Senior Leadership Team

I have been in education since 1993 when I started out as a teaching assistant working for Service Children's Education in Belgium. Over the years I completed my degree in English and Music with The Open University and have worked in a variety of schools in Germany, Dorset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. teaching all year groups. I quickly moved into leadership and became a headteacher in 2011. In 2017 I was fortunate to become the head of Stratford Primary and with an excellent team led it to outstanding in 2018. In September 2019 I was asked to lead Heathcote Primary School in Warwick and moved to Executive Head ship. I am an extremely positive person and instil 'can do' attitudes in the children under my care. I want the children to have fun and look back on their primary education remembering all the good times. I encourage my staff to research different ways they can improve educational experiences for children and have completed a post graduate certificate in educational research ; focusing on mathematical learning and behaviour management.

I am passionate about ensuring that adults build positive relationships with children and understand how their lives impact on their learning. We are always thinking of different ways to inspire them and help them learn especially preparing them for their future careers.

I am married with one son who is a chef but he is now training for The Royal Navy. My husband is an electronics engineer. I love animals and have 2 west highland terriers, a guinea pig and fish. In my spare time I enjoy tracing my family history, writing, listening to music, visiting new places and gardening. I am also a huge Strictly fan and love to dance. I have been known to break into a waltz or a Charleston in assembly.

I have been a teacher at Stratford Primary School since graduating from Warwick University and have taught in Year 2 through to Year 6. My favourite subject has always been maths and I love teaching it, supporting children in their understanding of number and generating an excitement about what numbers can do and links between them. It was this enjoyment that led me to do my masters in mathematics education, whilst being subject co-ordinator within school, which also drove me to become a ‘leading maths teacher’ for the county.

I have also been the music subject leader for many of my teaching years. My main passion outside of school is musical theatre, so I have relished the creation and success of the annual Music Soirees, which provide opportunities for all pupils to perform music to an appreciative audience.

As part of the Senior Leadership Team I have the opportunity to contribute to sustained improvements in school, and witnessing the effect of these developments and the positive impact on pupils makes my role incredibly rewarding. As SENDCo I am responsible for collaborating with teachers, teaching assistants, and parents to support children who may have additional or different educational needs and disabilities to the rest of their peer group. I also work with many outside professionals for example Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Educational Psychologists, who come in to train staff and work with pupils in our school. It is a really special role as I have the privilege of working with children across the school to enhance their access to learning. I welcome meetings with parents and carers since the unique insight and experience they have is vital in planning effective provision for their children.

My home life is filled with the entertainment of my daughter, which leaves me with very little spare time! I still find any and every opportunity to sing though, and am the chair of my local musical theatre society, who perform once a year at the Royal Spa Centre.

I have been involved in Education for sixteen years now, having taught in both KS1 and KS2 in Worcestershire and Warwickshire and have worked at Stratford Primary School for two years, where I am Head of School and teach Year 3 for one day a week.
I am passionate about reading and developing a love of reading wherever I go! I became a Specialist Leader of Education in 2018, with a focus on English and developing an English Curriculum based around high quality texts and have enjoyed working with other schools to support and develop reading culture in schools and the teaching of reading and writing. As part of my role at Stratford Primary School, I have had the opportunity to contribute towards Behaviour in school, working with the staff and children to develop a consistent approach and understanding of different behaviours. I particularly enjoy working with the House Captains and Vice Captains, empowering them to work with the rest of the school to promote the one school rule of RESPECT. They have designed certificates and are an instrumental part of the school, taking part in weekly assemblies and awarding pupils for being respectful in and around the school.
In my spare time, I love nothing more than to spend time with my family. My two boys, Alfie and Harry, keep me very busy, which leaves me with very little spare time. I also have two house bunnies, called Nellie and Belle, and six chickens - four hens and two very vocal cockerels!

Mrs Chisholm's biography can be found under Office Staff and Site Management.

Mrs McCormack's biography can be found under Teaching Staff.

Mrs Slater's biography can be found under Teaching Staff.