St Vincent's Catholic Primary School

“Caritas Christi Urget Nos –

The love of Christ urges us to care for each other and strive for excellence in everything we do.”

Our Governors

Our Governors

Foundation Governors

Phillippa Weekes (Chair)

I’m from London with my family heritage being from Trinidad in the Caribbean. I grew up in Kilburn NW6 and attended St. Michael’s Grammar School in North Finchley. I graduated from Middlesex University with a Degree in Marketing. I had a 20 year career in Media and Marketing agencies doing Marketing and Communications.

I have been living in Mill Hill and Edgware for the past 10 years since my son was a pupil at St. Vincent’s and he had an extremely happy and positive experience every day at school. He is now a motivated and inspiring year 8 student at Secondary school.

I am passionate about the education and well-being of children, and 5 years ago made the brave decision to retrain as a Primary Teacher. Through hard work and God’s grace I graduated with a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in 2020. I have been on the Curriculum Committee and Vice Chair of Governors for 3 years, and as of October 2021, I am now a Foundation Governor and the new Chair of Governors. I’m a practicing Catholic and it is also my honour to be the lead Confirmation Catechist at St. Sebastian and St Pancras Church in Kingsbury for the past 13 years. Through my work and commitment to my faith as a catechist and teacher, I have also studied for and achieved the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) in 2019 through Westminster Diocese.

I’m keen to continue to support the school in their mission to nurture every child to strive for excellence in all aspects of their spiritual and academic life and be happy.

Maria Coyle

I was educated in local catholic schools and became a Parent Governor at St Vincent’s so I could put something back into the education system that supported me so well in the past. I also wanted to help the school that our daughter attends.

I have been a Chartered Quantity Surveyor for over twenty years and a Fellow for the last six years. I work for a large family owned Building Contractor where I am a Business Commercial Manager. This involves being responsible for the commercial and legal aspects of numerous construction projects and for all the surveying staff on those projects. For the last ten years I have been an APC Assessor for the RICS, which involves sitting on panels to assess candidates.

I am also a key figure within my company for training and attainment of chartership, assisting where possible.

Fr Eugene Curran
Born in Dublin and the eldest of four, I have been a Vincentian since 1979 and a priest since 1987. I was a secondary teacher and lectured at university level until my appointment to Sacred Heart, Mill Hill, in 2019, though I did serve in Damascus House, Mill Hill, from 1996-1998. Besides my interest in faith, education and mental health and well-being, I am also an avid Harry Potter fan and a committed Narnian. I am delighted to be involved with St Vincent’s as a governor and am particularly happy when our young people join me at services either in the school or in the Church.
Sister Anne Byrne
I have been a primary school teacher in various parts of England and Wales. I enjoyed my teaching career and taught in St Vincent’s many years ago. When I finished teaching I worked in parishes in Darlington, Manchester and Cardiff, as a pastoral assistant. Returning to Mill Hill three years ago it is good to be involved in St Vincent’s and also in Sacred Heart Parish.
Liam Tierney

I myself have benefited from a catholic education as are my three children who are/have been pupils at St Vincent’s. I was delighted to become a governor at the school to assist in any way I can. St Vincent’s is a great school as evidenced by OFSTED reports and provides a caring and nurturing environment.

I have seen at first hand the hard work put in by all staff. The school is continually trying to improve and provide a great future for our children.

I have lived in the parish for a number of years and I am a native of Derry in Ireland. I am a serving police officer. I am on the Premises Committee.

Trevor Fitzgerald

 

I have been associated with St. Vincent’s for many years. Firstly, as a parent of children attending the school and later as a Foundation Governor.

 

It is a privilege for me to serve as a governor and can use my experience and contacts in the construction industry for the benefit of the school.


Parent Governors

Dr Christophe Galichet

I am a neuroscientist by training. Born and raised in France, I moved to London in 2002 to pursue a PhD degree at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, which was opposite to St Vincent’s School until its integration with other academic bodies to form the Francis Crick Institute in Central London, and remained a medical researcher to date.

Mill Hill feels like home since my arrival in London.  After all, I have spent all these years studying, working, and eventually started a family here. We belong to the Sacred Heart Parish; my daughter Amelie is a pupil at St Vincent’s and our son, Sebastien, started at St Vincent’s reception.

James Sutherland

I am honoured to be a parent Governor at St Vincent’s. With three children attending the school across the key stages, I have a vested interest in the school’s long-term success and sustainability and keen to support the provision of an exceptional learning experience for pupils, staff and parents alike. Through my focus on both curriculum development and wellbeing, and on early years, I’ve been party to the tremendous work the school do on integrating children into school life and managing their learning journey to achieve the best outcomes for pupils at St Vincent’s. I am humbled by my experience as a parent Governor and very happy to support the school go from strength to strength.

