Mrs Lawrence – Acting Headteacher
I have been a teacher within a variety of East Sussex schools since I qualified in 2007. I have taught across all the key stages and been head of EYFS. Prior to this role I was a SENCO, and I have an accredited teacher status as a Dyslexia friendly teacher.
I am so excited to be joining Newick school this year, you have a wonderful welcoming community. My passions are English, Music and Circle Time and I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm for all of these with pupils and staff.
In my spare time I enjoy walking our Labrador Sammy in the East Sussex woods with my children, aged 8 and 6. I love to read and write stories and attempt to grow flowers in my garden. I also enjoy running and sea swimming (the colder the better!) and try and get to the beach as much as I can.
Mrs James – SENCO and Acting Deputy Headteacher
I have been teaching for over 20 years across a variety of settings. Previously I worked in London schools as an early years teacher, a deputy head and a SENCO. I then became an early years consultant working across West Sussex schools before joining Newick Primary School six years ago as the SENCO. I live in Plumpton with my husband who is a local primary head teacher. We have 3 children who are 13,11 and 8 years old. I enjoy running and taking walks around the local area. This year I will be the class teacher alongside Mrs Sawyer on a Thursday and Friday and look forward to welcoming lots of new children and their families to our lovely school community whilst continuing my role as the SENCO Monday to Wednesday.
Mrs Dobson – Office Manager
I joined Newick School in early 2022 and I am proud to be part of such a wonderful learning and working environment. I am a born organiser, an avid list maker, a lover of spreadsheets and streamlining processes to reduce paperwork. I feel so fortunate to work somewhere that is so supportive and nurturing to its children enabling them to blossom and grow. Outside of school I am a busy mum to four boys, so can be found ferrying them around to their various after-school activities and sports events. In my spare time I love to walk my crazy cocker spaniel and I also conduct and sing in several choirs.
Mrs Sawyer – EYFS Teacher
I have been part of the Newick School community for the last 25 Years. First as a parent when the eldest of my 3 children started in the Reception Class. All my children loved their time at Newick and have lots of happy memories of being there. My husband has also taught here and still helps with Forest School for Otters class from time to time. Before I worked at Newick I worked in several other schools in both West and East Sussex. Whilst at Newick I have taught lots of different Year groups and also been Inclusion leader and Assistant Head. I am currently the EYFS teacher and love getting to know the new families and children and starting them off on their school journey at ‘big’ school. In my spare time I love spending time with my family, visiting new places at home and abroad, cooking, reading, walking my dog Monty and meeting my friends. In the summer I can often be found watching my 2 sons play cricket for Newick and making the cricket teas!
Mrs Smith – EYFS Teaching Assistant
I have been working at Newick School since 2009 and have spent the last ten years in EYFS. I am a Speech & Language practitioner which over the years has been very rewarding. My children were pupils at Newick so I have been involved with the school for eighteen years.
I spent my early life living in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. I enjoy spending time with my Husband and two grown up children, exploring and spending time in our family holiday home in the Dordogne, France.
Mrs Neilson – EYFS Teaching Assistant
I am very excited to be joining the team at Newick this year as a Teaching Assistant in Otters. I used to work as a Primary school teacher in London before taking a long break to move to Sussex with my husband and raise our twin girls who have been happily at Newick for the last four years. In my spare time I enjoy DIY, gardening, cooking, exercising and walking our Catalan sheepdog, Floyd. I am also a huge fan of music and love running the school choir.
Mrs Barnes – EYFS, Year 1 and SEN Teaching Assistant
I am excited about joining Newick School this year and will work as a Teaching Assistant in Early Years, Year 1 and as a SEN Teaching Assistant. I am a trained Clinical Psychologist, and before having children, I worked In a Child Development Centre in London. I have always really enjoyed working with children and getting to know them as individuals. I have 3 children myself, although one is now an adult. This is my 15th year of being a parent at Newick School and all my children have been very happy here. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, going for walks in the beautiful countryside with our lovely young spaniel called Mollie, travelling and swimming.
Miss Clarke – Year 1 Teacher
I have been teaching for 18 years and have been lucky enough to teach in many different places, including York, London, and Switzerland. For the past 8 years, I have been teaching in this beautiful setting at Newick and really enjoy working with this hard-working team. I am excited to be teaching Year 1 for the next academic year with Mr Winn and we are both looking forward to meeting our new class. I especially enjoy teaching maths and trying mathematical puzzles, particularly that wonderful satisfying feeling you get when you finally work out a solution, so leading Maths at Newick is a joy, sharing my passion for problem solving with you all! When I am not working, I look after my two energetic boys, who are aged 3 and 5. We can usually be found at one of the parks in Brighton or riding bikes along the seafront. In my spare time, I enjoy running, reading, baking, and supporting my favourite football team.
