I attended a large comprehensive school in Liverpool and during that time I developed a real passion for Geography and the outdoors.  Close proximity to North Wales and the Lake District meant easy access for field trips and family excursions and these fuelled my interest in the natural world.   Whilst studying at university I had initially planned upon using my knowledge of Geology to embark upon a career in oil exploration.  However, after spending a year working as a field tutor for the Field Studies Council in Pembrokeshire, I decided that teaching would be my vocation.  I completed my PGCE at Oxford University, St Anne’s College, and spent the majority of my teaching practice in Cheney School.  Cheney had a large sixth form and I enjoyed teaching A level.  I made a promise to myself from then on that I would always try to teach in a school with a sixth form.  My first job was in a large 11-18 boys school in North London called Queen Elizabeth’s.  After spending three years in London I decided to head back up North for the next stage of my career. In 1994 I was appointed as second in charge of the Geography Department at Crompton House School.  Since then I have been fortunate enough to take on a number of different roles and responsibilities:  Deputy Head of Sixth Form, Head of Sixth Form, Assistant Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and then in 2015 Headteacher.  I feel very lucky to have spent such a large part of my career working in a school such as Crompton House.  We have an incredible group of pupils who are a real pleasure to teach.  They work hard, have high expectations of the school and we have high expectations of them. I have seen many changes over the last 25 years however, one thing that has not changed is that our pupils work hard and strive to do their best. Myself, the staff and governors of Crompton House are incredibly proud of all our pupils, past and present, and we all feel privileged to play a small part in their lives.

Prior to teaching I worked for 2 years in Pakistan as a missionary, 4 years in banking and 8 years as  a Minister of Religion in Carlisle.  As a minister I worked in the local schools and also worked closely with the children’s and youth groups in the Church, it was this that led me to consider a career in teaching.  I came to Crompton House in September 2002 as teacher of Religious Studies, Philosophy and Ethics.  Soon after arriving I took responsibility for supporting our most able, gifted and talented students, which I found highly rewarding as so many of our students are highly gifted and creative young people.  I am now responsible for the school curriculum and timetable and work closely with our data manager and exams officer.  I am also responsible for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) aspects of school life – this includes organising school assemblies, end of term communions, and meeting each term with other chaplains from around the Manchester area.  Outside of school, I am an Elder at the local Elim Pentecostal Church, which involves preaching and pastoral work.  I enjoy DIY, gardening, cooking, reading and  keeping fit at the local leisure centre, but my greatest pleasure is spending time with my two lovely grandchildren.  

In addition to my leadership role I run an exchange to Sweden for Yr12, a climbing club and help out with DoE. Interests out of school include mountaineering, travel, climbing, cricket, rugby, cycling, music & reading.

I came into teaching after university as I found that I enjoyed explaining how things work to others. I was always keen on science from a young age even having my own microscope for my 7th birthday. I attended Royton & Crompton School but also attended evening classes at Crompton House School to study biology when I was in year 11.  I went to Sunderland University to study environmental biology where I gained a 2:1. I then attended Manchester Metropolitan University to gain my PGCE in biology & science.  I worked in Essex for 7+ years and was Head of Science in two schools before emigrating to New Zealand.  I lived there for two fantastic years, before returning home. I have been at Crompton House for 10 years now, first as a teacher, then Head of Year. I became Assistant Head teacher in 2010 working with the pastoral and inclusion team to support welfare and progress. I have 3 sons, support Oldham Athletic and when time allows I love to go mountain biking.

I have always been excited by science, technology and engineering. I gained my BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology at the University of Manchester studying a combination of chemistry and human biology whilst also spending my spare time engineering and computer programming. I have a passion for teaching all areas of science but specialise my teaching in organic chemistry. I do try and embed my hobbies into other aspects of the school such as helping to build the school 3D printer, setting up the learning zone Raspberry Pi computers and running the PIC programming clubs. I joined Crompton House School in 2006 and have enjoyed every year that has passed, thankful to the staff I work with and the students who I have the pleasure to teach. I have enjoyed my time spent in various roles at Crompton House but none more so than my current role as Assistant Headteacher, responsible for raising achievement at KS4 and IT initiatives.

I gained my English Literature degree at the University of Sunderland and my PGCE teaching qualification at Sheffield University. I having been teaching for twenty five years years and have held a number of positions in different schools including Head of English, Head of Year and Assistant Headteacher. In the past I have taught in the USA, Egypt, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Manchester, Blackburn and Lincolnshire. I love to read and try to use my role to encourage others to do so whenever possible.

Since secondary school I have always been fascinated by people’s behaviour and the way they think about the world. I am particularly interested in social psychology and physiological psychology and although these strands of psychology are contrasting they bring different aspects to explain real life phenomena. I have always had a real passion for my subject and wanted to share this with other people, which led me to my career pathway as a teacher. Over the years I have spent at Crompton House I have become more active in whole school. Out of school I particularly enjoy hiking, running and going to the gym. I love travelling and in my younger days I taught in Romania and was a camp counselor with Camp America. More recently I have enjoyed traveling round Thailand and Europe. Now, however the majority of my leisure time is spent being a very proud mother to my daughter and involvement at her school and church events.

Throughout my language studies at a Secondary School in a small town in Cumbria, both the French and German languages and culture intrigued me. I went on to study French and German at the University of Salford, specialising in Translation and Interpreting Studies with one-year residence abroad.

The skills I acquired allowed me to initially pursue a successful career within a multilingual security business on a global scale, but the desire to share my passion for languages with others led me to seek a career in teaching. I have now been teaching for 12 years and have never looked back!

I love to inspire learners to derive enjoyment and benefit from language learning, encouraging them to recognise that their linguistic knowledge and skills will help them to take their place in a multilingual global society. The rewards of being a teacher are immeasurable and I am so proud to be able to work at Crompton House.

Within my role now as Assistant Headteacher – Advanced Curriculum Team Leader, I am committed to driving school improvement. My experiences have given me a firm understanding of what constitutes outstanding behaviour, assessment and teaching and learning, and I am excited to have the opportunity to support colleagues and departments to achieve outstanding learning for outstanding futures.