Bodeme Imomoh

I have been a Parent Governor at St Vincent’s since 2021. I have 3 children, two are currently at St Vincent’s. I am passionate about volunteering my time towards the school and the Governors at St Vincent’s working together as a team to make sure we get the best possible outcomes for the students.

My main link area is STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math). I am deeply invested in ensuring the school provides a nurturing environment where every child can reach their full potential, regardless of background, special educational needs, or disabilities.

I recognize the challenging nature of the governor’s role, involving the asking of difficult questions on behalf of the children we serve. I am committed to being both demanding and fair, advocating for the best interests of the students.

Pamela Femi-Ojo

I am a dedicated parent with over 13 years of experience in finance management and accounting.

 

Beyond my professional accomplishments, I am passionate about the well-being and

development of young minds. I have offered my expertise as a voluntary workshop facilitator, providing decision-making support and goal-setting guidance to empower the younger generation. This has been gratifying and allows me to give back to the community.

Currently, I am working on developing a comprehensive children’s training program rooted in biblical principles. My aim is to help children recognize their strengths and develop strategies to navigate life’s challenges, preparing them for a successful journey into the world.


Staff Governors

Marie Tuohy

Headteacher

Matthew Gibson

I am delighted to be the staff governor at St Vincent’s. I started my teacher training here and have taught across the school and in different age groups. I look forward to supporting the school strategically and further enhancing our curriculum for all children. I also represent the school as a senior mental health lead and hope to continue to put our children’s mental health at the forefront of all we do. I plan to ensure that all our staff members and children feel fully represented in governor meetings and we can make positive progress on things that matter to our wonderful community. I am humbled to have been chosen for this role and am dedicated to ensuring that I make a positive difference for every child in our school.

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Curriculum Intent

At St Vincent’s it is our INTENT is to enable ALL children to thrive through the opportunities we provide them with, in order to:

  • Live their lives by the Gospel and Vincentian values instilled in them at school.
  • Understand that everyone has the right and responsibility to live in our world constructively and ensure that we leave it in a better state than when we entered it by living and working through the principles of Catholic Social Teaching in line with the UNCRC (United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child)
  • Experience creativity across the curriculum through specialist art and dance lessons and opportunities to take part in art, music, dance and creative writing competitions.
  • Know the joy of outdoor learning, the rich biodiversity within our school grounds and locality and develop a responsibility for the environment we share as stewards.
  • Understand their place in the world, globally and locally, knowing the history of our school, Mill Hill and the Daughters of Charity and knowing where our diverse community members have their roots across the world.
  • Be ready and well-prepared for their next steps in life, having high aspirations for themselves and for others because they have experienced success and a belief in learning from mistakes.
  • Have a life-long curiosity, stimulated by the driving questions of Project Based Learning approach to the curriculum fostering inquiry and independent learning skills, which give confidence to ask big questions about the world.
  • Be literate and numerate having experienced a rich variety of texts to stimulate and excite the mind while developing skills in investigating and problem solving to enable them to excel in their future passions.
  • Be confident and happy young people that have a broad understanding and tolerance of the world and others around them with excellent communication skills honed by their experience of Restorative Justice and respect of the dignity and wishes of the individual.

Curriculum Context

St Vincent’s is a 1.5 form entry school with 285 children ranging from 4 -11. Children come predominantly from the parishes of Sacred Heart in Mill Hill and St Anthony’s in Edgware.

Children come from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds, speak 17 different languages and hail from 26 different ethnic groups. The curriculum we present, and promote, to the children is an endeavour to reflect these differences by providing opportunities to explore the different countries, languages and customs our children are part of through the projects they investigate. We have looked closely at the context of our school, the backgrounds of the children and how life is for a child growing up in North London today. We have used the underlying principles of our Catholic Faith and the example of our namesake St Vincent to create a set of values which lie at the heart of our curriculum.

We are aware of the changing nature of society and the pressures faced by young children as they enter the next stage of their education. The rise in Mental Health related issues has been widely documented across the media. Therefore, issues such as internet safety and the enormous impact across society of social media are at the forefront of our minds when planning our curriculum. With the current worldwide concerns relating to Covid 19, racial justice, equality and diversity, as well as gender and economic background, we feel it is our duty to prepare the children through a concerted focus on building independence, resilience and communication skills linked to our Vincentian Values.