Miss Shields - Otters Class Teacher

I consider myself very lucky to have benefitted from a fantastic education despite my humble background, attending wonderful local primary schools at home in Wivenhoe and then a charitable boarding school in Sussex where I completed my GCSEs and the International Baccalaureate. Here, I lived with pupils from all walks of life, some of them having experienced very challenging home lives, and I saw the impact first hand of a high-quality education on their aspirations and prospects. A philosophy of inclusion, and an ambition to overcome life’s obstacles, was therefore instilled in me from a young age.

Following school, my degree in psychology provided me with an insight into child development, learning and memory (including disabilities and differences), emotional disorders, motivation and confidence.

I then moved to Australia to work as an au-pair for a year, and discovered the joy of working with children. On my return, I entered the world of Digital Marketing. Initially I found this to be an exciting and social career, but despite great progression I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to do something more rewarding and worthwhile, so I made the decision to pursue a career working with children. I competed my PGCE at UEA, specialising in early years and key stage 1.

I believe passionately in the power of nature and the great outdoors, something that I chose to specialise in during my PGCE training. I live in Snape with my golden labrador, Billy.

My favourite....

Book – Lord of the flies, Elizabeth is missing

Film – The silence of the lambs, Matilda, Bridget Jones

Hobby – Gardening, camping, pottery, baking, true crime podcasts and nature documentaries

Colour – Blue

Food – Roast potatoes

Sport – Does walking the dog count?