Frodsham Manor House Primary School

Meet the Staff

This page will introduce you to the staff at Frodsham Manor House Primary School. Many of the staff have written a description of themselves and will tell you about their favourite school event and which books they liked reading as a child. We're a friendly lot, do come and introduce yourself if you are new to our school family.

Mr Thom Watts

Headteacher

It is my first year here at Manor House and I feel very privileged to have taken over such a wonderful school from Mr. Deveruex-Roberts. From the first time that I entered the school, it is clear that this is a vibrant and exciting place that celebrates our children as individuals every single day. I am really looking forward to getting to know the children and the community even better over the next year here- I hear the most fabulous of things!

I lead assemblies based on our values on Mondays and Celebration Assembly on Fridays, where we invite parents and carers into school to celebrate their child’s success over the week. I also present the Headteacher’s Award weekly for displaying excellence across school as well as hosting our ‘Spread the Happiness’ discussions which feature plenty of hot chocolate.

Outside of school, l am passionate about my cookery and love exploring new flavours and indulging into the magnificence of the culinary world- I will certainly be testing some of my creations with the staff this year! I am a ‘fair-weather’ golfer and an avid supporter of Luton Town. Let’s hope we get some points in the Premier League this season!  

Mr. Watts is responsible for the curriculum areas of History, Geography and P.E. He is the DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) and EVC (Educational Visits Co-ordinator).

Mrs Kate Brook. Teacher (Rec, Year 1 and Year 3) 

Hello, I am Mrs Brook. I work as a teacher covering management release time and part time staff. 

I live in Frodsham and actually attended the school when it was Manor Junior school.  My association with Manor house continued as a parent and volunteer on the PTA and I started working here in January 2014, following a career break to raise my daughters. I previously taught Reception, year one and two for nine years in Widnes and Hale.

As a child my favourite books were by Roald Dahl, especially 'The BFG' and 'The Twits'. I am particularly proud to have met and had my copy of 'Revolting Rhymes' signed by Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake.

My favourite school events are the Infant Nativity performances and the Junior summer production. When the children sing together it makes my heart swell (and often my eyes leak!).

Mrs Brook is responsible for PSHRE. 

Mrs Aoife Kelly. Currently on maternity leave. 

Hello, I’m Mrs Kelly. I started teaching at Frodsham Manor House in 2015 after finishing my PGCE placement here. I currently teach in Year 2 and I am absolutely loving it! I have always wanted to be a teacher and worked hard at school to ensure I secured this role.

I am originally from Ireland (Derry) and moved over to Chester to become a teacher. I am thoroughly enjoying living in Chester at the moment as there are lots of things to do and see. I love being a teacher as I get to work alongside talented children each day. Any spare time that I do have I enjoy spending it going back home visiting my family (especially my little brother Oisin who is just fifteen). I have a dog Dory who takes up all my time. We love going on long walks and getting muddy! I also like travelling to different cities to experience various cultures, going to the gym and socialising with family and friends.

My favourite annual event at school is ‘Stars in Their Eyes’ as you get to see lots of talented performers try their best to achieve as much as possible as well as demonstrating great courage and confidence in doing so.

When I was at school, my favourite books were by Roald Dahl. I always thought he was such a clever author, and his books always made me laugh especially the Twits. At school I always looked forward to book fairs getting to choose a book of my choice. I enjoy reading when I am on holidays however, I am more drawn into buying children’s books and illustrations always draw me in..

Mrs Sheila Deegan. Teaching Assistant.

Hello, I'm Mrs D. I love my job especially at Christmas. The infant nativity play is amazing. I adore the angelic faces and the excitement for when Father Christmas arrives.

As a child I liked to read Secret Seven books and my favourite book was Black Beauty.

When I am not working my family and I like to hike and go to the beach where we can climb sand dunes and jump the waves.

Miss Michelle Hopley. Teaching Assistant and Lunchtime Team.

Hello, I'm Miss Hopley. I have worked at Manor House for 30 years - since Orchard House Infants joined with Manor Juniors to become one school. I have worked with all age groups through out the school but mostly in the Infants and particularly with the Reception class. This year I am working mornings in Year 1.  I enjoy my job greatly. It is a delight to build relationships with the children and help to guide them through their school life. 

 I enjoy going to the theatre to see musicals, I do lots of crafts and have meals out with my friends. I live locally in Frodsham. 

My favourite events in school are the infant nativity play and 'Stars in their Eyes' (which is emotional and totally amazing). 

Mrs Alyson Wilson. Teaching Assistant.

Hello, I am Mrs Wilson. I am a mum to two children – Archie and Ellie - who both attended Frodsham Manor House. I was over the moon to be able to return to such an amazing school family in December 2022, though it was a strange experience to be a member of staff rather than a parent.

