Mr Crawley was appointed headteacher in January 2025 having previously worked as a school leader in Uttlesford. Before working in education, Mr Crawley was an Artistic Director of a large youth theatre company, and has a BA in Drama.

Mr Crawley holds an NPQH and has been awarded Fellowship status by the Charted College of Teaching in recognition of his commitment and achievements within the teaching profession. Mr Crawley is currently undertaking a two year programme in order to become a Teacher Education Fellow. Mr Crawley is also an NPQ facilitator and an ELE (Evidence Lead in Education), working alongside the Essex Research School.

In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family - playing with his two sons (Ezra and Joel) and also taking his dog Albus for long walks in the woods. Mr Crawley is often found in the kitchen at home as he loves cooking and making/drinking coffee. In his spare time he directs theatre productions.

Mrs Cork joined Heathlands in 2015 having previously worked in other Colchester schools in teaching and leadership roles, as part of this Mrs Cork provided support and consultancy focussing on teaching and learning, SEN, Safeguarding and EYFS provision. Mrs Cork is an accredited Specialist leader in Education (SEN and leadership), Advanced Skills teacher (Maths and PSHE) and accredited Mental Health Lead.

Mrs Cork has a Masters degree in SEN and leadership, is a qualified SENCo, with a PGCE and PGDE in SEN, she continues to work with both Essex University and Hertfordshire University to mentor and supervise Masters degree students. Mrs Cork is a governor at her children’s Secondary school.

Spending time with her teenage children and husband, alongside taking long walks with their spaniel called Basil keeps her busy. She enjoys a long swim, listening to music and the theatre.

Mrs Brennen has worked at Heathlands since January 2014, having worked at a primary school in Coggeshall before that. She decided that she wanted to be a teacher when she was in Year 1! Since joining Heathlands she has taught from EYFS to Year 6 and loves getting to know the children and their families.

She is now one of the Assistant Headteachers – they have responsibility for teaching and learning and curriculum. She also provides pastoral support and is a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. Alongside this role, she currently teaches in Rowan class (Year 1). She has a BA in English and gained a distinction in an MA in Education. She trained to become a teacher through the SCITT qualification. She has also completed the NPQML and NPQSL courses.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family – they especially enjoy days out involving animals and have visited many different safari and wildlife parks in England. She loves reading and tries to make time to read each day. She also enjoys watching live comedy (when she gets the chance) or listening to comedy podcasts.

Mrs Howells started working at Heathlands in 2016, after completing her teacher training here; since joining she has taught from Year 1 to Year 6. Mrs Howells is one of the Assistant Headteachers alongside Mrs Brennen– who have responsibility for teaching and learning and curriculum. Alongside this role, Mrs Howells currently teaches in Banyan
class (Year 2). She also provides pastoral support and is a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. Mrs Howells is passionate about inclusion and getting to know the children as individuals and supporting families. She has a first class BSc degree in Psychology and holds the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (SENCo), more recently completing the Advanced Practitioner Course for Autism.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family – going for trips to the zoo and farm with her son, Noah. You’ll normally find them outside! She is also passionate about raising awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity.

Mr Hassard completed his teacher training (as a SCITT student) at Heathlands in 2009. He then taught in St. Osyth for three years before returning to work here as a class teacher. He has been working at Heathlands for the past 11 years, teaching across KS1 and KS2- but predominantly in year 6. He has been a member of the Senior Leadership team for 9 years, mainly in the role of phase lead. As the phase lead for Years 5 and 6, he leads and manages the staff and pupils across these four classes. The role includes: supporting the pastoral and behaviour needs of the pupils; managing the SATs assessments and supporting the Year 6 pupils transition to secondary school- to name just a few.

In 2021, he completed the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership  (NPQSL), with a focus on how we stretch and challenge all pupils. For the past two years he has co-led maths in school and has attended a maths mastery course run by Venn Essex Maths Hub. He is also the Educational Visit Coordinator: helping staff to plan and organise school visits. 

In his spare time, Mr Hassard enjoys spending time with his family, watching football, keeping fit through going to the gym and running and using the school holidays to travel.

Mr Turver has worked at Heathlands for 10 years, before which he taught at Old Heath Primary School. He has developed his skillset by leading PE, Maths (within which he worked with the National Centre of excellence in mathematics, gaining a professional lead title) and most recently Worship and RE across the school. Mr Turver has continued his development in teaching by achieving the NPQ qualifications: National Professional Qualification in Middle Leadership and National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership before becoming a part of our senior leadership team.

