Staff

Staff

We have an established and experienced teaching team of 17 staff. We have small class sizes of 16 maximum, with a ratio of 1 staff to 8 children in Kindergarten. Our Kindergartens are led by teachers Anna Podesta and Michelle Payne, supported by our experienced and qualified Assistants. Our Class Teachers, Pankaj Sulodia and Leila Abuhilal, join us as founding Teachers of Cardiff Steiner School opening in September.

Kindergarten Teacher - Anna Podesta

Anna is an experienced and qualified Steiner Waldorf Kindergarten Teacher who has worked at the Centre since 1999. Anna is our source of teaching expertise and has a deep understanding of the needs and nature of young children. Anna previously trained as an occupational therapist. Her daughter Isabel attended Kindergarten.


Kindergarten Teacher - Michelle Payne

Michelle is a qualified Steiner Waldorf Kindergarten Teacher who has worked at the Centre since 2005. First as an Assistant Teacher and Parent and Child Group Leader,  and since 2009 as Kindergarten Teacher. She brings warmth and wisdom, fresh practices and new ideas to the Centre. Her daughter Tyler attended Kindergarten and is now in Cathays High School, Cardiff.


Class 1/2 Teacher (age 6-8) - Pankaj Sulodia

LWTTS (London Waldorf Teacher Training Seminar)

Pankaj joins us as founding teacher of Cardiff Steiner School opening in September 2012. He trained as a Steiner Teacher at the London Waldorf Seminar at Rudolf Steiner House with Dr Brien Masters. Before Cardiff Steiner School, Pankaj taught as a Class Teacher for 6 years at the Sheiling School in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire – one of the only two Steiner Schools in the country for children with special needs and learning difficulties. Pankaj has a calm authority, respect for the children and twinkling sense of fun. There is a maturity and gravitas in Pankaj, despite his relative youth, and the children love him. more>
  

Class 3/4 Teacher (age 8-10) - Leila Abuhilal

NESTT (North of England Steiner Teacher Training)

Leila joins us as founding teacher of Cardiff Steiner School opening in September 2012. She trained as a Steiner teacher at the North of England Steiner Teacher Training Course. Since graduating in 2010 Leila has been Class Teacher for classes 4/5 and 5/6 at Ysgol Nant-y-Cwm Steiner School in Pembrokeshire. Leila is passionate about learning, has a natural, friendly and joyful approach to teaching and strives to bring an innovative and interesting experience to the children. more>
 

Administrator - Miranda Knight

Miranda is the Centre's Administrator. Miranda has been involved with the Kindergarten since its inception and brings a huge amount of knowledge, expertise and warmth to its operation and development. She was also a Parent and Toddler Leader at the Centre for several years, and set up our Woodland Group at Cosmeston Lakes. Her eldest son Lucas was one of the first children to attend. Her other three children all attended kindergarten. Miranda had a previous career as a dancer and choreographer.


Assistant Teacher - Brienne Keigwin

Brienne has worked as an Assistant Teacher since the Kindergarten was founded in 1998. She has CACHE Level 3 Playgroup Practice. Her two daughters both  attend Kindergarten.

 

 


 

Assistant Teacher - Lisa Sandercock

Lisa has worked at the Centre since 2009. She has a Cache level 3 in Playgroup Practice and a level 2 in Playwork. Lisa has worked on community based summer playschemes for five years and has volunteered as a beaver and cub leader for Cardiff Muslim Scouts, as well as being a Classroom Assistant in the previous Cardiff Steiner School Initiative which her daughter attended after Kindergarten.

 
Assistant Teacher - Karen Bassett

Karen has worked as an assistant at the Centre since 2009. She previously worked as a qualified secondary school teacher of French and Russian. She has three children, Celyn, Eira and youngest, Ilan, who currently attends Kindergarten.


Assistant Teacher and Parent & Toddler Group Leader (Roath and Penarth) - Danae Hunter

Danae has been running our Tuesday and Thursday Parent and Toddler groups at the Centre in Roath, and the Woodland group at Cosmeston Lakes since 2010. Her two daughters both attended Kindergarten. Danae is also a painter, homeopath and artisan ice-cream maker.


