Our Staff
Heads of school
Niall Hand - Headteacher
Vivien Nicholls - Head of school & Safeguarding Deputy
Jennifer Hone - Head of School
Antony Donohue - Assistant Head & Safeguarding Lead
Jill Palliser - Assistant Head
Our Early Years Team
Toy Mitchell - Duckling Class Teacher & Reading/Phonics Coordinator
After studying Humanities at the University of Greenwich, Victoria finally found her calling after a variety of jobs and completed her PGCE also at the University of Greenwich. She spent most of her career in Early Years in the borough of Bexley where she was also an Early Years Moderator and moved to Lewisham in 2017.
Nicky Collins - Duckling Nursery Nurse
Nicky knew from an early age she wanted to work with children and is passionate about early years. So after gaining her Diploma in Nursery Nursing and qualifying as an NNEB she worked firstly as a private Nanny and then specialised in working one to one with a boy with severe physical difficulties in a Nursery School in Lewisham. Nicky then settled into a large Nursery attached to one of the biggest schools in Bexley Borough as a class-based Nursery Nurse and spent a considerable part of her career there. In September 2018 she joined the Prendergast Primary team as an EYFS Practitioner in one of the Reception Classes. Nicky's hobbies include walking in the local parks and countryside with her dog or sitting at her sewing machine creating unusual gifts for friends and family.
Tom Musgrove - Duckling 1:1
Anna Lesicka - Early Years Coordinator & Cygnet Class Teacher
Sinead Aaron-Lewis - Early years practitioner
Aitor Amores - Cygnet 1:1
Our Key Stage One Team
Year 1 Team -
Rosie White - Bluebird Class Teacher
Rosie grew up in South East London but moved to Devon when she was 18 to study Drama at Exeter University, after this time Rosie worked with various Theatre in Education companies touring schools in South West England. Rosie spent time teaching Drama and Theatre Studies in a private boarding school in Surrey before deciding she needed some sun - travelling for 18 months, Rosie taught in various schools from India to Indonesia, finally ending up in Australia where she stayed for a year. Unfortunately, the work visa ran out and Rosie returned to the more temperate climate of Lewisham to pursue a career in teaching at Prendergast Primary. She is studying for a masters at Goldsmiths University whilst teaching in Year 1, Bluebirds class.
Sibil Bratulic - 1:1
Level 3 Early Years Educator Sibil Bratulic holds a Bsc Hons Degree in Physiotherapy and a Holistic Therapist Diploma
Lidia Aguilera - Hummingbird Class Teacher & MFL Coordinator
Back in 2016, I ended up in Mr Donohue's class as a trainee teacher. This wasn't my first time working in an educational setting but it was the first time I took over a class full of little humans. The entire experience was a fantastic learning curve!
Prendergast Ladywell was very different from other settings I worked in. Children were happy, relationships with parents strong and the camaraderie among the staff great! So when I found out there were a couple of vacancies I didn't doubt it. I knew I wanted to be part of this big family and that they will support me in my career.
Assunta Bongiovanni - Hummingbird Class Teacher
After graduating in English Language and Literature in Naples and obtaining her teacher qualification, Assunta moved to London. She has been working in Education for 10 years, most of which as a supply teacher. Working in different schools and across the key stages has given Assunta a breadth of experience across different teaching styles and curriculum approaches. When not teaching in school, Assunta is leading the Confirmation group and is a member of the youth group and children’s liturgy group in her local parish.
Year 2 Team -
Monique Lue-Kong - Flamingo Class Teacher & PSHE Coordinator
Laura Scanlon - Flamingo Support Assistant
Donovan Walker - Nightingale Class Teacher
Ibrahim Hamzat - Nightgale Support Assitant & PE Coach
Our Key Stage Two Team
Year 3 Team -
Aaron Thompson - Penguin Class Teacher
Nadine Nelson - Robin Class Teacher & Healthy School/DT Coordinator
Sharon Shrubsall - Robin Class Teacher & Healthy School/DT Coordinator
Sharon grew up in Brockley and gravitated back to the area. She enjoys a riveting read, going to the theatre, cycling, yoga and is an enthusiastic tennis player.
Recently Sharon has taken up running (slowly) although she finds it a struggle to keep up with her speedy husband and her lightning-fast son.
Nargis Ulus - Year 3 Support Assistant
Year 4 Team -
Emma Webster - Goldfinch Class Teacher, Phase Leader & Curriculum Coordinator
Miss Webster is obsessed with all things creative! From humble beginnings gracing dance stages across Europe, nearly Dr Webster now inspires young minds and looks for lost jumpers. She is hugely passionate about the development of our uniquely creative curriculum, travelling as far as Nepal for inspiration. When she’s not working on the curriculum, she’s probably working on the curriculum, or doing ballet, or reading about the curriculum.
Hanna Tilley - Dove Class Teacher
Kirstie Fogarty - Year 4 Learning Support Assistant
Aga Washington - Class Cover
I've been working at Prendergast Primary School since it opened in 2014. Prior to that, I was a full-time mum. I currently study Childhood Studies with Special Educational Needs at Canterbury Christ Church University and I love it as it focuses on the subjects I am really passionate about. In my spare time, I like to spend time with my family, read with my son and cook.