Before teaching, his background was in media, earning a BA in Combined Studies – Media Pathway from Leeds University and a Post Graduate Certificate in Communication, Culture and Media studies at Cambridge ARU.

In his spare time, he is passionate about football, both watching Newcastle United and coaching an U15 girls’ team for Stanway Rovers. He enjoys spending time with his family, exploring new places and trying new things.

Mrs Lloyd has worked at Heathlands for over twenty-five years, joining the school as a Newly Qualified Teacher in September 1999. Having taught every year group across the school, she considers Early Years her passion and has led the EYFS Department for the past seven years. She is responsible for the transition of our Early Years children into school and believes that carefully planned opportunities to meet staff, visit the new environment and build relationships are vital to ensure that children and their families feel welcomed and settled at Heathlands. Mrs Lloyd wants the children in our school to feel happy and safe so that they become confident and successful learners. This year she has also taken on the role of Interim Key Stage One Phase Lead. Mrs Lloyd has continued to develop her leadership skills by completing the National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership. During her time at Heathlands, she has led a variety of curriculum subjects and is currently responsible for leading STEM across the school. Mrs Lloyd is also an active staff member of the PTA; supporting them at each of their main events throughout the school year.

Before joining Heathlands Mrs Lloyd gained a BA (Ed) in Mathematics and Education with Qualified Teacher Status. Her degree placements focused on children aged three to eight years which initiated her love of teaching the Early Years children.

Mrs Lloyd lives in the village and is proud of Heathlands being such an important part of the community. She spends her spare time which her family and can often be found on the side-lines of a football pitch cheering on her daughter Daisy, or playing tennis in the Colchester and District League partnered by her son Thomas. To relax she enjoys long weekend walks at the beach, eating out, and going to comedy shows with her husband.   

Mrs Chipperfield joined Heathlands last December as the School Business Manager. Her role is extremely varied, overseeing the operational, financial and strategic aspects of school management. Mrs Chipperfield started working in schools back in 2007 when her son (George) started school. She has worked in various Primary and Secondary school settings and came to Heathlands with a strong background of strategic planning experience. Mrs Chipperfield holds the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety (NEBOSH) which she uses in her role at Heathlands. In her spare time she loves to travel visiting new places and enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Mrs. Fisher has been teaching at Heathlands since 2011, after teaching at  several primary schools in Essex and Surrey. She graduated from Roehampton University with a degree in Primary Education (BA hons) with a specialism in children’s literature. Mrs Fisher has taught across all key stages including EYFS and she has spent some time working on the senior leadership team, during her time at Heathlands. 

Throughout her 17 year career she has gained a wide range of experience and most recently, she has particularly enjoyed working in EYFS and Year 1, developing a passion for learning through play and outdoor learning. She currently teaches in Willow Class, where she enjoys supporting our youngest learners at the start of their school journey. Mrs Fisher is always keen to  promote reading for pleasure and will happily recommend a good read, for a variety of ages! 

Outside the classroom, Mrs Fisher loves spending time with her three children and can often be spotted on their football sidelines. As a family they enjoy visiting the library, travelling abroad and days out. Just recently she has taken up running and plans to take part in future 10K and half marathon events in the next year. 

Mrs Lloyd has worked at Heathlands for over twenty-five years, joining the school as a Newly Qualified Teacher in September 1999. Having taught every year group across the school, she considers Early Years her passion and has led the EYFS Department for the past seven years. She is responsible for the transition of our Early Years children into school and believes that carefully planned opportunities to meet staff, visit the new environment and build relationships are vital to ensure that children and their families feel welcomed and settled at Heathlands. Mrs Lloyd wants the children in our school to feel happy and safe so that they become confident and successful learners. This year she has also taken on the role of Interim Key Stage One Phase Lead. Mrs Lloyd has continued to develop her leadership skills by completing the National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership. During her time at Heathlands, she has led a variety of curriculum subjects and is currently responsible for leading STEM across the school. Mrs Lloyd is also an active staff member of the PTA; supporting them at each of their main events throughout the school year.

Before joining Heathlands Mrs Lloyd gained a BA (Ed) in Mathematics and Education with Qualified Teacher Status. Her degree placements focused on children aged three to eight years which initiated her love of teaching the Early Years children.

