Chan Amor
Hi there, my name is Chan Amor and I have worked in education for 20 years. I gained my teaching degree at Leeds Beckett University.
I began my career as a teacher in North Lincolnshire, one of my biggest accomplishments whilst working there was to lead on improving multi-cultural links. This included creating a partnership with the school I worked at and a school in China. I later moved to a small primary school in East Yorkshire and it was there I began to follow my passion for SEND and went on to study and gain my Diploma in Inclusion, at Hull University. In 2012, I joined the HJS family, as a Year 6 teacher.
During my time at HJS, I have taught across all year groups and have led a variety of subjects and have always considered myself as someone who can ‘turn my hand to anything’.
My current roles include being the Head of Inclusion, Safeguarding, Wellbeing and SENDCO (gained the NSENDCO award in 2021) and have recently been appointed as Primary Lead for SEND and Inclusion across our academy.
Part of my roles include, seeking advice and support from the Local Authority and other outside agencies for our pupils and families who need specialist support. In school, I work alongside key members of staff so that quality first teaching is available to all and TAs have the skills and knowledge to deliver targeted interventions for those pupils who require additional support.
I feel incredibly privileged and proud to work as part of such a hardworking and caring team. Howden will always hold a special place in my heart, as I was brought up here so to hold such an important role within our local community is truly an honour.
Kate Barber
I joined Howden Junior School in 2017. My roles at Howden Junior School are ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Advisor), Pastoral and Family support, Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Higher Level Teaching Assistant. I have worked in primary education for 25 years supporting and delivery pastoral, wellbeing and behaviour support. Previously I worked in a large primary school in York and I am an experienced member of the support staff team. I am passionate about emotional wellbeing and inclusion in school and strive to make sure all pupils, are well supported and happy whilst here. I work with children one to one and their families to enrich experiences and support areas of school life, which may be a barrier to learning, as well as working one to one with children I work with children in small social group interventions around their current wellbeing and emotional needs.
As an ELSA I can support with, Loss & Bereavement, Self- Esteem, Social Skills, Emotions, Friendship Issues, Relationships, Anger Management, Behaviour, Anxiety, Bullying, Conflict and Relaxation Techniques.
I always have an open door policy and children can come and check in with me if they have a worry or wobble. Parents are also very welcome to ‘drop in’ or make an appointment through the school office if they would like help, advice or support. I work closely with Chan Amor our Deputy Head, SENDCo and Designated Safeguarding Lead, making sure Social and Emotional Mental Health needs are supported, for all of our children and our families in school and in the community.
Helen
My role is to deliver Mental Health workshops to Primary children as well as signposting them, their parents and any other adults to other agencies if needed. Mind in Education also provide 1:1 wellbeing drop off sessions for children to discuss any worries or concerns they may have about their mental health, but I must stress that I am not a counsellor. The aim of these sessions is to provide a safe environment where children can discuss any worries they may have. We need parental consent for these and other workshops which may take the children out of their existing timetable. The main aim of the programme is to encourage children and adults to recognise signs of mental ill health, enable them to build resilience and find ways to feel confident and mentally well. We want children feel comfortable talking about their mental health, to normalise this rather than it being a stigma.
was a primary teacher for over 16 years and I am a parent to two children.
It would be appropriate for all children and staff to use my first name only.
Davina Preston
My name is Davina Preston. I am proud to be a member of the HJS team, having joined in September 2018 as a Level 2 TA in Year 4. I have also been a TA in Year 3, supporting the teaching and learning of children of all abilities within the classroom.
For the past couple of years, I have delivered a phonics intervention called Read, Write, Inc. which teaches phonics, reading, comprehension, writing, spelling, grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. Lively phonics story books are closely matched to children’s increasing knowledge of phonics.
In September 2022, I moved from being classroom-based to working throughout the school with children who require extra support with their reading and phonics, as well as with children who have difficulty understanding spoken language. In the mornings, I run phonics interventions for groups throughout the school assisted by Mrs Dyson.