Mr Winn – Year 1 Teacher
I have been a teacher for 15 years, and joined the Newick community in 2018. Newick is the fourth school I have taught in; before coming here I worked at schools in West Sussex and Brighton. Prior to becoming a teacher I worked in the publishing industry. I have lived in Sussex since I was 14, and went to Chailey secondary school, which is where some of you may go when you leave Newick. My wife and I have three children, aged 12, 9 and 5. When I am not in school on a Monday and a Tuesday I look after them at home. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, baking and (sometimes!) running to keep fit. I’m really looking forward to getting to know our new class and have lots of exciting learning planned for them.
Mrs Brown – Year 1 Teaching Assistant
I have been a part of the Newick School community since 2003. I had a break from education in 2016 and returned to the school in 2019.
I started as an Individual Needs Assistant and then became a Teaching Assistant a year later, working mainly in EYFS and Year 1.
In my spare time I love walking our family dog in the countryside near where I live. Also, I love to bake and I am an avid reader.
Mrs Cheeseman – Year 2 Teacher
I am extremely proud to be the Year 2 Teacher at Newick Church of England Primary School. I will be going into my 8th Year of Teaching and my 9th year here at Newick, but have over 12 years experience of working in schools prior to that. I love making a difference to children’s lives, planning and teaching engaging, creative lessons. In my free time, I love to learn more about history and science, read, visit historical places, garden and spend time with my wonderful husband, 4 children and 3 year old grandson.
I am looking forward to getting to know my new class and the exciting year ahead!
Mrs Hurkett – Year 2 Teaching Assistant
I have worked at lovely Newick School since 2012, initially as an MDSA and then in many year groups. The last 3 years I have been in Year 6 and now I am in the wonderful Year 2. I love helping and watching the children find their path through school and gain their independence. I have two sons who both loved their time at Newick. One now is in his last year at university (where does the time go!) and one is working full time. In my spare time I love to go on walking holidays in the Lake District, Peak District, the top of Snowdon to name a few! I also love gardening and recently running.
Miss Kinderman – Year 3 Teacher
As a former pupil of Newick School I know first-hand the amazing opportunities and experiences the children are offered at this lovely school. I am therefore very excited to be going into my third year of teaching at Newick, this year in Year 3. I am really looking forward to getting to know the children, enjoying a creative and fun year with them, and having the privilege of watching them grow into Key Stage 2. I live in the countryside just outside Tunbridge Wells and in my free time I love taking my lovely Labrador, Lola, for long walks and seeing all kinds of wildlife. I also love to cook and enjoy trying new foods and recipes. I can’t wait to share the exciting year ahead with my class.
Mrs Cullip – Year 3 Teaching Assistant
I have worked at Newick School since 2012 beginning my school working life as a Midday Supervisory Assistant, a role which I still have and thoroughly enjoy. During my time at Newick I have also been an Individual Needs Assistant and feel privileged to have been able to watch the children learn and gain independence. This will be my third year as a Teaching Assistant in Year 3 helping to support the children in both their education and pastoral wellbeing.
My husband and I have two children who both attended Newick School which they have fond memories of. They have both now finished their education and on to new chapters in their lives.
In my spare time I love to read, visit historical places as I’m interested in History and long walks in the countryside.
I am really looking forward to the new school year and can’t wait to get stuck into the amazing topics we will be learning about.
Mrs Conway – Year 3 Individual Needs Assistant
I joined Newick primary school in Oct 2021. I have been working in schools for the past 15 years, working in various roles and responsibilities throughout this time. I have 2 children and 3 grandchildren.
Miss Strachan – Year 4 Teacher
I have been teaching at Newick for 8 years now and this will be my third year in Year 4. I absolutely love teaching and I am always excited to share with the children what they will be learning across the year. I am also the PE and sports co-ordinator for the school, which is another role I really enjoy. My free time is spent taking care of my 3 year old daughter and spending time with friends and family. I also enjoy playing the piano and running.
Mrs Philips – Year 4 Teacher
I am extremely excited to be teaching Year 4 this year alongside Miss Strachan. This will be my second year at Newick CE primary school and I am very proud to be a part of such a caring and lovely school. I have lived and taught in Beijing where I taught French children English. I cannot wait to get to know our class and I know they are going to have a fantastic year because we have some really interesting topics for them to explore. I love mathematics and I am looking forward to challenging the class with some exciting problem solving. Outside of school I spend most of my time entertaining my 3 and 5 year old boys. I also love reading, sewing, walking and travelling.
