Victoria Crawford

Victoria has a background in government and was a Special Adviser to Justine Greening, the former Secretary of State for Education. She currently works as a consultant advising clients on government policy. She lives in Hackney and in her spare time she volunteers  at Mossbourne Community Academy teaching coding and Python.

Rachel Davie

Rachel is the Executive Headteacher of Hoxton Garden, Orchard and Southwold Schools and Headteacher at Orchard School. She has worked as a senior leader in the Federation for seven years. She has successfully led the development of curriculum and assessment across the schools as well as the development of action research. Rachel has also worked as a schools improvement adviser for Hackney Learning Trust.

James Gowland (Chair Of Governors)

James is a qualified accountant and finance director for a firm based in Canary Wharf.  He has two children at Orchard Primary School.  James has several years experience as a school governor at schools.

Aya Haidar

Aya is  our elected parent governor. She is a full-time artist whose work has been exhibited internationally, including the Tate and Victoria and Albert Museum. With a post-graduate degree in social policy, this  combination enables her to bring creative solutions to complex problems. She was previously a charity director working on education projects with disadvantaged and refugee communities throughout the Middle East.  She speaks five languages and two of her four children are        currently at Southwold Primary School.

Hannah Lownsbrough

Hannah is a consultant working on campaigns in the UK and internationally.  Recently, she has worked on international trade with SumOfUs.org, helped to train campaigners with ActionAid International, and authored a report on the future of campaigns with Save the Children International. She was previously a member of the founding team of 38 Degrees, and before that was an education researcher with the thinktank Demos. She is on the board of a youth organisation called Envision, and lives in Hackney.

Lenna Marson

Lenna has been a proactive parent of Southwold for over 7 years and a member of the existing Governing body since 2014. She has completed a number of courses, which have enabled her to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to make a difference as a governor. She has good communication skills and a strong interest in both community matters and in the education of children. She has extensive experience working with children in schools and is the parent of 3 boys aged 7 to 21.

Claudia Moreira

Claudia is a parent at Hoxton Garden School. She has a good knowledge of strategic planning, financial and administrative systems and the roles and responsibilities of the Governing  body. She speaks Portuguese and Spanish fluently in addition to English. Claudia has a strong interest in the education system and is the parent of a child in Year 4.

Chisara Nwabara

Chisara has joined us as a co-opted governor. She is a service and   product specialist experienced in helping enterprises across diverse     industries improve their operational performance through the application of evidence-based programme management. She has worked across  various product teams to make feedback loops and communication more effective through the use of experimentation, process engineering and service design. Chisara is deeply invested in organisational culture and helping companies to be more psychologically safe and equally  opportunistic.

Cllr Ian Rathbone

Ian Rathbone has been a councillor for Lea Bridge ward since 2002 and has worked hard to build up the community and improve the environment in the ward, from Millfields Park and the River Lea to Clapton Pond and Pond House. He has been a school governor in Hackney for more than 30 years, and been Chair of Governors of several primary schools, with children who came through Hackney Schools. He has been a lecturer and Trainer in Journalism with the National Council for Training of Journalists (NCTJ). He is also chair of Hackney Community Law Centre and campaigning to improve legal aid services and general advice in the borough.

Kay Richardson

Kay has a background in media and has worked for national newspapers. She has a good knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the governing body and strong communication skills. Kay works in a number of local community organisations. She liases with Hackney Council, the Mayor of London and local businesses, helping reinvigorate the local economy by creating an innovative community market which celebrates diversity and encourages youth engagement. She is passionate about art and culture, and runs children’s art workshops.

Alberta Senyah

Alberta has worked in schools for over 12 years in an administrative function. She has two children aged 10 and 14, and has worked at both Orchard and Southwold Schools. She has a strong knowledge of both schools communities.

Laura Theobold

Laura was a Teach First secondary school English teacher before taking up a position as a management consultant in the financial services people and change sector. Laura currently works in a large UK retail bank, where she has gained extensive experience of curriculum planning and training design in a regulated environment.

Sara Walsingham

Sara has worked in Hackney education for over 20 years. She has excellent communication skills and is the main schools finance expert in Hackney Council. She has knowledge & understanding of the role of the governing body having served as a clerk several years ago. She has excellent general knowledge of education and schools.