Former Teacher Phoebe is New Headteacher at Queen's Manor School
Says her 'dream job' means that 'Every day there is something to celebrate'
headteacher at Queen’s Manor Primary in Fulham's Lysia Street, after a relationship with the school spanning over eight years.
"It is really a dream job for me," says Phoebe. "I started as a class teacher here, so I have really grown with the school."
The school, in a grand Victorian building close to Fulham FC’s Craven Cottage has recently opened a new playground and had its Ofsted 'Good' rating reaffirmed.
Phoebe was the deputy headteacher for three years before the longstanding head Sonja Harrison decided to relocate to the north of England with her family.
After being appointed interim head last September, she was officially confirmed headteacher at the beginning of 2019.
Phoebe grew up locally and attended school in Hammersmith, before studying for a degree in sociology and social policy at the University of London. She later completed her PGCE teaching qualifications at nearby Roehampton University, one of the principal providers of teacher training in the UK.
"I am really passionate about young people and making a difference to them,” she says.
Queen's Manor has a strong sense of community, with Phoebe talking to pupils and parents every day by being out in the playground and being 'accessible' and 'approachable'.
"Those relationships are really key to the success of the school," she says. "For us, the key is really knowing all our children."
An active Friends of Queen's Manor group organises regular events from garden parties, cake sales, movie nights and Easter egg decorating competitions, to pumpkin carving, discos and the annual summer fair. And teachers are involved in activities like the annual World Book Day celebrations and Dragon’s Den-style contest for Year 5 pupils.
Home to a specialist centre, The Pavilion, for up to 20 children with learning difficulties, as well as its mainstream one-form entry, the school has long been a champion for inclusivity.
It’s an ethos that is close to Phoebe’s heart, with her career spanning special educational needs (SEN) and inclusion work alongside class teacher roles.
"I have always been really fortunate to work in very inclusive schools and I learned a lot from the very beginning about how children best work together within a very inclusive model," says Phoebe, who spent a year as the inclusion leader at Brackenbury Primary School in Hammersmith before securing the deputy head role at Queen's Manor in 2015.
"That passion for making sure children were all learning together with their peers helped lead me down a SEN route."
Also on the Queen’s Manor site is the new Stephen Wiltshire Centre, a purpose-built specialist centre for local children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families. The Centre is named after Stephen Wiltshire – an artist who has autism and attended Queensmill School in Hammersmith. Stephen is pictured below at the official opening of the centre last October.
The specialist hub delivers a range of activities and support. Families can meet professionals and peers, as well as take part in family fun days, drop in advice sessions and short breaks including holiday schemes.
In October 2016, Queen's Manor joined two other local schools – Fulham Primary and Sulivan Primary – to form Brightwells Academy Trust.
Like many in the education sector, Phoebe says that changes in funding 'brings increased pressures' but the challenges never override the need to provide a really good education for our children and maximise their life chances.
As her first term as head draws to a close, Phoebe says: " Every day there is something to celebrate. Every day there is a reason to smile and a sense of joy. It could be the whole school or one pupil coming to show me a piece of writing. I genuinely feel we have wonderful children here at Queen's Manor."
May 3, 2019