Mrs Lloyd lives in the village and is proud of Heathlands being such an important part of the community. She spends her spare time which her family and can often be found on the side-lines of a football pitch cheering on her daughter Daisy, or playing tennis in the Colchester and District League partnered by her son Thomas. To relax she enjoys long weekend walks at the beach, eating out, and going to comedy shows with her husband.   

Lizzy Patterson has been a class teacher at Heathlands since 2019; she currently teaches in EYFS where she enjoys helping our youngest children settle into school life and learn those vital first building blocks of their education.

Lizzy graduated from Brunel University with a 2:1 in Primary Education with QTS in 2002. She has been teaching for over twenty years now and has taught in primary schools across Middlesex, Surrey and Essex. During this time, she has taught in all key stages and nearly every year group.

At Heathlands, Lizzy leads our Eco Council. Luckily, this is of interest to Lizzy and she has instigated many significant changes all with the aim to improving our footprint on the planet: for example, travel initiatives for safer parking around school; increasing the biodiversity of our school grounds and more recently, setting up a refill shop on our site.

Lizzy lives locally and spends her weekends supporting her three children with their hobbies and interests. She loves to exercise, read, shop, eat out and spend time with friends and family. Lizzy enjoys travel and has a long wish list of places she would like to visit one day! 

Mrs Sutton has worked at Heathlands since 2002, where she joined the school as a newly qualified teacher.  She gained her teaching degree at King Alfred’s College in Winchester. Since joining Heathlands, Mrs Sutton has taught EYFS and Years 2,3,4 and 5.  She currently teaches Maple Class in EYFS. 

Mrs Sutton loves to spend time with her family. She has three sporty boys and is often found cheering them on the side lines of a football pitch or watching her twins play squash. She loves to keep fit and healthy herself and plays netball and enjoys running. One of her favourite places to visit is the Lake District, where she loves nothing more than to explore and climb mountains. You may also see Mrs Sutton working in her shop in town, serving coffees and lots of Whippy ice creams!

Mrs Lawrence joined Heathlands, as a Year 1 teacher, in September 2024.

Before embarking on a teaching career 20 years ago, she completed a BA Honours Degree in Performing Arts. A love of theatre led her to work with young people on various community theatre projects in London. The joy of working with these young people sparked an intertest in becoming a primary school teacher. 

After completing a PGCE in Primary Education, she moved to Colchester and spent 15 years working in three other Colchester schools teaching in both EYFS and KS1.  Early on in her career she also spent a year travelling across Asia and South America and feels lucky to have spent a month teaching at a bilingual school in Cusco, Peru.

She feels proud to be a teacher and loves working with children. They inspire her so much.

When she is not teaching, She loves to spend time with her family, especially having adventures with her three children. She also enjoys the beach, music and good coffee. 

Mrs Nakum joined the Heathlands family in 2023, having previously worked at Braiswick Primary. She has a BA Hons in Textile Design with a specialism in Woven Textiles, from Loughborough University. She also holds a PGCE alongside her QTS from the University of Greenwich.

Mrs Nakum has always loved teaching and finally decided to make the leap after lockdown, during which she home-schooled her daughter and enjoyed every moment of it! Working at Heathlands brings her so much joy and she loves supporting the children to grow in confidence and feel proud of their achievements.

Before coming into teaching, Mrs Nakum has worked as a Cultural Arts Practitioner for over two decades, holding workshops in Indian dance, culture and textiles for educational, public and private organisations. Mrs Nakum teaches weekly Bollywood dance classes in the local community and often performs at events and festivals, either through dance or spoken-word poetry which she loves. She is passionate about building cultural awareness and breaking down stereotypes.

Mrs Nakum’s focus is on increasing accessibility to The Arts by building gateways between local creative organisations and schools. Along with Miss Wiggins, she is working towards achieving the Artsmark for Heathlands, to further expand the wonderful opportunities that the children experience. She is an active board member for Colchester Arts Centre - where she has been involved in setting up the Youth Board to give young people a voice in the Arts offering of the city, and is Chairperson of a small UK charity.

Fun fact: Mrs Nakum has never had a pet or been able to do a handstand! When she is not at school, you are likely to find her relaxing with her children, reading, playing music or cooking (and eating) in her beloved kitchen

Miss Philpott joined Heathlands in 2022 as an Early Career Teacher and has been teaching in Year 2 ever since. She is currently based in Olive Class and loves being part of the Key Stage 1 team.

