I qualified as a primary teacher in 1997 and have worked in schools for over 20 years as a class teacher and as an Assistant Principal and Head of School.  My experience has seen me teach from Nursery to Year 6 where over the years I held responsibilities for Early Years, English, ICT, Music, Art, DT, Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Recording and Reporting and Year 2 SATs specialist.

My passion for working with children started when I used to go to work with my mum on INSET days at the playgroup she ran.  At home, I was constantly playing schools, making registers and bossing my sisters around!

My first work experience at the age of 15 was in a primary school and I loved it!  This really did confirm to me that I wanted to be a teacher. During my university holidays I worked on holiday playschemes for special needs children which inspired me for my future teaching career. I now have years of experience with the inclusion of children with additional needs including autism and ADHD.

Once I had qualified as a teacher, I worked full time during the week and taught music and percussion to young children on a Saturday morning.  I really enjoyed playing percussion in wind bands, orchestras and brass bands when I was growing up, so being able to teach this to children in a fun and inspiring way was fantastic.  I derived enormous pleasure from seeing them perform in concerts after weeks of hard work and practise.

I have always loved making learning fun and providing enrichment activities that compliment the curriculum.  I ran several extra-curricular clubs whilst teaching including; choir, recorders, newspaper club, creative writing, cookery and art club.  I have run over 20 residential trips for Year 2’s in my time too.  I just love seeing the enjoyment the children get out of being outdoors and taking part in activities they would never ordinarily do.

In 2007, my beautiful daughter was born and my gorgeous son followed in 2010.  Being a mum is just brilliant and I cherish all the time I can spend with them and my husband creating memories..

In my spare time, I enjoy swimming, playing badminton, going for a run and I love planning and going on holidays. I adore watching my daughter dance and my son play football.

I qualified as a teacher in 2005 but started my career working in the financial industry and although very successful, I never felt fully fulfilled in my role.  After starting a family and having three lovely children, one of whom is now a teacher herself, I ran a playgroup.  It was at  this point that I realised my vocation lay in teaching.

My first experience of working in a primary school was as a volunteer parent reader which progressed quickly to the role of a  teaching assistant and then teacher due to the inspirational support and mentoring of the head teacher.  I completed my teacher training and I have never looked back.

I have worked in schools for over 20 years and thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of roles, including the role of Assistant Principal, which I successfully held for five years.  My teaching and leadership experience ranges across each primary key stage from Nursery to Year 6.   During this time  I have had  curriculum responsibilities for Maths and History; was the Primary Behaviour Lead; Student Teacher Mentor; Upper Key Stage 2 Phase Leader; and Year 6 SATS Specialist.

My passion for teaching and love of enabling children to learn in a vibrant and happy atmosphere is, I firmly believe, crucial.  My teaching career has always been very rewarding and in each role, from a playgroup leader to a senior leader across an all through three form entry successful school,  I have always strongly believed that learning should be fun and at the heart of all that I do.

My other passion in life apart from my family and teaching is sport, I love to play badminton and tennis and like to challenge myself doing fun runs for charity.

My original career was in Human Resources. With over 20 years working for various organisations in different areas of HR including strategy, culture development, designing and delivering training and development as well as an International HR Director, I also enjoyed being a lecturer at West Herts College on a variety of courses from undergraduate to postgraduate.

In 2008 my daughter was born and I decided to focus on home life for a while and set up my own HR consultancy. In 2011 my son was born. During this time I recognised the transferable skills between HR, lecturing and teaching and so decided to return to university to retrain to be a teacher.

I initially volunteered in Year 1, assisting the Teacher and reading with the children. Seeing their joy of learning and their non judgemental view of the world fuelled my passion to ignite the incredible imagination and potential children have. I have now been working in the education sector for over 6 years with experience in Early Years to lower KS2.

I have also run ArtSquad, an After School Art Club for KS1 up to Year 7. I am Art and History Subject Leader and also run a School Gardening Club.

I strongly believe using a creative, fun approach helps to engage children with their learning.  Understanding and utilising their interests when delivering engaging sessions in an innovative way helps to unlock their potential.

In my spare time, I enjoy learning and applying new art techniques, exploring the outdoors with my family and our little dog Ruby plus off road cycling.