First Parent Promoter School chooses Head

The Elmgreen School, the first in the country to be created in partnership with parents, has appointed its headteacher. The school will open in September 2007 in West Norwood in Lambeth.

The Elmgreen Temporary Governing body has appointed Asma Holmes-Mansuri, the current Deputy Principal at the local Dunraven School in Streatham.

Her brief is to create an innovative and creative non-selective school for local children and she is relishing the challenge.

Lambeth Council responded to a need for new secondary places and invited parents to work with them to create the new school in 2003. There are now 250 parents, with a core group of 20, working with Lambeth to design the new school and to ensure that it delivers an education fit for their own and their neighbours’ children.

Lambeth's Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services said "We wish Asma the greatest of success in what will be a new and exciting challenge, as the first head teacher of the new school. I am pleased that Lambeth will house the first parent promoter school and we are fully confident that Asma’s skills and experience will make it a success."

Councillor Anthony Bottrall, Lambeth executive member for education, welcomed the appointment. "With such outstanding leadership and the such dedication and involvement from the parents and the council, the new school has got off to a flying start," he stated. "This new addition to Lambeth’s education family will help boost our commitment to seeing all our children achieve and thrive."

Asma Holmes-Mansuri said, "it is a privilege to be offered the opportunity to work closely with parents, governors and other local partners to create a highly successful community school."

Chair of the Temporary Governors and Chair of the Parent Promoters Foundation Sandy Nuttgens declared "we are delighted that Asma has agreed to become our headteacher. Her energy, breadth of knowledge, vision and humanity convince us that we have made an excellent choice for this first ever parent promoted school.

"We are very much looking forward to working in partnership with Asma on this truly exciting project."

The new co-educational secondary school will open in a Victorian built school at Gipsy Road , West Norwood, for the first two years, while its new £25million school, funded by the DfES Building Schools for the Future Money, is built.

The school will be permanently sited at Elmcourt Road. It is being set up by the Parent Promoters Foundation and Lambeth Local Authority under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

For further information, contact Lambeth Communications on the number above or ring the Parent Promoters Foundation on 020 8766 6916.