I joined the Governing Body in May 2022. I am a practicing Catholic and since retiring I qualified as a Canon Lawyer. I exercise this ministry as Ecclesiastical Judge and Defender of the Bond in two Dioceses, Northampton and Southwark.  In addition I spend two days a week volunteering at immigration charities.

I have two grandsons, one 8 years old at a Catholic Primary School and the other is just 18 months. In my spare time I like to keep fit. I ran the London Marathon ten times.

I became a governor because I felt I had something to offer the Governing Body after my experience as a Teacher for 43 years in Hackney schools,  27 as Deputy Head at Our Lady's Convent and many years as both a Teacher Governor and as an Observer.

My vision for the school is that it will continue to provide outstanding education for local Catholic families.

My name is Michelle and I am of Guyanese and Irish decent. I have a son (Noah) in Yr 5. I have another son who left OLSJ 3 years ago and is now in Yr 9. OLSJ will always be a special and important place to me, as having attended the school myself, it’s been an integral part of my life for a long time.

Apart from being a school governor, I have been a specialist nurse within brain and spine for the last 22 years and love HIIT kick boxing.

I became a parent governor over 3 years ago and did so as I wanted the opportunity to give a parents perspective on decisions that were being made by the school. More recently I transitioned to a foundation governor role.

For me, it is really important that our children at OLSJ first and foremost feel, safe, secure, loved and part of a school family. This is fundamental for sound mental health and setting them up with the right conditions for learning. Without this, no child can achieve to the best of their ability.

Of course academia is important and I am the curriculum link governor. I have a keen interest in looking at the attainment of our children, and have recently been involved in a deep dive of this with some of the SLT. We strive to ensure all of our children at OLSJ reach their maximal potential.

Finally, I’m a big advocate of our children obtaining lots of enrichment actives as well as the structured curriculum and we manage to achieve this with great support from our parents association. It’s important our enrichment programme includes lots of culturally diverse activities and awareness; this is going from strength to strength and I am pleased to be working alongside a leadership team who share this passion.

Education is important - it gives you the academic, practical and creative tools to question and engage with what the world's all about.To have an impact on the next generation is something of great value and I want to be involved in that. I have worked in education for over 20 years but I became a school governor because I felt my expertise was highly useful and beneficial to the next generation of learners and I want to make a tangible impact. I bring my educational and parental experience to the board and use the expertise I've gained at work to help children receive an excellent education through quality assurance.I look forward to meeting and working with you all.