Meet the Staff

In my role as Headteacher of Our Lady and St Anselm’s R.C. Primary I work closely with all children, families and our parish. Our mission is to ensure all children are recognised as unique individuals in a caring, nurturing environment with Christ at the Centre.

I strongly believe that the children are here to have memorable experiences, build on what they know and can do and help them to become confident life-long learners. Through their time at St Anselm’s I hope to ensure each child is supported in their personal journey of faith. I am very proud of all the young people and the staff at St Anselm’s and I am sure everyone who visits our school will receive a warm welcome by all.

I have been privileged to have been part of the teaching team at Our Lady & St Anselm’s since Sept 2014, and part of the leadership as Assistant Headteacher since 2021. In my current role, I am the year 6 teacher and KS2 lead. I thoroughly enjoy my role and enjoy working closely with all the children, families and members of the community.

Alongside these roles, I am also responsible for the delivery of Literacy and History across the whole school. I strongly believe that through a carefully sequenced curriculum that builds year on year, children will gain memorable experiences to help them be articulate, confident and life-long learners of the future.

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two children (one who is in university and the youngest in college.) I am an avid horse rider and can often be seen late during the evening or at weekends riding my daughter’s horse around the length and breadth of Whitworth.

I have been a teacher at Our Lady and St Anselm’s since September 2009 and the Assistant Headteacher for Key Stage 1 since 2014.

I have had the opportunity to teach the breadth of Key Stage One but predominantly have worked closely in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

I now have two daughters Ida and Hettie.

I have worked at Our Lady & St. Anselm’s since March 2009.

I studied at The National College of Teaching and Leadership and gained my Certificate in School Business Management in May 2014.

I enjoy working as part of a team in a school where staff are extremely dedicated and the pupils are an absolute credit. I am married to Bruno and have two children, Gianluca and Gabriella.

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New member of staff –
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I am Miss Ashworth, and I’ve been teaching Reception Class at OLSA since 2018. After completing my law degree, I went on to gain a PGCE in Primary Education and later an NPQ in Early Years Leadership.

I enjoy the busy and lively atmosphere of Reception Class and particularly love spending time outdoors with the children, encouraging them to be active, explore nature and take part in our Forest School sessions. Alongside my role as class teacher, I am also the Early Years, Physical Education and Science Lead. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, skiing and playing netball.

I am Mrs Dench, and I recently joined OLSA as a class teacher.

I qualified in 2016 and have since gained a wide range of experience teaching across all year groups.

I am proud to be part of a fantastic team at OLSA and have been teaching here since September 2013.

I enjoy my roles leading RE and PSHE throughout the school.

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New member of staff –
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I joined OLSA in 2007 as a Teaching Assistant.

I am now a Key Stage 2 teacher and a mum to two children.

Hello! I’m Miss Bebb. I’ve been part of the OLSA family since 2023, working as a Teaching Assistant in Reception and in our After School Club. Alongside my role, I’m currently studying towards my Bachelor’s degree in Early Years and Education.

I love being part of the children’s little milestones, seeing their confidence grow and making every day fun, happy and full of learning. I’m passionate about creating a warm, welcoming environment where every child feels safe, special and encouraged to be themselves!

My name is Mrs Beeson.

Before starting at OLSA in Sept 2022, I completed both a degree and masters in Early Years Education.

I am a mother of 3 girls.

Hi, my name is Mrs Bride. I joined OLSA in June 2023.

Previously, I have worked in an SEN Primary School and Mainstream High Schools.

Hello, I am Mrs Burgess and I joined OLSA in June 2023.

Previously, I worked as a Nurse in the NHS and also the private sector for 23 years.

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New member of staff –
Bio to be updated soon
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Hi, I am Mrs Dean. I joined OLSA in 2021.

Previous to this I worked within local nurseries.

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New member of staff –
Bio to be updated soon
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I recently joined the OLSA team. I have worked within the education system for 15 years…

I have 2 children who attend OLSA.

Hi, my name is Miss Holden. I started at OLSA volunteering as part of my college placement in 2024.

In September, I started as a teaching assistant, predominantly in EYFS and KS1.

Hello, I’m Miss Lord!
I have been a Teaching Assistant at Our Lady and St Anselm’s since 2013, having started my journey at the school when I was just 16 years old. Over the years, I have grown alongside this amazing school and feel very proud to be part of such a wonderful community.

I currently work in Year 3 alongside Mr Wood, and I absolutely love my role supporting and encouraging the children, helping them to learn, grow and reach their full potential. It is so rewarding to be part of their school journey and watch them develop.

Outside of school, my son and daughter are my world! I love spending quality time with them and always look forward to making special memories together, especially at the weekends.

Hi, I’m Miss Milner and I’ve been here at OLSA since 2018.

I enjoy working with the children over in KS2 and assisting in our Breakfast Club each morning!

I joined school in 2015 after volunteering in Year Two and gaining my qualifications as a Teaching Assistant.

I have worked throughout Key Stage One but predominantly in EYFS.

My name is Miss Ward. I have been part of the OLSA family for over 14 years.

I support nurture groups that help children with social and emotional skills.

I have been working at OLSA since 2006 and have worked in the school office as the Office Administrator since 2009.

I am married to Sam and am a mum to three boys, all of whom attended Our Lady & St. Anselm’s.

My name is Mrs Marsden and I joined Our Lady & St. Anselm’s in 2020 to work as a welfare assistant.

I am a mother of three girls.

Hi, my name is Miss O’Donovan.

I started my role as School Admin Officer in November 2023. I have a little boy called George who is 5 years old.

Hello! My name is Miss Garrigan and I joined the lovely team at Our Lady & St. Anselm’s in September 2026. It has been wonderful getting to know all of the children, families and staff, and I am so happy to be part of such a welcoming school community.

One of my favourite parts of the day is greeting the children each morning at Breakfast Club and helping them start their day with a smile. I studied Fashion and Art at university, and I love bringing creativity into the activities we plan and seeing the children’s ideas come to life.

Woof! I’m Bonnie the school dog. I was born in lockdown, 2020 and live with Mrs Rainey and her family.

I enjoy being with the children through one to one reading, being taken for walks and within nurture groups.