Lower Primary
Skills for Life

I completed my PGCE in 2010 at the University of Leicester, gaining QTS at the same time. My degree is in Equine Sports Science as horses have been a passion of mine since I was nine years old. I also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Working with Children and Families: A Psychoanalytic Observational Approach in 2017. When time allows I am looking forwards to completing the Masters year of this course, but not just now, as I am enjoying learning to be a mummy to my nine-month-old son.

My main area of expertise is helping children for whom English is an additional language to learn English, particularly younger children. I have worked in many schools where the majority of children did not have English as a first language, and this taught me the value of using pictures and sign language to help children acquire new words. I honed these skills while teaching at an international school in Thailand. I have worked across the whole of the Primary age range but I have extensive experience within the early years and the foundation stage.

I am also passionate about helping children to become emotionally literate through the use of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a powerful tool in helping children (and adults) to understand, accept and manage their changing emotions.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with horses and have recently begun learning how to work with horses without using a bridle so they are free to make more of their own choices. This has been (and still is) a huge learning curve for me, but I am relishing the challenge.

Other pastimes of mine are yoga, walking, playing my flute and reading. A varied life helps to keep me feeling my best! I always think of imaginative ways to help children grasp tricky concepts and am really looking forwards to helping your child fulfil their potential.

After completing a degree in English, I went on to complete a Primary PGCE specialising in Early Years and Key Stage 1. Although I initially began my career teaching in EYFS in the Reception class, I have since had the opportunity to teach throughout the whole Primary spectrum from Nursery all the way up to Year 6 and I have also had extensive experience of working with students with a range of special educational needs and disabilities. I think that having a broad teaching experience is really valuable as I am able to fully understand progression in learning and to recognise next steps.

Most recently I have taught as a 1:1 Tutor, working predominantly with pupils who are being home educated. I have found working with individual pupils to be hugely rewarding and I love having the opportunity to help the students to improve their self-confidence, and to develop motivation and enthusiasm. I firmly believe that these are the main attributes which lead to successful independent learning.

When I am not teaching, I love spending time outdoors walking in the countryside or by the coast. I also enjoy swimming, keep fit and I love to travel when I am able to. I am also an avid reader and like nothing more than curling up with a good book – preferably with my cat on my knee!

I believe that being a teacher is a really privileged position and I feel so fortunate to have been able to have the opportunity to share my love of learning with so many pupils over my teaching career. I am absolutely delighted to be a Tutor at Wolsey Hall and I look forward to sharing my enthusiasm for learning with many students and their families and to support them on their learning journeys.

I have always been interested in how children learn. Indeed, my work experience placement at the age of 15 was spent in a Special School observing the various approaches that were used to ensure individual pupils had the very best provision. This led me to a four-year teacher training degree, graduating in 2001 with a QTS with English qualification.

Since then, I have been teaching mainly across the KS2 age range in Blackpool, Lichfield and Walsall. I played a big part in the development of PE and School Sport in Blackpool between 2002 – 2006, and then led Science, English and Maths in Lichfield, Dr Samuel Johnson’s birthplace. I love connecting with pupils and their education. In every class I have had, there are pupils who love or hate Maths or English or Science.

But there is always a way to spark their interest and to promote enthusiasm for every subject. And I take pride in enabling children to learn in their own way.

When I am not working, I love playing squash and going for a run. My Squash partner beats me regularly, but we somehow manage to have a really good battle on the court each week! I was never a runner growing up and even in my 20s, but I took it upon myself to get a bit fitter as I entered my 30s, and found myself running the London Marathon in 2017! It was the biggest challenge of my life, but the sense of satisfaction was incredible.

I am excited to be working with Wolsey Hall Oxford because of the time I will be able to spend with individual pupils, discussing and guiding their learning. I look forward to welcoming you as your Tutor, and to joining you and your child on your learning journey.

After achieving a degree in BA Combined Arts (Psychology and Sociology) at the University of Leicester in 2006, I completed my PGCE at the University of Northampton and accomplished a life long ambition, gaining QTS in 2007. Teaching has been a dream of mine ever since I used to line up my toys and take the register! Having always wanted to be a Primary school teacher, my passion and enthusiasm for the role has continued and is something I’m excited to bring to Wolsey Hall.

Throughout my career, I have taught from Years 2 – 6, which has given me a great feeling for the whole Primary learning journey. I have a particular interest in Maths and Science. Experiencing those ‘light bulb’ moments of clarity in Maths, as well as the awe and wonder of scientific discovery were the memories that I cherish the most about my own learning. Seeing similar reactions in the children I teach brings me such joy!

I have taught in two Primary schools in Buckinghamshire, been a Subject Leader for Science, and have run After School Science clubs in order to extend children’s knowledge and curiosity for the subject. Teaching Maths is a strength and I’ve always enjoyed helping children learn and apply different problem-solving techniques.

Writing stories and humorous poems has always been a passion, along with a great love of baking, cooking, and making things for family and friends. The rest of my out-of-school time is dedicated to entertaining and being with my two children.

