Parent Governor Elections 2025

We are currently running parent governor elections.

The election is being carried out via an online, secure, secret ballot. The link to the ballot page and details of how to vote will be sent by email to all parents / cares who are registered with parental responsibility and have an email addressed saved on their school record. If you do not receive an email once the ballot opens and you believe that you should have been, please contact the school office. 

If you do not have internet access, the school office will be able to help you to participate. Every parent or carer of a child at Hatcham Free School has one vote in the election, regardless of how many children they have in the school.

Nominated Candidates:

Simone Ross-Robinson

I am reapplying for the position of Parent Governor after four fulfilling years, particularly in my role as the SENCO link governor.

My goal is to strengthen the connection between the school and the parental community, ensuring families feel confident in the support their children receive.

With a Master’s in Applied Drama and a Bachelor’s in Social Science, combined with leadership experience in youth clubs and my current role as Head of Year, I bring both academic knowledge and practical experience.

These have deepened my understanding of the challenges within education and enhanced my ability to foster an inclusive, supportive environment for both students and families.

I am proud of my contributions to the school’s commitment to excellent education, and I am dedicated to continuing to support the needs of all pupils, especially those with additional needs, by helping shape policies that allow every child to succeed.

Stacey Lewis

I am eager to become a parent governor at my daughter’s school to contribute to its continued success and support its vision for excellence. With over 17 years of experience in education, I have developed expertise in areas such as Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), pastoral care, safeguarding, wraparound care, and enrichment. These experiences have equipped me with a deep understanding of the diverse needs of students and the importance of fostering a supportive, inclusive, and stimulating environment.

My work with wraparound care and enrichment has taught me the value of holistic development, ensuring children are engaged, inspired, and supported beyond the classroom. As a parent, I am passionate about ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. I believe my skills, experience, and commitment align well with the responsibilities of a governor, and I am enthusiastic about shaping the school’s future.

Joanne Harrison

I am a Chartered Accountant with twenty years work experience spanning Australia, the US and UK. Outside of work I have served on the Board of three not-for-profit organisations, two of which are in our local community: the Blackheath Conservatoire and Lewisham Toy Library.
As parent governor, I would bring deep finance, strategy and governance experience.

I would also bring a passion for serving our local community and furthering social mobility. I am the first person in my family to attend university, and often reflect on how my education changed the trajectory of my life. I was drawn to Hatcham Free School because of our shared values of high aspirations and the best possible education for every child, regardless of their background. The parent governor position affords me an opportunity to use my skills to give back to the school, as well as progress a cause close to my heart.

Francesca Angelina

Ever since my daughter joined Habs, I’ve been impressed – and I'm keen to give something back by working with the governing body to make sure the school provides all its children with an outstanding education and a supportive environment in which they can thrive. I’ve been a journalist for 15 years, often with an education focus, and have interviewed ‘super-heads’, written about closing attainment gaps, and commissioned articles on how to get 1.7m children classed as persistently absent back to school and how smartphones affect childhood. I can work with budgets, analyse data, and think strategically about issues that impact the school. I know how to challenge and ask questions constructively. I’ve mentored students at a Hackney academy and volunteered helping disadvantaged children with interview practice. I believe that the more involved a governor is, the more effective the governing body, and I’d offer full commitment to the role.

James Murphy

I believe that school governance is about supporting the Headteacher & staff to achieve targets & to challenge the school when pastoral & academic standards fall below expectations. Children & their progress is at the heart of any excellent school. The governors with the Trust, Headteacher & staff must own a shared vision…The creation of a healthy & happy school environment where children can thrive. A commitment to academic goals, outstanding learning and teaching. 100% attendance and punctuality. An extra-curricular offering & wraparound care which complements the formal curriculum. Finally, school buildings which support quality learning and teaching.

 My experience as a director & board member of a global advertising business, the empathy I possess having been brought up in an outward looking family and traits that my wife and I try to instil in our children equip me to contribute positively to the governing body of the school.