We live in Kingsley and in my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, shopping, socialising and eating out. I also love going to the theatre, especially in London, seeing all the amazing stage productions and musicals.

I have been a Teaching Assistant for 9 years, having trained here with Mrs Bedford and Mrs Deegan. I love my role as a teaching assistant as I enjoy spending time with and supporting children. I was fortunate enough to be able to train last year as a Speech and Language Support Assistant and am also a trained ELSA. Being able to support children is a privilege and watching them grow in confidence is wonderful.

My favourite part of working here is being able to take children on residential trips which allow them to try new activities which sometimes they are reluctant to attempt. Seeing the joy on their faces when they have done this is wonderful.

My Mum was a primary school teacher so as a child I was given many opportunities to read. My favourite books growing up were Richard Scarry books. I loved all of the illustrations and it fired my love of art.

Mrs Jeanette Rogers. Lunchtime Team. 

Mrs Nicola Moorcroft. Lunchtime Team. 

Mrs Caroline Smith. Lunchtime Team. 

Miss Iris Chase. Lunchtime Team.

 Mrs Debbie Hughes. Reception teacher

Hello, I'm Mrs Hughes one of the reception teachers and SENDCO here at school. I've started teaching at Manor House in 2005, originally in KS 2 where I taught in years 4, 5 and 6. However, I decided to change from teaching the oldest children in school to the youngest! I absolutely love teaching in reception - aged just four and five the children are full of curiosity and motivation, their minds are like sponges as they take in and learn from the environment around them. If you come to visit us you'll probably see that I have my I-Pad permanently attached to me as I'm trying to capture all the wonderful learning that takes place! 

. I love to dance and think it's a great way to keep active. My favourite school event is Stars in their Eyes as I get to create an action packed dance routine for the children to entertain the judges with.

As well as being a teacher my other full time job is being a mum and a wife!  I now have two beautiful children, Oscar aged 13 and Sophie who is 9 and we live in Helsby with my husband and the children's daddy, Mike. We love spending time together as a family, we are regular visitors to the Zoo and we love playing games together like monopoly or operation. 

As a child my favourite book was 'The House that Jack Built' and I still have my original copy- although it looks a bit tatty now! Now I absolutely love to read Julia Donaldson books both to my own children and my class.

Mrs Hughes is responsible for EYFS and SENDCO. She is a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Mrs Kerry Pye.  Assistant Headteacher.

Hello, I am Mrs Pye and I am the Year 6 teacher at Manor House.  Before arriving at Manor House in 2014, I taught Years 5 and 6 at a school in Widnes for five years.  Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked as a Learning Mentor for eight years which involved working with primary (and secondary pupils!) to overcome their barriers to learning in order to help them achieve their best. I think it must be clear that I really enjoy working with young people and helping them to achieve their full potential! I  am also the Literacy Coordinator at Manor house; a role that I am really enjoying and have lots of experience in.  I have always loved reading and writing so it really is the perfect subject for me to lead! 

When I was at primary school, my dad always bought me an Enid Blyton book each Friday on his way home from work and my favourite was The Magic Faraway Tree! I would always finish the book by the time the weekend was over and would wait eagerly for the next week’s arrival. Even now, I love buying and receiving new books!  Mr Pye insists that I should buy a kindle but I always refuse, there is something amazing about the sight and smell of a crisp, new book! When I’m not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family (I have two daughters, Gracie and Rosa and I am the eldest of five children!), sneaking off to the gym when I get the chance, reading and watching documentary programmes. This academic year, I am most looking forward to going to London with my class in June and helping them to approach their SATS exams with confidence, knowing that they have done their best and will succeed!

Mrs Pye is responsible for Literacy and French..

Mrs Alex Jay. Currently on maternity leave. 

I’m Mrs Jay, I am currently teaching Year 4. I started at Frodsham Manor House in 2012. I love my job helping children achieve their full potential and sharing my passion for reading, writing and learning. In my spare time I enjoy travelling, swimming, reading and spending time with my friends and family, especially my niece Lottie, taking her to the zoo, baking and reading which make us both smile a lot!

My favourite annual event at school is Star in Their Eyes. Seeing the children perform to an audience with such confidence amazes me. When I was at school, I enjoyed reading Beatrix Potter books, my favourite character was Mrs Tiggy Winkle and Peter Rabbit, I loved reading their adventures and admiring the beautiful illustrations. 

Mrs Jay is responsible for Computing and Dyslexia support.

Mr Brett Dempster. Year 5 Teacher. 

