Our Pre-School Staff

We are fortunate to have a fantastic team of caring and dedicated staff who are responsible for the day to day running of the Pre-School. All members of staff have Safeguarding, First Aid, Allergen and Food Hygiene Certification. Most of the team have been trained in Baby Signing and together we implement a Therapeutic Approach to Behaviour.

As key people our staff will build trusting and nurturing relationships with each child, following their lead and supporting learning through play.  We also work in partnership with our parents/carers to ensure that everyone is happy, safe and reaching their potential in preschool.

Tina Downing – Preschool Manager, SENCo & Designated Safeguarding Person

Tina has been our Preschool Manager since 2008, she has a Foundation Degree in Early Years Practice and is one of the Designated Persons for Safeguarding children. Tina is also an accredited Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and our ‘Autism Lead’ for the local area.

Tina initiates and organises the daily programme of activities at the Preschool, monitoring the quality of teaching and charting the developmental progress of the children. She is responsible for the health, safety and wellbeing of the children, as well as our short and long-term planning. She also supervises all staff and liaises with Therfield First School and the Pre-School Committee.

Tina’s priority as the team leader has been to ensure that the children feel safe and secure, valued, happy to be with us and therefore enjoy their learning every single day.

Natalie Hunn – Deputy Leader

Natalie is our wonderful Deputy Leader, she is a highly valued and respected member of our local community, as well as a key member of our team, and has been working for the preschool more than 20 years.  Natalie has completed her Cache Level 3 Diploma and is our ‘Narrowing The Gap’ lead ensuring high goals and aspirations for all children.

We were so proud of Natalie who was chosen as a finalist in the Families First Awards 2023 as Key Worker of the Year – A huge achievement and very well deserved!

Sue Hamilton – Qualified Practitioner & SENCo

As a Level 3 Qualified Practitioner, a key person and our Special Educational Needs Coordinator. As SENCo, Sue is responsible for assessing, planning and monitoring the progress of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Her skills, knowledge and experience mean that every child’s individual needs are acknowledged, understood and therefore met in preschool.

Sue was initially employed as Bank Staff but became a permanent member of staff in 2014. She is a former parent and committee member and an experienced foster carer. Sue is passionate about full inclusivity – ensuring that every activity and experience we offer is accessible to all, differentiated as appropriate to support and/or extend and challenge the children. Sue is also keen on messy play and is happiest when covered in paint and glitter in the creative area.

 Sara Walker – Qualified Practitioner

Sara has long been part of the Therfield Preschool family, having originally joined us in 2008, she took a short break away but has now returned to share her expertise.  Sara is a Level 3 Qualified Practitioner and has completed Elklan training, specialising in supporting speech and language development.

Sara has a passion for gardening, creating her own gardens from scratch and carefully maintaining them. She enjoys leading the children in outdoor activities, growing their own plants and helping them to discover the wonderful world around them. She is never happier than when she is in outside teaching the children all about the wonderful things around us.

Harry Walsh – Bank Staff Team

We are so lucky to have Harry as part of the bank staff team and it’s fair to say he is a firm favourite amongst the children (and adults), bringing a young and fresh dynamic with him whenever he is available to help. He is calm, quiet and more than happy to get stuck into whatever activity the children choose to share with him.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to keep Harry for long as he spends most of his time studying in the US, on a football scholarship, but we very much enjoy cheering him on from this side of the Atlantic.

Tammy Liebenberg – Pre-School Support Assistant