McGinley Supports St John's C of E Primary School

McGinley Support Services is proud to be supporting our local community. Our Head Office neighbours, St John's C of E Primary School asked us if we would be interested in helping them by creating their first maths lending library which will extend the maths and STEM skills of its students. By investing in our young people and enabling them to have access to vital skill resources, we are creating a better future for the school and its pupils.

Background

St John's C of E Primary School opened its doors in September 2016 as Watford’s newest primary school and the first Church of England school in town. The school's journey began in 2013 when Rev’d David Stevenson, Vicar of St John’s Church in Sutton Road listened to local families within the parish who were requesting a Church of England school and therefore greater choice for local school provision. Father David approached the Diocesan Director of Education for the St Albans Diocese, to ask if creating a Church of England Primary School would be possible. The answer was a firm yes and the first spark of St John’s Primary School was ignited.

A working team was built from the Church and the Diocese and in 2014 after a lot of paperwork and redrafting the school application was made to the DfE. The team were called for an interview where they were successful and the project moved into the pre-opening phase.

As the journey continued the steering group was formed, a Chair of Governors was elected and  Headteacher Helen Langeveld and further staff recruited. On April 29th 2016 a Funding Agreement was signed by the Secretary of State and the school became a firm reality. 

It all started with a cupcake...

In early 2017 staff and parents from St John's C of E Primary School visited McGinley Head Offices with cupcakes, promoting their presence in the local community. Realising there was an opportunity to work together and make a difference, Business Support Director Sean McGinley agreed to support the school by funding their first Maths Library.   Speaking about the partnership, Sean commented that “helping St Johns start its Maths Library, meeting with Headteacher Helen Langeveld and having the chance to see how she and the team are making a real difference to young children in the town has been a great pleasure. The future plans for the school sound very exciting and we wish St Johns every success over the coming years.”

Headteacher Helen Langeveld added, “We are so happy that we went to sell cakes to our lovely neighbours and made friends with McGinley. In such a short time their support has already enabled our school to provide further learning opportunities for our children We are now able to start our maths library where every child will take home a maths game and receive a new one every week. This will enhance maths and social skills as well as embedding knowledge in a fun way. We are truly grateful for such a fab resource.”

For more details on this partnership or to find out more about the McGinley in the Community scheme, please contact Rebecca Wishart on 01923 696 764 or email rebecca.wishart@mcginley.co.uk