Anna Hassan

1963: Trains at Coloma College, West Wickham, Kent (a Catholic teacher training school) 1967: Starts teaching at St Joseph's Primary School in Southwark, London 1979: Works in schools throughout Hackney after taking a break to raise her son 1983: Appointed deputy head at Grasmere School, Hackney; later named headteacher 1993: Invited to take charge of Millfields 2009: Retires from Millfields and takes up consultancy ==Millfields==

Hassan was credited with turning the Millfields Community School, one of London's worst-performing schools, around academically, although it took a dozen years. ==Biography==

Anna Patricia Lucy Fusco was born and raised in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland, by Italian parents, where she initially went into the family business managing a small chain of ice-cream parlours, then soon after took up her calling as a teacher. A Roman Catholic, she is married to Nevzat Hassan, a Turkish Cypriot Muslim, and has been since 1971; they have one son, Dogan (born 1972, London). ==Honours==

In 2005, Hassan received an honorary fellowship from the University of Gloucestershire. The following year, in 2006, for her service to education, Hassan was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. ==External links==