She holds a BSc in Geography and a PGCE in Primary Education, with a specialism in PE.Promoting a love of reading is something she is particuarly passionate about, and is currently undertaking a Reading for Pleasure course to help foster a reading culture across the school.

Outside of the classroom, she enjoys keeping active and spending time outdoors. She plays for Colchester Iceni Rugby team and have recently rediscovered a love of running – completing the Colchester Half Marathon to raise funds for the school was a real highlight!

Mr Turver has worked at Heathlands for 10 years, before which he taught at Old Heath Primary School. He has developed his skillset by leading PE, Maths (within which he worked with the National Centre of excellence in mathematics, gaining a professional lead title) and most recently Worship and RE across the school. Mr Turver has continued his development in teaching by achieving the NPQ qualifications: National Professional Qualification in Middle Leadership and National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership before becoming a part of our senior leadership team.

Before teaching, his background was in media, earning a BA in Combined Studies – Media Pathway from Leeds University and a Post Graduate Certificate in Communication, Culture and Media studies at Cambridge ARU.

In his spare time, he is passionate about football, both watching Newcastle United and coaching an U15 girls’ team for Stanway Rovers. He enjoys spending time with his family, exploring new places and trying new things.

Miss Wiggins began her teaching career at Heathlands Primary School in 2012. She holds a first-class honours degree in Primary Education from Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford. Over the past 13 years, Miss Wiggins has taught across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3.

Since joining Heathlands, Miss Wiggins has been the Art Lead, a role which she really enjoys. Her innovative approach led to the introduction of the much-celebrated 'Art & Culture Week' three years ago. She has embarked on the Artsmark journey for the school, aiming to enrich and expand the Arts curriculum.

In addition to her passion for the arts, Miss Wiggins is currently enhancing her skills through a Maths Mastery Course with the Venn Essex Maths Hub. She believes in building meaningful relationships with her students, helping each child to achieve their full potential both academically and personally.

Outside the classroom, Miss Wiggins enjoys spending quality time with her family, watching Disney movies, listening to music, visiting the theatre, enjoying picnics, going on holidays, and reading. 

Mrs Sandford joined Heathlands in April 2021 having previously taught at a Primary school in Great Cornard, Suffolk. Mrs Sandford has been a teacher since graduating from the University of Brighton with a BA Hons in Secondary PE and Geography in 1998. After leaving university she taught for 15 years at Great Cornard Middle School before moving to Wells Hall Primary School in 2013. Mrs Sandford has always loved sport and being outside so becoming a PE and Geography teacher was an obvious choice.

To relax, Mrs Sandford plays netball, runs (not very fast) and loves to swim. She can be found walking her greyhound, Alba, on the Sudbury water meadows. She enjoys cooking, going to the cinema, Formula 1, Jurassic Park/World films, reading or listening to books and loves to grow flowers in her garden.

Mrs Gidden joined Heathlands in 2016 and has worked across the school in a range of year groups. She graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University with a degree in Primary Teaching and has a particular passion for teaching History. She has previously organised a whole-school walk to explore the history of West Bergholt as part of Local History Month, helping to bring the past to life for pupils in a meaningful and engaging way.

In her spare time, Mrs Gidden enjoys reading and swimming competitively as part of a local swimming team. She finds swimming a great way to keep active, unwind, and spend time with others. She also loves countryside walks with her labradoodle, Bentley, and enjoys relaxing at home. Her favourite animal is a donkey, and she enjoys visiting them whenever she can.

Miss Smith joined Heathlands in 2023 after graduating from the University of Brighton with a BA (Hons) in Primary Education. She began her teaching journey in Year 2 and is now enjoying the opportunities and challenges of teaching in Year 5.

She is passionate about creating a positive and engaging classroom environment where every child feels supported and inspired to reach their full potential. Miss Smith especially enjoys teaching English and helping children develop a love of reading and writing.

Outside of the classroom, Miss Smith enjoys listening to music, staying active at the gym, and spending quality time with friends and family. She also loves pushing herself outside her comfort zone—having bungee jumped in Costa Rica and now preparing to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in August 2025. She believes that embracing challenges helps build resilience, a value she encourages in her students every day.

