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The PrincipalMiss Emma Gowers GTCL (Hons) Emma opened The Gower School in 2000 to meet the need for a new nursery and school in Islington, providing high quality education locally. She has put a particularly strong focus on encouraging young people to develop themselves, including through music and the arts. From September 2000 when the school opened with four children aged under three, the school currently has 108 children on roll, ranging from 3 months up to 7 years. From September 2007 The Gower School is expanding further to offer education to children up to the age of eleven, in a newly-refurbished building at its new Barnsbury site. The school is popular with parents, and is well regarded by OfSTED and other educational and nursery school inspectors. |
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As well as providing high quality education, The Gower School prides itself on its open, friendly, approach, and works hard to engage parents fully in the life of the school. In addition to nursery care and education, from a young age children also take part in a wide range of extra activities, from swimming, to French lessons to music. Emma is particularly proud of its experienced and stable team of 40 staff, who are well qualified, loyal and committed. Emma is a graduate of Trinity College of Music in London, where she studied the oboe and piano. She attended Castle Manor school in Suffolk and is educated to A-level in Music, History and English Literature. She is an experienced musical performer, and has performed widely as a soloist, in chamber groups and in orchestras in this country, elsewhere in Europe and in the Middle East. |
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She holds a teaching diploma from Trinity, and as well as extensively teaching music privately, has also taught in several prep schools in London, latterly as Director of Music. For several years she also set up and ran Musical Arrangements, an organisation which supplied professional musicians for performance and teaching. In 2000 Emma was invited to join Islington’s Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP), created by the Government to expand the childcare and nursery provision in the borough. She was elected its Chair in 2002, and served as Chair until 2006, during which time it massively expanded the availability of childcare in Islington, at all levels. She runs a network for independent early years nursery providers in Islington which she set up in 2001. Emma has always been an active member of her community, since starting to contribute regularly to the Haverhill Echo from the age of 14. She is a member of Islington Chamber of Commerce, was Chairman of the Business Committee of the Islington Festival, and was an active member of Islington’s Conservation Advisory Committee. Emma served three years as a local councillor, representing Barnsbury, following an overwhelming victory in a local by-election. As a councillor she chaired Islington Council's West Area Committee, responsible for local issues in the Barnsbury, Upper Street, Caledonian Road and Holloway areas. She also put into practice her strong interest in local planning issues, chairing discussions and decisions on a number of crucial high-profile major local development applications. She was Islington Council's Champion for the Historic Built Environment, served on the Council's Performance Review committee and the Islington Schools Forum and the Islington Education Partnership. |
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