Our Team

Debbie Wylie

PGCE Primary

NPQH (Principal)

My passion is for every child at our school to feel valued, their individual strengths to be celebrated and for them to be able to read fluently, write creatively and calculate with confidence when they leave our school. However I also think it’s just as important for them to know how to cook, how to think about helping others less fortunate than themselves and how to know how to be resourceful with money. Critical events on my journey to headship have included becoming a parent, understanding the value and self esteem that school life gave me as a child, and understanding the importance of making every day at school really count towards making a difference in children’s learning.

Today life is busy for many families and as a working Mum I really know what impact it has on my children when their schools focus on their individual needs and interests, both in their learning, in their play and in their relationships with others. After teaching in a Cramlington first school for a few years, I left to open the first of 4 hugely successful childcare settings, known locally as Little Angels where 5 out of 6 of the last inspections across the 4 sites have achieved the Ofsted outstanding judgement. More recently I have inspected other schools and settings outside of our area as a contracted school inspector.

I have worked with Northumberland County Council as an early years consultant, working in schools and early years settings, and I have sat as a governor at an outstanding school in a large innovative North Tyneside Primary School. In 2011 after achieving the National Professional Qualification for Headteachers I was successfully interviewed for the role of the Principal at Cramlington Village Primary School and it has been a privilege to be part of the team that launched our school to bring innovative child centred learning to the heart of the town.

My three children, our dog Jesse and my husband fill most of my free time with fun, frenzy and responsibility and our favourite place to go is Beadnell on the North Northumberland coast.

Amanda Milligan – Vice Principal and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

BSC QTS Hons (Environmental Science / Primary Education)

NPQH

National SENCo Award

I qualified as a teacher in 1994 before moving from my home town of Carlisle to Cramlington, (the children often comment on my funny accent!). My career started at
Newminster Middle School in Morpeth where over 4 years I taught classes from year 5 to year 8 with additional responsibility for science across the school. In 1998 I moved to
Cragside First School in Cramlington as Manager of Key Stage 2. I spent 14 happy years at Cragside, teaching every year group from Reception to Y6, spending 8 years as Deputy
Head and a year as Acting Head. I also gained my Headship qualification and lectured part time at Newcastle University where I taught Primary Science to trainee teachers. While my dream was to be a headteacher, in order to balance work with my role as a mother to two young children I moved to a part time teaching role at Burnside Primary in Cramlington
where I stayed for 6 years.

Finally in 2017 I arrived at CVPS, initially as Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator before progressing to Vice Principal. I love the relationship approach we have and how we invest time not just in the whole child but in the whole family. Being SENCo is a privileged role. I get to support and work with children and families experiencing challenges to ensure their needs are met. My aim is to do this with compassion and professionalism. Being a mum I have faced many challenges with my own children and know how important it is to have someone on your side.

Now my girls are older most of mine and my husband’s time is spent taxiing them around as they have such an exciting social life. When I do have spare time I like to bake and have been known to do a few celebration cakes.

Christy Shirley (Nursery)

(Teacher)

Rebecca Simmons (Reception)

(Teacher)

Lisa Brown, B Ed

(Teacher)

KS1 Coordinator

I gained qualified teacher status in 1997 from Northumbria University, where I studied for four years. I started my career in Carr Hill Primary School in Gateshead. I spent 7 enjoyable years here and taught age ranges from Reception up to year 3. I loved being the Early Years Coordinator. After having my first child, I moved closer to home and joined Little Angels Fun Club and Nursery in Cramlington. I supported Little Angels to receive their first and a further two consecutive ‘outstanding’ OFSTED reports. I then was part of the steering group to set up Cramlington Village Primary School. It has been an amazing journey and it is fantastic to see how much the school has developed and grown. I am privileged to be part of it all! In my free time, I love to keep fit and spend time with my family.

Lindsay Johnson (Year 1)

(Teacher)

Louise Jones (Year 2)

(Teacher)

Melissa Costello (Year 3)

(Teacher & Vice Principal)

Michael Mullaghan, (Year 4)

(Teacher)

Prior to joining the CVPS team, I studied Early Childhood Studies at Teesside University which allowed me to gain a better understanding of children’s early learning and development. After graduating, I returned to Ireland to acquire more experience within schools to ensure I suited a career in teaching.

