Pastoral & Inclusion Team

Meet The Team

Mrs. Briggs

Director of Inclusion and Wellbeing Lead

Hi, I’m Mrs Briggs, I started at Medlock Valley in 2007 and have had the pleasure of working with many children and their families during my time here. I have been a teacher for 25 years and have worked in Rochdale and Dukinfield but I have enjoyed my time at Medlock Valley the most, which is why I’m still here!
I am the Director of Inclusion, the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead. Although I do not currently have my own class I have taught many children from Nursery up to Year 2, and can sometimes end up back in the classroom covering for any year group.
When I’m not in school I enjoy spending time with my two teenage boys and husband, meeting up with my friends and going on skiing and sunbathing holidays. I love Christmas time, particularly watching Christmas films, going shopping and eating lots of chocolate!

Mrs. Brierley

Pastoral, Behaviour and Attendance Lead / PSHE Lead

Hi, I’m Mrs Brierley and I’ve been here at Medlock for around 6 years now. I started as a Teaching Assistant and loved it so much that I’m still here and am now the Pastoral Lead. The best part of my job is working with the children to support their physical and emotional wellbeing and sharing the children’s own life experiences in their PSHE lessons.
At home, I enjoy spending time with my family and walking my dog. I’m a keen reader and will often be found curled up with a good book.
My favourite event at school is the Year 6 residential, where I am more competitive than the children! I love seeing them conquer their fears and having fun with their friends.

Mrs. Winterbottom

Early Intervention Lead / Communication Lead

Hi, I’m Mrs. Winterbottom and currently my role in school is Early Intervention Lead and Communication Lead, Wednesday to Friday. On Mondays and Tuesdays I am seconded to the Local Authority to work as part of the Early Years Better Communication Team.
Before joining Medlock Valley Primary in January 2020, I worked in a similar role at two other primary schools in Oldham.
For a few years now, I’ve been fortunate to have been involved with the REAL Project, which allows me to work with amazing children and their families, helping them to develop their early literacy skills.
At home, I particularly love spending time with my family and friends. I also love the outdoors and enjoy walking, cycling and gardening.
My favourite events in school are French Day (because I love learning about new languages and other countries) and World Book Day when the children come dressed up as different words (It’s such a great way to learn new vocabulary and everyone has fantastic ideas for dressing up!).

Mrs. White

EAL and Language Intervention Lead

Hi, I’m Ms. White and I have been part of the Medlock family for nearly 20 years. As some of you will remember, I started out in the nursey, volunteering, and am now the EAL and Language Lead. I now find myself teaching children and grandchildren of pupils who were here at school when I first started! I am often found working across all three key stages, supporting the learning of children with English as an additional language, which I thoroughly enjoy. At home, I have a loving family who love to explore the great outdoors.

Sally Thornley

Play Therapist

Sally Thornley is a Play Therapist. Play therapy uses play and the therapeutic relationship to provide a safe and consistent environment in which a child can experience full acceptance, empathy, and understanding. Play therapy is child led, children are given support and a safe environment to work through their issues themselves at their own speed in a safe and constructive way. Often those children referred to play therapy do not have the words to describe their thoughts, feelings and experiences. As children use play as a form of communication, play therapy can help children to find healthier ways of communicating their difficulties. Play Therapy enables children to express, explore and make sense of their difficult and painful experiences as well as to develop their ability to process their inner thoughts, feelings and experiences and integrate these in order to move forward. A play therapist works using a wide range of play and creative arts techniques, responding individually to the child’s wishes. They work taking into account the social environment of the child for example peers, siblings, family and school. Play therapists work with children suffering from a range of mild to moderate psychological difficulties such as low mood, anxiety and aggression as well as complex life experiences including abuse, grief, family breakdown, domestic violence and trauma.

Hollie Hughes

Teaching Assistant

Hi! My name is Miss Hughes; I have been working at Medlock Valley Primary school since January 2022. I am currently working as a Higher-level teaching assistant across all three key stages. Over the past year I have been training to become an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant and look forward to incorporating this into my role in school.
My specialist subject is in Art and Design, I did this at University and in my spare time like to create digital designs. In Medlock I currently teach Art across 3/4 and 5/6. I really enjoy these lessons!
Outside of school I like to travel and visit new places, go to music concerts and spend time with family and friends.