I began my career as a nursery nurse, working with children from birth to five in Foundation Stage settings, including as a pre-school manager. I thrived in creating a stimulating learning environment for children in which they could become active and curious learners. My experience as a nursery nurse highlighted the importance of laying strong foundations in the early years.

Whilst working as a nursery nurse, I studied with the Open University to complete my BA in English Literature and then completed the Graduate Teacher Training Programme with the Shire Foundation in Luton, gaining QTS in 2011.

As a trained teacher, I have taught in a range of Primary schools gaining a wealth of experience teaching in Early Years, Key Stage 1 and 2. I have found teaching such a rewarding career, and I am delighted to be a Tutor at Wolsey Hall. I’m passionate about teaching children to develop a love of learning and help inspire them to become lifelong learners.

I encourage all children to be resilient, independent learners and teach them how they can reflect on their learning in order to improve further.

I enjoy teaching all subjects, in particular, reading and writing. I love how reading can spark children’s imaginations and transport them to different worlds. Enriching children with the power of language and exploring the meanings of new vocabulary, enables their creative ideas to flow.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading a range of novels, experimenting with baking unusual recipes and participating in my Latin dance classes. Most of my time is spent being Mum to my three very energetic children and participating in their fun, imaginative and very messy adventures!

I have been a Primary School teacher for fourteen years. I enjoy inspiring children to learn through active learning and believe enjoyment should be the centre of everything. If a child is happy and enthused in what they are doing, they will want to learn. I am particularly fond of a memory when my class found a hidden den with a mystery inhabitant in the wildlife garden. This led to a creative curriculum that the children found motivating.

In my teacher training, I chose numeracy as my specialism, as I find it fulfilling to help pupils with their misconceptions and build links between concepts. For the last two years, I have held a Maths club, where the children enjoy mathematical challenges through games and puzzles; this enables them to develop their learning whilst having fun.

I have also enjoyed teaching literacy, especially early writing and phonics. I love using children’s storybooks to build learning, looking at the language used and sentence structures to create children’s own versions of the text. My teaching has been inspired by educators such as Pie Corbett, who is a master of storytelling.

I’m always keen to encourage children to be resilient and independent in their learning, thereby enabling them to reflect and improve.

When I am not teaching, I enjoy being outside, either running, cycling with my husband on our tandem or enjoying the garden. I am also a keen music lover and go to over thirty concerts every year.

I am looking forward to working with Wolsey Hall Oxford as I particularly enjoy working with pupils individually, preparing them for their future and ensuring that they reach their full potential.

I have always believed that knowledge and learning are amazing gifts. I have also always enjoyed being creative. Becoming a teacher has given me the opportunity engage with all of these, and I thoroughly enjoy what I do. Since qualifying with QTS in 2006, I have taught in schools in Birmingham and Solihull from Early Years Foundation Stage to Key Stage 2. I enjoy working with younger children, as I believe that those early stages of education are vitally important. Children should be guided to learn in their own way, to express themselves fully, and to develop as individuals.

During my teaching career I have taken on different responsibilities including nursery manager, special educational needs support teacher and art leader. I currently divide my time between teaching in a Primary School and working as a Tutor with Wolsey Hall Oxford.

When not working, I have many interests. I have two energetic dogs with whom I enjoy discovering new walks. I am a keen gardener and grow many different vegetables each year, covering my entire garden and most windowsills in my house! I also love to cook and make meals with my own produce. I am a keen painter and I make and paint peg dolls and sew puppets, which I have used in my teaching throughout my career to help young children connect with their learning. I have also always loved languages. I am qualified to Level 2 in British Sign Language and I am currently learning German.

I enjoy helping children to find the path to achieving their goals and the challenge of engaging children with learning. The most rewarding part of being and educator is to see the joy on a child’s face when they understand a concept or achieve their next step. I look forward to helping your child in this way.

Having grown up within a family of educators I realised early on that I shared their passion and wanted to follow in their footsteps. I completed my Bachelor of Education in Ireland and since then have taught all ages across the Primary curriculum both at home in Ireland and further afield in the United Arab Emirates. I am now very excited to expand my horizons to Wolsey Hall Oxford and facilitate the learning of students around the globe.

I love the challenge of using children’s strengths and interests to improve their education outcomes and develop their skills in areas that are more challenging for them. This involves getting to know a child as an individual which is always a pleasure because it allows me to then share in their success on a deeper level. This success and progress is what I cherish about teaching and what motivates me to keep going.

I am a proactive, approachable and diligent teacher and am confident in offering a child-centred, active approach to education. It is a privilege to play a part in enabling children to reach their potential. Having taught online for the last number of months I have been inspired to continue with this learning platform. I have found that many children thrive in this environment and I am enjoying the learning curve it has created for me through this journey. It opens many doors for students whilst encouraging responsibility, organisation, and discipline. These are life-long skills which will contribute to creating life-long learners.

Outside of school I can be found swimming, reading or baking. I also like to play tennis and hike with my friends or family. I dream of travelling freely so this can also take up some time!