Meet the Executive Headteacher

I am the Executive Headteacher of The BJS Federation of Schools in Lambeth, comprising Bonneville, Jessop and Stockwell Primary Schools. With more than 20 years working in Lambeth education, I have built a strong track record of securing sustainable school improvement, developing leaders and improving outcomes for children across individual schools and the wider borough.

I began my teaching career in Lambeth and progressed through school leadership, serving as Deputy Headteacher for four years before becoming Headteacher of Bonneville Primary School in 2014. I subsequently became Executive Headteacher across three schools and hold the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL).

Under my leadership, the BJS Federation has developed into a highly successful model of collaborative school improvement. I led the development of the Federation through careful change management, bringing three distinct school communities together while protecting the individual identity and strengths of each school. My distributive leadership approach focuses on developing people, creating leadership capacity and establishing systems through which excellent practice can be shared rapidly across schools.

I have demonstrated particular expertise in school turnaround and sustained improvement. I assumed leadership responsibility for Stockwell Primary following significant concerns about the quality of provision and subsequently led improvements across leadership, teaching, curriculum, pupil outcomes and relationships with families. Stockwell was judged Good in all areas in 2022 and has since secured exceptionally strong pupil outcomes. Jessop and Bonneville subsequently achieved Outstanding Ofsted judgements, reflecting the sustained strength of educational provision across the Federation.

Alongside educational improvement, I have significant experience of strategic organisational and financial leadership. I have led financial recovery planning, strengthened financial controls, centralised functions to improve efficiency and expertise, and used the scale of the Federation to secure better value for money. My approach combines high educational ambition with a clear understanding that strong governance, sustainable finances and effective operational systems are essential to securing long-term school improvement.

My impact extends beyond my own schools. Between 2023 and 2024, I worked as Co-Director of Education and Learning for Lambeth Council, contributing to school improvement across the borough. My work included supporting school leaders, strengthening preparation for inspection and contributing to improved outcomes for schools facing significant challenges.

I have also held significant system leadership responsibilities through the Lambeth Schools Partnership, serving as Chair from 2019 to 2023 and continuing to contribute to its strategic leadership, currently as Vice Chair. I have established strong professional relationships across primary and secondary education and regularly support and develop leaders beyond my own Federation.

A central feature of my leadership is my commitment to equity and excellence in education. I lead Lambeth’s borough-wide Raising the Game: Achievement of Black Caribbean Pupils programme, focused on improving outcomes, strengthening representation within the curriculum, improving relationships with families and addressing disproportionality. I established the Racial Justice Champion role across Lambeth schools and developed networks, professional development and accountability structures to embed this work across the borough.

I subsequently established a Pan-London working group, bringing together education leaders from several London boroughs and leading a Pan-London conference that engaged representatives from across the capital. I have presented this work to a wide range of audiences and stakeholders, contributing to wider discussions about educational equity, curriculum, leadership and systemic improvement.

My philosophy is that no school and no child should be left behind. I believe excellent outcomes are secured through high expectations, exceptional teaching, strong inclusion, rigorous use of evidence and data, investment in professional development and meaningful partnerships with parents and communities.

I have also contributed to national education initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was selected as one of the voices and faces of the Department for Education’s return-to-school campaign, contributing to national and international media coverage and communicating directly with families about children’s safe return to education.

More recently, I have continued to share my school improvement expertise with the wider sector, including delivering “Outstanding Against the Odds” to more than 100 senior leaders, focusing on the leadership, culture and systems required to secure and sustain significant school improvement.

Throughout my career, I have combined the leadership of highly successful schools with a commitment to improving education beyond them. My leadership is characterised by high expectations, distributive leadership, organisational resilience and educational equity, alongside a strong belief in developing sustainable leadership capacity so that improvement is embedded for the long term.

 

Ms Andrea Parker