Hello my name is Miss Rankin. I am the Early Years Leader at Ryecroft Academy. I have worked in EYFS for many years and have a wealth of experience supporting children in Reception and Nursery. I started teaching in 2015 and throughout my time in education I have taught in Year 1, 2 and Reception. I am passionate about learning through play and providing children with lifelong memories and experiences. Building positive relationships with both children and parents is essential to a child’s education and is something I always try to do when families join our school. I believe in creating a safe, secure and settled environment where families feel welcomed. This supports us in developing a sense of community as soon as our youngest children start with us. My favourite area of provision is the reading area. I love telling stories and bringing them to life with puppets and silly character voices! Teaching children to read is magical, seeing children progress in reading and begin to enjoy stories is truly rewarding. My role of ECT mentor enables me to support new teachers and help them to grow in confidence and be the best they can be. Sharing my knowledge and experience to support new teachers, and seeing them progress in their careers is a particular highlight. Outside of school I am a proud Mum to a 2 year old, my little girl Clara. We enjoy the great outdoors and love nothing more than exploring local parks and woods, and trips to the seaside. We enjoy messy play and crafting. I enjoy listening to music, walks along the canal and the occasional game of bingo with my friends to wind down.

Hello, my name is Mrs Baxter, and I am an Early Career Teacher at Ryecroft Academy. I work across both Early Years and Key Stage One and have extensive experience in both phases.

I began my journey at Ryecroft Academy seven years ago as a volunteer before progressing into a classroom Teaching Assistant role and later undertaking my teacher training. Throughout my time at the academy, I have developed a strong understanding of early childhood education and inclusive practice.

In addition, I have worked as a one-to-one support, gaining valuable experience supporting children with SEND and adapting provision to meet individual needs. This experience has strengthened my ability to create nurturing, inclusive learning environments where all children can thrive.

I love being part of the Ryecroft team. Every day brings new challenges and rewards, and we work closely together to ensure a safe, welcoming environment where every child feels valued and supported to flourish.

My favourite area within provision is the creative area. I believe that early mark-making is a fundamental part of a child’s development, and I love seeing how children’s confidence and skills progress over time. I also enjoy the reading area, where I encourage children to use their imaginations and create their own stories.

Outside of school, I have two very active children, so I usually spend my weekends on the sidelines of a hockey or football pitch cheering them on. In my spare time, I also enjoy hiking and going camping with my family.

My name is Mrs Broxholme, and I have been an Early Years Professional at Ryecroft Academy for almost nine years. I feel incredibly proud to be part of such a wonderful, dynamic team and have loved watching our Early Years provision grow and develop over the years.

Building positive, trusting relationships with children and their families is one of the parts of my role that I value most. I believe that strong partnerships between home and school are essential in helping children feel happy, secure and confident, and I really enjoy getting to know each family and understanding how we can work together to support their child. As an Early Years Leader, I feel it is a privilege to be someone that families can talk to, rely on and feel comfortable approaching. I always want families to feel listened to, valued and supported, particularly during those important early years when there can be lots of questions, changes and new experiences.

During my time at Ryecroft Academy, I have also worked as a one-to-one support assistant and as a class teaching assistant. Both roles have been incredibly rewarding and have given me a wealth of experience and a deeper understanding of how to support children with a wide range of needs, personalities and interests. Every day brings a new challenge, experience or opportunity to learn, which is one of the things I love most about working in Early Years.

When I am in provision, some of my favourite things to do with the children are arts and crafts, construction, anything musical and sharing a good story. I love creating fun, engaging experiences that encourage children to explore, wonder, ask questions and develop their independence. I am passionate about helping children overcome barriers to learning and watching them grow in confidence and flourish. Being able to play a part in their learning journey is a real privilege.

As an Early Years Leader, I am passionate about creating an environment where children, families and staff all feel supported and valued. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with colleagues and working as part of a team to continually develop our provision. My role as an ECT mentor is particularly rewarding, as I am able to support new teachers as they develop their confidence, find their own strengths and become the best teachers they can be. Seeing colleagues grow and progress in their careers is a real highlight for me.

Outside of school, I live with my husband, our two children, Noah and Florentina, and our much-loved dog, Percy. Life is certainly busy with football practice, dancing and gymnastics, but we love spending time together as a family. We enjoy days out, discovering new places and returning to old favourites. We have always loved travelling and we are enjoying sharing that love of exploring new places and experiencing new adventures with Noah and Florentina.

