My wife and I have lived in the village for 32 years. Both our children went to Newick Primary School. Prior to being a caretaker I was an electrician for 45 years. I have worked at the school now for nearly 3 years and I must say what a wonderful friendly school it is. I enjoy all sports especially football. I enjoy going to watch Newick play. I also enjoy model railways and arranged for some layouts to be displayed in the hall at the school last year and hopefully we can do it again someday.
Meet our Staff
Miss Alty - Headteacher
I have been a teacher for 25 years and I have taught in a variety of schools and in different towns and cities. I have been at Newick School since 2010 as the Year 6 teacher, the Deputy Head, the Teaching School Director and now as Headteacher. I love to travel and visit historical sites and I have visited quite a lot of interesting places and have a long list of other countries I would also like to visit.
I am looking forward to seeing all of our children involved in the fantastic opportunities that the teachers are already planning. It will be very exciting to welcome new teachers and children to our school community and I am sure they will be made to feel very welcome. I really look forward to spending time getting to know all of you even more by spending time in class, on the playground and during other activities. I know that it will be a year full of joy and learning.
Mrs Clarke - Deputy Head
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I am proud to be the Deputy Head of Newick CE Primary School. I have been teaching for over 11 years and love my job. I have taught in every year group and thoroughly enjoy teaching any age across the primary phase. I live with my husband Tim, who is a secondary teacher, and our two children Evie and Noah. We all live in Brighton and regularly visit the beach. In my free time, I enjoy gardening and reading. Next year, I am really looking forward to getting to know our new Otters and sharing the new and exciting learning opportunities Newick has to offer.
Sarah Sipula - Director of Newick Teaching School
Mrs Sarah Sipula. I am proud to be the Director of Newick Teaching School. I have been teaching for over twenty years and have now worked with students from 2 to 18+ and many teachers. I am passionate about people and education and believe that everyone deserves the best opportunities in life. I love teaching maths and work one day a week as a Maths Mastery Readiness Lead. A Global Teachers Millennium Award enabled me to teach in South Africa, in the area where Nelson Mandela grew up. This was an amazing experience. When not working I love spending time with my family, kayaking and cycling.
Mrs James - SENCO
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I have been teaching for over 20 years across a variety of settings. Previously I worked in London schools as an early years teacher, a deputy head and a SENCO. I then became an early years consultant working across West Sussex schools before joining Newick Primary School 4 years ago as the SENCO. I live in Plumpton with my husband who is a local primary head teacher and we have 3 children who are 10, 8 and 5 years old. I enjoy running and taking walks around the local area. This year I am looking forward to working with Mrs Sawyer in September as the Reception teacher on a Thursday and Friday and welcoming lots of new children to our lovely school community whilst continuing my role as the SENCO.
Mrs Sawyer - EYFS Teacher
I have been part of the Newick School community for the last 25 Years. First as a parent when the eldest of my 3 children started in the Reception Class. All my children loved their time at Newick and have lots of happy memories of being there. My husband has also taught here and still helps with Forest School for Otters class from time to time. Before I worked at Newick I worked in several other schools in both West and East Sussex. Whilst at Newick I have taught lots of different Year groups and also been Inclusion leader and Assistant Head. I am currently the EYFS teacher and love getting to know the new families and children and starting them off on their school journey at ‘big’ school. In my spare time I love spending time with my family, visiting new places at home and abroad, cooking, reading, walking my dog Monty and meeting my friends. In the summer I can often be found watching my 2 sons play cricket for Newick and making the cricket teas!
Miss Kinderman - Year 1 Teacher
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As a former pupil of Newick School I know firsthand the amazing opportunities and experiences the children are offered at this lovely school. As such, I am very excited to join the school in Year 1 having just completed my PGCE with my main placement at Newick. I am really looking forward to getting to know the children, enjoying a creative and fun year with them and having the privilege of watching them grow. I live in the countryside just outside Tunbridge Wells and in my free time I love taking the dogs for long walks and seeing all kinds of wildlife. I also love to cook and enjoy trying new foods and recipes. I can’t wait to share the exciting year ahead with my new class
Mrs Cheeseman - Year 2 Teacher
I am extremely proud to be the Year 2 Teacher at Newick Church of England Primary School. I will be going into my 6th Year of Teaching and my 7th year here at Newick, but have over 12 years experience of working in schools prior to that. I love making a difference to children's lives, planning and teaching engaging, creative lessons. In my free time, I love to learn more about history and science, read, visit historical places, garden and spend time with my wonderful husband, 4 children and 1 year old grandson.
