Staff
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Headteacher Mrs H Cuddy Hello my name is Hannah Cuddy and I am the headteacher of Kirk Smeaton C of E School. I love my job, the best bit is getting to know the children and parents. I am very blessed to have a wonderful husband and beautiful little girl. In my own time I love to spend time outside, going for walks and afterwards enjoying a cup of coffee along with a treat! I have travelled to many places and lived in Australia where I worked as an apple packer and a home school teacher. I have handglided and sky dived in Canada and New Zealand aswell as swam with fresh water crocodiles in Australia.
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School Business Manager Mrs A Marner My name is Anita Marner and I'm the Business manager at Kirk Smeaton CE Primary School. I love my job and am very lucky to work with such a great team. I am also fortunate to live in the Village with my lovely family - Husband, Daughter (13 Yrs) and our Chocolate Labrador Cocoa! During my spare time I love to run and cycle and am a member of a local cycling club. One of my favourite places is the Lake District - we visit as often as we can as a family and love walking the many Mountains and Fells. I've travelled to many interesting places including Australia, New Zealand, Bali, Singapore, Hawaii, San Francisco and Florida. I loved Australia so much that My Husband and I actually married there on the Gold Coast on Valentines Day! One of my most exciting experiences was heli-biking down the Remarkables Mountain range in New Zealand. |
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School Administrator Mrs J Maltby Hi, my name is Jay Maltby and I’m the School Administrator here at Kirk Smeaton CofE Primary School. I came to the school in 2016, from an accounting background, but was ready for a change of pace after having my little boy. I absolutely love it here at the school, and have felt at home from the beginning thanks to all the amazing staff and children. As much as I love my job, my favourite role is being mum and wife at home, well, at least on a good day! I have a great love of music and spend any free time playing the piano, (attempting) the guitar, and singing, as well as writing my own music. I also love to travel and have lived in Canada for 2 years, explored America, from New York to Vegas, and spent lots of time in Europe wishing I could say more than ‘Bonjour’ and ‘Hola’ - particularly embarrassing in Italy! |
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Starfish and Starfish Explorers Class Teacher (Nursery & Reception) Ms S Wolff Hi, my name is Sally Wolff and I am the nursery and reception teacher in Starfish Class. I have worked at Kirk Smeaton Primary School for six years and very much enjoy working in a small school in such a beautiful rural setting. I am also a teacher Governor and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. I live in Wakefield but am originally from Knaresborough in North Yorkshire. I worked as a nurse in Cardiac Intensive Care for 15 years before re-training as a teacher. I have a daughter called Amelia, who is now 16 and at college studying her A levels. In my spare time I am a bit of an ‘outdoor type’, I enjoy walking our two dogs Roy and Louis and going on my road bike for long rides in the countryside. We have been fortunate enough to have travelled to some amazing locations and I would say my favourite is South Africa. I like to think I have got a good sense of humour and certainly love having fun and trying new things. |
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Dolphins Class Teacher (Years 1 & 2) Miss C Pounder Hello, my name is Chloe Pounder and I teach Year One and Year Two children in Dolphins class. I thoroughly enjoy my job and the best part is being able to support children in their development and see how they begin to understand areas of the curriculum they may once have struggled with or found difficulty in. In my own time I enjoy frequent day trips to London, spending time with family and friends and watching musical theatre. I have seen over 50 different shows so far. I also enjoy travelling around Europe by train with my sister. I feel very lucky to have seen some amazing places, such as La Sagrada Familia and the Duomo and I enjoy exploring different cultures on the way. |
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Lions Class Teacher (Years 3 & 4) Miss C Ghent Hello, my name is Catherine Ghent and I am the teacher of Lions Class. I absolutely love being a teacher because we have so much fun trying new activities and learning new things. My favorourite subjects to teach are Art, Music and English – especially when we have the chance to be really creative. In my own time I love listening to music and playing the piano and ukulele, as well as walking my two dogs and reading. I also really enjoy visiting family and traveling, so far I have visited France, New York, Canada and Australia. |
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Eagles Class Teacher (Years 5 & 6) Miss H Freeman Hello, my name is Holly Freeman and I am one of the two teachers in Year 5 and 6. I love working at Kirk Smeaton and the most rewarding part of my job is seeing how hard our children work to achieve their goals. In my time away from work, I love to spend time with my family, travel and usually spend my weekend at the shops! |
