Who's Who: Staff | St Bernadette's Cath

Miss Cowings – Head Teacher

Mr Carroll – Deputy Head / Pastoral Faculty Leader

Miss Finnegan – Assistant Head / Science Faculty

Miss Z Boron - 6ZB Teacher

Mrs C Brownhill – 6CB Teacher

Mrs L Canning - 6LC Teacher

Mrs O Armanaviciute – Year 6 Teaching Assistant

Ms F Mohamed - 5FM Teacher

Miss M Friar - 5MF Teacher

Miss C Grant - 5CG Teacher / MFL Co-ordinator

Mrs Colclough – Year 5 Teaching Assistant

Miss K Lakin – 4KL Teacher / English Co-ordinator KS2

Mr A Markham-Jones – 4AMJ Teacher / PE Co-ordinator

Mr R Wayne - 4RW Teacher / Topic Co-ordinator

Mrs S Khan - Year 4 Teaching Assistant

Miss E GIbbs - 3EG Teacher

Mrs C Kidner - 3CK Teacher / ICT Co-ordinator

Miss D Adu - 3DA Teacher

Mrs K Yakoob – Year 3 Teaching Assistant

Mrs J Docker – Teacher

Ms J Ryan - Teacher

Miss C Corkery - Teacher

Miss C Connaire - Teacher

Mr E Baker - Teacher

Mrs E Lennon - Teacher

Mrs K Harston – Maths Co-ordinator

Mrs S Hussain - 2SH Teacher

Mrs E Hill - 2EH / RE Co-ordinator

Miss E O'Brien - 2EOB Teacher

Mrs S Richards– Year 2 Teaching Assistant

Mrs J Robinson – Year 2 Teaching Assistant

Ms Baker – Year 2 Teaching Assistant

Miss O Bowden – 1OB Teacher

Miss O’Toole – 1CO'T Teacher / English Co-ordinator KS1

Mr N Lavin - 1MLNL Teacher

Miss M Lavin - 1MLNL Tecaher

Mrs Clarke – Year 1 Teaching Assistant

Mrs Begum – Year 1 Teaching Assistant

Mrs McCartan - Year 1 Teaching Assistant

Mrs Jones – RSJ Reception Teacher / EYFS Co-ordinator

Miss C Belcher - RCB Reception Teacher

Miss L Coley - RLC Reception Teacher

Ms T O'Neil – RLC Reception Teaching Assistant

Ms O’Brien – RSJ Teaching Assistant

Miss B White - HUB Teaching Assistant

Mrs T Emilton - HUB Teaching Assitant

Mrs S Rainey - Nursery Teacher

Miss E Barron – Nursery Teaching Assistant

Mrs S Buchanan - Nursery Teaching Assistant

Mrs A Robbins - Nursery Teaching Assistant

Mrs Shalvey – Learning Mentor / PSA

Mrs Payne – Learning Mentor

Mrs Smallwood – Office

Mrs Byng – Office

Miss K O'Neil – Office

Mrs Apted – Technician

Mr Abbott – ICT Operations Manager

Mr Malone – Building Site Supervisor

Mrs Worth - School Cook

St. Bernadette's Staff

Our Favourite Books

EYFS

Miss Deards

Nursery Teacher

My favourite book is The Last Bear by Hannah Gold

Mrs Buchanan

Nursery Teaching Assistant

I’ve always loved this book, it allows me to unlock core memories of being a child reading this book with my family.

Rereading ‘The Twits’ now, I am reminded that there is also a lesson in it; how we can overcome our differences and achieve common goals by being kind to one another.

Mrs Robbins

Nursery Teaching Assistant

My favourite children's book at the moment is 'Oi Frog', by Kes Gray and Jim Field.

I love that each animal's designated seat rhymes with their name.

Miss Barron

Nursery Teaching Assistant

As a child I enjoyed that Lewis Carroll was able to create a colourful and wacky world that invited you to use your imagination. As an adult I enjoy it even more now that I can read it and feel like a child again diving into a world of discovery where normal rules do not apply.

Mrs O'Brien

Reception Teaching Assistant

My favourite story book to read in Nursery is,

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. The story is fast paced with a great structured repeated refrain. I love the build up to the scary Dragon wanting to eat the Witch and how everyone works together to save the day!

Mrs Jones

Reception Teacher

My favourite book is 'The Twits' by Roald Dahl

Miss Coley

Reception Teacher

My favourite book is 'As a child, my favourite book to read was Elmer! I loved the story for its bright colours and I thought Elmer dressing up as the other elephants was so funny. As an adult, I think it’s a beautiful story about friendship, and accepting people for who they are. We all have special qualities that make us unique, just like Elmer.

Miss Belcher

Reception Teacher

My favourite book is 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' by Judith Kerr

Mrs ONeill

Reception Teaching Assistant

My favourite book is 'Stick Man' by Julia Donaldson

KS1

Miss O'Toole

Year 1 Teacher

My favourite book is 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl

Mrs Clarke

Year 1 Teaching Assistant

My favourite book as a child was The Tale of Peter Rabbit . I used to love reading about Peter's adventures and would imagine that I was actually one of Peter's friends, helping him when he got into mischief

Mrs Begum

Year 1 Teaching Assistant

My favourite book is 'Elmer' by David M'Kee

Mrs Robinson

Year 2 Teaching Assistant

My favourite book as a child was The Enchanted wood by Enid Blyton. A wonderful book full of amazing characters, and adventures.

Miss O'Brien

Year 2 Teacher

In Our Hands by Lucy Farfort is an inspiring story that shows the impact of small, positive actions. It carries wonderful messages about kindness, hope, and the idea that caring for our world is within everyone’s power. This book is perfect for encouraging readers to see themselves as capable of making a difference!