I am looking forward to getting to know my new class and the exciting year ahead!
Sarah Middleton - Year 2 Teaching Assistant
I started working with the wonderful team at Newick in 2018, having previously worked at Beacon Secondary school. I have worked in years 5 and 6 and have truly enjoyed being able to support the children in their education and wellbeing. This year I will be supporting year 2 and am very excited about all the wonderful topics we will learn. I have three children, one who is just leaving primary and twin boys who will start in year 3 in September. I love sport, especially football and Formula One. I also love listening to all types of music.
I can't wait to meet you all in September!
Miss Clarke - Year 3 Teacher
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I have been teaching for 15 years and have been lucky enough to teach in many different places, including York, London, and Switzerland. I have been teaching at Newick for the past 6 years and really enjoy teaching in this beautiful setting. I am excited to be teaching Year 3 for the next academic year with Mr Winn and we are both looking forward to meeting our new class. The year 3 curriculum is packed full of fascinating history topics, exciting books, fun science investigations and plenty of number and shape problems. I really enjoy teaching maths and trying mathematical puzzles, particularly that wonderful satisfying feeling you get when you finally find a solution! When I am not working, I look after my two energetic boys, who are aged 2 and 4. We can usually be found at one of the parks in Brighton or on the seafront. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, baking, and supporting my favourite football team.
Mr Winn - Year 3 Teacher
I have been a teacher for 15 years, and joined the Newick community in 2018. Newick is the fourth school I have taught in; before coming here I worked at schools in West Sussex and Brighton. Prior to becoming a teacher I worked in the publishing industry. I have lived in Sussex since I was 14, and went to Chailey secondary school, which is where some of you may go when you leave Newick. My wife and I have three children, aged 12, 9 and 5. When I am not in school on a Monday and a Tuesday I look after them at home. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, baking and (sometimes!) running to keep fit. I’m really looking forward to getting to know our new class and have lots of exciting learning planned for them.
Mrs Cullip - Year 3 Teaching Assistant
I have worked at Newick School since 2012 beginning my school working life as a midday supervisory assistant, a role which I still have and thoroughly enjoy. During my time at Newick I have been an individual needs assistant and feel privileged to have been able to watch the children learn and gain independence. For the past academic year I have been a teaching assistant in EYFS and now I am looking forward to being the teaching assistant in Year 3 helping to support the children in both their education and pastoral wellbeing. I have two children who both attended Newick School which they have fond memories of. My daughter is in her first year at university and my son is starting college in September. In my spare time I love to read, visit historical places as I’m interested in history and long walks with my family and our dog Max. I am really looking forward to the new school year and can’t wait to get stuck into the amazing topics we will be learning about.
Mrs Todhunter – Year 4 Teacher
I have been teaching at Newick for 7 years now and this will be my second year in Year 4. I absolutely love teaching and I am always excited to share with the children what they will be learning across the year. I am also the PE and sports co-ordinator for the school, which is another role I really enjoy. My free time is spent taking care of my 2 year old daughter and spending time with friends and family. I also enjoy playing the piano and running.
Mrs Philips - Year 4 Teacher
I am extremely excited to be teaching Year 4 this year alongside Mrs Todhunter. This will be my second year at Newick CE primary school and I am very proud to be a part of such a caring and lovely school. I have lived and taught in Beijing where I taught French children English. I cannot wait to get to know our class and I know they are going to have a fantastic year because we have some really interesting topics for them to explore. I love mathematics and I am looking forward to challenging the class with some exciting problem solving. Outside of school I spend most of my time entertaining my 3 and 5 year old boys. I also love reading, sewing, walking and travelling.