For three afternoons a week, I deliver language interventions to children in Years 3 to 6. Language for Thinking is a structured approach to develop children’s language using pictures accompanied by written scenarios and questions so that children’s verbal reasoning and thinking skills can be promoted. Semantic Links is offered as a warm-up activity at the beginning of the session to help strengthen and improve children’s categorisation and word-finding skills and to support vocabulary development. Junior Language Link is a programme used to identify and support children with mild to moderate Speech, Language and Communication Needs. Children take part in small structured groups, which promote listening skills, explore language structure, focus on concepts and instructions as well as develop questioning and reasoning skills.
I also carry out interventions with Year 3 children for two afternoons a week, focusing on handwriting, spellings and precision maths.
I love the varied nature of my role and seeing the children develop confidence in their reading and phonics knowledge, as well as in their language skills, during both my sessions and in their classrooms.
Julie Stanley
My name is Julie Stanley and I have been part of Team HJS since March 2020. I am currently in the role of TA/HLTA.
I principally work in year 6 however, I also teach classes across the whole of the school as and when required. My main responsibilities include supporting the class teacher with the everyday teaching and learning of all pupils as well as carrying out focused interventions, specifically tailored to meet individual needs.
I have worked in an educational setting for over 12 years. During this time, I have had many roles including 1-1 support for a child with SEN, class TA and HLTA. Over the previous years, I have worked in all year groups ranging from EYFS to year 6 and have gained an abundance of experience along the way. I thrive on seeing the children accomplish new achievements no matter how big or how small and I feel privileged that I can play a part in their early development.
Rachel Robinson
My name is Rachel Robinson and I’ve been a part of the HJS team since 2019. My current roles are lunchtime supervisor, play leader and teaching assistant. My lunchtime role includes working with a group of our older children to organise activities on the playground and encourage others to join in a variety of games and extend friendships. It makes me extremely proud to see our amazing children working together and using their own time to help give their peers a happy and enriched lunch break. As a TA with a passion for inclusion and social, emotional and mental health, I have supported children both on a 1:1 level and within small groups. I am currently completing ELSA training and already work closely with Mrs Barber and Miss Amor across this area.
I enjoy helping the children with their daily learning and offer support in the classroom where needed. I am able to build good, positive relationships quickly with children of all ages and the other members of our team. I have more recently been given the opportunity to use my experience and knowledge to begin delivering 3 new and exciting interventions to pupils across the school- Lego Club, Positive Art Club and ELEVATE. These groups are part of our whole school approach towards building social and emotional well-being skills. It is my hope that every child will access at least one type of intervention during their time at HJS.
Diane Giles
My name is Diane Giles I have had the pleasure of working at HJS for 13 years in various roles from lunchtime supervisor, one to one TA supporting children with SEND and my current role as a level 2 TA working predominantly in year 6 for approximately 9 yrs. I support the teaching and learning of children of all abilities within the classroom but also carry out various interventions when necessary including precision teaching for spellings, reading interventions and handwriting support. Through my years of experience I consider my biggest strength is having the ability to form good relationships with the most vulnerable and challenging children who often need that extra nurturing approach. I have been described by peers as ‘Like a Mother to all the children in school’. A compliment that makes my role so rewarding.
Kimberley Dyson
My name is Kimberley Dyson and I have been working in primary education for 12 years. I hold a BA (hons) degree in early childhood education and care. I have been fortunate enough to have worked across all year groups from nursery through to year 6, therefore have gained a wide amount of knowledge and experience. I have been a part of the HJS team for 2 years now as a TA/HLTA. I have had various roles from working as on a one to one basis to support all basis of their education and wellbeing, lunchtime supervisor and general classroom assistant. I am also Read Write Inc trained and I support those children with gaining confidence and understanding, with their reading and writing knowledge.
I am a passionate and supporting team member. My strengths are gaining good relationships with all pupils and especially those vulnerable pupils, and pupils with SEND. I also consider one of my strengths is being flexible and able to change my role from day to day, whether that is delivering a lesson, or supporting a child or a group of pupils.
