My wife and I have lived in the Tilehurst area for the past 5 years and our daughter has been in Waterside at Norcot EYC since she turned one. I work as a civil servant at the Department for Education and spent several years working on early education policy. This convinced me of how important high quality early learning is. I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to support the excellent work done at Norcot as a Governor since December 2012. Since September 2015, I've been Chair of Governors.
Hi. Tom Steele is my name. Married to Patricia for over 50 years and have lived in Tilehurst for over 30 years. Also lived and worked in Belfast Aberdeen and London. We have two sons and four grandchildren - aged 21,19,9 and 6. Their education and development has always been extremely important to me. As a Councillor for this area from May 2007 to April 2011 and having been re-elected a Councillor in May 2015 I have supported the excellent work carried out by the Centre. It is rewarding to be involved.
As a parent of a child at Norcot Early Years Centre, I am interested in contributing to the Centre as a parent governor. I am a social worker specialising in childrens' services and I am passionate about children having experiences that enable them to explore their potential. Although relatively new to Reading, I want the be part of the local community and support it where I can.
My daughter attends Waterside and, having children’s best interests at heart, I wanted to express this productively and so I put myself forward to be a parent governor.
I would like to act as a friend to the Centre, challenging it and offering my viewpoint where I see necessary but always supporting the governing body and staff at Norcot. I think this is also a rare opportunity to contribute towards her own learning and educational experiences.
As a team leader in the Centre I strive to learn more about Norcot and want to have an input in how the Centre can develop, grow and learn. I also would love the experience of being a governor so I can, in the future, further my career in management.
I feel that by joining the governing body I will have a better awareness of the way the nursery is running including plans to adapt the nursery according to need. I am looking forward to sharing my opinion and knowledge with the board from a staff perspective.
Hannah Blanchard - Staff Governor
I have worked in Norcot Early Years Centre for over 5 years and have worked across the Centre. I started as an Early Years Practitioner and I have progressed to be a full-time Team Leader. I applied to be a governor as I would like to be more involved in the Centre and to gain a better understanding of the management structure.