My name is Mr. Dempster and I am the Year 5 teacher at Manor House. I have been a teacher for over thirteen years, both in the U.K and in Australia. I am originally from Melbourne in Australia and moved back to the U.K a few years ago. I am incredibly excited to be teaching here at Manor House and I look forward to getting involved in this wonderful school community.

Away from school I love being outdoors (when the weather is nice of course). I enjoy cooking, particularly on my BBQ, playing tennis and hockey and spending time with my family. I am also an avid supporter of my Australian Sport teams, the Carlton Blues (AFL) and Melbourne Storm (Rugby), where I could be up at any old hour watching on the weekends.

When I was at school, my favourite subjects were Maths and P.E. My favourite books when I was at Primary school was anything written by John Marsden.

This year, I am really looking forward to our residential to Menai in the Summer term and seeing the Infant Nativity play at Christmas.

Mr. Dempster is responsible for Design and Technology.

Mrs Annette Wilkinson-Dean. Teaching Assistant.

Mrs Nadine Read. School Administrator.

I'm Nadine Read and I am the Clerical Officer here at Frodsham Manor House.  On a day to day basis my job involves taking telephone calls, keeping attendance records,  recording dinner money and many more, there is never a dull moment !  I have two daughters who both attended Manor House. I really enjoy my work and love to see the children develop and to hear them sing, especially at Christmas time. Frodsham Manor House is a really special place.

My favourite book as a child was 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.

Mr Bart Kompier.Site Maintenance Officer.

I’m Bart Kompier, I joined Frodsham Manor House in November 2021. I am responsible for the general day to day maintenance of the school. I have always been interested in how things work and how to build stuff,  although I still have to fix the alarm clock my gran gave me for my 8th birthday that I took apart….

 
I have a daughter who attended Manor House and is now at Helsby High School. Most of my family lives in the Netherlands where I come from.
 
I moved to England in 2008 and live in Frodsham since 2011. I love the space (Netherlands is very cramped) and spend much of my free time walking and cycling in England and Wales. I still need to discover Scotland.
 
My favourite book as a child  was Crusade in Jeans from Thea Beckman. Nowadays I love Audiobooks and enjoy listening to Rivers of London series over and over again.

Miss May Wharton. Teaching Assistant. 

Mrs Joanne Jones. Teaching Assistant. 

Mrs Tracey Owen. Teaching Assistant.

Mrs Sally Bedford. Deputy Headteacher  Year 3

Having worked at Manor House for an incredibly long time (starting in 1997), I think that it is very clear that I consider it a wonderful place to be. The children here really are a very special group of young people, as are the staff that make up our school team. I still find teaching and working with our children as exciting and challenging as I did all those years ago!

My favourite event is 'Stars in their Eyes' but I also love our Nativity productions.  Previously, I have in EYFS and Key Stage 1. Alongside my role as a class teacher, I am also privileged to be Deputy Headteacher within school, which is an immense pleasure and allows me to keep up to date with all children in school and not just my own class. 

As a child, my favourite book was 'The Faraway Tree' by Enid Blyton, but a close second was 'Charlotte's Web' which I enjoy sharing with my class.

Outside of school, life is pretty busy and packed full of Mummy jobs!  At home we love building with Lego, reading books, visiting the zoo and finding out the answers to the many questions his curious mind has to ask! Spending time in the outdoors is also a firm favourite and we spend lots of time walking on Frodsham Hill and in Delamere Forest with our dog. 

Mrs Bedford is subject leader for maths, is on the safeguarding team and responsible for disadvantaged pupils. 

Mrs Naomi Anstice. Assistant Headteacher.

I'm Naomi Anstice, Mum to Esme (19)  and Iona (17), wife to Ian and Tummy Rubber to Gusto the Schnoodle and Miffy the Schnauzer. I have taught at Manor House School since 1999, and before that at two schools in Crewe. I have even been Director of Music at a private school which makes me sound very posh!   I have a lovely job in the school as I get to teach all the classes for a few hours each every week. I deliver all the Music and Religious Education. I play the piano and clarinet and do my best on the saxophone and flute in Wider Opps with Year 5. 

I  like going to the cinema and theatre to see musicals.  I am one of the organisers for the Frodsham Christmas Festival. One day a week I am an educational consultant working with teachers across the country as well as being a Consultant for Cheshire West.  I am the Vice Chair of NATRE and a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teachers.

I love our community events when we are out and about including the Christmas Festival, community concerts, visits to residential homes and I also love working with Manor House pupils in Frodsham Panto, 

My favourite books to read when I was at primary school were 'The Wizard of Oz' series, 'The Ordinary Princess' and 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.' I read very similar style books now although adults call them 'Fantasy' and am a big Harry Potter fan. 