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Eagles Class Teacher (Years 5 & 6) Mrs B Hursthouse My name is Beth Hursthouse and I teach Year 5/6 at Kirk Smeaton Primary School. I came here in 2012 from a much larger primary school and instantly fell in love with the village setting and the 'family' feel of a small school. Before I became a teacher, I worked in the world of media as a Concept Designer and Manager. However, I had always known that teaching was in my blood and eventually I followed in the family footsteps! I still get to try out my creative skills though, when it comes to doing displays and art projects! Outside school I am sports mad and spend every spare evening playing badminton or running. I play in a Yorkshire league and several local leagues so I'm always dashing off to matches with a pile of marking in tow! Life is very busy, with my two children at school too, but I love my job and wouldn't have it any other way. |
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Class Teacher (Starfish) Mrs K Wilkinson Hello my name is Kirsty Wilkinson and I'm part of the Year 5/6 teaching team. I've been teaching for 11 years and have been at Smeaton for 9. I coordinate Maths within the school and I love numbers and data! If I've been teaching 11 years, with an average of 30 children in the class how many children have I taught? Have you remembered they're mixed aged classes of Y5/6, meaning I taught children over two years? Ooh there's a good problem for you to solve. |
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HLTA Mrs Y Garside Hello, I'm Yvonne Garside HLTA at Kirksmeaton Cof E school. I have the privilege of working, at sometime in the week, with most of the children in school, whether in a whole class situation, a one-to-one session or in the school choir. As a mum of 4 boys (now grown up) and a gran to my precious grandaughter, my life has always been full and very busy. Music is my passion, especially singing choral music with others. When I am not singing I love my garden, from the first tip of the snowdrops in the Spring to the last rose in Autumn. After a busy day I like nothing better than a cup of tea, a good book or knitting/sewing, to relax me for another busy day. |
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Teaching Assistant Miss L Harrison Hello, my name is Lyndsay Harrison, I joined the staff at Kirk Smeaton C of E School in April 2016 as a teaching assistant working in Lions class alongside Miss Ghent. I also work with other year groups in the school delivering one to one maths interventions. I can honestly say this is the most rewarding job I have had, I really do love it, the characteristics of the children are fantastic and it is a pleasure to work along side them, you never know what to expect each day! I am currently studying a Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning. I live with my partner and our two children, Jake aged 10 and Lydia aged 3. We enjoy going on family walks and are all keen cyclists. My other interests are reading and baking. |
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Teaching Assistant Mrs F Holt |
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Teaching Assistant Mrs H Spink Hi my name is Holly Spink, and I am General Teaching Assistant currently working in Dolphins Year 1 and 2 class. I love working with the younger children - they can teach you so much and be so much fun. I have worked at Kirk Smeaton since about 2008, first starting in the kitchen and supervising at lunchtimes before moving into the classroom. I have a level 2 qualification in Specialist Support for teaching and learning, and a level 3 Diploma in the same. My background is customer services as I worked for Leeds Met Uni for 6 years in their facilities Management departments helpdesk. I am married with 3 children and I enjoy lots of long walks when I get the opportunity. I love dancing and listening to music. I have never travelled on an aeroplane but enjoy nothing more than travelling around our beautiful country staying at Youth Hostels. I am a member of English Heritage, enjoying looking at castles, forts, and houses, and I have a passion for history. |
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Teaching Assistant Mrs M Whittles Hi, my name is Margaret Whittles. I am a Teaching Assistant at Kirk Smeaton C of E Primary School. I transferred here when Womersley school closed some years ago. I feel so lucky and extremely privileged to work at such a great school. The children and staff are second to none! I love working here. |
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Caretaker Mr D Holmes |
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School Cook Mrs C Evans Hello my name is Mrs Evans. I am the school cook. Fortunately I love cooking and baking so a perfect job for me! I also like music and singing, and am part of a group who play hand bells which I enjoy enormously. |
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Assistant Cook Mrs K Helstrip Hello my name is Mrs Helstrip and I am the kitchen assistant. I have a busy life with two small children. My interests and hobbies are cycling, music, cinema and days out! |
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Midday Supervisor Mrs S Rixham |
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Midday Supervisor Mrs L Clark
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Playworker and General Teaching Assistant Mrs K Humpreys |