Mrs Trigwell - Year 4 Teaching Assistant
I have worked at Newick School for 5 years. I am really excited to get to know the Year 4 children, who I have worked with a little when they were in Year 2. I have 3 grown up children and a 1 year old granddaughter. I love cooking, gardening, reading and craft activities and I am hoping to be able to enjoy some of these activities with the children. I am looking forward to the new and exciting Topics we will be studying in Year 4 and making a difference to the children’s learning.
Mrs Smith - Year 5 Teacher
I’ve been the Year 5 teacher at Newick since I joined the school back in 2014, which means I am quite a familiar face to many of the children, and have taught many pupils from the same family during this time. After completing my training as a Modern Foreign Languages teacher with the University of Sussex I worked at secondary school level before deciding that I really preferred teaching primary age children. Newick offered me that amazing opportunity. As the curriculum lead for MFL I am able to use my knowledge and training to guide and develop the teaching of French across the school. I am also curriculum lead for computing and have seized the chance to get more classes involved with coding. I am delighted that we are now able to extend the use of our Mindstorms robots across KS2. I also get involved with lots of activities across the school including the choir and weekly games club. I have close connections to the Year 1 class through our regular Reading Buddy time. Being in Year 5 is a great as it offers loads of opportunities to develop children’s creativity and independent learning around many super topics, including Medieval Realms and Ancient Egypt. It is wonderful to see how the class grows in confidence and personality throughout the year. Last year, I retired as a Guide leader for a local group which I ran for 7 years. I enjoy foreign travel and languages, gardening, the cinema and theatre and simply taking my dogs for a walk.
Mrs Webster - Year 5 Learning Support Assistant
I have worked at Newick School for 8 years, initially just as a Midday Supervisory Assistant and then an Individual Needs Assistant. I am entering my 5th year as a Learning Support Assistant and I love being able to make a difference to the children’s education and their pastoral well being. I have two children who attended Newick School, one is now working full time and the other is about to start his ‘A’ levels. In my spare time I like to travel, read and enjoy walks in the countryside.
Mrs Notman - Year 6 Teacher
I have worked at Newick School for three years, and am very pleased to be the Year 6 teacher for the next academic year. I enjoy encouraging the children in their final year of primary to become more independent and confident in their learning, and with my particular interest in vocabulary and language, we dedicate time across all subjects to build their understanding of how words are the keystone to their development as learners! Having also had a career in the City of London, I also take time to build life skills into their timetable, so they understand the importance of Maths for life (e.g. budgeting, fundraising) and soft skills ( team building and problem solving) – areas we will be developing further this year. Outside of school, I enjoy walking, cooking for friends and family, and exploring different places in the world.
Ms Connolly - Year 6 Learning Support Assistant
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I’ve been working at Newick Primary School for several years, mainly in Key Stage 2. I’ve also worked as a Teaching Assistant at Warden Park Secondary school, and at several international schools. Before working in education, I was a journalist covering global news stories for TV and radio. I love languages, current affairs and learning about the world around us. At lunchtimes I’m usually out on the playground, getting to know pupils from across the school. I live in Newick with my family, and spend a lot of my holiday time in Scandinavia. I can’t wait to see everyone back at school in September!
Mrs Beach - Learning Mentor and Nurture Practitioner
I joined the fantastic team at Newick in February 2011. I was first employed as a year 2 Teaching Assistant and an Individual Needs Assistant. I have worked in many year groups over the last nine years. Last year saw a change in roles for me, I am now a Learning Mentor across all year groups and the Nurture Practitioner. I can genuinely say that I feel so lucky to work with all our fantastic children at Newick. In my time away from school, you will find me walking in the local countryside or along the Sussex coastline. I love to spend time with my two teenage children and our adorable dog Bear.
Mrs Fake – School Secretary
I have been School Secretary here since 2008, and enjoy welcoming and supporting our families. My work family care passionately about the children in their care, we support each other and are excellent problem solvers. At home I have two sporty son’s mad on Rugby, Cricket & Badminton so weekends involve cheering them on & washing sport kits even if old enough to do it themselves!
Mr Barnes – School Caretaker
