Governance

Mrs Gemma Louise Hall (Chair of Governors)

Mrs Gemma Hall has just been elected to join the governing body of Danetree School as a community governor. She currently has a daughter she plans to send to Danetree when she is due to start school in 2023, and lives in the local area. Having spent her professional life in Primary education, she is currently Deputy Head teacher at a large primary school in Sutton and loves the challenge and variety in her role.

Since joining the Governing Body of Danetree in 2019, she has been inspired by the Outstanding behaviour and provision and the aspirations that staff have for every single child. She is looking forward to being involved as Danetree expands. Her professional interests are Safeguarding and Assessment and she is the school's SSB link for mental health and wellbeing. In her spare time, you will often find her at Hobbledown with her daughter or walking in Horton Country park and splashing in the puddles.

Mr Andrew Reid (Community SSB Member)

Andy is a community SSB member and has a child currently attending Danetree.

Andy has worked in the youth sector for over 25 years providing support to young people across south London and Surrey. In 2020 Andy set up his own mentoring charity working with teenagers across the borough. He currently works in a number of local primary and secondary schools supporting students to improve their behaviour and mental health.

Andy has been part of the schools standards board for a number of years and continues to support the school as much as he can.

Hayley Roberts (Community SSB Member) 

Hayley is a community SSB member and used to work here at Danetree as an inclusion practitioner pioneering wellbeing in the school and achieving the School's Silver Mental Health Award.

Hayley has worked in education and youth work for over 30 years both in paid and voluntary positions. During her work with local minority groups she received the Queens Award for voluntary service, helping families access learning and education. She is a local foster carer and currently works as an apprentice social worker.

Seeing children thrive and progress is a passion of Hayley's and she is looking forward to continuing to support the leadership team and staff at Danetree in this area.

Samantha King (Community SSB Member)

Samantha is a mother of 2 children, both of whom happily attend Danetree School. She has an MA in philosophy from the University of St Andrews and currently works as the Deputy Head (Academic) at Hornsby House Prep School in Balham.

With a passion for primary education, she believes in capturing the magic and creativity in young children and inspiring them to marvel at the world around them. She knows that sparking joy at an early age is vital for academic success and that schools should strive to imbue all children with a love for learning and a desire for knowledge. 

Having lived in West Ewell for the past 10 years with her partner, children, 2 cats and many fish, she is a big supporter of the local community and avidly enjoys exploring the surrounding area. Her favourite things to do are paint, read and sample artisanal gins.

Nabih Asif (Community SSB Member)

Nabih brings extensive experience in STEM education, widening participation, and community outreach. He currently works as a Senior Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London, where he leads outreach and diversity initiatives, teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, and co-chairs the department’s Equity, Diversity and Culture Committee. He also delivers a credited module that prepares university students to inspire and teach computer science in schools.

Nabih has previously developed and led multiple outreach programmes, delivering workshops, residential events, and mentoring schemes that have reached thousands of young people across the UK. He is passionate about supporting underrepresented students, having developed targeted initiatives for students from widening participation backgrounds, and regularly provides pastoral and mental health support in his professional roles.

He is particularly interested in safeguarding, inclusive education, and building strong relationships between schools and the wider community. In his spare time, Nabih enjoys visiting local parks with his nephews and finding new ways to make STEM fun and accessible for all.

Farzana (Parent SSB Member)

Ms Farzana McLaren has recently joined the governing body of Danetree School as a parent governor. She currently has a daughter at Danetree who has been there since the age of 5. She has a law degree and trained as a barrister.

She became a governor to give back to the school community that has supported her own child so brilliantly. She is particularly passionate about supporting the school’s mental health initiatives given her own experience with children with autism. Outside of work and governance, she is engaged in family time, playing sports with her daughter and travelling.