Marie Shepherd
My name is Marie Shepherd. I have worked at HJS for 3½ years. I currently work in Year 5 as a Level 2 Teaching Assistant but have also worked in Year 3. My main role is within the classroom but I also carry out interventions in small groups and individual children in subjects such as Maths, Spelling and Handwriting. I have completed various training courses to help me throughout my job role. In addition to this I have recently been helping out as a lunchtime supervisor. In my role, I also support children 1.1. I have enjoyed being a part of the gardening club and forest school which has been rewarding to see the kids embrace nature and for the love of growing plants. Having a keen interest in sports with my younger son, I have been happy to take and support the Year 6 football team in matches and swimming events. My work colleagues have described me as having a good sense of humour which I feel helps me to have a good rapport and relationship with the children.
Liz Rodger
My name is Liz Rodger. I started my school career over 20 years ago. First being a mid-day supervisor at Howden Infant school when my own children were there. I quickly moved up to becoming a 1;1 support for a pupil with SEND. This also lead me on to doing my Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification which helped further my understanding of school life.
I moved over to Howden Junior School and continued my 1:1 support, eventually working alongside other TA’s learning how to help and support two children with cerebral palsy.
I found it very rewarding to watch the children grow and progress through school.
I have been working in Year Four for approximately 5 years where my current roles are;
- Teacher support in the classroom.
- Interventions for spellings, maths, handwriting as well as intervention support for dyslexia.
- Supporting children with autism.
- Helping run the school gardening club.
I consider myself a good team player, forming strong bonds with the talented people and all the children I have and work with now. I feel I have a calming influence which helps me do the best I can to ensure children achieve to their highest level by giving them plenty of my time and encouragement.
My time at HJS has been extremely rewarding so far and have had the best years working at our lovely school and the surrounding community.
Josie Twiddle
Although fairly new to the school environment, I’ve been working with children of all ages for many years, as both a trampoline coach and as a Level 3 qualified Forest School leader.
In school I mainly support children on a 1-to-1 basis, where everyday brings something different. My favourite part of being a TA? When you’re helping a child with something they find tricky and they have that “Oh, now I get it!” moment.
Cheryl Hillyard
Hi, my name is Cheryl Hillyard. I have worked at Howden Junior School since November 2018. During my time with the school, I have done many different roles. I started at the school as a lunchtime supervisor and volunteering within classes. Other roles I have had the pleasure to have are one to one support in Years 4 and 5. For the last two years, I have worked in Year 4 as a TA. I am in the classroom to support the teacher and the children. This entails; marking books, scribing for children that struggle with writing and supporting with maths. I also carry out interventions in times tables and hand writing. A strength of mine is to understand the children as individuals and adapting my teaching accordingly. To help a child learn is a privilege and making sure they feel they have a safe and secure space to express themselves is something that I highly value. I do my best to support the colleagues I work with and pass on the knowledge I have learnt while working at Howden Junior School.
Debbie Collins
My name is Debbie Collins. I joined HJS in 2018 as a midday supervisor, which I still do. I went on to complete my TA level 2 in October 2021. This led me to volunteer each week to gain more experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. I carried on supporting in various year groups. This brought me to my 1st TA job in September 2022 working with year 3. I had the pleasure of supporting small groups of children who needed that extra additional support in their learning, as well as supporting the class teacher. I also support children on a 1-1 basis. This is both challenging but very rewarding at the same time. I am currently a year 5 TA, supporting the class as a whole but also give that extra support to individual children, be it in reading, writing or maths. That extra encouragement/support can go a long way in helping a child reach their goals.
Julie Bolton
My name is Julie Bolton and I started working as TA at HJS in Year 3 in 2023. I previously worked as a TA in West Yorkshire in a primary school for 14 years and during this time worked in KS2 in all 4 year groups. Some of this time was working 1:1 with children with additional needs, others working as general support in the classroom working with small groups and also teaching groups for Read Write Inc. I was also involved in teaching swimming with Year 4 and supported residential visits. I have a keen interest in gardening and a variety of crafts, having run after school and lunchtime clubs from time to time. In addition to this, I also volunteered at my local hospice for 3 years in the Day Therapy Unit supporting patients and carers using creative therapies. Over the last 5 years I have also worked as a freelance art worker providing workshops in the community using recycled and repurposed materials. I love supporting children to achieve their potential and being part of their journey.