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Staff

Meet Our Team

At Burnside Primary School, our staff are our greatest asset. Every adult who works in our school, regardless of their role, is entirely committed to nurturing, inspiring, and keeping our children safe. We operate as a unified team to ensure that every child at Burnside gets the absolute best possible start in mathematical, creative, physical, and social development.

Senior Leadership & Governance

Our leadership team ensures robust school governance, continuous educational improvement, and a deeply embedded culture of safeguarding.

Headship & Safeguarding Leads

  • Miss  Ramsay - Headteacher

    • Key Roles: Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)

    • Experience: Joined Burnside in September 2008. Extensive leadership background including Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher roles across Northumberland and North Tyneside.

    • Qualifications: National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

  • Mrs  Williams - Deputy Headteacher

    • Key Roles: Senior Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

    • Experience: Joined Burnside in September 2005. Extensive experience spanning Senior Leadership, Class Teaching, and School Business Management.

    • Qualifications: National Professional Qualification in Middle Leadership (NPQML).

  • Mrs  McCaw - EYFS Senior Leader & Manager

    • Specialism: Oversees our complete 2–5 Early Years pathway (Budding Explorers, Nursery, Rising 3s, and Reception). Joined in 2014.

    • Qualifications: National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership (NPQSL).

  • Mrs Akram - Extended Childcare Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

  • Mrs Burnip - Lower Key Stage 2 Leader & SENDCO 

    • Specialism: Strategic Management of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school-wide. Joined in 2003.

    • Qualifications: National Qualification for SEND Co-ordination (NASENCO), National Professional Qualification in Middle Leadership (NPQML).

  • Miss Turnbull – Key Stage 1 Senior Leader (Years 1 & 2) 

    • Cultivating a rich, vibrant culture of reading for pleasure across the school and embedding a rigorous English curriculum that ensures every child achieves excellence in communication, reading, and writing.

  • In September 2026

  • Mrs Higham - Lower Key Stage 2 Senior Leader (Years 3 & 4)

    • Specialism: Primary Mastery Maths Specialist within the Great North Maths Hub.

    • Qualifications: National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership (NPQSL).

  • Miss Croft - Upper Key Stage 2 Senior Leader

    • Specialism: Driving an innovative, forward-thinking digital strategy school-wide, ensuring all pupils navigate technology safely, smartly, and creatively while developing essential coding and computational skills.(Years 5 & 6)

  • Mrs Ramsey  - School Business Manager

    • Specialism: Strategic financial, operational, and health and safety management. Joined in September 2024.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Team

Phase Leader: Mrs McCaw 

Our EYFS team is uniquely qualified, featuring an exceptionally high concentration of staff holding specialist early years qualifications and dual childcare credentials. This team seamlessly bridges the gap between core education and our school-run extended care.

Budding Explorers (2-Year-Old Provision)

  • Lead Practitioner: Miss Hedley (Higher Level Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

  • Learning Support Team: * Miss Anderson (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

    • Miss Race (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

    • Miss Donnelly (Teaching Assistant, Fully Qualified Teacher & Childcare Specialist)

    • Miss Britton (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

Rising 3s (Spring & Summer)

  • Class Teacher: Mrs Armstrong

  • Learning Support Team: * Mrs McCleod (Higher Level Teaching Assistant)

    • Miss Taylor (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

Nursery (Main 3-Year-Old Provision)

  • Class Teacher: Miss Stenhouse

  • Learning Support Team: * Mrs McCleod (Higher Level Teaching Assistant)

    • Mrs Anderson (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

    • Mrs Jackson (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

    • Miss Anderson (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

    • Miss Chisholm (Teaching Assistant)

    • Mrs Rickeard (Teaching Assistant)

Reception Classes

  • Class Teachers: * Mrs Czerwinski (Class RC — Phase Leader)

    • Mrs Stewart (Class RS)

