I joined Swalecliffe as Headteacher in April 2014, and as such, am a member of the Governing Body. I am now the Executive Headteacher as I also work and support other schools and school leaders. Since September 2024, I am jointly Executive Headteacher of Swalecliffe, Rose Street and West Minster Schools. I am however regularly at Swalecliffe, 1 or 2 days per week. 

I have worked in primary education for over 30 years, starting as a teacher for 8 years at schools in Canterbury and Folkestone. Then as Deputy Headteacher for 5 years and Headteacher for 7 years in Herne Bay, prior to joining Swalecliffe.

I was the founding Chair of the Coastal Alliance Co-operative Trust, a group which is made up of almost all the Herne Bay and Whitstable schools, leading it to becoming a Co-operative Trust in 2016. I also sit on the KCC Schools Funding Forum. I am a Kent Leader of Education, supporting other schools and school leaders. I coach and mentor a number of school leaders across Kent and also train future school leaders in finance as the Headteacher facilitator for KCC Finance training. 

My role on the Governing Body is to support them in having a clear understanding of the educational landscape, and of information available to compare schools and performance, so they can hold the senior leadership team to account.  I also have a strong understanding of how school budgets work and how to put the most back in to helping our children.

I have a child first; pupil second philosophy, which means I want to make the biggest positive difference I can, to as many children as possible. This guides everything I do, as can be seen in our vision statement.

My name is Sarah Watson, I am Head of School at Swalecliffe Community Primary School and I joined as Deputy Headteacher in January 2016. I am working with the governing body as an associate governor.

I have worked in primary education for the past twenty eight years alongside bringing up my own three children who are now in secondary and university education. Prior to Swalecliffe I worked at two other local schools, as class teacher and then Assistant Headteacher at Herne Bay Infants School, then as Deputy Headteacher at Briary Primary School. I have a particular passion for and interest in Early Years education and enjoyed working part time for Christ Church University Canterbury to teach the Advanced Early Years module to students on their Initial Teacher Training course.

At Swalecliffe, I am one of the three Designated Safeguarding Leads, working to safeguard and protect the children in our community.

I’m a foundation governor and parent whose daughter has now left the school in 2021 and whose son is in KS2. I’m a former Chair of the Whitstable Umbrella Community Centre, a Public Governor of the Community NHS Trust in Kent and run a dad’s group in town (Who Let the Dad’s Out).

I’m currently a lecturer in business strategy at Birbeck University supporting small businesses and have over fifteen years' experience working for national youth work and homelessness charities, including Porchlight.

I’m a city councillor for Gorrell ward and a Cabinet Member who leads the council’s work on health and poverty.

I have been a Governor since 2010, when I was elected as a Parent Governor with two children attending Swalecliffe School. I have a background in business and IT and a passion for learning and education.

During my time in office, I held the positions of Chair of Resources and Vice Chair of Governors. My enthusiasm and interest increased significantly over this period, and in September 2012, I joined the school as the school business manager on the senior leadership team, and I now hold an associate governor role. 

My previous knowledge and skills in business, finance, health and safety, procurement, and IT are now utilised within the school on a daily basis. Still, they remain critical to the governing body. I am committed to ensuring that, in both my roles, I work with leaders and governors to guarantee that the school uses money and resources effectively, thus supporting the school community in achieving the best possible outcomes for the pupils. 

I have two children attending Swalecliffe. As a parent invested in their wellbeing and development, I am also invested in the efficacy of the school, as my proxy, to provide the right environment for them to learn and flourish. As a parent/Governor, in addition to a parent’s perspective, I bring experience gained in employment roles that included vocational rehabilitation, mental health, safeguarding, health and safety, equality and diversity, committee roles and community development.

 

 

My son has recently completed his time at Swalecliffe, whilst my daughter is now in Year 5. Having worked locally as a Human Resources Adviser for a Higher Education establishment, I am  confident that I bring many of the skills I have developed in this role to the role of Governor, which |I have now held for more than 6 years. I obviously have an interest in the education of my children and enjoy being involved in supporting and strengthening Swalecliffe’s vision, and the strategic direction of the school.

I really enjoy volunteering for the benefit of the wider community, and in education in particular. As a Parent Governor I’m partially invested in ensuring the school continues to thrive for the benefit of current and future pupils.

Having been a chair and vice chair of a school and academy trust in Canterbury, I’m able to bring relevant previous knowledge, skills, and experience into the Governing Body.

I have been fortunate to have gained a variety of different educational experiences working across five other primary schools. I'm Head of School at Holy Trinity & St John's Church of England Primary School, leading on Inclusion and a qualified SENDCo. I'm passionate about all children being provided opportunities to fulfil their potential. My son is in year two, and I'm a local resident. As a new parent governor, I relish this chance to give back to the community and work with the school to ensure success for all. 

I have a daughter who is thriving at Swalecliffe. As a parent, I want the very best for her and hope to bring my experience as a team leader at a public body to my role as a governor. Much of my role involves developing and delivering plans to improve our efficiency, which often means working in partnership with others. The well-being and development of my team are vital and underpin all that I do. I see direct parallels with running a successful school and hope that, as governor, I can be a ‘critical friend’ to support the school to be the best it can be. I have a strong sense of community duty and enjoyed my time as Vice Chair of Swalecliffe School PFA. I continue to support the PFA by volunteering at events and helping to run the preloved uniform sales.