Academy Council

Jo Warner – Chair of Academy Council
Assistant Director of Education for the Joint Education Team, Dioceses of Durham and Newcastle

I am delighted to be the Chair of the Academy Council at Northern Saints Church of England Academy.

I started teaching over thirty years ago, as a teacher in an inner-city primary school. I have been very fortunate to work as a headteacher of four schools in the North East – a region I was brought up in, and am very proud of.

I have always loved working with children and young people, and I see my role in shaping their future as both a privilege and of course at times, a challenge. I am passionate about education and the role it plays in developing young people with strong values, spiritual and moral awareness, and excellent skills and knowledge to enable them to grow and develop into outstanding citizens in our world.

For me the relationships between families and the academy is key to a successful academy. As academy councillors we need to be approachable and accessible so we can work closely with you and the academy to celebrate success and find solutions to any concerns. As a parent myself, I know how important it is that the academy gets it right to meet the individual needs of all our children – something I know is central to all the staff in our academy.

I hope we can work together to ensure we provide the best learning opportunities and life skills we can for our children at Northern Saints.

Eileen Watson – Academy Councillor

After a 25 year career in teaching, mostly in a large Junior school, I became an independent music consultant helping to develop the music curriculum in primary school classrooms across many schools in Sunderland and beyond. This also led to involvement with Sunderland and Northumbria Universities providing training sessions to student teachers and supervising them during their placements in schools. My beliefs are closely aligned to the academy ethos that all children should have the same opportunities. Since retiring, my interest in education has been continued through the academy council when not otherwise occupied by involvement in Bishopwearmouth Choral Society.

Emma Maxfield – Staff Academy Councillor

I’m Miss Maxfield: the Staff Academy Councillor here at Northern Saints. This is my sixth year at Northern Saints, during that time I have taught across both Key Stage One and EYFS. Currently, I am Phonics Lead and responsible for the development of Early Reading across the academy. This is something I have a particular passion for and something which I will continue to develop and progress further.

In addition to this, my love of outdoor activities has allowed me to take part in many of the academy’s outward bound programmes. This is something I believe is integral to the children’s wider learning: providing opportunities and experiences which otherwise would not be possible.

Jennifer Bradshaw – Academy Councillor

I am Jennifer Bradshaw one of the academy councillors and also one of your local vicars!

Working with children has always been a big part of my life – I love seeing people grow and develop into the person God made! Being an academy councillor offers the chance to support some of the most important years of a child’s life and support the staff who will inspire and encourage them along the way.

Cllr John Usher –   Academy Councillor

Rachel Broughton –   Academy Councillor