Local Governing Body

Hello, my name is Miss Emma Stanley and I have been a primary school teacher since 2012. I started working at Gooderstone C of E Primary Academy since 2017 and have taught Years 3-6. I am a part of the Senior Leadership Team and, as a part of this, I work across both Mundford and Gooderstone. I am also the English Subject Lead across the Federation as well as being a staff governor. My favourite aspect of the Federation is how we encourage enquiry. I studied Philosophy and Psychology at university and have brought this into teaching through Philosophy for Children and by supporting the work which we have done about mindset, how the brain develops and how it is best to learn. I love how the schools both encourage the children to be inquisitive and to develop a love of learning.

The best part of my day is working with the children. I love watching them learn new skills and get enthusiastic about the topics which we get to learn about. Additionally, I love it when they use everything they have learnt about mindset and meta-cognition: they will tell each other (and me) that practice makes progress, that they get to do things and that they may not know something yet. As a member of staff in the federation, I feel incredibly valued. The environment of both schools is very welcoming and I know that, alongside the children having a strong voice which is listened to, as staff our opinions are also valued. The mental wellbeing of staff is prioritised and we are an excellent team. I love that we also have a focus on our ‘Leafy Learners’ sessions where we get to learn in our beautiful surroundings. The time outside is invaluable for all of our mental wellbeing and is a fantastic way for the children to learn.

The federation’s values of kindness, respect and honesty are at the heart of all that we do and I am very proud to be a part of that, taking my role as teacher very seriously- not only is the content of the lessons I teach important, taking the whole child into account is crucial.

Outside of school, I have many things which I enjoy doing. I love taking my son to local farms and other places outdoors (we really love visiting local woodlands and finding creatures and puddles to jump in!). I also love reading and playing music. I have played the ukulele for over 10 years after learning with my first ever class. In the last year I have started to learn the guitar and piano.