Miss Alice Farmer - Oak (Upper School Team Lead)

Eight years ago, I began my teaching career at Shiphay in Year 5.  After two years in Year 5, I then moved abroad to Qatar, where I was teaching the British National Curriculum to Year 2 international children from all over the world. I gained lots of new experiences and skills that I have brought back to my teaching in England.  I am looking forward to another engaging and exciting year teaching Oak in Year 6 and also becoming Assistant Headteacher and continuing my role as Upper School Team Lead. In addition to this, I also coordinate Art and Maths.

I enjoy teaching all areas of the curriculum, and my subject specialism is Art and Design.  I also have a passion for Mathematics, and I am a Maths Mastery Specialist, working with other schools across Devon on Maths in their Schools.  I ensure the children are given a breadth of understanding that teaches them the skills to be able to reason and solve problems. I am a very active person and enjoy spending my time dancing, running and going paddle boarding around the Bay. I have also been involved in many theatre performances at the Princess Theatre from a young age. My experience as a dancer and performer has taught me the importance of working together as a team and the wide range of skills it develops.

 In my classroom, I value the children as creative individuals with each of them being creative in different curriculum areas.  I aim to use this to bring the children together as part of a community. It is important for children to be free to explore what they are learning by asking questions, working collaboratively, having resilience, building independence and being reflective on their practice. By embedding these core values across all of their learning, I believe it will develop the children into strong individuals who are respecting citizens and who are equipped for the future.

Mrs Katherine Luker - Oak

I have been teaching at Shiphay since 1999, primarily in Year 6.   My first eight years here were on a full time basis and I am now working part time, on a Wednesday and a Thursday,  teaching Oak.   Prior to my time at Shiphay, I taught in a First and Middle school in Poole, where I was responsible for Year 5, 6 and 7 classes. 

I thoroughly enjoy my time at Shiphay and relish teaching all aspects of the curriculum.  My particular interest is teaching languages .  For my teaching degree, I specialised in teaching French at a primary level.  The enthusiasm shown by children when learning a modern foreign language is fantastic.  They love learning through games and songs and are always willing to have a go.

Teaching in Upper School, I am a firm believer in helping children to develop their aspirational values.  As many of them prepare to take the next step in their learning, having the confidence to reflect upon their work and think about what they need to do next is a great skill to acquire.

Mr Richard Nutbeam - Sycamore

Hello, I have loved being at Shiphay Learning Academy and I am excited to continue my learning journey with Year 6 next year. I have always held a passion for the outdoors and exploring the world. I decided to enter into the teaching profession after being inspired in outdoor classrooms in Kenya. I have now been teaching for over 16 years. In the past I have led schools, but last year I returned to the classroom and I have loved working with the children directly.

As a teacher, I have developed my practice to create vibrant classroom environments that allow children to thrive, encouraging a wide spectrum of the children’s strengths and talents. I believe that the key to good progress and learning behaviours is the relationship we build with the children, and I strive to create a learning environment where children feel safe and understand that mistakes are part of the learning process. My favourite subject is Science and I specialised in this area. I think it is a very exciting subject, where learning can really come alive.

I started my teaching career in Birmingham and moved to Devon 5 years ago. Since moving to Devon, I have loved taking advantage of the outdoors with my wife and three children Arthur(3), Alfred(1) and William(0). I look forward to meeting my new Year 6 class and helping support the last stages of their learning journey at Shiphay.