STAFF ORGANISATION STRUCTURE

KEY CONTACTS

THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Helen Hannam, Headteacher & Principal	Senior Leader
Warren Griffiths, Deputy Principal	Senior Leader
Anna Weir, Head of HR	Senior Leader
Didem Allen, Head of Finance	Senior Leader

 

Shelley Thomas, Assistant Headteacher HIVE and Therapies

Josie Glover, Assistant Headteacher Nurture

Jerell Gumbs, Assistant HeadtHeeacher Upper School

Sarah Fraser-Thwaites, Assistant Headteacher Middle School

Rebecca Brosnan, Assistant Headteacher First School

Rachel Goymer, Assistant Headteacher The Link

Mary Keenan, Head of the Link Operational and Wellbeing

Katie Gear, Head of Intervention

Helen Hannam, Headteacher & Principal

I studied for my Degree (B.A Hons and PGCE) at Liverpool University. Following these studies I decided to travel and spent the next 10 years in Hong Kong working as part of the English Schools' Foundation teaching GCSE and A Level.

I have worked extensively within the pastoral system during my teaching career and moved towards Special Educational Needs taking my SENCO qualification at Reading University whilst Assistant Head at Cox Green School. During this time I formed a very close working relationship with Manor Green which is why I applied for the Deputy Head position in 2016.

I am passionate about making a difference through educational opportunities and my nine years at Manor Green have certainly allowed me to do this as part of an amazing team that has allowed me to progress to Associate Head and now Headteacher.

When I began at Manor Green, my 12 week old puppy, Lanson, was a new addition to the family. He has now fully embedded himself into the Link and Manor Green as the school dog and enjoys coming to work everyday as much as I do !

Manor Green is a fantastic school  with amazing staff and inspirational students.  I feel privileged and honoured to be part of Manor Green and  look forward to steering the school through the next phase of our journey, as we continue to develop and grow as a school within our own Multi Academy Trust.

 

Warren Griffiths, Deputy Principal

I am very grateful to be given the opportunity to come and work at Manor Green School in the role of Head of Wellbeing and Safeguarding. A few weeks before I had my job interview I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the school and was not only impressed by the excellent facilities and staff resources, but was  taken aback at how happy all the students were.  I immediately knew that this was where I wanted to work.

I have been working in Children’s Services for 12 years with my most recent role being the Manager for an Intensive Family Support Team. However, over the years I have had various roles working in a variety of settings including Social Care, Youth Offending Teams, and a Charity. I have also been a Foster Carer for the past two years.

Outside of work I live with my wife, two children and two lazy French Bulldogs (Nora and Lola)!

I look forward to meeting you all over the coming months.

Anna Weir, Head of HR

I have worked in HR and Operational roles for over 20 years. I am an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Before coming to Manor Green School in 2020, I was Global Operations Manager for a Supply Chain company. I have managed teams across the UK, San Francisco and Singapore and developed and delivered the company’s HR programmes and policies.

I live with my husband, children and Australian labradoodle called Clark.

 

 

Didem Allen, Head of Finance

I am a CIMA qualified accountant with 20 years of experience in finance and accounting. Prior to joining Manor Green School, I worked in the private sector, supporting businesses with financial forecasting, budget planning, cash flow management and management accounting.

I live with my husband and two daughters in Berkshire. As a family we like camping and caravanning and visiting new areas together.

 

 

Shelley Thomas, Head of First School and Therapies

I graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 2009 with a BA(Hons) in Primary Education. I have a passion for SEN, so whilst at university I specialised in Special Educational Needs.

After graduating I started my teaching career as an NQT at Holyport Manor School (now Manor Green School), teaching in the Nursery class.

A few years later I became Key Stage Leader For Early Years and Key Stage 1. I am now Assistant Headteacher for First School and Therapies as well taking a lead on our exciting new project: The HIVE, which provides education at home for young people who are unable to attend a school setting due to being medically vulnerable.

Outside of work I live at home with my partner, my two girls and my dog Milo. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and going on long walks.

 

 

Josie Glover, Assistant Headteachure Nurture and Behaviour for Learning

I graduated from the University of Wales, Newport with a BA HONS in Performing Arts.

After graduating I spent five years travelling around Australia and began my teaching career after getting my PGCE at Charles Darwin University where I taught Dance and Drama. I arrived back in the UK in 2014 and after spending a few days volunteering at Manor Green School,  I found a new passion for working in Special Education and was lucky enough to get a teaching post here.

I started in Donaldson class in 2014 and then spent time in a variety of classes and key stages as I became a qualified teacher in the UK. I  spent the majority of my time teaching and mentoring in First School before I left to further my career at another special school in 2018.

