Surrey


<p><em>Nicole Janssen has been leading Parkside School since August 2018. Known for her warm, approachable manner, she brings a genuine passion for the school, its community and the children in her care. With an open-door policy for both pupils and parents, Nicole fosters a supportive and inclusive environment, and takes great pride in helping to nurture well-mannered, respectful and compassionate young people. </em></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/Parkside-School-April2026-736.jpg" alt="Pupils at Parkside School in Cobham, Surrey with head teacher Nicole Janssen." class="wp-image-65639" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/Parkside-School-April2026-736.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/Parkside-School-April2026-736-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/Parkside-School-April2026-736-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/Parkside-School-April2026-736-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/Parkside-School-April2026-736-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-the-top-3-things-to-tackle-in-your-inbox-nbsp"><em>What are the top 3 things to tackle in your inbox?&nbsp;</em></h3>



<p>Keeping on top of parent communications, because that really does matter. And also making sure I&#8217;m fully communicating with staff, so they&#8217;ve got my time too.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-30-second-elevator-pitch-for-your-school-sell-it-nbsp"><em>30 second elevator pitch for your school – sell it!&nbsp;</em></h3>



<p>Parkside School is a place where childhood is cherished and celebrated. Children are happy, and they understand how to be really well-rounded, polite individuals that approach life with zest.  I would really like all of the children who leave here to understand how to make the most out of life by learning to be ambitious for themselves.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-would-you-like-to-star-as-nicole-janssen-in-the-movie-of-your-life-nbsp"><em>Who would you like to star as Nicole Janssen in the movie of your life?&nbsp;</em></h3>



<p>I think I&#8217;d probably choose someone like Sandra Bullock because she&#8217;s quite goofy, she&#8217;s quite funny and she doesn&#8217;t take herself too seriously. But she can also boss it &#8211; she&#8217;s got good girl attitude. I feel that&#8217;s who I am &#8211; a woman who&#8217;s quite strong underneath it all. But people matter to me, and I get that sense from her as well. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-ve-been-given-a-1m-donation-for-the-school-what-will-you-spend-it-on-nbsp"><em>You’ve been given a £1m donation for the school, what will you spend it on?&nbsp;</em></h3>



<p>There are two projects. One is dining facilities, because we&#8217;re growing as a school and this would be fabulous. In my ideal world, they would be in a beautiful orangery with lots of lovely plants. The more Parkside feels like home for the children, the better. The other project is to update and remodel the Sports Hall, because sports are really important in everyday life.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-your-own-childhood-school-days"><em>Describe your own childhood school days</em>.</h3>



<p>Oh, I loved them. They were so natural, wholesome and outdoorsy. In fact, I&#8217;m probably just reenacting all of my own childhood memories here. We were outside at lot of the time, and we did things like learning to cook, and playing boardgames. I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents, which I think is a very special relationship for most children. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-was-the-common-theme-of-your-school-reports-nbsp"><em>What was the common theme of your school reports?&nbsp;</em></h3>



<p>When I was younger, probably up until 11 or 12 I was hard-working, quiet and studious. But then when I hit 13 I got bored, and from then it was pretty much the opposite. So I swung from being this perfect angel to a teenager who just did the bare minimum. Although I was also quite competitive in areas that I wanted to do well in like music and sport. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-and-worst-subject-at-school-nbsp"><em>Best and worst subject at school?&nbsp;</em></h3>



<p>My best subjects were definitely music and sport. </p>



<p>In secondary school my worst subject was maths, which is funny given I now teach maths. But it shows that a good teacher can make or break your love of learning. I had a terrible maths teacher, who shut me off completely.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-did-you-go-to-uni-and-what-did-you-study"><em>Where did you go to uni and what did you study?</em></h3>



<p>I went to Kingston Uni because it had music: music composition as well as musical performance and I wanted to do both. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-were-your-highs-and-lows-of-student-life"><em>What were your highs and lows of student life?</em></h3>



<p>The high was very much my journey of self discovery &#8230; learning who I was, and becoming the person I wanted to be &#8211; just stepping out of my shell really. </p>



<p>And the low was the weeks of eating baked beans on toast. I&#8217;m not actually kidding. I can&#8217;t eat baked beans now &#8211; I&#8217;ve been traumatised by the beans! </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-weren-t-a-head-what-would-you-be"><em>If you weren’t a head, what would you be?</em></h3>



<p>A lawyer. I have that sort of analytical brain, and I fancy myself as a modern-day Miss Marple.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-what-s-on-your-work-desk"><em>Describe what’s on your work desk…</em></h3>



<p>A bottle of water is a staple, and I&#8217;ve got files that are organised into piles for today and tomorrow. And Post-it notes galore. I live by lists &#8211; ideally coded by colour.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-what-s-in-the-top-drawer"><em>And what’s in the top drawer?</em></h3>



