Staff

Suzanne Taylor BH, PGCE, MA, National Leader of Education (NLE) 

I have been Headteacher and Head of Centre at Hungerford since 2008.  For 7 years previously, I was the Early Years Consultant for West Berkshire, including organising and running moderation of the EYFS.  My passion is for ensuring that children in the Early Years are given the best possible start so that the attainment gap closes.  I believe in working closely with parents and children and the community and encouraging everyone to ‘be the best you can be’.

I have led 10 study tours to Norway at an economic price so that practitioners have the opportunity to learn from the outdoor kindergartens.  We run our own woodland training at Hungerford which I have developed over many years to inspire and encourage all practitioners who work in Early Years to take their children outside into the wider environment so that children can grow to love the natural world.  I also believe in using the essence of ‘Learning Stories’ (The New Zealand approach) so that we can become expert observers and interpreters of children’s learning, thereby improving our ability to nurture and teach the youngest learners.

We use ‘Fish Philosophy’ to create a sense of belonging in our place and will welcome you to become part of our learning family.  I am excited by learning and want to encourage others to share the sense of adventure and curiosity about children’s learning.

Nicola Eggbeer B Ed Specialist Leader in Education (SLE) – Early Years

I am an experienced Early Years teacher who has taught within the Hungerford area for the past 25 years. I am passionate in building relationships within my class, with parents, with my nursery team and with other practitioners. I believe that children and adults work best when they are within a safe and secure environment, feel valued and known, and have the opportunity to follow their interests and passions.

I have followed the work of Ferre Laevers over many years, and use the principles of ‘Well being’ and ‘Involvement’ in my teaching. I have led practitioner training on this since 2008, helping to build both confidence and knowledge in other settings. I am interested in documenting children’s learning in order to make learning visible for parents, practitioners and children. I have worked with the Early Years Consultancy team in New Zealand, developing our own interpretation of ‘Learning stories’. I regularly lead training and research projects to share this approach which is now widely used amongst local schools and settings.

I am an accredited moderator, and have been involved with the Local Authority Moderation process for many years. This has given me the opportunity to visit other schools and settings and work closely with others to develop their learning environments. I lead practitioner visit days and enjoy being part of the professional dialogue and bespoke support that we are able to offer.

I have travelled to Norway to research the impact of outdoor learning on the development of children’s language. As a result of this I am passionate about outdoor learning and in providing Norwegian woodland experiences for children.