In September 2017 I began my PGCE at Sunderland University which enabled me
gain experience working within a number of schools in the North East of England. I completed my final placement at CVPS and was lucky enough to be employed for the following year.

I am passionate about building a fun and engaging learning environment for all children to progress and develop.

Outside of school I like to take part in a range of sports, particularly football.

Nicole Weatheritt, (Year 5)

(Teacher and PE coordinator)

Growing up, I loved dancing and preferred ballet and tap style dance. My positive experiences and enjoyment of this inspired me to teach. After teaching ballet and tap to children at a dance school I knew this was the career path for me, to teach and work with children. I qualified as a Primary School Teacher on the Primary PGCE programme at Northumbria University in 2016, prior to this I studied English Language. During my teacher training I worked in many schools in Northumberland exploring different teaching approaches, age groups and initiatives. I completed my final teaching placement at CVPS and was fortunate to be employed afterwards, completing my NQT year in 2016. I have mainly worked in Year 3 and Year 5. I value the innovative, creative, holistic approaches that are offered at CVPS, ultimately offering a broad and balanced curriculum for all children. I am passionate about sport and fitness and promote physical activity in school as PE Coordinator. This passion is also reflected in my personal life. I am also interested in art, reading, calligraphy and anything crafty.

Sarah Koratzitis

(Teacher)

Before I qualified as a teacher, I had a successful career as a Human Resource Advisor working for Microsoft and a variety of Engineering companies. I feel that this experience has given me an excellent insight into the essentials of supporting a successful team and ensuring people are supported appropriately to feel fulfilled and motivated in their role. I am extremely passionate about the provision we provide for the children at CVPS and love nothing more than engaging children in their learning through the use of the immersive room, iPads and using the outdoor environment to support learning wherever possible.

I’m a big believer in supporting a growth mindset classroom to ensure children feel comfortable to make mistakes and controlled risks to allow them to reach their full potential. One of my key aims for KS2 is to ensure that we continue to engage children in their learning through a range of practical and innovative approaches whilst also preparing them for the inevitable end of key stage SATs.

Ashleigh Galloway, (Forest School Teacher)

(Teacher)

I qualified as a teacher four years ago. Prior to completing my PGCE in Liverpool I studied Textile design in Belfast. During my degree I delivered Art workshops in special educational schools and after school clubs. It was these experiences which led me into teaching.

I started my teaching career in Manchester where I taught in Year 2 for two years. I relocated to Newcastle in 2015 and taught in Year 4 in Wallsend. I feel very privileged to be part of the CVPS team. I believe our innovative approach to learning captures children’s curiosity and provides them with a variety of experiences to develop both life long learning and skills.

Outside of school, I enjoy running, yoga and anything creative. I love to travel and seize any opportunity to visit a new city or country.

Angela Hall

(School Business Manager)

I joined CVPS in September 2017 having worked in other schools and previously in Commercial roles for Sage, Greggs and Grainger plc as IT Manager, Project Manager and Operations Manager. I first became involved with CVPS in May 2013 as a School Governor and have a child in school.

My role is varied and I support the smooth running of school ensuring a safe and inviting environment for children, staff, parents and visitors. I am responsible for the Administration, Health & Safety, Finance, HR, Marketing, Facilities Management and IT across school.

The ethos at CVPS is unique and fully supported by myself and the team. I thoroughly enjoy my role and every day is different. I also strive to build strong working relationships with parent, carers, suppliers to school and the local community.

Gertie Smyth

I joined the admin team at CVPS in May 2013, prior to that I worked on the service desk in the Education IT Admin Support team at Newcastle City Council providing support to schools admin staff on the use of their MIS system.

I work three days a week as the Admin Assistant and as I am on the Reception desk I am first port of call for all visitors to school. I provide admin support to all the staff.

I moved to the UK from Ireland with my family in 1989 and love nothing better at the weekend than a walk on the beach at Tynemouth