Mrs Webster – Year 4 Teaching Assistant
I have worked at Newick School for 8 years, initially just as a Midday Supervisory Assistant and then an Individual Needs Assistant. I am entering my 5th year as a Learning Support Assistant and I love being able to make a difference to the children’s education and their pastoral well being. I have two children who attended Newick School, one is now working full time and the other is about to start his ‘A’ levels. In my spare time I like to travel, read and enjoy walks in the countryside.
Mrs Smith – Year 5 Teacher
I’ve been the Year 5 teacher at Newick since I joined the school back in 2014, which means I am quite a familiar face to many of the children, and have taught many pupils from the same family during this time. After completing my training as a Modern Foreign Languages teacher with the University of Sussex I worked at secondary school level before deciding that I really preferred teaching primary age children. Newick offered me that amazing opportunity. As the curriculum lead for MFL I am able to use my knowledge and training to guide and develop the teaching of French across the school. I am also curriculum lead for computing and have seized the chance to get more classes involved with coding. I am delighted that we are now able to extend the use of our Mindstorms robots across KS2. I also get involved with lots of activities across the school including the choir and weekly games club. I have close connections to the Year 1 class through our regular Reading Buddy time. Being in Year 5 is a great as it offers loads of opportunities to develop children’s creativity and independent learning around many super topics, including Medieval Realms and Ancient Egypt. It is wonderful to see how the class grows in confidence and personality throughout the year. Last year, I retired as a Guide leader for a local group which I ran for 7 years. I enjoy foreign travel and languages, gardening, the cinema and theatre and simply taking my dogs for a walk.
Mrs Oldfield – Year 5 Teacher
This is my sixth year at Newick, previously teaching in Years 3, 4 and now Year 5. I have been lucky enough to teach in Buenos Aires, Vienna and London before lovely Newick. When I am at home, I am looking after my young daughters. My husband and I take our girls on plenty of family walks and try to spend lots of time outdoors in this beautiful county. I also really enjoy yoga and playing the piano to relax. I am the curriculum lead for Music and love the opportunity to get the whole school together for singing.
Mr Taylor – Year 6 Teacher
Having taught KS2 for 11 years, I am extremely excited to join Newick CE Primary as the Year 6 teacher. I believe that learning is a lifelong journey. Therefore, I hope to inspire others to go the extra mile and continue to develop their love of learning – whatever they are interested in!
For me, I am passionate about PE, Forest School and English. I love reading and enjoy talking about new and exciting books. I am looking forward to sharing some top picks with staff and pupils alike.
Recently, I have moved to Seaford to make the most of the amazing rural walks and stunning seafront. As I have two young boys, I spend most of my time outside exploring the beautiful Sussex countryside.
In my spare time, I enjoy running and playing rugby. I also love solving problems and stretching my thinking. I taught myself how to solve a Rubik’s Cube and I can now crack one in under two and a half minutes!
Sarah Middleton – Year 6 Teaching Assistant
I started working with the wonderful team at Newick in 2018, having previously worked at Beacon Secondary school. I have worked in years 5 and 6 and have truly enjoyed being able to support the children in their education and wellbeing. This year I will be supporting year 2 and am very excited about all the wonderful topics we will learn. I have three children, one who is just leaving primary and twin boys who will start in year 3 in September. I love sport, especially football and Formula One. I also love listening to all types of music.
I can’t wait to meet you all in September!
Mrs Beach – Learning Mentor
I joined the fantastic team at Newick in February 2011. I was first employed as a year 2 Teaching Assistant and an Individual Needs Assistant. I have worked in many year groups over the last nine years. Last year saw a change in roles for me, I am now a Learning Mentor across all year groups and the Nurture Practitioner. I can genuinely say that I feel so lucky to work with all our fantastic children at Newick. In my time away from school, you will find me walking in the local countryside or along the Sussex coastline. I love to spend time with my two teenage children and our adorable dog Bear.
Mrs Hills – Finance Assistant
I joined the fantastic Newick school in January 2015. Prior to this I worked at HMP Lewes for ten years, undertaking various roles including the Governors Secretary. My husband and I spent five years working in New York, where I worked at the British Consulate, assisting distressed British Citizens. Our move back to the UK bought us to Newick. I have three children, who thoroughly enjoyed their time spent at Newick School. They have now moved on to secondary school and sixth form college. I am very lucky to work with such a dedicated team.
Mr Barnes – School Caretaker
My wife and I have lived in the village for 32 years. Both our children went to Newick Primary School. Prior to being a caretaker I was an electrician for 45 years. I have worked at the school now for nearly 3 years and I must say what a wonderful friendly school it is. I enjoy all sports especially football. I enjoy going to watch Newick play. I also enjoy model railways and arranged for some layouts to be displayed in the hall at the school last year and hopefully we can do it again someday.