Mrs Hussain

Year 2 Teacher

The Missing Piece by Jordan Stephens and Beth Suzanna. It's a lovely book about belonging and finding what makes you really happy. It has diverse characters in the illustrations and is wonderful as it allows some children to see themselves in literature.

Miss Baker

Year 2 Teaching Assistant

My favourite book is 'Fantastic Mr Fox' by Roald Dahl

Miss Bowden

Year 1 Teacher

My favourite book is Matilda by Roald Dahl.

Mrs Hill

Year 2 Teacher

My favourite books as a child were the Famous Five series. I liked all of the adventure and mystery that the children and their dog Timmy had. I still enjoy reading mystery and adventure stories now.

Mrs McCartan

Year 1 Teaching Assistant

My favourite book is 'The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe' by C.S. Lewis

KS2

Mrs C Kidner

Year 3 Teacher

My favourite book is 'The Magic Faraway Tree' by Enid Blyton

Miss Gibbs

Year 3 Teacher

My favourite book as a child was Charlotte’s web. It tells the tale of a budding friendship between two unlikely characters. I enjoyed reading this book as a child as I loved seeing how these two very different characters became friends. There are some sad parts to the story but it includes many joyful examples of great friendship and even a small touch of adventure.

Miss Adu

Year 3 Teacher

My favourite books when growing up were the Jacqueline Wilson ‘Girls’ book series. I enjoyed reading these books because the characters were relatable and they went through similar situations I experienced with my friends. Wilson explores: friendship dynamics, growing up, self-discovery and many more topics I faced as a child/teenager. I love how the books have a perfect mixture of humour and sincerity which resonated with experiences and emotions during my childhood.

Mr Wayne

Year 4 Teacher

Harry Potter has always been a fascination. You could be sat in a park, and you could transport yourself to a world of magic and wonder. Take a trip to the Gryffindor common room, roam around the Hogwarts grounds or explore the ominous forbidden forest- the possibilities are endless. The characters are relatable as they progress from child to young adult, and this can resonate with everyone as they grow up. Astonishingly, the idea that J K Rowling created her magical world on the back of napkins, on the way to meetings and in coffee shops makes it even more spontaneous and special. I think everyone single one of us can see ourselves in the Harry Potter characters. Sometimes a trip into a fantasy world can be the perfect remedy for a bad day.

Miss Lakin

Year 4 Teacher

A book I first discovered with my Y6 class and would now consider to be one of my favourite children's books is Refugee by Alan Gratz. This historical fiction features three stories in one, following the lives of three refugee children in three different geographic locations and points in time. All main characters go on harrowing journeys in search of refugee with a twist at the end that took me completely by surprise! This is a must read for older children and there is always a copy on the bookshelf in my classroom.

Mrs Khan

Year 4 Teaching Assistant

My favourite book is called The Clever Princess by Diana Coles.

This book is very special to me, as my favourite teacher in primary school would read it to my class every afternoon. It was always a lovely end to the day, and I have very fond memories of how we all couldn't wait to hear if she would outwit the mean old wizard.

I hope you can find this book and enjoy it with family or friends too.

Miss Grant

Year 5 Teacher

My favourite book is 'A LIon in Paris' by Beatrice Alemagna

Miss Friar

Year 5 Teacher

My favourite book when I was a child was The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton.

I loved the sense of escapism that this book gave me as the whole story is so far away from real life.

The characters in this book are so memorable and it is full of adventure!

Mrs Mohamed

Year 5 Teacher

"Matilda by Roald Dahl is my favourite childhood book because it shows the power of being smart and brave. Matilda's story inspires readers to stand up for themselves and believe in their abilities."

Mr Baker

Year 5 Teacher

My favourite book is 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkein

Mrs Colclough

Year 5 Teaching Assistant

My favourite book is 'The Shark Caller' by Zillah Bethell

Mrs Armanaviciute

Year 6 Teaching Assistant

My favourite book as a child was 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl. It's a story full of magic, wit, and triumph of kindness and intelligence.

Mr Markham-Jones

Year 4 Teacher

My favourite book is 'The Twits' by Roald Dahl

Mrs Ryan

PPA Teacher

My favourite book is 'When I See Blue' by Lily Bailey

Miss Corkery

PPA Teacher

My favourite book is 'Daddy Long Legs' by Jean Webster

Mrs Brownhill

Year 6 Teacher

One of my favourite books as a child was Esio Trot by Roald Dahl. I loved Mr. Hoppy, how much he adored Mrs Silver and thought his magic spell to make Alfie the tortoise 'grow' was so silly that it actually was genius!

Mrs Docker

PPA Teacher

My favourite book is 'Danny The Champion of the World' by Roald Dahl

Miss Boron

Year 6 Teacher

My favourite book is 'The Lord of the Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkein

Mrs Lennon

PPA Teacher

My favourite book is Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. I love it because it tells the tale of an unlikely but ultimately beautiful friendship.

SLT

Miss Cowings

Head Teacher

My Favourite book was Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. As a young child I adored horses and would read widely many non fiction books about caring for horses. When I discovered Black Beauty, my emotions were turned upside down, as some chapters made me smile and others made me cry. I would recommend this book to children from the age of 7 years upwards.

Mr Carroll

Assistant Head Teacher

My favourite book is 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' by John Boyn

Miss E Finnegan

Assistant Head Teacher

Take your seat in the front row as this book flips the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’ on its head! Follow this story as three circus pigs make a wild wolf do all manner of things! This is a story my daughter and I read nearly every night, the illustrations are spectacular and convey wonderful humour and emotions!