After a few years as Early Years and Key Stage 1 Leader I felt it was time to pursue other avenues and further my career in Special Needs. I am now fortunate to be a Head of Nurture, where I get to interact with students across the whole school whilst supporting with behaviour. I am also part of the Manor Green Outreach Team.

Outside of work I spend  my time with my daughter Dolly and my family; enjoying time outside and finding fun and exciting activities to do together.

 

 

Jerell Gumbs, Assistant Headteacher Upper School

I started teaching in primary school mainstreams in 2014. I always had a passion for SEN, so throughout my training and early teaching I gravitated towards SEN.  After completing my NQT year, I moved to Manor Green School in 2016, teaching in the KS4 class. This was a huge shock as I had never worked with secondary or six form students, I did however relish it, and it quickly became my favourite department.  

A few years later, I decided to go and get some experience in different roles and went off to do some SENCO work in a mainstream school with a resource (SEN) unit.  I then returned to MGS and became cluster leader for Oxford. I am now Assistant Headteacher for Upper School, and lead on preparation for adulthood. 

Outside of work I live at home with my fiancé, and recently have had our first child. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and have a big passion for Sports, especially football and F1. 

 

 

Sarah Fraser-Thwaites, Assistant Headteacher Middle School

I graduated from University with a degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership and Management and went on to support many students with different disabilities in the outdoors.

I joined Manor Green School as a Specialist Support Assistant in 2012 and have held many various roles working with many students across the school since then. I am now Assistant Headteacher for Specialist and the Educational Visits Co-ordinator for the school. 

Outside of work I enjoy the outdoors and time spent with my family and friends. 

 

 

Rachel Goymer, Assistant Headteacher The Link

I graduated from Coventry University with a BSc Hons in Psychology. I wanted to gain further understanding of child psychology, so I began to work in the education sector. After realising that I had a passion for working in schools I completed my PGCE at Exeter University, specialising in Early Years Teaching. Wanting to deepen my knowledge further, I continued my education with Exeter University, completing a MA in Education. During the time I completed my Masters, I researched effective ways of developing emotional resilience in schools, using an adapted programme of learning specifically for SEND students. I was able to use this in Manor Green and then I used it as the foundation for The Link Curriculum. This is a therapeutic provision, and we have supported many young people with SEMH needs since we have opened. We are constantly innovating and have recently opened the College Link provision to help students get workplace ready. I have also supported with other projects within the Local Authority, such as the set up of The Anchor Centre.

I truly enjoy working at Manor Green, with the fantastic students and staff, that I have the privilege of working with daily. I hope to be able to use my experiences in education to support the development of Manor Green School in the future.

Outside of work I enjoy travelling, learning new skills, cooking new recipes, and socialising with friends and family. 

 

 

Mary Keenan, Head of the Link Operational and Wellbeing

I made my move into education in 2012 after having worked for CAFCASS managing multiple sites and supporting families going through the public and private law court systems.   It was at Cox Green School, where I was the Safeguarding Lead, that Helen Hannam and I first worked together.  We always felt that there was a growing area of unmet need for young people who couldn’t manage the mainstream education system but who also didn’t meet the criteria for a special school.  Consequently, Helen’s dream of The Link was born and I quickly followed her to Manor Green to help her make that dream a reality….  and I absolutely love it!

Prior to making the jump into the public sector, I was the Call Centre Manager for Direct Wines (aka Laithwaites) for many years, first at their head office in Theale and then setting up and managing their site in Plymouth.  I led the 400+ team to winning multiple customer service awards.  Interestingly, supporting such a large but generally young staff team was often remarkably similar to managing secondary students so clearly I was destined to end up in education…  

Outside of work I am a school governor for a local mainstream secondary school, I sing in a choir, and I occasionally perform on stage.  My husband and I have a son who is way more talented than either of us and is currently at drama school so we have replaced him with our cocker spaniel, Runa.

 

 

 

Katie Gear, Head of Interventions and EAL Specialist

I graduated from University in 1998 with a BEd (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS. My passion for SEN started at university. We developed an activity programme for young adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities during the summer holidays.  I started my teaching career as a mainstream primary class teacher which became more specialised when I moved to RBWM and joined the Ethnic Minority Achievement Team (EMA). Through this team, the language needs of the students were supported across the Borough. 

Here at Manor Green School, I started in Key Stage 3 as a class teacher, following onto Key Stage 5. My role became more specialised through setting up the EAL department. I now lead on the interventions team which include specialists in Literacy, Maths, Food Technology, Design Technology, Music, Beauty and Horticulture as well as engaging and developing partnerships with parents, particularly the most economically disadvantaged groups in British society. 

Outside of work I live at home with my husband, two children, Emily and Thomas and our dog Barney. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and going on long dog walks in the countryside.