head and in the Spring of 2012 I was appointed Deputy Head. During my time here I have been English Lead, the lead for Pupil Premium and for Assessment.

During the 2017-18 academic year North Fawdon became involved in supporting Kenton Bar Primary school and I became Acting Head of School. I took over as Headteacher during the 2019/20 Academic year.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ms Kirsty Bell

Co-opted Governor

I have been a co-opted governor of North Fawdon Primary School since September 2023 and I am thoroughly enjoying my role in this nurturing, child-focused and forward-thinking school.

I am also a senior lecturer in primary education at the University of Sunderland specialising in maths and geography as well as leading the first year on our Primary Education with SEND programme. Before this, I was a primary teacher and middle leader myself working in schools and academies in Newcastle, Northumberland and London as well as teaching within EYFS up to year 6. I understand first hand the pressures and responsibilities of being a teacher and the importance of a well-run school. My aim is to educate and prepare our future teachers to ensure all children are able to achieve their potential and are well-cared for to allow them to progress into their adult lives with confidence.

North Fawdon Primary School epitomizes my ethos as an educator as the staff work tirelessly to ensure all children are valued and have the means to make excellent progress academically, socially and emotionally. It is an absolute pleasure to be part of the governing body and work with such dedicated and supportive staff.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mrs Yeliz Meshur

Parent Governor

Ms Lucy Grimshaw

Co-opted Governor

Mrs Sarah Rice

Co-opted Governor, Kenton High School liaison

Mr Stephen Davies

Trust Governance Officer / LGB Clerk

Stephen joined Smart in August 2022 having worked in the education sector in the northeast for over 20 years.  He is passionate about history and taught it at secondary level before moving into a variety of management roles in schools and multi-academy trusts. 

He sees good governance as integral to the health of the education sector and is pleased to be working with the dedicated Members, Trustees and Local Governors at Smart. All of our governance volunteers know that their respective roles require strategic thinking, intelligent scrutiny and community engagement to be combined with a determination to see children's life chances transformed.  If you share that vision, do find out more about volunteering on the Vacancies section of our website HERE.