Hi, my name is Nicola. It’s my turn to share a little bit about myself for those who don t know me.

 

I joined the governing body in October last year, and am also a member of the Buildings, Finance and Resources Committee. Originally Canterbury born and bred, I currently live in Faversham, though I spend as much of my leisure time as possible enjoying the local countryside. I have a daughter, Grace, in Year 1, and a son, Joe, who will hopefully be joining the school in September.

 

I work full time as a Production Manager at Shepherd Neame Brewery. I joined the brewery fresh out of university as a newly qualified Engineer and have now been there for over 15 years, working across Engineering, Packaging and Brewing during that time. Whilst there, through continuous development and more studying I have learnt various skills I hope to bring to the governing body, including process management. I was very keen to put these skills to use at the school, with the obvious motivation of wanting my children and their peers to achieve the best they can, and of course with a smiles on their faces!

 

My family love to be outdoors. We have horses which we keep nearby. I am now just a happy hacker as my daughter seems to get to ride more than I do, and enjoys going to shows when the weather is a bit nicer than it has been! I love nothing more than a quiet ride out down the lanes and a gallop across the fields with friends at the weekend or on a nice summer evening. I also enjoy gardening and have an allotment. We love harvesting our own produce through as much of the year as possible, and of course eating it all. We love to try eating new things, especially when we’ve grown it all ourselves. After taking part in the Muddy Race for Life last year, along with some Eastling Mum friends, I got the running bug. I have recently been signed up for the Whitstable Bay 10k Shepherd Neame team, and am also in training for my first half marathon in June. I work out by getting to the gym 2-3 times a week, or running outside as long as it’s not raining!

 

The last academic year saw a period of transition for the school, and was a very busy time for Mrs Dale who I believe has put the school in an excellent position to move forward. It is critical that we have a strong governing body with a range of skills in order to continue to challenge, and importantly support Mrs Dale; the governing body itself also saw changes last year, and now has a broad skills set to do this. The hard work behind the scenes last year is, and indeed the on-going hard work, is evident to all, simply through the vibrant feeling in the playground, and the inviting, fun, learning atmosphere that awaits our children in the classroom. Staff across the school are working as a team and are full of enthusiasm which filters down to our children. This spirit and team work in the children indeed hasn’t gone unnoticed by others either, with lovely feedback about our children just last week after their visit to another school to take part in a net ball match. I look forward to my future on the governing body, and seeing the school and its cohort develop.

 

I would like to take the opportunity to express my thanks to “The Friends of Eastling School”, or “FOES” as we more commonly know them. From the Summer Fete to Christmas Craft afternoons, the numerous events organised by this dedicated team raises valuable funds for the school which go straight back into the school extra activities and resources to the children. The children don’t get to have all the fun! Parents and staff had a brilliant evening at the Burns Night Quiz last month. It was a lovely opportunity to catch up with parents properly instead of a quick wave on the school run, with a bit of wine thrown in of course. I highly recommend taking part in as many of the fun FOES events as possible!

 

I hope you have a lovely half-term, whether you are going away, or simply enjoying a week off from the school run! See you all next term.

 

Nicola Allen.

Eastling School Parent Governor.