  • Learning Support Team: * Mrs Debbie McCleod (Higher Level Teaching Assistant)

    • Mrs Riches (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

    • Mrs Hoggins (Teaching Assistant)

Key Stage 1 (KS1) Team — Years 1 & 2

Phase Leader: Miss Turnbull

  • Class Teachers:

    • Miss Turnbull (Class 2T — Phase Leader)

    • Mrs Akram (Class 2A)

    • Mrs Ray (Class 1R)

    • Mrs McCoy (Class 1M)

  • Learning Support Team:

    • Mrs Steele (Higher Level Teaching Assistant)

    • Mrs Bussey (Specialist Teaching Assistant — Speech and Language)

    • Mrs Wilson (Teaching Assistant)

    • Miss Kennedy (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

Lower Key Stage 2 (LKS2) Team — Years 3 & 4

Phase Leader: Mrs Burnip (SENDCO)

  • Class Teachers:

    • Mrs Burnip (Class 3B — Phase Leader & SENDCO)

    • Mr Tincombe (Class 3T)

    • Mrs McGarry (Class 4MW)

    • Mrs Willis (Class 4MW)

    • Miss Garrett (Class 4G)

  • Learning Support Team:

    • Mrs Harbinson (Higher Level Teaching Assistant)

    • Miss Patterson (Higher Level Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

    • Mrs Johnson (Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

Upper Key Stage 2 (UKS2) Team — Years 5 & 6

Phase Leader: Miss Croft

  • Class Teachers:

    • Miss Croft (Class 6C — Phase Leader)

    • Mrs Burleigh (Class 6BT)

    • Mrs Tweddle (Class 6BT)

    • Mrs Higham (Class 5H)

    • Mr Kindley (Class 5K)

  • Learning Support Team:

    • Mrs Shepherdson (Higher Level Teaching Assistant)

    • Mrs Kelley (Higher Level Teaching Assistant & Fully Qualified Teacher)

    • Miss Donnelly (Teaching Assistant, Fully Qualified Teacher & Childcare Specialist)

    • Miss Patterson (Higher Level Teaching Assistant & Childcare Specialist)

Specialist Enrichment Teachers & Intervention Staff

Our school invests heavily in targeted interventions and professional subject specialists to broaden our curriculum offer.

  • Mrs Walker — Specialist Music Teacher

  • Mrs Bussey — Speech and Language Intervention Specialist

  • Mrs Powells — Specialist SEND Teaching Assistant

School Business, Administration & Estates Team

The essential operational, administrative, and safety heartbeat of Burnside.

  • Mrs Ramsey — School Business Manager

  • Mrs Messenger — Administration Officer

  • Mrs Ray — Administrative Assistant & Senior Lunchtime Supervisor

  • Mr Marks — Caretaker & Estates Manager

School Catering & Kitchen Team

The dedicated team ensuring our pupils receive nutritious, high-quality meals every day to fuel their learning.

  • Mr Denholm — Unit Manager

  • Miss Farrell — Kitchen Assistant

  • Mrs York — Kitchen Assistant

  • Ms Ward — Kitchen Assistant

Lunchtime Dining & Play Leadership Team

To ensure that our school motto—Be Safe, Be Smart, Be Kind—extends across the entire school day, our lunchtimes are structured and led by experienced play professionals.

  • Senior Lunchtime Supervisor: Mrs Ray

  • Leaders of Play: Mrs Mitchison, Miss Monk

Our dedicated team of lunchtime dining and play supervisors includes:

  • Miss Race

  • Mrs Johnson

  • Miss Taylor

  • Miss Donnelly

  • Mrs Rickeard

  • Mrs Riches

  • Mrs Hoggins

  • Miss Hetherington

  • Miss Cain

  • Mrs Long

  • Miss  McGregor

  • Mrs  Home

  • Miss  Long

  • Mrs  Lawrence

  • Mrs Marks

  • Mrs  Kidd

  • Miss Shaw

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