Jill Hutton
Head Teacher
Jill Hutton has been headteacher at Bensham Grove Nursery School since September 2024, sharing the role with Sue McElrue. Jill came to Bensham Grove on secondment in January 2024 as a teacher in our 3-5 provision, bringing with her over two decades of experience leading early years practice in a Gateshead primary school. She enjoyed her time with us so much she jumped at the chance to stay!
Jill works Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and uses Tuesday’s to catch up with family life, particularly enjoying the chance to take her own children, William and Rosa, to and from school.
Jill is particularly passionate about trauma informed practice, play and offering children opportunities to plan and lead their own learning through a plan, do, review approach to curriculum delivery. Jill is our Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Sue McElrue
Head Teacher
Sue came to the Nursery in 2023, working as the SENCO and Early Years teacher in the 3-5 provision. In September 2024 Sue stepped into a job share headship with Jill and has been instrumental in sharing her previous experience as a headteacher, Senior Lecturer for Early Years at Newcastle University and Head of an Early Years Initial Teacher Training provider. Sue did several educational placements to Denmark offering CPD opportunities for trainee teachers and Early Years leaders from across the North East. Her passion and ambition is rooted in creating an exemplary indoor and outdoor environment that supports children to learn and play and have the opportunity to enhance their childhood experiences. Sue is our Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Hilary James
Day Care Manager
Hilary has experience of working for many years at Bensham Grove Nursery School across the 0-5 provision. She feels privileged to have demonstrated her commitment to Early Years work by enjoying various roles working with young children and their families. She is passionate about Early Years work and has shared her previous experience and expertise of working in Hong Kong and Australia to influence her thoughts and practice.
As a reflective practitioner she recognises and aspires to the value of high-quality early years provision and effective leadership and teamwork in building the foundation and improved outcomes for every child and their family. Hilary is also one of our Deputy Safeguarding Leads and a strategic member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Kelly Keating
Day Care Deputy Manager – Sidney Grove
Kelly is Deputy Nursery Manager based on the Sidney grove site of Bensham Grove since 2014. She has worked across both sites since 2005, starting at Deckham, before moving to Bensham and becoming Deputy manager in 2014 after having her second child. Kelly has two children both boys, Oliver and Charlie, and enjoys family life on a weekend and evening.
It has always been her passion to work with children from a young age, going to college to study childcare straight from school, and then after receiving her Diploma, began working in nurseries aged 18. Throughout her career, she gained valuable experience and qualification, including her team leader qualification as room leader at Deckham before becoming the Deputy Manager at Bensham. Her expertise is mainly with children aged 0-2 and has worked primarily with babies since 2000, and this is where her passion lies. Kelly is also one of our Deputy Safeguarding Leads and a strategic member of the Operational Leadership Team.
Claire Hardy
Day Care Deputy Manager – Deckham
Claire has worked in our Deckham site for over 21 years. Claire says ’It is wonderful to have worked on this site for so long to be able to see families returning with the next generation’. As a Deputy Manager, she looks after the day to day running of the nursery. Claire has two grown up daughters and a very friendly cocker spaniel. To relax she loves to garden and read thrillers. Claire is also one of our Deputy Safeguarding Leads and a strategic member of the Operational Leadership Team.
The Teacher Led Approach at Bensham Grove Nursery School
At Bensham Grove we are a teacher led Nursery with teachers in our Investigation Hub and Discovery Hub at both the Sidney Grove and Deckham site.
Emma Goodrick
Teacher Discovery Hub at Sidney Grove
Emma has worked at Bensham Grove since January 2019 in the 3-4 provision at Sydney Grove and then moved over to our Deckham site as teacher in September 2023. Recently, Emma has moved into our Discovery Hub at Sidney Grove to work with our two-year olds. Taking on various roles across the years, Emma is passionate in supporting the children’s learning and preparing them for the next stage in their journey. During her spare time, Emma is part of running a youth group and loves watching the football. Emma is also one of our Deputy Safeguarding Leads.
Natalia Maggiore
Teacher Investigation Hub at Sidney Grove
Natalia has taught in the Early Years for most of her career. Following her training on the Gateshead 3-7 SCITT she has worked in schools both in the UK and abroad supporting children in Nursery and Reception classes. Natalia became interested in the Reggio approach during her time working in Northern Italy. When not working Natalia enjoys running with Birtley Athletics Club and has trained to half-marathon level. She was very proud to take part in the 40th GNR in her 40th year!
Hayley Bhogaita
Teacher at Deckham
Hayley joined the team working in the two-year-old provision at Sidney Grove, and has now moved over to our Deckham site working with our Investigation Hub children. Hayley plans and implements experiences to build upon the children’s current interests and learning, in order to help them to take those exciting next steps in their learning journey. Hayley has over 10 years of experience teaching Early Years children at schools in Gateshead.
The Key Person Approach at Bensham Grove Nursery School
Research shows that children thrive when their needs are met by special people who take the time to tune in and get to know what makes them unique to help them feel emotionally secure.
At Bensham Grove Nursery School all of our children have a named key person to help them feel cared for and celebrated. The key person has a very important role to play during your child’s time with us. They will:
- Help your child feel safe and settled when they arrive each day and work with you to build a partnership between home and school.
- Observe your child’s play within our plan, do, review approach and act as a play partner to support your child’s development.
- Help your child with their personal care and encourage them to develop their independence.
- Let you know about your child’s developing friendships, interests within school and share your child’s progress with you.
- Make sure that any questions you have are answered, dealing with any day to day queries you have about your child and our nursery routine.
The key person role is supported by an extended team to support the smooth running of all of the Hubs.
At times your child’s key person may direct you to the following people within the Nursery team to talk to, for example if you had something confidential to share about family circumstances, specific concerns about your child’s development or a concern about any aspect of nursery provision.
- Jill and Sue – Headteacher
- Lesley – SENCO/Lead Practitioner
- Hilary – Day Care Manager
- Kelly and Claire – Deputy Day Care Managers
- Natalia, Emma, Hayley and Hayley – Teachers