<p>Chocolate. Not necessarily for me. My staff know where it is&#8230; so it does deplete sometimes! But it&#8217;s actually more for the children when they come in and show me a great piece of work, I&#8217;ll treat them to chocolate.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-your-favourite-books-in-childhood-uni-and-now"><em>Tell us your favourite books – in childhood, uni and now.</em></h3>



<p>In childhood it was <em>Little Women</em> or <em>Oliver Twist</em> &#8211; I couldn&#8217;t pick between the two.</p>



<p>Then at uni it was <em>Pride and Prejudice</em> by Jane Austen. I love the classics, and I still revisit the classics every three books or so. I just love the language. </p>



<p>And now, it would be <em>The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse</em> by Charlie Mackesy. It&#8217;s a great book to use just to reflect.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-the-best-school-trip-childhood-or-current-you-ve-ever-been-on-nbsp"><em>What’s the best school trip (childhood or current) you’ve ever been on?&nbsp;</em></h3>



<p>I reckon most people would expect me to say the cricket tour to the Caribbean &#8211; and that trip is particularly lovely because the boys are in Years 7 and 8 and you get to spend nine days with them 24/7 so you really do get to see them shine. But I think my absolute favourite is the Year 6 trip to France and Belgium. We went to Ypres &#8211; and you really get a sense of what it was like during the war. It was hugely impactful.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1250" height="1593" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/book-charlie-mackesy-the-boy-the-mole-the-fox-and-the-horse-16.jpg" alt="Charlie Mackesy - The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse." class="wp-image-64658" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/book-charlie-mackesy-the-boy-the-mole-the-fox-and-the-horse-16.jpg 1250w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/book-charlie-mackesy-the-boy-the-mole-the-fox-and-the-horse-16-628x800.jpg 628w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/book-charlie-mackesy-the-boy-the-mole-the-fox-and-the-horse-16-785x1000.jpg 785w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/book-charlie-mackesy-the-boy-the-mole-the-fox-and-the-horse-16-314x400.jpg 314w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/book-charlie-mackesy-the-boy-the-mole-the-fox-and-the-horse-16-768x979.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2026/03/book-charlie-mackesy-the-boy-the-mole-the-fox-and-the-horse-16-1205x1536.jpg 1205w" sizes="(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-play-book-and-film-should-be-on-every-child-s-cultural-bucket-list"><em>What play, book and film should be on every child’s cultural bucket list?</em></h3>



<p>For play I&#8217;d say <em>The Railway Children</em> – the one that takes place inside an actual railway station</p>



<p><em>The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse</em> is a book for all ages &#8211; and hugely inspirational.</p>



<p>And for film I&#8217;d suggest &nbsp;<em>Willy Wonka &amp; the Chocolate Factory</em>&nbsp;– the 1971 original film.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-want-to-hide-from-the-kids-and-staff-for-half-an-hour-where-do-you-go-nbsp"><em>If you want to hide from the kids and staff for half an hour, where do you go? &nbsp;</em></h3>



<p>I don&#8217;t ever really want to hide from them &#8211; I don&#8217;t need to because they&#8217;re genuinely a really great bunch of people. And the children make me laugh because they&#8217;re just so innocent and happy. But if I <em>had to</em> I&#8217;d go for a wander down towards the orchard. It&#8217;s beautiful &#8211; you&#8217;ve got the formal gardens and  the outdoor classroom. It&#8217;s lovely.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-song-you-sing-at-full-volume-when-everyone-s-gone-home"><em>The song you sing at full volume when everyone’s gone home?</em></h3>



<p>I love music &#8211; and I listen to a lot of music. The song I&#8217;d sing would have to be <em>Sweet Dreams</em> by the Eurythmics.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-advice-would-you-give-to-the-younger-nicole-janssen"><em>What advice would you give to the younger Nicole Janssen?</em></h3>



<p>Don&#8217;t worry &#8211; just go for it. I grew up being a planner, being quiet, an over-thinker and a worrier&#8230; and now I don&#8217;t do that. I genuinely believe that circumstances happen for a reason. So now I don&#8217;t worry. Doors will open and I&#8217;ll find my pathway. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-and-your-current-students"><em>And your current students?</em></h3>



<p>Exactly the same. Don&#8217;t worry and don&#8217;t overthink. </p>



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<p><strong><em>Parkside School in an independent prep in Cobham for children aged 2–13. It&#8217;s co-educational in the Nursery and Pre-Prep, and following the phased introduction of girls in the Prep from 2026, the school will be full co-education by 2030. <a href="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/school-reviews/parkside-school-cobham/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read our full review here.</a></em></strong></p>



<p><em><strong>Parkside School, The Manor, Stoke D’Abernon, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 3PX. Tel: 01932 862749.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.parkside-school.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parkside-school.co.uk</a></strong></em></p>


Head’s up! Nicole Janssen, Parkside School, Cobham

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