Mrs Gibson joined the Heathlands team in 2014 but has taught, locally, for nearly twenty-seven years with some of that time also being spent forming part of different Senior Leadership Teams. With a BA in English, Mrs Gibson has previously taken the Shakespearean play, ‘Macbeth’ on tour playing the lead of Lady Macbeth. Her love for ‘The Bard’ has also found its way into her teaching: promoting the next generation to discover his magic. Her keen interest, in English, has meant that she worked with the Standards & Testing Agency, to support in the setting of the threshold for the SATs Reading paper, in 2016. Currently, Mrs Gibson is developing her passion for supporting children with Special Educational Needs through studying for her NPQ for SENCOs.

In her spare time, Mrs Gibson loves nothing more than spending time with her family: her husband; daughter Megan and her additional daughter - hairy four-year-old labrador, Purdy. In the holidays, Mrs Gibson loves long-haul travel; experiencing the cultures, and cuisine, in a variety of locations with some her favourites being: Thailand, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Mr Hassard completed his teacher training (as a SCITT student) at Heathlands in 2009. He then taught in St. Osyth for three years before returning to work here as a class teacher. He has been working at Heathlands for the past 11 years, teaching across KS1 and KS2- but predominantly in year 6. He has been a member of the Senior Leadership team for 9 years, mainly in the role of phase lead. As the phase lead for Years 5 and 6, he leads and manages the staff and pupils across these four classes. The role includes: supporting the pastoral and behaviour needs of the pupils; managing the SATs assessments and supporting the Year 6 pupils transition to secondary school- to name just a few.

In 2021, he completed the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership  (NPQSL), with a focus on how we stretch and challenge all pupils. For the past two years he has co-led maths in school and has attended a maths mastery course run by Venn Essex Maths Hub. He is also the Educational Visit Coordinator: helping staff to plan and organise school visits. 

In his spare time, Mr Hassard enjoys spending time with his family, watching football, keeping fit through going to the gym and running and using the school holidays to travel.

Mr Minter joined Heathlands in 2014 as a teacher and quickly became the PE subject leader . In 2023 he became the PE and Sport lead, a role that allows him to teach PE across the school as well as increasing the opportunities for children to attend clubs and represent the school in sporting events. Heathlands has become a leading school in the area for the PE and Sport that is offered, something that has been recognised in receiving the Key Stage One PE and Sport Physical Activity Mark, and the School Games Platinum award.

Mr Minter grew up in Colchester, attending Stanway Secondary School and The Sixth Form College. He has a degree in education from Anglia Ruskin University. He holds level 2 coaching qualifications in football and cricket, and level 1 coaching qualification in futsal and rugby. 

Mr Minter lives in West Bergholt and is heavily involved in sport within the village. Until recently, he coached at and ran the Colts section at West Bergholt Cricket Club, introducing All Stars cricket to the club and significantly increasing the number of children attending the club. He is the co-chair of Berghot Heath Youth Football Club, manages a team and introduced the popular academy sessions for 4-6 year olds to the village. In the ten years he has been involved at the club, the number of teams, and therefore children, enjoying football in the village has significantly increased. Many of the children playing cricket and football in the village attend Heathlands. Mr Minter is also the co-chair of the Colchester Sports Primary League, a group of local schools that take part in sports events and fixtures.

Mr Minter enjoys spending time with his wife, Karen, two children, Dominic and Aidan, family and friends. He plays football for a local team and plays golf as well when he gets the chance. He also enjoys watching films, going to the cinema as often as he can.

In addition to her music credentials (which can be seen on the Music page), Mrs White also studied English and Drama at university. Her love for the bard saw her play Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and the (literally) twin roles of Viola and Sebastien in an adapted version of Twelfth Night. She was also fortunate enough to take part in the York Mystery plays.

As well as teaching in the secondary sector for 18 years starting in Sheffield and ending in Braintree by way of Felixstowe, Mrs White has written thirteen titles for the Chalkface project providing worksheets for secondary schools, and various articles for both local and national press: one of which was used for a BMA conference!

Mrs White’s association with Heathlands started in January 2005 first as a parent, then governor and PTA chair, all the while doing general supply/teaching roles. A highlight was writing a school Christmas production incorporating pirates, Santa and the nativity!

Never one to rest on her laurels, Mrs White is currently learning Swedish, to add to her French, does a Sudoku every day and is a keen cruciverbalist.