Mrs Anstice is responsible for International, RE, Music, Pupil Development, School Productions and Community Links (including the website and twitter as well as face to face!). You can also ask her for support on any aspects of LGBT+  Education. She is our Mental Health Lead. 

Mrs Harry McGrath. Year 1 Teacher. 

I am Mrs McGrath and I am currently teaching in Year 1. I started working at Frodsham Manor House back in 2014 in the Reception class. I love working in Year 1 with the younger children as there is never a dull moment. The progress we see the children make across the year in all areas is incredible. 

There is also never a dull moment back home where I am kept thoroughly busy by my 3 year old little boy. He loves animals so we spend a good amount of time at Chester zoo and exploring where we live. Home is back in North Wales which the children at school also find fascinating because it is often where they go on holiday and of course the home of Wrexham Football club which is all of sudden very popular!  

My favourite annual event at school is the Infant Nativity. It is fantastic to see the children all dressed up and performing on stage. When all the hard work is done, the final performance always makes me smile. I also have to mention ‘Stars in their eyes’ as this makes me cry (happy tears) every year. To see the children that I taught in Year 1 perform so confidently on the stage is a real highlight for me.  

Choosing my favourite book is a very hard decision! I love reading children’s book with my class and back home with my son. Currently, my favourite book would have to be ‘Billy and the Beast’.  

Mrs McGrath is responsible for Phonics and Science. 

Mrs Cassie Levey. Currently on maternity leave. 

Hello, I'm Mrs Levey and I am the Year 5 teacher here at Manor house. I am also responsible for French and Art in school.  In my spare time I like to spend time with my family and friends, walk, run, read, bake and travel to new countries.    

My favourite events here at school have to be the wonderful residentials that we go on with the children. Taking Year 5 to Menai in Anglesey and Year 5 and 6 to France and Belgium are wonderful experiences. It is very difficult to pick my favourite childhood book as I can often be caught with my head in a book. I always found 'The Secret Garden' enchanting and have fantastic memories of reading 'The Worst Witch' and 'Milly Molly Mandy' stories with my parents.  

Miss Fairooz Islam. Year 4 Teacher.  

Hello, I am Miss Islam. I completed my teacher training at Frodsham Manor House. I am currently covering a maternity leave in Year 4 as the class teacher but earlier in the year I was the Teaching Assistant in Year 6.  I find my job rewarding and it is a privilege to be able to support children with their education.

In my spare time, I enjoy socialising, shopping, and learning to cook dishes from South Asian cuisine from my mum.

My favourite part about working here is seeing the Key Stage Two school production come together. The children are extremely talented!

In school, my favourite subjects were History and English, and I loved reading Roald Dahl books.

Mrs Caz Bamford. Teaching Assistant.

Hi, I'm Mrs Bamford. I support learning in Year 5. I am married with 2 children. I love music and play in a concert band. My instrument is the flute which I have played for 32 years. 

My favourite school event is the Key Stage One Nativity and our other preparations as we count down to Christmas. 

My favourite series of books when I was a child was following the adventures of The Famous Five.  

Mrs Lynne Roberts. Teaching Assistant. 

Hi, my name is Mrs Roberts and I am a teaching assistant working in Reception, Year 2 and Year 5. I live in Frodsham with my husband and two children one of whom attends Manor House School. It is an absolute pleasure to work in such a wonderful school.   

During my spare time I enjoy walks with my family and Sasha our dog, reading, watching movies, going to the theatre and eating delicious food.   

There are so many events at Manor House to look forward to during the year, however my favourite would have to be the Infant Nativity.

My favourite books when I was growing up were ‘The Worst Witch’ series, full of fun, mischief and magic.  

Mrs Julie Cain. Bursar.

I'm Julie Cain and I work in the office Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I am responsible for all of the school finances. I have been working here for 21  years. My son, Ben was a pupil here, he is now an RAF engineering technician. My husband is a train driver  and we enjoy travelling by rail around Europe. I like to exercise and spend time with friends.

My favourite school event is 'Stars in their Eyes' and I have often enjoyed being one of the judges on the night. It s lovely to see children coming out of their shell, performing so well to a packed audience.

My favourite book was Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree. 

Mr Archie Wilson. Teaching Assistant. 

Hi I'm Mr Wilson and I am currently helping children with their learning in Year 3. I have just finished university where I was studying engineering. I am hoping to gain experience here to apply for a Primary PGCE and become a qualified teacher.

Outside school I enjoy playing cricket and rugby. I love to see children develop their sporting skills. 

I came to Frodsham Manor House myself and my favourite series of books were Captain Underpants. . 

Mrs Debbie Whittaker. Lunchtime Team. 

Mrs Jennie Han. Lunchtime Team.