Meet our Assistant Headteacher - Early Years Foundation Stage leader (Nursery and Reception year groups)

My name is Justyna Powrie and I am thrilled to join CHAT as an Assistant Headteacher leading on Teaching and Learning in Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception year groups) from 4th January 2021. I am looking forward to meeting all the families and not only support the youngest children of Cuckoo Hall and Woodpecker schools but all the others too.  Additionally, I will be leading on EAL (English as an additional language) across CHAT and it will be my privilege to develop and embed sustainable EAL provision within CHAT supporting EAL pupils across the curriculum.

You will be able to recognise me easily as I carry a basket around with me, full of stickers, butterflies and other puppets and colourful pens. I believe in sparkle and engagement in learning; high quality experience for all children that helps to guarantee their firm foundation on which to build future academic, social, and emotional success.  

I am an experienced teacher of 20 years in Primary education with passion for teaching in Early Years where it is especially vital to foster children’s natural curiosity and divergent thinking and inspire the love for learning. Butterflies that I noticed all around Cuckoo hall and Woodpecker schools beautifully illustrate my own thoughts on learning. I believe that “Caterpillar to Butterfly” is a very descriptive metaphor to depict an amazing transformation that children undergo at school. As you know, there are four stages to a butterfly’s life: the egg stage, the larvae (or caterpillar) stage, the chrysalis stage and then the adult butterfly.

I always see children starting school as little caterpillars (just like the Nursery and Reception children) who start “eating, eating and eating” more and more learning like the “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” in the story by a fabulous children’s author Eric Carle. Children grow wiser and wiser in the lovely garden of learning journeys full of science, maths, geography, history, art, PE, values, literature, etc until one day, at the end of Primary education in year 6, they become gorgeous independent butterflies that spread their wings and soar the skies.
Let us work together to make a difference to your children’s education.
Thank you