Parent & Toddler Group Leader (Roath and Pontcanna) - Gail Chester

Gail has been running our Parent & Toddler groups in Pontcanna since 2008, and our Monday and Wednesday groups in Roath since last year.  Gail has a degree in Modern Chinese Studies and, since moving to Cardiff from Leeds in 1991, has become a Welsh speaker which she enjoys bringing into her groups. She has two children, her eldest daughter attended Kindergarten and her younger daughter currently attends. Gail shares her enjoyment of baking and craft with the children in her groups and is also noted for her preserves (catch her jam and marmalade at the Kindergarten Fairs) "When I first attended Steiner groups with my daughter I felt I had come back home. Everything that was positive and good about my own childhood has been here for my children in the parent and toddler groups and the kindergarten. It is a delight to be a part of this as a Parent and Toddler Leader."


Parent & Toddler Group Leader (Cowbridge) - Karen Westcott

Karen has been a childminder for 10 years and has a Preschool Playgroups Association diploma. Prior to this Karen was a librarian working with children and young people. Karen has six children of her own and discovered Steiner education five years ago when her son, aged six,  began to suffer from “burn out” at mainstream school. He attended Kindergarten and was home schooled for a year and is now happily settled in secondary school. Karen's younger children, Rowan and Cherry have enjoyed the woodland parent and toddler group at Cosmeston Lakes and Karen now enjoys co-leading the Cowbridge group.


Eurythmy Teacher - Clare Kimber

Clare has worked at the Centre since 2002. She has taught eurythmy since 1995 in kindergarten groups and to children aged 6-12 in Steiner schools, as well as giving adult classes and workshops. Formerly a state English teacher, Clare trained in eurythmy in England and Switzerland. She gained a Eurythmy teaching diploma from Emerson College, Sussex and later a Eurythmy Therapy diploma in Dornach, Switzerland. Clare is a grandmother.


Eurythmy Teacher - Jackie Evans

Jackie has worked at the Centre since 2001. She enjoys ring-time eurythmy with the children every week, and connecting with the Centre in many other ways. She trained at the London School of Eurythmy and has worked as a eurythmy teacher and therapist with children and adults in a variety of settings including both Steiner and mainstream schools and St. Thomas’s Hospital, London. She was eurythmy therapist at the North London Steiner School and taught and practised eurythmy therapy at Delrow College Camphill Community for adults in South Hertfordshire for 10 years.

 

Forest School Leader - Gareth Lewis

Gareth has been working at our Forest School since September 2010. He is a fully qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader. Gareth is CRB checked and is a member of Forest School Wales, the national network for Forest School provision across Wales. Gareth’s son Isaac attended Kindergarten until April 2011. Isaac still attends Forest School as well as being home-schooled in a Steiner curriculum by mum Sarah. Gareth loves Forest School, and says that “getting involved in Forest School was a life changing moment. It has been an absolute pleasure to have been able to observe how the experience impacts positively on children's self confidence and self esteem.”

Forest School Leader - Kara Schmieder

Kara trained to be a Forest School Leader with Archimedes Training in 2009 and has been working at our Forest School since March 2011. Kara set up and ran a successful Forest School programme for pupils with severe learning difficulties. Kara is currently working as an administrator for a small Cardiff-based charity and very much looks forward to the weekly Forest School sessions. As a qualified teacher, Kara can see how “Forest School not only stimulates a curiosity in and an appreciation of the natural world, but also provides fantastic child-led learning opportunities for children to hone ‘soft’ skills, such as communication, co-operation, negotiation, problem-solving and team-work.”

Afternoon Care Leader - Hanan Sandercock

Hanan is a graduate of Dartington College of Art. She has a Cache level 2 in playwork and has experience of setting up and running summer playschemes. Hanan has also worked as a playworker for Cardiff City Council, a childworker for Women's Aid and an art co-ordinator for Cardiff Muslim Primary School. Mother of 4 children, Hanan's two older children came to Kindergarten, her younger daughter is currently at Kindergarten, and her youngest will be attending when he is of the age.

 

Afternoon Care Leader - Abi Hendra

Abi has been leading our Thursday Afternoon Care session since April 2011. Abi has worked as a Year 5 and 6 Teacher at Cardiff Muslim Primary School and prior to that did various work supporting children and young adults with special needs. Abi's eldest son is currently at Kindergarten and her younger son attends our Parent and Toddler sessions. Abi " loves being a part of a school that sees each child as an individual - it truly is a fantastic environment for each child to explore and develop basic skills at their own rate."