Academy Information

Briar Hill is an innovative school, which is fortunate to benefit from motivated and positive pupils and an exceptional team of dedicated staff.

Our Ethos and Values

Our values are:

Courage - Nothing holds us back
Aspiration - Always aiming high
Ambition - Being the best we can
Respect - Always leading by example

At Briar Hill, the heart of our ethos centres on the characteristics of effective learning. These are:

enabling equality
enabling the 4Cs of P4C (care, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking)
enabling identity and emotional intelligence
enabling growth mindset
enabling challenge and curiosity

As a National Training Centre for Talk for Writing; a recognised Trained School for RWI Phonics and a flagship school for the Inclusion Quality Mark we are committed to ensuring the highest standards in all that we do. Our vision is to be nationally recognised for educational excellence, creating and shaping successful, ambitious young adults, who are equipped for the rapidly changing 21^st century world.

We work relentlessly to nurture our pupils to unlock and achieve their full potential and raise their aspirations. We are determined that during the children’s time spent at Briar Hill, they will leave as confident members of society, who are ready to enter secondary school with a strong moral compass, a real sense of resilience and to be armed with the key transferable skills and knowledge that will allow them to succeed in an ever changing world.

To find out more about the Curriculum at our academy please click here.
To learn more about our Classes and Teachers please click here.

Meet our Team

Senior Leadership Team

Headteacher and DSL: Miss Janey Cooksley
Assistant Headteacher/UKS2 Phase Lead: Mrs Katie Cross
SENCO: Mr Ian Hickman
Pastoral Lead: Mr Allan Crozier
EYFS Phase Lead: Mrs Emma Crozier
KS1 Phase Lead: Miss Hollie Tranter
LKS2 Phase Lead: Miss Laura Allan

Pastoral and Inclusion Team

Attendance and Behaviour Lead: Miss Bay Cameron-Leslie
Senior Safeguarding Lead and Assistant SENCo: Mrs Janice Marshall
SENCo: Mr Ian Hickman
Pastoral Lead: Mr Allan Crozier
Wellbeing Mentor: Miss Colleen Robinson

Curriculum Leadership Team

All staff contribute towards the curriculum, however these are the leads of specific subjects.

Reading: Miss Hollie Tranter and Mrs Katie Cross
Writing: Mrs Katie Cross
Modern Foreign Languages: Mrs Katie Cross
Science: Mr Ian Hickman
Maths: Mr Nick Warren
Computing: Mr Ian Hickman
Design Technology: Mr John Hall
RE: Mrs Zoe Peters
History: Miss Dom Abbott
Geography: Mrs Donna Barker-Trett
Eco Education: Miss Marie McGovern
The Arts (Art, Music) : Miss Laura Allan
Dance: Miss Jessica Johnson
Drama: Miss Dom Abbott
PE: Mr Tom Mair
PSHE: Mr Allan Crozier

Teaching Team

Mrs Barbara Neophitou
Mrs Laura Kaval
Mrs Sammi Smith
Mrs Emma Crozier
Miss Marie McGovern
Miss Dominique Abbott
Miss Jessica Johnson
Miss Hollie Tranter
Mrs Donna Barker-Trett
Miss Laura Allen
Mr Tom Mair
Mr Ian Hickman
Mrs Zoe Peters
Mrs Katie Cross
Mrs Elizabeth Coleman
Mr Nick Warren
Mr John Hall
Mr Allan Crozier
Miss Janey Cooksley

Learning Support Team

Mrs Debbie Roberts
Miss Montana Gibbs
Mrs Leanne Rowton
Mrs Rose Graham
Mrs Eileen Upson
Mrs Sarah Watts
Mrs Colleen Robinson
Miss Kelly Bandey
Miss Edyta Zarzycka
Mrs Louise Flowers
Mrs Kat Luu
Mrs Karen Jwanczuk
Miss Doville Jokuliene
Mrs Judy Rainbow
Mrs Cam Le
Mrs Yvonne Grant

Office Team

Mrs Viv Dawson
Mrs Mandy Hardy
Miss Sultana Begum

Breakfast Team

Miss Sarah Holyoak
Mrs Stefania Catalano

Lunch Team

Miss Julie Welsh
Mrs Stefania Catalano
Miss Nikki Hurle

Caretaking Team

Miss Donna Jenkinson
Miss Claire Carroll

House System

The house system is an integral part of Briar Hill and is predominately utilised during inter-school competitions, which occur every half term, each with a different focus.

Our children are proud to be part of their house teams. Every child and member of staff is allocated to one of four houses, which they then support. Our houses teams are grouped vertically which enables children to socialise and engage with peers and staff beyond their everyday environment. It is an essential part of school life as it facilitates a growing community spirit and enables children to participate collectively, involving children from all year groups who are contributing to something bigger than themselves.

It was important for the house teams to be named after relevant, diverse and inspiring individuals, from different backgrounds within Great Britain. Therefore, the houses are all named after four successful British Artists. These artists each have a different discipline within art, they are: Gormley, Hockney, Banksy, Wiltshire.

House Points and Class Dojo

House Points are awarded through Class Dojo. These points are awarded for positive behaviour and efforts. Pupils also participate and compete in competitions and events for House Points. They are then recorded and over the course of a competition, the winning team announced. The children in the winning house are rewarded. At the end of the year, once all points are collected, the House Champions are announced. Parents are encouraged to connect with the school through the Class Dojo system and they can check on points given, message teachers directly and also enjoy photos and videos from the class direct to any devices.