Meet the Team
Key person:
At Oliver’s Battery Primary and Nursery School, we believe that young children settle best when they have a key person to relate to, who knows them and their parents well, and who can meet their individual needs. Research shows that a key person approach benefits the child, the parents, and the setting by providing secure relationships in which children thrive, parents have confidence and staff are able to respond to individual needs. We have a very effective Key person system. Each child is allocated a Key person who gets to know them and their family well. The Key person is responsible for planning for their children’s individual learning needs.
Charlotte Homewood – Early Years Leader
Qualifications/Training:
Qualified Teacher (with QTS)
Early Years Professional Status
Outdoor & Paediatric First Aid
Forest School Leader
Hello my name is Charlotte Homewood I am the Early Years Leader for the Nursery and Reception class and I am responsible ensuring there is an ambitious curriculum set with supporting adults to implement it through high quality provision. I have been teaching for over 25 years and have mostly worked with younger children during that time. I have previously worked as a Children Centre Teacher and part of the Hampshire Early Years Advisory Team. I am passionate about supporting children to learn through playful experiences and fostering a connection between them and the environment. I can often be found bug hunting with the children or talking to them about the plants and trees that grow at our school. When I am at home I am kept busy with my own (nearly grown up) children and walking my dog. I also enjoy singing in a small local choir.
Fiona Beaumont – Deputy Manager
Qualifications/Training:
Level 5
Outdoor & Paediatric First Aid
Forest School Leader
Hello my name is Fiona and I am a Level 5 Early Years Practitioner and Forest School Leader. I joined the staffing team in 2011. I oversee the day to day running of the Nursery Class. Both of my children attended Oliver’s Battery Pre-School. When my son joined in 2009 I started to volunteer and enjoyed it so much I enrolled on an early years course. I feel honoured to be working with young children, it is a very rewarding job. I get to watch the children grow and flourish in all areas. I love being outside, Forest School is a good opportunity to encourage the children to get close and find out about the natural world around themselves. At home I enjoy looking after my garden growing flowers and plants. Recently I have started growing vegetables too! I also enjoy being creative and get to bring these skills into nursery.
Katrina Nichols – Early Years Practitioner
Qualifications/Training:
Level 5
Paediatric First Aid
My name is Katrina and I work in the Nursery 2 days a week. The other remaining days I work within the school as an LSA. I started working in the nursery last September and I have really settled back into the role of nursery assistant like I never left it! I work with a fantastic team and love every moment of what nursery life throws at me. I am level 5 qualified and have previously worked in a private day care setting as a deputy manager for 14 years, so I have a wealth of experience. I have two children of my own and I choose to take a break from Early years after the birth of my second child. Having had a break I soon realised how much I missed working with children and families and choose to get back into Early Years. When I’m not working with children I love to be with my own family and get out to have adventures and go for walks. Both my boys are part of the scouting community and I also volunteer as a section Squirrel assistant leader.
Sarah McDowall – Early Years Practitioner
Qualifications/Training:
Level 3
Paediatric First Aid
Hi, I'm Sarah. I am a level 3 Early years practitioner and I have a keen interest in Special Educational Needs. I have one daughter aged 16 and three son's aged 23, 18 and 6. I became a full time Mum to look after my children who between them have kept me very busy. All my children have attended Oliver's Battery School and I just love the grounds and outdoor space that the school has to offer along with the community feeling. While my older children attended the school I did a lot of volunteering at the school and was even chair of the PTA for a while and I also worked as a lunchtime assistant till I left to have my youngest. Now that he is at school full time I knew it was time to return to work and pursue the career that I originally hoped to do. I just love watching the children at Nursery grow and develop in so many ways every day. In my spare time I help to run a local Basketball club and Sophie’s snack box, which is a charity that supplies snacks for parents in hospital at Winchester to make sure they can eat and keep their strength up when their child is poorly in hospital.
Louise Taft – Early Years Practitioner
Qualifications/Training:
Level 2
Paediatric First Aid
I’m Louise Taft a preschool practitioner here at Oliver’s battery nursery, i've worked with children for about 20 years I’m a mum with four children aged from 30 to 13 who all attended Oliver’s battery school, I’m also a grandparent now. I feel very lucky to have a job that works with my family life, i've always enjoyed working with young children watching them progress from nursery to school it’s a very rewarding job
Emily Smith – Early Years Apprentice
Qualifications/Training:
Training for Level 3
Paediatric First Aid