Senior Leaders
We have a very experienced senior leadership team in our school who provide a steer to the school as well as helping to shape the vision for the school and drive standards forward.
Head Teacher: Mrs Jane Ryan [1 September 2023... ]
Our NEW substantive Head Teacher is Mrs Jane Ryan B.Ed. (Hons). Mrs Ryan has taken over from Mr Hutchinson's following his retirement in August 2023. Ryan has taught at St Theresa's for over 25 years and is a very experienced senior leader and teacher. She is an Early Years and Key Stage 1 specialist but has vast experience of KS2 as well. She was previously our Deputy Head of Lower School (KSF/KS1) but was promoted to DHT of the whole school in September 2019. Mrs Ryan is very approachable and is extremely popular with all our stakeholders but most especially our staff and parents who will always turn to her for help and advice. She is also extremely popular with the children who just adore her. Mrs Ryan coordinates lots of our monitoring, evaluation and review work and with Mrs Dowd and the other senior leaders helps to drive standards forward to make St Theresa's the best school it can possibly be. She says, "I just love my job and it is the best job in the world! It is a pleasure and a privilege to serve this community which is why I have stayed so long. Our children are just fabulous and they bring such joy to us all. Every day is different and I have loved every minute here. My door is always open to everyone and I am always happy to help everyone in our community." Mrs Ryan is also a senior mentor for the School Direct programme and works closely with the Leeds Teaching Hub in that role.
Interim Deputy Head Teacher: Mrs Laura Dowd
Mrs Dowd joined our SLT in September 2022 after many successful years working at St Nicholas's CPS and St Francis CPS, Morley. Mrs Dowd is a very experienced primary practitioner and has specialism in leading Maths, Religious Education and the Curriculum. Mrs Dowd has been asked to take on the interim role of Deputy Head Teacher for the academic year 2023-2024 to support Mrs Ryan in her new role as Headteacher. She is taking a strong lead in KS2 and working closely with the staff in that area of school to maintain and improve standards of Quality First Teaching. She says, "I just love working at St Theresa's! It is such a caring and kind community. The children are amazing and I cannot wait to get my teeth into lots of projects where I start to a real difference to the lives of these young people." [Picture to follow soon!]
Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion and Safeguarding: Ms Karen Hulbert
Mrs Hulbert joins the team at St Theresa's having working at one of our sister schools for over 10 years since qualifying as a teacher following a career in industry and commerce. Ms Hulbert is an experienced SENDCo and Safeguarding Lead and we are absolutely delighted to be be welcoming her to our school community. We know how much she is looking forward to getting her established in our school and will add greatly to the traditions and reputation of our school as an inclusive school where all can thrive and prosper. Ms Hulbert will lead the schools' Inclusion Team as well as coordinate the provision for Special Educational Needs for our most vulnerable pupils.
Interim Assistant SENDCo: Mrs Lucy Goodwin.
Mrs Goodwin has agreed to take on the role of acting SENDCo for the summer term 2023 before Miss Karen Hulbert takes up the substantive role in September 2023; she will continue to support Ms Hulbert in the Autumn Term 2023. Mrs Goodwin is a very experienced teacher and is our Phonics Leader in school. She has taught most of the children in school at one time or another having worked in the early years classes for some time. We are delighted that she has taken up this opportunity. Mrs Goodwin says, "I am thrilled to be taking on this new role though I know I have big shoes to fill even if it only for a short time. I will do my best to serve our most vulnerable children and maintain all that Mrs Strong has put in place for them. I am deeply grateful that she has agreed to come into school one day a week to help oversee the transition arrangements for next year. "