Hello, my name is Miss Grayson and I am a qualified teacher currently working in Nursery. This is my third year at the academy, I have previously taught in Reception here and I am excited to be teaching Nursery this year. As well as in schools, I also have experience working with children 16-18 who are NEET (not in education employment or training) and football coaching.

My favourite lesson to teach is phonics, it is very rewarding watching the children learn all the letter sounds and eventually learning to read and write. During provision, I enjoy engaging in role play, encouraging children to explore different roles and characters. I also really enjoy anything creative; making stories, drawing and building, it is lovely to see what the children create with their imaginations. Early Years is my favourite phase to work in and it is amazing to see the children learn and flourish through play, it is a pleasure to be a part of their learning journey.

Outside of school I enjoy spending time with my family and going for long walks, we also enjoy camping. I love to read; I could spend all day reading a good book. I have also recently started painting, although I still need a lot of practice.

Hello, my name is Miss Eccles. I am currently working in Nursery as a Level 3 Teaching Assistant, I really enjoy working with all the Friendly Frogs. Before I worked at Rycroft, I worked at a school in Halifax working with children from Nursery up to Year 6. This gave me lots of experience working within Early Years, however it was just too far away from where I live!

Working in Nursery, everyday is different. Each day is a new opportunity to really engage with the children using all the fantastic provision we have. It also gives us a chance to really build our learning up to be the best that we can be.

Outside of school, I love to go concerts all across the country and I love going to the cinema to watch new films (especially Marvel films). I also enjoy traveling to new places, in the UK or outside the UK.

Hello, name is Miss Brewis. I joined Ryecroft Academy in October 2023 working in Early Years as a Teaching Assistant. I have a level 3 qualification in Children’s Care, Learning and Development. I have worked in private day nurseries for many years with ages ranging from 3 months old to 5 years old. My passion is helping the young children grow and develop, helping them to learn new things & engage in new experiences. I’m also a parent to twin girls who also attend Ryecroft Academy. On our weekends, we enjoy swimming lessons and going out to explore new places, have fun with our friends and playing Uno on a Sunday evening with all our family. I'm looking forward to being a part of your children's development and helping them to become the very best they can be.

Hello, I'm Mrs Young and I am Level 3 teaching assistant working in Reception. I am a qualified teacher and have taught across all key stages throughout my career, but my favourite times have been working in EYFS. I began my teaching 29 years ago and spent the first 11 years working in London before moving up to Yorkshire 18 years ago. Since then, I have worked as a Reception teacher and have really enjoyed my time shaping the minds of the young children in my care. I am passionate about Early Years and the important role we play as practitioners in helping children build the building blocks they need to gain the most from their educational experiences. I value the importance of communication and see it as the most important tool we can equip our young people with as it underpins all other areas of learning. I'm excited about being part of the Ryecroft team and I'm looking forward to bringing my passion and experience to my new role.

Outside of school I enjoy walking, going to the theatre and getting lost in a good book. I'm married with two children, and we have three cats who keep me very busy and give the best cuddles!

Hello, my name is Ms Stanley. I have been part of our school community for over 15 years, working in a variety of supporting roles. Currently, I am a level 3 Teaching Assistant and a Wraparound Care Early Years Practitioner. I truly love helping our youngest learners grow, play and discover new things every day. When I am not at school, you will usually find me packing up my VW camper van and heading out to the Yorkshire Dales for long walks in the fresh air. I love to travel to Italy and travel there for a holiday whenever I get the chance.

Closer to home, my absolute favourite thing is spending quality time with my two wonderful grandchildren.

Hi, my name is Mrs Lian, I joined Ryecroft academy in 2023 and work as a HLTA throughout school and a SALT teaching assistant also. I am level 3 qualified and worked at a children's centre for 10 years with children aged 3 months to 5 years. I decided to take a break from working in childcare to raise my own family of 3 children.

Since my children all attend school now, I made the decision to start working again and I look forward to working at Ryecroft helping the children develop and grow throughout their first year in school. My favourite area to play in the classroom is in the creative area, I love being creative and making crafts with the children. Outside of school I love to bake with my children and we also enjoy going for family walks around the local area to parks and post hill.