We have a dedicated and highly experienced Board of Advisors and Directors who work closely with our school and support our growth.

Robin Broadhurst: CVO, CBE FRICS joined Jones Lang Wootton as an Investment Surveyor. He was appointed a Partner in 1973, and Chairman of Jones Lang Wootton International in 1993. From September 2000 until he retired from the firm at the end of 2003, he was the firm’s European Chairman. He specialised in real estate investment and instrumental in promoting the firm’s merger with LaSalle partners based in Chicago which was concluded to become Jones Lang LaSalle.

Alexandra Cornforth, MA (Oxon), M.Litt, rejoined the board on the 1st September and has held several Board and Trustee positions over the course of a thirty-five year career in financial services. She is currently Head of Corporate Governance for a FTSE 250 listed investment trust and is also a non executive director of an investment management company providing ethical investment solutions for charities and individuals.

Nicholas Crean: started his career with Saatchi & Saatchi before setting up Hesketh Crean Consultants, an award-winning corporate film and presentation training company. He bought the much loved chocolate brand “Prestat” over twenty years ago and has successfully grown the business into an industry leader within fine chocolate and a globally recognised brand. Nicholas is involved with a number of charities including Contact, which supports the families of disabled children.

Rajinder Funnell: BA, English Literature pursued a career in publishing with Hodder and Stoughton from 2001, later became a qualified early years practitioner and is a Montessori teacher, training at the Maria Montessori Institute in London. Since 2014, Rajinder has also been actively fundraising for the Rugby Portobello Trust (RPT) and, in 2022, became a Co- chair for one of their fundraising committees. The RPT is a children’s, youth and family support group, supporting the local community for over 135 years, and helping the youngest members build confidence, expand their horizons and realise their potential.

David Jones: MA (Cantab) DL was Chairman of NMS from 2008 to 2022. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, an Honorary High Sheriff of Greater London and a member of the Court of the Fishmongers’ Company, a City livery company. He worked for 26 years in investment management at SG Warburg and its successor firm UBS, where he was Managing Director, Head of US Equities and a global COO and for 14 at the international investment firm Oldfield Partners. Other roles have been as a Governor of Gresham’s School in Norfolk, High Sheriff of Greater London, the Council of the High Sheriffs’ Association, Trustee of National Crimebeat and Trustee of the Volunteer Police Cadets.

Deborah Livsey: LLB Hons (Exeter), CEO has had a 15 year career in finance which has taken her from London, to Hong Kong and Japan. She has been a governor responsible for safeguarding at Amesbury, a preparatory school in Hampshire since 2012 and a trustee of Send Family Link, a charity which supports children with a female family member in prison. She joined NMS in 2018 as its Chief Operating Officer and became CEO in July 2020.

Xavier Villers: MA (Oxon.), MSt, ACII (Chairman) Xavier spent his working career in the insurance industry in the City of London, specialising in the marine sector and extreme risks, as well as managing and integrating a number of different businesses. He now holds various non-executive roles in finance, charity, and education. He is a non-executive director of a multi academy trust which runs five primary schools over eight different sites in South London. He also resumed his own education, and recently completed a master‘s degree in historical studies focusing on 17th century English history.

Jonathan Cubitt: BA ACA is Bursar of Queen’s Gate School. Previous roles include Business Development Director of Charity HR and Finance Director of The Art Fund, the national art charity. Prior to that, he spent 15 years in accountancy, working for several leading accountancy firms.

Andrew Ellams: MA (Oxon) is the Deputy Head and Director of Studies at St Paul’s Girls’ School with responsibility for academic matters throughout the school. He has taught in the independent sector for over 20 years. As a PPE graduate, he is particularly interested in the association of ideas between disciplines and in opening up possibilities for pupils to find the excitement and fun in learning.

Sally Hobbs: BA (Hons), PGCE taught in the independent sector for over 30 years. Following 10 happy years at Norland Place School, she was appointed as the first headmistress of Orchard House School. She remained there for over 20 years, building up the school’s reputation for academic excellence as well as sport and music. She carried out a number of inspections as a team inspector for ISI. She was named Prep School Head of 2015 by Tatler magazine, and given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the TES. Sally is a governor at Finton House School and at King’s College Wimbledon, and remains involved with the IAPS as a mentor to newly appointed heads.

Nisha Vidani: Nisha is a parent of 2 children at maple Walk and is a successful CFO and Co-Owner of a medium sized business that exports and wholesales British and European FMCG. Nisha is a multi-award winning business executive having been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade on five occasions and featured in both the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 and International Track 200 as well as reported in JM Morgan’s Top 200 Female- Powered Businesses in both 2022 and 2023.

Justin Shaw: MA (Cantab) is a former Director and Deputy Chairman of NMS, and was the company’s Chairman from its foundation in 2004 until 2008. He was also Chairman of Civitas and remains a trustee of the independent social policy think-tank. After receiving a Senior Exhibition in Philosophy at Cambridge, he studied law and was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn. Justin is now a full-time writer. Recent novels include The Illumination of Merton Browne and Ten Weeks in Africa.

Jane Ritchie: Early Years Professional (CWDC), Cert Ed in Early Childhood Education over 40 years of experience working in Early Years Education. Jane has worked within the independent sector in advisory/management roles to nursery groups, schools, companies and individuals both in the UK and abroad. Her experience includes 9 years at the Alpha Plus Group as Director of Nurseries and Head of Early Years and owner of The Minors Nursery School, London from 1990 to August 2005.

Ben Fitzgerald-O’Connor (Parent Advisor): is the founder and director of Onega Limited, an IT services and communications business. He has been a parent at Faraday since 2013 and joined the Advisory board in 2018.

The Teaching and Learning Committee is the dynamo at the heart of Maple Walk. Its members are education specialists who oversee and drive our ambitious, knowledge-based curriculum.

Where Next?

Inspection Reports

Admissions

Visit Us

The best way to see the school in action is to book onto an open morning. These events last approximately an hour – you will have an opportunity to meet the Head and have a tour of the school led by the Year Six pupils. We look forward to welcoming you to Maple Walk soon.

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Maple Walk School

62A Crownhill Road London NW10 4EB

Tel: 020 8963 3890

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