Our Staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Teacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead and SENCO | Mrs B Athey - Designated Safeguarding Lead |
| Class 1 (Year 1 and 2)Teacher | Miss E Lazenby |
|
Class 2 ( Year 3 and 4 )Teacher
|
Mrs J Thomsen |
|
Class 3 ( Year 5 and 6) Teacher
|
Mr N Charlton - Deputy DSL |
|
Early Years ( Nursery and Reception)
|
Mrs T Marsden |
| HLTA | Mrs C Chisholm |
| Teaching Assistants |
Mrs E Morris
Mrs H Lewis
Ms J Forrest
Mrs E Manners
|
| Office Manager - Deputy Safeguarding Lead | Mrs C Kennedy (Deputy DSL) |
| Caretaker & Lunchtime supervisor | Mrs L Bolton |
| Cook ( Unit Manager) | Mrs M Arkle |
Q - Are you an optimist, realist or pessimist, how does this affect your work or
does it not affect your work?
A- I am definitely 90% optimist as I feel that is important to have a positive
attitude to help you have high aspirations for school. With this I have a small
dose of realism as you don’t always get what you would like, or things don’t
quite happen how you would like them to.
Q- If you could change one thing about this school what would it be and why?
A- I think our outdoor space is amazing so I would like to focus on the inside.
I would like a larger school hall and extra class space.
Q - What qualities make a good teacher?
A - There are lots! I think the main ones are that you need to be friendly and caring, approachable, fair, fun and have high aspirations for your class so that everyone can be the best they possible can be.
Q - How long have you been teaching?
A- I trained to be a teacher for 4 years and then have been teaching in school for 25 years, so a total of 29 years!!!
Q- If you are faced with a challenging situation, how do you overcome it?
A- I take a moment to think and then ask for help if necessary.
Q- Why did you choose to work at Whittingham rather than another school?
A- I visited the school before and the children and staff were very friendly and I love the way the building is not too big and the classrooms are attractive and the area outside is fantastic.
Q - Did you want to be a teacher when you were a child? If not what did you want to
be?
A- I had lots of ideas when I was young. I wanted to be a rock star mostly though.
Q - What is your favourite part about Whittingham and why?
A- I love being in a beautiful area of Northumberland. It is stunning and makes me happy. I was also impressed when I visited the school, at how it felt like a family focussed school and was very supportive.
Q - What do you do in your spare time?
A- Play with my daughter, go to the beach and playing my guitar.
Q - Running or walking?
A- Running, I am doing the Great North Run next year.
Q - Why did you want to start teaching in the first place?
A - I enjoyed going into schools when I was with North Yorkshire Police and so trained to make this my career.
Q - What’s your favourite hobby and why do you like it?
A- I like running and playing my guitar as it’s a good way of relaxing and expressing myself as well as keeping healthy.
Pen Portrait - Mrs Arkle who manages the school kitchen.
Q- Did you apply for any other jobs before coming to Whittingham?
A- No I didn’t. Actually, this is only the second job I have ever had, the first was working in
Whittingham Village Post Office and Shop. Then when both my boys were in school I started working
here, just over 30 years ago.
Q- What is your favourite dish to cook for us?
A- I think it has to be chicken curry, as most of the children seem pleased when they see it being
served.
Q- What is your favourite series of books?
A- At the moment my favourite one is ‘The Yorkshire Shepherdess’ by Amanda Owen. I love reading about life on the farm, as it reminds me of my own childhood when I lived on a farm very similar to hers.
Q - What do you encounter on a daily basis?
A- Every day I encounter new challenges, for example if a delivery doesn’t arrive I have to change the menu, or if I unexpectedly have more people for lunch than I have cooked for I have to produce something quickly. Luckily that is a rare situation.
Q- Name the most rewarding part of your job?
A- That has to be the easiest question to answer. It is definitely the children.Everyday at least one person makes me smile
Pen Portrait - Mrs Chisholm - Higher Level Teaching Assistant currently working in KS 2.
Q - What is your favourite movie?
A - I like the film Cars. Mater is my favourite character.
Q- Why did you pick this job and how long have you worked here?
A - I enjoy working with children helping them to flourish and grow. I have worked at Whittingham for
19 years.
Q- What is your favourite sport?
A -Oh, that’s a hard one as I like a variety of sports and can get a little competitive! My favourite two
sports to watch are
Athletics and Formula One and I like to play Rounders and Netball.
Q- What do you do at weekends?
A- Go walking with my family and my dog Luna to the beach or the woods and watch Oscar play
football matches.
Q - What are your favourite foods?
A -CHOCOLATE and homemade curry and chips!
Mrs Morris.
Q- What is your favourite part about this job?
A- There are so many things I love about my job. The countryside and setting that school is in is beautiful
and there is a ‘’family’ feeling about the school, but the best part is working with the children.
Q- What lesson are you best at?
A- I think I am probably best at supporting English lessons, as it was always a subject I enjoyed at school
and I feel that I understand this subject well.
Q - What is your favourite hobby?
A- My favourite hobbies are usually centred around family time. I love spending time with my family watching films, going to the beach, swimming and going on trips together. I also love music, reading and films.
Q - What made you want to work here?
A- I wanted to train as a teaching assistant for a long time, and as soon as I saw the advert for an apprentice TA then got my TA qualification I jumped at the chance!
Q- What is your favourite animal?
A - This is a difficult question to answer as I love animals. We have two cats and hope to get a dog soon.
Otters, dolphins and big cats are some of my favourite animals, and of course, Dec, our school guinea pig.
Mrs Manners
Q- What persuaded you into becoming a teaching assistant?
A - Being with the children is a great part of the job and the main thing for me.
Q- Do you have any hobbies outside of school, if so what are they?
A- Yes, I really like tennis.
Q- What was your previous job before you worked at Whittingham?
A- Before starting at Whittingham, I used to be cabin crew.
Q-Why did you choose this school to work at?
A - Because it is a lovely school.
Q- What do you enjoy about working at this school?
A- The school ethos.
Mrs Lewis - Teaching Assistant.
Q- What got you into teaching?
A - I love learning myself and helping other people to learn.
Q - What is your favourite subject?
A -I’d have to say English.
Q -Do you have any hobbies? If so, what are they?
A- I love being busy: cooking, reading, gardening, walking the dog, music, Spanish, time with my children… lots.
Q- Do you have any motos?
A - Don’t worry about the things that you can’t change. Always treat people the way that you want to be treated.
Q -How long have you worked here?
A- I’ve been at Whittingham for 6 years now.
A- I’ve been at Whittingham for 6 years now.
Mrs Kennedy - Office Manager
Q -Why did you want to become a secretary?
A-I became a school secretary as I always wanted to work in a school with children and when the job
was advertised it looked like something that I wanted to do, and now with the challenges the job holds
I have been able to become an Office Manager.
Q-How long have you worked here?
A- I started working here when my little girl started school which was 18 years ago.
Q -What qualities do you need for your job?
A-You need to be very adaptable under pressure and be able to plan ahead in order to keep this busy school running. You also need to be very organised to stay on top of everything and work well as a team with the rest of the teachers and staff.
Q-What are the easiest and then also the hardest parts of your job?
A -I would not say any part of the job is easy, however, the best part of my job is seeing all the children every day (which I have really missed) as it reminds me of why I keep working so hard. The hardest part would probably be balancing the school budget as maths was never my favourite subject.
Q- Do you have any hobbies outside of school?
A-I really love living in Northumberland with all of its lovely beaches and woods. I also love spending family time walking with the dogs especially my new puppy Albi. I love reading, listening to music and spending time pottering and relaxing in my garden.