Higher Level Teaching Assistant, Assistant SEN Lead

University of Northumbria

BA (Hons) History of Art, Design & Film

Lesley has 18 years experience working in Secondary Education with a particular focus on improving literacy. Achieving HLTA status in 2007, she has worked in schools in the Peterborough area and more recently in Cheltenham. She is passionate about ensuring children learn to read and write to the best of their ability. She firmly believes all children can overcome barriers and unlock their full potential with the right help and guidance.

Lesley is trained in Sound Reading System, a phonics based reading programme with a proven record of progressing students’ reading ability. With many years’ experience working with students with English as additional language, she works tirelessly to assist them in learning English and adapting to British culture. Working closely with the SEN Lead to understand the learning needs of individual students, she provides bespoke intervention to close the gaps in their literacy knowledge. Her life-long goal is that all children should be literate when they leave school and prepared for adult life.

Most recently, Lesley has been working as a school librarian and is passionate about promoting reading for pleasure. She is able to recommend age appropriate books in all genres for students in Year 7-13, as well as supporting extra curriculum reading for GCSE and A-Level students. Her philosophy is that all students can enjoy reading if they find the right book and that these should represent the cultural diversity of all our students. She is enthusiastic about finding new ways to encourage reading, by running events and competitions throughout the school year.

Outside of school, Lesley is an artist, practising in collage and watercolour. She is the proud mother of two children, a son who is a Metropolitan Police Protection Officer and a daughter who is an Illustrator and Nurse. They are the inspiration behind her passion for ensuring all children achieve their very best.