Year 5 Team -
Nick Watson - Eagle Class Teacher
Gainsborough born; Mr Watson spent a happy childhood in sniffing distance of the Cadbury's factory in Birmingham before moving to Nottingham. Despite studying to be a land surveyor, he ended up working in American comics. Before you ask, his artistic skills are closer to drawing spidergrams than Spiderman. He then followed his mother's footsteps into teaching where he particularly enjoys English, Art and, naturally, PE. His latest challenge is to combine all three subjects into one lesson!
Outside of school, Mr Watson can be found Dad-dancing to obscure music, unflatteringly squeezed into cycling gear or dragging his weary frame across a muddy football pitch (not at the same time, obvs.). He also has a passion for disco lights, to which anyone who attended the school discos and productions, will attest.
Luke Hays - Falcon Class Teacher
Emma Bushnell - Year 5 Learning Support Assistant
Kasia Borasinski - 1:1
Our Senior Leadership Team
Vivien Nicholls - Head of school & Safeguarding Deputy
Having been born and bred just over the hill from Ladywell in East Dulwich, Viv is very much a local girl with a commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of children in South-East London. Viv’s own primary school years were spent in the relaxed atmosphere of the seventies pre-national curriculum. Enthusiastic teachers, with practise steeped in creativity, left Viv having happy memories of flared trousers, flower power shirts and a clear vision of the type of education she wanted to provide for children. Viv loves teaching, travel and telling people what to do (in a good way). In her pre-motherhood career, Viv worked for American Express as a sales executive and enjoyed travelling all over the world trying out and reviewing hotels and airlines for customers. A fabulous job, but nothing compared to the fulfilment of teaching in Lewisham (seriously!). She loves building teams, networking and talent spotting. Having been teaching in Lewisham for over 15 years she is always striving to find the next challenge and opportunities for pupils, staff and herself - definitely a bigger picture person delegating the details to her long-suffering, amazing team of staff who always come up trumps. Staff often hide or groan when they hear her dreaded words ‘I’ve had an idea....’. In her spare time, Viv loves walking, cinema, skiing and above all being with her family and two border terriers (Oscar and Chester) who still keep her very busy outside of school.
Jennifer Hone - Head of School (Friday)
Jen’s passion for education stems from the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their potential. After studying history at the University of Manchester, and a PGCE at the University of Roehampton, she started her teaching career in Surrey. More recently Jen spent eight years working in Greenwich, before joining the Prendergast Primary team every Friday.
Jen spends the rest of the week running around after two young children, and in the (little!) spare time she gets is studying for a Masters and enjoys relaxing with a good book or by practising yoga.
Tony Donohue - Assistant Head Teacher, Head Safeguarding Officer & Key Stage One Phase Leader
Jill Palliser - Assistant Head Teacher, Teaching and Learning Coordinator & Key stage Two Phase Leader
You may well hear Jill before you see her; she’s an avid singer and musician and if she’s not singing opera in her office, or playing a Kylie medley on the trumpet, she’s likely to be humming in the corridors!
Growing up in Sheffield made Jill appreciate diverse, city life and, as such, she’s been enjoying living in London for 12 years. Alongside gigs and galleries, Jill appreciates some of life’s simple pleasures: the reward of a hard day’s work; a smashing brass band; and hot chips with gravy (veggie, of course).
Raj Blanchard - SENDCO & Inclusion Coordinator
Providing SEND support and leading on inclusion is at the heart of Raj Blanchard’s philosophy. Working on ones's strengths and moving forward with small but manageable steps is how Raj believes we can all make progress within ourselves, no matter what age or stage. Raj has been serving local primary schools as an inspiring class teacher and subject leader for well over a decade. When she isn’t teaching or holding informal meetings with parents and carers, you might spot Raj in the playground supporting children with their play/lunchtime enrichment activities. In her spare time, Raj likes to dance around her kitchen to old school hip-hop and funk whilst cooking up a culinary storm.
Our Office Team
Pauline Wyke - Administrator
Lucy Priest - Receptionist
Lucy grew up in Brisbane, Australia. When she wasn’t at school she was either at home with family or at the ice rink training with her team. When she completed school with no idea what she wanted to do with her life she found herself a job and continued with her Ice Skating career. In 2009 she came to England with her team and represented her home country in the synchronized junior world’s ice skating championships. From then she knew she wanted to travel the world for as long as she could. She started her journey in 2014 and decided to move her life to Canada for two years. After two years in the snowy slopes, it was time to go home and start thinking about slowing life and travel down, however in March 2018 she picked her life up once again and moved here to the UK. Since then she has made an exciting new life for herself and is thriving in London.
Our Lunch Time supervisors
Tania Maiarovska - Lunch time supervisor
Sibil Bratulic - Lunch time supervisor
Our PE Department
Nicolas Watson - PE Coordinator
Gracie Honey - Apprentice PE Coach
Harry Barnes - Apprentice PE Coach
Ibrahim Hamzat - PE Coach